early season plans

[Shadow24]

I just found out that I will only have the first week of Sept. to hunt this year. I've been scouting several times over the summer and have seen plenty of sign but my confidence level isn't exaclty high. What are some effective tactics that you use during early season (pre-rut)? I'm planning on spending a bunch of time sitting on a heavily used wallow in the afternoon and evening, but I feel like since I only have a week to hunt I need to be doing more, specifically in the mornings when the elk are active, to give me a better chance. Also I will be hunting by myself. My tag is for either cow or bull. Thanks for the help

[Stick]

I've had a lot of luck cow calling when sitting a wallow in early season. Non aggressive and about every 30 minutes or so. Most will come in silent so keep your ears and eyes peeled. For me early morning is a good time to glass from a high vantage point. Give you an idea what they are doing then you can make a move.. My two cents!

[Swede]

The best way to get elk is to maximize your time in the elk woods. Different tactics may be useful, or maybe not, depending on the elk and the place you are hunting. Different areas call for different ways of getting the job done. In areas that are not over called, and where there is a lot of water, cow calling near a trail and water hole may be quite productive. Where I hunt I don't call. I prefer to set my stand where elk are most likely to come in when they are in the vicinity. Bulls seem to come in very cautiously and cows are in no hurry. Calling only causes them to choose another water hole a quarter or half mile away.

[WapitiTalk1]

Following up on Swede's notes "different areas call for different ways of getting the job done". Tell us more about the area you're hunting. Type of terrain, lotsa water, minimal water, elk pops, hunting pressure, etc. Remember that for the most part, elk use wallows in July thru the end of August (not a steadfast rule but as a general rule). Please share a bit more about the area and I'm sure folks will chime in.

[Shadow24]

Thanks for the replies. The area I'm hunting is pretty heavily timbered and flat for the most part so it would be difficult to find any sort of vantage point to glass from. A forest service road goes right through it but in the past 8 years of being there (family bought a cabin nearby 8 years ago) I have only seen one group of hunters in the entire area. the elk get more pressure from vehicles on the forest service road than from actual hunters. The elk population got hit pretty hard by wolves but has recovered a lot in the last few years. I've seen more elk in the last two years than the previous six combined. As far as water is concerned, there is a river that runs parallel to the road about 1/2 mile away. Like I mentioned earlier, there are a few wallows that Im interested in and have a trail cam hung over one so Im hoping to get a better idea of what is coming in. The wallow is right next to their feeding area so I was thinking this would be a good ambush spot. Do cold calling set ups work well during early season? If so how would you recommend I go about it? i.e. what calls or calling sequence should I use?

[Navesgane]

I wouldnt call at all until the second half of your hunting days (the last few days) and instead rely on pure ambush/still hunting if it were me. Of course this would be considering the elk are moving during shooting hours. How do you determine that tho? Hopefully your camera can help you on that. I called a nice bull in last year on opening weekend with conservative cow calls. I wasnt successful with a shot, but he was looking for 'company', very cautiously nonetheless.

[foxvalley]

Since your time is limited, I would plan on hunting all day,maybe being more aggressive in the mornings and evenings,but I would spend the middle of the day at a wallow,especially if the presure is low,and it is warm.Elk seem to bed fairly close to water/wallows,and it is not uncommon for them to visit the water/wallow during the middle of the day.

[CurlyTail]

Your first challenge will be to locate the elk. Make sure you are out there early as your best bet to hear a bugle early season is early morning. Sometimes they will sound off as the herd moves towards their bedding area trying to keep the herd together.

There is no problem throwing out an occasional location bugle hoping to induce a response.

There is no problem throwing out an occasional cow call or estrus buzz hoping to induce a response.

You may need to go out at night and try your location bugle.

If you cannot locate the elk by sound, they you will have to resort to glassing and fresh sign. Cold calling is always worth a try if you are in a likely area. Calf in distress can be a reasonable call to try if you have no idea where the elk are. In general, everything is low percentage until you have located the elk.

Keep covering new ground until you locate the elk, dont keep going back to the same elkless areas

Time in the woods is sometimes your best bet. Stay optimistic, dont get discouraged and go sit in camp. All you need is a bugle, a sighting, or fresh sign and game is on.