Late season elk location - weather or pressure?

Paul in Idaho

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Joined
Aug 9, 2012
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Southwest Idaho
I just returned from a late-season cow elk hunt here in Idaho. I hunted low, high and in the middle without success, and am trying to figure out what factors are most likely to drive elk behavior and location.

The largest number of elk I saw were in the river bottom on private ranch land. The first herd was around 75 animals. The other was closer to 200.

Another day, I saw 4 elk around 6500' at sunset and watched them from a couple miles away until dark. The next morning I spotted them in the same area, but by the time I closed the distance they had disappeared.

The last day, I hunted around 8200 feet elevation, and found deer. If the snow at that elevation wasn't enough to push deer lower, the elk sure wouldn't need to leave. The snow was torn up with deer tracks, but I found only 1 elk track.

So, I'm wondering where my best chances would be in these conditions to locate elk. I'm guessing the elk on low private lands went there due to hunting pressure. My thought is next time I should focus on areas with good food as far from road access as possible (sanctuaries), regardless of elevation.

Does that sound right, or are there other factors to be considered?
 
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