Best hunting strategy in a unit with lots of roads?

[Big Tex]

So I drew a limited entry tag for archery this fall and as I've tried to narrow down where I plan to hunt but I can't seem to find many areas in the unit that get me more than a mile to a mile and a half away from the next forest service road.

The Unit is about 15 miles north to south and 12 miles east to west. There are a series of forest service roads that run east to west staggered about 2.5 to 3.5 miles apart, but in between there are a myriad of four track and old skid roads. It's mountainous terrain ranging from 7600 on the margins to over 11500 at the peaks.

Given that this is a limited entry hunt with only 60 other archery elk hunters should I be concerned about my inability to put distance between me and the next road. There's a healthy population of elk and they have to be somewhere right. Are there ways to put this road system to use by using it to be mobile and to move around to different areas for glassing and listening? Am I just being paranoid having never hunted a LE unit where you don't have to out hike 800 other hunters. Any insight would be much appreciated. Thanks!

 

[jvanhoy]

Sounds alot like the unit i drew this year. I have your same concerns with all the roads. I'm going to try something new to try to save some scouting time and go out and ride the roads after dark and listen for bugles. I've never tried it before but have read about people doing it.

 

[wytex]

Use the roads to your advantage. Most will drive them on their atvs listening for bugles. Find the closed off ones and walk them. Even the small pockets away from the roads will be good. With that few archery hunters you should be able to find some quiet places.

 

[jcneng]

Most people don't get more than 1/2 mile off the road. Find the saddles on ridges between roads or drainages and sit on those saddles with the wind in your face, and be quiet and still! If a chair helps you sit longer and quieter, bring one!

 

[Speeddmn]

Get a topo map, find the spot with the most lines stacked on top of each other, north faces, dark timber and water. Find the area that looks the worst for access, even if it is only 1 miles from the road or less, if it's a sheer cliff people will look and say nope... the elk will say yup!

 

[hank4elk]

I have found elk in canyons between 2 roads with atv's & trucks on them .Same with ridges with roads in canyons and ridges are road free. 1/4 mi from road.
If it's a drive around free for all area I will not be there at all. I will be where I think the elk went.

Don't know how many times I have been watching a bull on opposite side of a canyon(not my hunt) and had folks stop on the road an see what I was seeing,and not go after them. Yeah it's steep and all,but the elk got there somehow.
They are not mountain goats,well maybe close in their antics at times. But you can figure out a stalk most times.Or a guess as where they will go.


Also it depends on how many other hunters on same hunt. 60 hunters in a 15x12 sq mi area is still way too many for a LE hunt in my opine.

 

[2ski]

Find the closed off ones and walk them.

This. If you're looking at a map, keep in mind not all the roads are going to be open. If they are old logging road, a lot of times the FS gates them. I would park at on of these and hike it until you decide on a jumping off point. Parking at a gate kind of "claims" that territory for you to hunt.

 

[JCW]

Although not Elk, last year I found a nice whitetail buck bedded and sleeping about 75 yards below a heavily traveled road, the only way to see him was drive around the draw and hike a closed road about 1/4 mile on the opposite ridge and glass back towards the main road, unfortunately I botched the stock. Point is like others have mentioned, get off the beaten path (if possible), hike a little, and don't be afraid to look in unusual places.

 

[brymoore]

This. If you're looking at a map, keep in mind not all the roads are going to be open. If they are old logging road, a lot of times the FS gates them. I would park at on of these and hike it until you decide on a jumping off point. Parking at a gate kind of "claims" that territory for you to hunt.

+1. I hunt this way quite a bit. The only problem I've encountered are 4-wheelers occasionally driving around gates.

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

I would download the Motor vehicle use map if it is national forest, and check for closed roads like others mentioned. Otherwise, I think I would go back to the three basic things water/food/bedding cover, then focus in the areas that have these and also have some natural obstacle that is going to intimidate some other guy.

I would also try and get out there before the season, and see if you can locate elk, so you don't waste time during the season figuring the unit out.

 

[Big Tex]

Definitely got some new things to think about. I've got all the maps, talked with the FS office and have an idea of what's open and was forewarned that the local four wheeler traffic will be heavy...and that's not the ones hunting. Have also talked with several outfitters in the area and was able to glean from them some additional intel on the unit and one offered to drive the unit with me before the season to give me the lay of the land. Thanks for the feedback, much appreciated.

 

[Maxxis31]

Don't worry about the roads and go enjoy your hunt. It limited entry so there wont be pressure like a OTC unit, don't over think it just go enjoy the hunt. The elk are use to the roads being there and a lot of people overlook great hunting areas due to them having a road going through them.

 

[esracerx]

As I've learned and you probably know. Just because the roads are on the map doesn't mean theyre there. And if they are you don't know what condition theyre in if youve never been out there. I've seen trees cut down blocking roads. I wonder why...

 

[hank4elk]

...or the road is washed out & impassable. Some roads here will ruin a atv quick in good times,let alone a truck.

 

[CU2151]

Some really good info here...I was going to ask the same question myself. I ended up getting a deer tag in a unit close to Denver with roads crossing everywhere (leftover tag and my wife is expecting our first so I wanted to be able to respond in a reasonable amount of time if something were to happen). I've computer scouted a few areas I want to check out in person, but what I'm wondering is what the unit will look like come hunting season. If I have a list of places pre-planned/pre-scouted and there's orange dotting each areas I'm going to be disappointed. I guess we'll find out come October!

 

[Big Fin]

If the roads are not closed, then topography will be your ticket to finding where animals congregate to get away from pressure. Find places where stacked topo lines will cause people to not walk that first quarter mile. Animals figure that out and they go to places where topography or blowdown will reduce the likelihood of hunters following them.

 

[hank4elk]

If the roads are not closed, then topography will be your ticket to finding where animals congregate to get away from pressure. Find places where stacked topo lines will cause people to not walk that first quarter mile. Animals figure that out and they go to places where topography or blowdown will reduce the likelihood of hunters following them.

This is gospel!

 

[Hauber307]

From experience they will be in the nastiest crap you can find. But on the other hand don't rule out the dark patches of timber close to the road. I've hunted areas with a lot of roads and road hunters and I hunted the patches by the roads and there were elk in them. So I guess see what the other people are doing once you get up there see if and how far they are walking. Just my 2 cents

 

[Eyeguy]

Get a topo map, find the spot with the most lines stacked on top of each other, north faces, dark timber and water. Find the area that looks the worst for access, even if it is only 1 miles from the road or less, if it's a sheer cliff people will look and say nope... the elk will say yup!

^^^ THis. Find a place off the road that starts with a demoralizing strait up vertical to timber and elk habitat. You will be alone.

 

[hank4elk]

If you find a bench (bulb out)on one of these stacked decks of topo lines on a north face there will usually be a bull on it in my exp.

I used a climbing rope to get to one once. Sangre de Cristo Mtns.
Sure enough a giant bull figured something was up and I got to watch him do the goat traverse outta there.The trail to this grass filled spring fed spot was so small & steep. I climbed back the way I had come. The bench would fit in my homesite. I found him there the next day with my binos again,and he knew he was safe.