I’m so pumped that elk season is just around the corner.  In a few short weeks, we will be piling into the backcountry in search of the magical sound of a bugling bull elk.  Even if you are only hunting over the counter tags for spikes or cow elk in Utah, for me, hearing that first bugle of the season is exhilarating.  Getting close enough to that elk for a shot opportunity is a whole different story.  This article will focus on my approach to getting close to elk and setting up on them for an optimal shot opportunity. 

We have so much information at the tips of our fingers.  Within seconds, you can search online for pretty much anything and start learning about it.  When it comes to hunting and the outdoor related topics, you can quickly and easily find information online.  From gear reviews and tactics to how-to articles and trip recaps, it’s all just a click away.  But there are certain lessons that we will inevitably end up learning on our own the hard way.  Maybe we simply never stumbled onto the right article or bit of information that would have helped us be better prepared for a certain situation.  I know I have learned a lot from reading reviews, articles, and forum posts about all sorts of different topics, and I also feel like I’ve learned quite a bit through personal experience.  The purpose of this article is to go over some items that can be easily overlooked, but be invaluable in the field in the right situation.  Alexander Graham Bell once said ‘before anything else, preparation is the key to success.’  Preparation can also be the key to comfort, and more importantly, safety.  Here are some items that I will usually have with me on all day trips, and I never head into the backcountry for any extended period of time without.

When researching places to hunt elk, no scouting method is more effective than strapping on the old boot leather and roaming the woods.  This method allows you to discover honey holes such as old wallows, elk rubs and perhaps even bones from a previous years kill.  When you do run across one of these areas, be sure to mark it on your GPS or smart phone. The elk may not be in these areas during your early season scouting, but the bulls will surely return when the rut starts.  Unfortunately, most of us don’t have enough time for this type of boots on the ground scouting, especially when hunting multiple states.  So, an effective way to scout an area remotely is by using Topo maps and Google Earth.  This form of scouting will give you a basic lay of the land, identify access points, and help you find remote areas which will distance yourself from the crowds.  Below are a few suggestions to help you get started.