That was always my PREFERRED method of hunting elk. They are a sociable animal and will often wait and see what is coming even if they can hear you. If you look in my profile album you'll see a HUGE 6x6 bull in the back of my old stock truck. That thing threw a track the size of a spike bull and not back on his dew claws a bit. Strangest thing I ever ran across. He might have been pushing a thousand pounds on the hoof. Biggest elk I've yet seen. So don't try to read antlers in the tracks. If you get on a fresh track, stick with it even if you don't think it's a bull. Remember, I said they are a social animal. As often as not one track will take you to more elk and more elk equals greater probability of one of them having a rack on its head.

I used to track all day the entire season until I got my elk or ran out of season. It is hard to say what is the best way to go. Elk will cover a dozen miles or so from bed to feed to water daily. When I had ample cartilage in my knees, tracking was my number one tactic.. Elk will traverse some nasty terrain like nobody's business in a hurry. Tough on boots, hide, and rifles. If you can pattern elk movements, sometimes it works out to sit and watch if you know the area and where the elk move. At times you might tromp about all week and never get a whiff of elk. Anymore I usually walk in to a stand area and sit most of he day. Sometimes watching an area that has ample elk sign that goes both ways will pay off. Go to Colorado Parks & Wildlife website and browse the Elk University 101 pages. Get one of Laubach and Hinckle's elk hunting books. Great info there.

I jump on every hot elk track I come across during elk season. Of course we hunt in a large party with plenty of the older guys sitting in meadows so the odds are good that I can at least push the animal towards one of them. The only other piece of advice I can give you is to get a cow call, even though Montana's rifle season falls after the rut, it is still possible to call bulls in. My brother called my 6x5 and 3 spikes out of the timber and down to us, a distance of well over a mile. Any other questions just ask.

If it is a rut hunt call but if it isn't then where you are hunting matters in my opinion. If it is more open country I climb to the best lookout point and glass until I find a bull I can chase or my pants ware through. (another reason a mulie tag may be a good idea if the elk are not moving deer are the next best option) If it is thick country I try to find where elk are moving through on a regular basis, still hunt, sit water or track. I have seen people follow a bull in new snow for more than a mile just to find a broken up 2/3 on a "trophy" hunt because they where not willing to glass more. Also elk are more visual and sent oriented than sound because they regularly move in groups that make lots of noise. So a decoy may help even if you are not calling. I used a montana cow decoy last summer to walk straight in on a group of feeding elk to take pictures within 25 yards. By staying down wind and skirting the elk slowly angling closer you can cut the distance or move through open cover.

Another piece of advice on tracking: avoid tracking downhill or be extremely slow and cautious if you do. Though they are sociable and will often stand and look at what's coming (sometimes I knew they could smell me), they WILL NOT hang around if they hear something coming down from above them. I tracked hundreds of elk (at least hundreds) and I do not recall ever having any of them but one small bunch that didn't just flat book off if they heard me above them. And that bunch didn't hear me I'm pretty sure (I got the drop on them totally and nailed a spike). I believe this is because cougars attack from above - or else they really don't have much of a chance catching an elk in that kind of country.

Dakota, I don't know how those knee replacements went but I suspect you should be cautious. Don't go messing yourself up trying to do something that's not in your reach. It is what it is. You'll get something even if it isn't a big bull. Hell, I shot a lot of forked horn muleys and does when elk hunting and many times even settled for a day pack full of blue grouse. Which reminds me, get your bird license and put a .22 pistol revolver loaded with longs in your pack (not on your hip!). Don't worry too much about the noise. I once shot four big blues, loaded them into the pack, walked around the corner and made a very long shot on a spike (that I subsequently wished I had missed!). And don't take more than three of those big birds unless you have some pretty good shoulder straps on your day pack! Gees, I wish I was going with you. Oh, and don't bother shooting the fool hens (spruce grouse). They taste like turpentine.

Another piece of advice, I have hunted the Montana elk opener when its been 80 degrees and I have hunted the opener and had it be -15 degrees, bring a wide selection of clothing. A few pairs of good walking boots that are well broke in are a must as well. Take your time, drink plenty of water, and most importantly enjoy yourself. I work the whole year to enjoy a week or two of elk camp on the mountain.

Thanks, Pray. Means a lot to be able to pass some of this stuff along. No kids left except my daughter and she's not real interested in that sort of thing. I'll be 76 before my grandson who arrives this month will be able to hunt. So not much chance of passing what I know along to anyone in the family. No sense in burying it with me. I added a couple of elk hunting stories to Dakota's last thread. Hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed writing them.

Dakota: As to carrying a bigger pistol, in a word ... no! You are going to have your hands full with altitude changes and possible knee issues. DO NOT load yourself down with a bunch of useless extra weight. And you will note I said to toss the .22 in the pack and not on the hip. Why would you need an extra larger pistol in the daypack? And I can tell you right now you're not going to track anything with a pistol strapped to your leg! If you're worried about bears, which is just wasted anxiety, pick up a small light pepper spray dispenser. Stick it to your pack or straps somewhere. Really though, you have about as much probability of needing a backup weapon for a grizzly as you would needing a helmet to protect you from meteorites. When was the last time you heard of someone shooting a grizzly with a "back up gun"? Not once as far as I know. Well, not in the modern era anyway. I think Davy Crockett had to resort to a knife or something once to finish a charging bear that his muzzle loader failed to kill. As I said some months ago when this issue came up, strapping a hog leg to yourself only advertises your dudiness. Somewhat like the "guide?" for Desert Mt Lodge wearing his mile long .44 Ruger Blackhawk on one hip, Bowie knife on the other, and both over his lovely purple frilled rodeo chaps. Oh, and the Hoss Cartwright fire-bucket on top of his head. Yeah, that was the finishing touch. Hmmm. I almost forgot the pink silk scarf. All this on a 6" tall kid who didn't weigh 150 lbs. Man, I wish I'd had a camera. Any self-respecting hunter would have taken one look at that clown and got right back on the plane!

Great post DM,
The guys responses are making me wish I was going too!I love hearing from you guys that know what you're talking about. Keep us posted as you prepare. You've got to be so excited.
Good Hunting

You'll need to be in good shape and at least somewhat adjusted to the altitude if you're planning on tracking/stalking elk at all. That said, a herd will frequently stay put all day if nothing pushes them, so if you find fresh tracks, chances are you're not too far behind them. Be forewarned, they will leave lookouts to observe their trail and alert the rest of the herd if a predator (i.e. you) starts approaching. That lookout is going to usually be one of the older cows, not a trophy bull. If you aren't finding any fresh tracks, another one of my favorite methods is to just walk very slowly and quietly through the woods, listening for the mews from cows and calves.