With a week before the archery elk opener, I needed to take another trip up the mountain for some final preparation.
After studying the trail cameras from this year and last I have found that the elk can be in the area but they aren't there all the time. I have learned some general areas that would have a higher probability of finding elk.
One area that I like, I have found a tree that I would like to put a tree stand in. I think my chances will be much greater at getting an elk if I can get up in a tree.
On this trip in I hauled in a metal tree stand and a Tree Saddle. I wasn't sure which would be the best to use out of the tree I wanted to hunt out of. With a Tree Saddle I can hunt from just about any tree. With my metal stand I need a good straight tree to strap it to. The tree I wanted to place a tree stand in is more of cluster of trees so I wasn't sure if a traditional tree stand would work.
I also like using the Tree saddle as a harness system when hanging my tree stand to free up my hands to hang the tree stand.
The last time I went in to check my trail cameras the camera watching the spring had been messed up again. This time I decided to take the camera off the Browning Tree Mount and strap the camera directly to the bundled brush. I like the Browning Tree Mounts because to can easily point the camera in the direction you need but it also makes the camera a lot more vulnerable to having critters (bears and elk in my case) bump and pull the camera off or out of position. This appeared like it would work except the strap I placed around the camera angled up in the back and an elk bumped the camera and the strap slipped up and over the lens. Dang it! Well and least the camera wasn't on the ground this time. :)
I like wrapping the camera with the strap so this time I placed the strap around the tree with the strap angling downward so if it does gets bumped the strap would likely slide downward in the front and not over the lens. We'll see how this goes.
Being about a week away from the opener and reviewing the trail camera footage it is showing that the elk have pretty much vacated the area by the end of August. They did the same thing last year.
Through July the two largest bulls (4x5 and 5x5) I have seen have been pretty regulars to the area. Incidentally, both of these bulls have matching down turned G1 brow tines. for the past few weeks, they have been gone. Hopefully, they return during the archery season. I would love to get one of them but I'm not picky when it comes to elk. I like the meat so if I do get a chance at any bull I'm going to take it.
The two 5x6 bulls that were in the area last year have never showed up this year. I wonder if they made it through the hunting seasons last year.
There is a good amount of elk activity during the first of July in the area. Hopefully, they start coming back in the end of August and into September. The video on the page shows some of the elk in the area.
This is how I found my bear and elk attacking camera this time out with the strap covering the lens. The bears and elk have really raised havoc on this camera location moving it out of position and tearing it down, so a few weeks prior I moved the trail camera off the Tree Mount and ran an extra loop of the strap around the front of the camera. I did this to the camera to really secure it to the brush. It was secure but an elk bumped the camera and the strap slid up over the lens.
This time I placed the extra strap around the camera but did it with the strap angling lower in the back of the brush so that it wouldn't slide up and over the lens if a critter messed with the camera.
