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Question about elk hunting

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Have a few question for you guys with more experience, got drawn for elk after 6 years in unit 4B late bull hunt, never hunted or know the unit , i'm planning on scouting and getting to know the unit, already bought one of those huntmaps and don't want to use an outfitter like to do it myself,want to get to know roads trails and every thing also i'll try everything to make my hunt easier when is opening day , now the questions are:

 

1. should i scout the pine trees in the higher elevation or should i go a little lower in elevation to the junipers? are there elk that live all year around in the junipers?

or should i wait and scout later in the year?

should i camp or get a hotel or motel around the area? last year it was in the 10's for the hunt.

i'm planning on calling the wildlife manager for the unit, what questions should i ask besides this questions?

in late november if already snow do you hunt water?

tthank you and looking forward for some advice.

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Congrats on your tag. I don't know 4B but, there's always elk living in the junipers where I hunt. I would look everywhere you can. I don't like to camp in the colder weather as I don't have a camper or tent trailer. I would go up there during the rut just to get an idea where the bulls are. The main thing during the hunt is to keep a positive attitude and know that anything can happen. Ask the WM if he knows any migration routes in your area. Good luck with the scouting and your hunt. Only 7 more months! :lol: :o

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Guest super jumbo

Go low for anything with size. Tough hunt but there are some bulls in the 330-350 range. Realistic expectations should be 280-300.

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Go low for anything with size. Tough hunt but there are some bulls in the 330-350 range. Realistic expectations should be 280-300.

Tough hunt but you could find some nice bulls in the lower elevations, read the azgfd website , the areas they mention are always good starting points.

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I don't know your unit, and am assuming your hunt is in late November. If so, your early trips to the area should concentrate on learning what happens after the snow hits. Are the roads accessible? Do the elk move lower? Where in the unit have most of the bulls been taken in past years?

 

The area's wildlife manager will have the answers, but that first snow usually gets elk moving lower in the units I know.

 

I'd also use those early trips to locate high vistas that overlook the junipers where you can set up and glass.

 

Bill Quimby

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Guest super jumbo

My earlier reply was for a rifle tag, but i dont think you specified if it was bow or rifle in your post. If its the late archery tag then shoot the first bull you see within range regardless of the size. There is alot of water in 4b even down low unless its a really dry year. Way ,way down low water is a factor though. Good luck!!

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For starters this is a very hard hunt. I have guided this hunt probably 10 times in the past years. When you are asking should you go low or high? This would be depending on how low you are talking. The over the counter tag in 4B takes in the real low country so that will not be a good option. The hard thing with this tag is there are not alot of places to gain elevation to glass long distances if you have the higher end optics to look far. If you see a six point of any size I would suggest shooting it on the spot. You are going to need to scout a ton after the rut is over and then scout the 4 days before the hunt starts to find the bull you want to shoot and shoot him at daylight opening morning before the elk get spooked. Once they get spooked they hide in the thick cedar pockets and the hunt just became even harder. Be prepared to put lots of miles on you vehicle and see very few elk. The higher country in the unit is more like a road hunt. There are a few area that you can walk to and glass some open areas but these areas are hard to find without great knowledge of the unit or GPS cordinates. Also you asked about water.. That will be something you will have to determine in you scouting right before the hunt. You will need to check tanks just prior to the hunt to determine if the elk are using that water. If there are bull elk using the tank you might need to install some trail cameras to see if there is any size to any of the elk that is using the tank.

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My earlier reply was for a rifle tag, but i dont think you specified if it was bow or rifle in your post. If its the late archery tag then shoot the first bull you see within range regardless of the size. There is alot of water in 4b even down low unless its a really dry year. Way ,way down low water is a factor though. Good luck!!

Thank you , it is a rifle tag, are the areas on the azgfd a good indication if i wanted to hunt the lower elevation?

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glass glass glass

the unit is abut 20% burned off now. the burns along the 504 and along chevelon canyon west of the 170 will have some nice bulls. dry lake area can be awesome. don't expect any 330s or larger but remember on that hunt the last day will be better than the first.....the very long finger ridges extending out into wildcat canyon south of 504 are bull magnets but foilage is dense and hard to hunt.

lee

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Guest super jumbo

I would hunt down the 504 road down by chevlon canyon. We were there last year on the archery hunts and the late rifle hunts. We saw some bulls up to 330-335 but they were always a ways off. There were alot of smaller bulls though, and i think scouting the week before your hunt in all those burns down the 504, you will do fine. Dont just glass off the 504 into the burn, as there are many roads to drive off the 504 a ways to glass from that get you away from the 504 but still in the burn. Dont make the mistake of passing any decent 6 point bull, cause luck runs low in 4b sometimes.

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