Manitoba Elk Draw

[freeride_boy]

Hey guys got me letter for the elk draw on Friday. I am going out to area 30.
Who else got in and where you headed?
Has anyone tried area 30? This is my first Elk hunt and I cant wait. I don’t care if I get one this year, I just want to see some!! And experience it first hand!!

[Top-pin]

I was drawn in area 25&21 .... we went two for two last year and I am the only one drawn from our group this year !!!!!!!

If your looking for advise be prepared to walk, walk, and walk .... put on the miles if you want to get close to them ..... hunt them hard and smart ..... And don't give up ......you will tag out !!!!!!

good luck !!!!!!! post some pic's when you return !!!!!!!!!

[394-NTELK]

I'll be puching one in 25a,its a big area never to early to start to learn it.They call for a dry year so see if you can locate some water holes.Like top pin says walk and walk somemore best of luck.

[Top-pin]

Actually I was just up that way and they have allot of sitting water ... they got over 5 1/2" of rain so the pot holes are full right now !!!!!! I hope your right and it dries up .......to top it off the mosquitos were terrible .... not sure how those animals handle those critters !!!!

I set up four trail cams along some major trails heading to a food source I will be checking the in a couple of weeks !!!!!

speaking of walking last year my hunting partner bought a pair of Rocky Mtn boots just before leaving he never elk hunted before and his feet were killing him ..... we would walk twelve miles a day easily .... I was laughing at the blood trail we had on his sock's ... I felt bad for the guy but he hung in there and was behind me all the way. It paid off he shot his first elk ..... he shot this cow at nine yards and just after she ran away two 300" bulls walked right in his shooting lane one bull was 15 yards and the other was about 19 yards.

[394-NTELK]

Pretty dry in 25a checked my honey hole and there seems to be lots of fresh tracks couple more weeks I'll head out again check a few other areas in the back county,that they where hanging in a few years back hopefully there still there also.

[freeride_boy]

Hey anyone heard where they hang out in GHA 30?
PM me if you know a general location. Not asking you to give away your secrets though.
I was thinking right in Spruce Woods park, in the back areas away from the trails.

[Top-pin]

I hunted that area once saw some elk but we mainly hunted the private land (alfalfa fields) .... I can't really help there sorry. When is the season there ???? How long ???

good luck to you keep us posted on the scouting/hunting.

[Gumby]

Never hunted there but I'd check outthe Spruce Woods area for sure.


Got a tag for 21 and 25 this year. Can't wait to go!!

[freeride_boy]

Well i was out in the spruce woods area yesterday checking it out and the creepiest thing happened. I went down a road for a ways, then about 30 min later turned around and came back. i noticed some deer tracks on the trail so i checked them out. then i saw it, crossing my trail was some huge cougar tracks. the cougar had been there less then 30 min ago because he was on top of my trail going in. all i have to say is those tracks are huge! it took some pics of the paw prints if anyone wants to see them, but i am sure you guys have all seen them before.

the good thing is that i did find a well used elk trail.... and it wasnt near the cougar trail.

[394-NTELK]

Went out saturday to check my spots in 25a turns out another party is also hunting the area as they have a camp set up.Hoping they spook them out of there since there camp is smack dab in the middle of the sign,not down the trail not across the field but within 100 yards of there watering hole :huh:.competition seems a little tougher this year went into another spot to set my trail camera only to find another camera already there. :boohoo: but hey nothing saying there gonna be in the same spot in three weeks.

[Tacoma]

freeride_boy, that's pretty creepy. Actually, I'm just back from Spruce Woods park myself. I was there Monday and Tuesday (Aug 7,8). I was scouting mainly for deer, but also hoping to find some elk sign. Are the elk actually in the Provincial Park, or just the Shiloh range? I walked for miles and all I saw was deer sign, and most of that seemed old. I saw a couple deer trails that seemed fresh, but not heavily travelled.

This was my first time there, so I had no idea where to start. I chose what I thought to be the farthest points away from any trails or roads, and started walking. On Monday I was in the Northern half of the park, (north of the Assiniboine River.) On the map the area looks to be a marsh, but when I got there, it was just very thick bush. Here I thought no one else would have been there, but someone else had marked the deer trail with orange tape, probably from last hunting season. I still might check that area out again.

When I first started walking, maybe a couple hundred yards off the road I found an artesian spring/well. I had my camera gear with me so I stopped to take some photos. I heard a noise, thought it was a deer. It was actually a coyote, no more than 25 yards away. It didn't seem to notice me, probably because the trickling water making noise.

Tuesday I looked at the southern half of the park. I stayed west of the Trans Canada trail, and to the Northwest corner of the southern half of the park. I jumped one doe on my walk back to the truck. I also found a nice deer skull with antlers on it. If I remember, I'll get some photos of it tomorrow. I did not see any elk sign here, either. Oh well, I'll be back there again sometime to explore more areas.

Sean

[freeride_boy]

Hey Sean,

Did you get drawn for a elk tag too in GHA 30? or just going for deer this year out there.
And I know what you mean about the trails all looking old out there. That sucks.
I am having a hard time with the scouting out there due to the fact that there is so much Poison Ivy. I am one of those people that gets that stuff bad, and it is all over there in the deep bush. Last year I had to visit the hospital several times because of it, so this year I am being really really cautions about it. But that is certainly taking its toll on my scouting.

[Tacoma]

freeride_boy,

No, I did not apply for the elk draw. This year I was thinking of trying a new area to hunt deer. It seems many outfitters hunt the Spruce Woods area and get some really nice bucks, so I thought I'd see what all the hype was about. I was also hoping to find some elk sign, then I would consider hunting this area for elk sometime.

I have been planning an elk hunting trip to the Ducks sometime in the next couple years, but I don't have everything to really hunt them properly. I almost have what I need, just a couple more things to buy, like a good frame pack and some quality camo clothing.

I noticed how much poison ivy there was also, but I guess I'm one of the lucky people. I have never had it before, but I KNOW I have touched it, usually while camping, wearing shorts and sandals.

I never knew there would be cougars in the area. It's scary thinking about it now. When I went scouting on Tuesday, I could not find my knife I usually carry with me. I was camping at Kiche Manitou overnight, and that morning I had packed everything up and went scouting. When I got to the bush, about a 30 min drive. from the campground, I realised I did not have my knife. So, I drove all the way back to the campsite to see if I had dropped it there. Never saw it so I asked at the main office. Nobody had turned it in. "Whatever" I thought. I drove all the way back and went scouting without it. It turns out it had somehow gotten caught in a fold on the outside of my backpack. I found it when I got home.

I don't know how much good a knife would have been against a cougar or any other animal, but it's better than nothing, I know that!

Stupid me had to bring 50lbs. of camera gear along. I figured it’ll be good exercise, which it was, but it also slowed me down a lot. I had everything in a dedicated camera backpack, but it sure made things difficult trying to get through that really thick, nasty brush where the deer trails seem to go. Next time it’ll be just a simple daypack, and lots of water!

One thing that surprised me, I did not see ANY deer rubs on trees. Usually I see several from the previous season while scouting, but here I saw nothing.

These maps show where I was scouting:

Monday:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y7/sean22mb/Map-Monday.jpg

Tuesday:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y7/sean22mb/Map-Tuesday.jpg

I’ll be back there soon, hopefully with more info as to where I should look. Keep me posted as to how your scouting and hunting season go.

Sean

[Tacoma]

Oh yeah, here are the photos of that deer skull I found.