061,071 late cow elk

[quicknick]

So the harvest statistics for this hunt are only around 20%. Im begining to get very nervous about this hunt. I know from doing a little research the elk go north into idaho with weather or pressure. Im almost out of meat and desperate to kill a cow. I will be there two days before season but am losing confidence by the day, borderline panicked haha. If anyone has any experience in these units in late november i would sincerely appreciate a pointer or two.
Thank you in advance!

 

[quicknick]

How has the weather but up in northern Nevada? I have been looking at the weather reports and it seems like it has been pretty mild. Just trying to get my finger on the pulse of the area.

 

[Ikeepitcold]

Hope you get info. I don't know the areas. Have you tried to contact the biologists and talk to them on where to go?

 

[quicknick]

Yes, I have found that they can sometimes be tough to track down. Hopefully, I will get a call back today or tomorrow.

 

[tdub24]

According to NRCS site for snow depths they show some snow up there ranging from 1" to 8". Currently there is a storm rolling through Cali that may add considerable numbers to that. The early season cow hunts can be extremely hard to find any elk. I think getting this late it gets easier, less folks, but also less road access due to the weather. For the most part thus far the weather has been mild. Not sure when that season starts, but a couple years ago we were bull hunting around this time of year and seen a couple herds of 75+ each.

 

[quicknick]

Good to know; season starts on Tuesday. Should be there on Sunday to give myself one day to run around before season and try to figure something out. Knowing that elk usually tend to get pushed north in this area I feel like I can cut off the south end the units but it's just a guessing game at this point for me. Thank you for the little bit of insight. All it takes is one!

 

[nv-hunter]

Check out the sunflower flat area and any pocket of willow/aspens you can find

 

[quicknick]

Thank you for the Heads up nv-hunter. I was looking a the area around Big Bend campground. Will definitely take a look.

 

[Gr8bawana]

There is a lot of rolling sage country and canyons to the east of Wildhorse Res. that could hold elk this time of year. There is a lot of great looking country along the road dividing 061 and 071 all the way up to the Bruneau River. In that same area near Big Bend you will see Tennessee mtn on a topo map and the lower stuff has very large stands of aspen like NV-Hunter said. There are lots of side canyons off that same main road worth looking at.
Some of those roads do get pretty slick when they get rained or snowed on so be sure to be prepared with chains.
There are also alfalfa fields near Charleston which I believe are posted but I'm sure the elk hit those fields at night and go back in the hills behind them which is not private property.
Wildhorse Res. also has some pretty darn good trout fishing if you have the inclination.
Good luck on your hunt.

 

[nv-hunter]

Pm sent to quick

 

[quicknick]

Gr8, appreciate the tips. I always feel so lucky to be part of a community like this. I printed out the hunt sheets and the herd evaluation, been writing down a bunch of notes. I really wish i could have gone out a couple weeks ago but just didnt have the time.

 

[Gr8bawana]

I've had several late season cow elk tags in area 231 which up until this year ended the 2nd week of January. I personally like hunting the last week of season because we see very few hunters. The trade-off is that it is extremely cold, usually lots of snow and the roads can get nasty. We always find elk but usually they have been pressured far away from any road.

 

[quicknick]

Well nice little snow storm today making visibility crap! Hopefully it will clear up for the opener tomorrow.

 

[nv-hunter]

Snow makes for easy tracking

 

[Ikeepitcold]

Good luck. Keep us posted!

 

[ScottR]

Well nice little snow storm today making visibility crap! Hopefully it will clear up for the opener tomorrow.

When it clears though...makes them stick out like sore thumbs on white backgrounds!

 

[quicknick]

Yes sir, i poked around in the big bend and tennessee mountain area today. Didnt see any sign and talked to another guy who didnt see any sign at all. Im going to try further north tomorrow. Maybe they are moving towards the desert.

 

[luckynv]

Hey Nick, I had a cow tag several years ago and saw lots of them up on Copper Mountain. Over on the east side North of Charleston, you can access the western edge of Copper Mountain off of the Bruneau River area and go through Prunty Ranch in case you don't connect in the area your at. Mine was an early season tag and they were near the top of Copper. Good luck and God bless

 

[Gr8bawana]

We have seen tons of elk sing on Copper Mtn too. On the eastern side there are huge stands of quakies on the lower slopes of the mountain. On the western side there are big fingers of black timber that head down towards the Bruneau river.
It's a pretty good hike to the top of Copper mtn from the end of the road but there is a good horse trail.

 

[quicknick]

Thanks for the info on copper mountain. Met up with another guy today who is hunting solo. We made a plan to do some hunting together tomorrow. Copper mountain is definitely on my list of places to check. Im just hoping that all the cows havent picked up and moved to idaho yet. Despite the snow the other day it has apparently been pretty mild so far so i have to think there is still some elk hanging around.