Archery bull scouting

[BritSaz]

I was lucky enough to draw my first bull tag and it's an early archery tag in 6B. I am so excited! I bought my bow about 2 years ago and fell for archery pretty quick 😊. My family and I are headed there this weekend to shed hunt and scout. My dad hunts muzzleloader deer in 6B most years so he knows the northern part of the unit pretty well but does not have experience with the elk rut. My question is what kinds of things do you look for when you are scouting for early archery? I want to do whatever I can to have a great hunt and hopefully a successful one. Thank you!!

[SpotNstalkAZ]

Water! Find water sources! That is critical

Hope you find some sheds but remember typically when bulls drop their antlers its usually in a totally different area from where they will be during the rut. 

Good luck and get a bull killed;)

[high rise hunter]

I find it most productive to scout for archery elk in the days leading up to the season vs the month prior. Bulls will move a lot from summering areas to where they like to rut. Find the cows and you will find bulls.

[AzDiamondHeat]

Learn the area. Have a plan abcdefghij.

I have never scouted for animals but I do always scout for access points and various terrains. find water,  pines, scrubs, canyons. Learn several different areas that have different habitats because you never know what the weather will be like for early archery.

Take someone with you who knows how to call. Not essential for success but sure makes it more fun and opens up WAY more options.

hunt during the week. Weekends are a circus.

[bigorange]

Yep...early scouting is best to just locate water sources and learn the lay of the land, access roads, etc. the bulls won’t be in the same areas during your hunt. I don’t know if 6b is open for archery deer, but that can be a good dual-purpose scouting trip too just a couple weeks before your hunt. 

[Swivelhead]

Pay attention to trees rubbed from prior years.  Usually, rubs will be found near bedding areas or feeding/rutting areas.  This is a good indication of where the bulls will be during September.  Congrats on drawing a ticket to the dance.

[BritSaz]

52 minutes ago, bigorange said:

Yep...early scouting is best to just locate water sources and learn the lay of the land, access roads, etc. the bulls won’t be in the same areas during your hunt. I don’t know if 6b is open for archery deer, but that can be a good dual-purpose scouting trip too just a couple weeks before your hunt. 

That's the plan to deer hunt the week(s) before. At least least year that's when 6B was open for archery deer...who knows this year. Thank you for the help. 🙂

[Red Rabbit]

re this weekends scouting trip, it appears that the roads into 6B are still closed. The 535 and 533 were still locked when I drove past this past weekend.

https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/coconino/alerts-notices/?cid=stelprdb5339811

[Pine Donkey]

Find the cows in July, you will find bulls in September 

[wish2hunt]

All roads going into 5a were still closed on Saturday 

[BritSaz]

3 hours ago, Red Rabbit said:

re this weekends scouting trip, it appears that the roads into 6B are still closed. The 535 and 533 were still locked when I drove past this past weekend.

https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/coconino/alerts-notices/?cid=stelprdb5339811

Thanks for the info. Didn't think it would be closed still. 

[Eli]

https://westernmigrations.net/

so this is a pretty cool site and I’m pretty sure the 6B elk herd is on there. It’s gps migration data and I know there’s an early/late overlay. Good luck with your hunt!

[Eli]

My mistake, it’s the 6a herd. Cool resource regardless

[meatviabow]

Knowing the area like the back of your hand is beneficial for any hunt. It allows you to make educated game time decisions and react to curve balls appropriately. Boots on the ground for a lot of miles is my favorite approach.