Late Season Elk?

[Boundless_84]

I've had a tough year trying to find elk. Put on literally hundreds of kms hiking through the bush and only saw elk in bow season, which obviously I wasn't able to connect. I called in one lone bull, but he came in so quietly downwind of me that it was too late by the time I realized he was coming in. I found a smaller herd a week or so later, but couldn't get within bow range. That was in WMU 406, but I only have a general tag, so the season there closed rather soon.

I spent a few days down in 402 and didn't find anything, other than some whitetail and mule does. Same with 308. Last weekend I was in 318 for whitetail; there's an elk season but apparently last year had a 0% harvest rate. Lol.

Any suggestions where to spend the last weekend, and for finding late season elk in a general tag zone?

[Pekan]

If you are out of options, what about 305? I was down there last Thursday and spoke to an older guy who said he saw two groups up by the fire tower. Said he saw three legal bulls.
The only problem is the number of hunters. I'm told it's a war zone on the weekends. And I guess the herds are fragmented due to pressure.

We walked up on a cow and calf by following their tracks. Bumped them at less than 80 yards.

[praire hunter]

with the upcoming weekend being the last of the season for general tags, 305 will be busy, the majority of the elk are on private land and access this year is hard to obtain.

[waterninja]

I feel your pain OP. We hunted for elk all over northern AB for more then 3 weeks and never saw a legal bull.
Only place we did see a couple herds of cows (With a few spikers), was between spirit river and Grande Prarie. Maybe with this snowfall they might head to the fields. Good Luck.

[alpineguy]

My favorite way to hunt elk is to sit on a high vantage point and glass with both my binos and spotting scope. Its amazing how many animals you will see this way and is a great way to locate their hideouts. You have to be out at first light and watch again the last couple hours of the day. Its sometimes hard to sit if you're not seeing much but for me it is the best way I have found to hunt elk outside the rut.
Also, if you're looking for legal bulls they generally won't be in amongst the cows but may not be far away. If you see cows out feeding look into the surrounding trees and areas with cover which are close by. Too many hunters get fixated on a herd of cows and spikers and do not look beyond to find the bulls.
The areas you mention should provide lots of opportunity for this style of hunting.
Just my 2 cents

[Boundless_84]

I imagine the snow has pushed the elk lower down, or would they still be found in higher elevations? I've always hunted elk during bow season, never this late in the year, so it's new for me. I've hunted whitetails a fair bit in November, but never elk, so I don't fully know what to expect.

[Boundless_84]

Well I found the elk. I closed off the season in 308. Managed to get within shooting range of some cows and spike bulls - but nothing legal. Darn spikers apparently aren't eating enough of their vegetables! Ha ha. Oh well. It was challenging to get in close enough. It was fun but didn't work out the way I had hoped. Thanks for the advice fellas!