I end up with a lot of tags in units I’ve never been to mainly because this is what I have to do to get enough tags for the Fresh Tracks TV show. Yet, unfamiliarity can add a level of challenge that we don’t typically have to face when hunting units in our own backyards. Because I cannot rely on dumb luck, I have to do everything I can to make the most of the days I have. Once I am done in a certain unit, we load up and are off to the next hunt, repeating the process week after week.

Here's My Day-by-day Strategy for a Five Day Hunt

In most seasons, half of our hunts take place in areas we had never previously hunted. I’ve developed a system I use for these types of hunts. It’s not only a system for finding elk, but also a strategy for implementing that system once I arrive at the hunting area.

I seldom get to hunt the same season, same unit, same time period, same weapon type, year after year. Being forced to hunt elk in so many different situations in so many different seasons and environments forces me to approach it a certain way. One of the most important ways to prepare is completing some pre-hunt planning. Here is why that works for me.

Pre-hunt Planning

For me, cyber-scouting is a major asset. I only have five days to get there, get some encounters on film, and, hopefully, fill a tag. I can’t afford to show up and spend the time just walking around. The “walk around and see what happens” strategy depends too much on luck and happenstance.

Before I get there, I have called people who might be helpful: officers with both the Department of Natural Resources or U.S. Forest Service as well as any locals I might be able to contact to gain insider information. The Hunt Talk Forum is a great resource as long as you ask in the proper manner. Most of the time my calls and emails are not about where to go, but rather where not to waste my time. Wasted time is the biggest reason guys don’t find elk.

Eliminate as much of the unit as possible before you get there and your time in the hills will be far better spent. I also utilize the INSIDER Unit Profiles and Filtering to gain information on finding new hunting areas, herd information, weather trends, public land percentage, and terrain. Here is my day-by-day process once I get in the field. You will see how pre-scouting from home plays such an important part in my strategy.

Importance of Locating 10 Hunting Spots

From my pre-scouting, I pinpoint 10 spots on a map that I think are very likely options. Each will have a different reason for being on the map, yet all will have several features in common, such as distance or topography, that will result in less pressure and, hopefully, a higher likelihood of elk. With that common thread of distance or topography, the variables are food sources, bedding cover, water, and what I anticipate the elks’ response will be to variables in weather. If it’s unseasonably warm, I need some spots that have dark timber. If it is colder than normal, I probably want some south or west facing areas marked on my map.

I want 10 spots — all with a specific purpose and in anticipation of variable conditions. Having that many marks on my map gives me an average of two spots per day on a five-day hunt. Most times, I don’t get to them all. Some I can cross off the list based on what I discovered while investigating some of the other spots. By the last two days, I want one to three spots remaining where I can dial it in with all my effort. With a hearty dose of good luck I usually have filled my tag within the first three days, but not always.

In my schedule, I try to plan at least one day for scouting. I use that scouting day to figure out my strategy for the first morning. I then hunt according to that plan the next morning and assess the results. I seldom go back to camp for lunch or naps. That time is too valuable and is used to investigate the next pinpointed areas on my map that will be my afternoon/evening hunt.

The afternoon/evening hunt is intended to find elk, but also help me eliminate more terrain. By that, I don’t only mean eliminating that particular area, but also eliminating similar areas that I may have on my map. The reason I like to go into new spots in the daylight, if at all possible, is that I can then mark them on my GPS and have that trail recorded in the event I find elk and need to come in before daylight the next morning.

The night of the first day I assess what I have found. That determines what I do on day two. If I’ve found elk, I focus more on one of the first day’s locations. If no elk were found on day one, I go to some of my other spots and repeat the process on the second and third days.

By the end of day three, I have eliminated most of the areas on my map and I am dialed in on no more than three specific spots that have the best potential for these last two days of the hunt. When I look at my map on the third night, I have crossed off most locations and have a few that are still in contention. I then use my last two days to hunt those spots with the best strategies I can think of.

It's hard to be that disciplined about it when you see your hunt days slowly ticking away, but having a plan and sticking to it gives you the confidence that it will work. Many guys hit the panic button by the end of day two if they do not have a plan. Or they just do not have the mental mindset to stick with a plan and then panic when the days are dwindling.

By having a plan in place, sticking to that plan, and then working the plan all the way to the end, you will find a lot more elk. You will fill more tags. And if it's a location that you can return and hunt each year, you will have done more homework than many of the locals.