Game Density

The typical way of expressing game density is in animals per square mile. However, that assumes even distribution of an animal, which is of course, rarely the case. An argument could be made for deer having fairly even distribution throughout an area, as their average group size is usually small and they occupy a wide range of habitats. Elk, on the other hand, are anything but evenly distributed. Average group size during hunting season is about 6 animals according to some studies, and they rarely occupy low elevations year round. In fact, during the hunting seasons, in areas with the full spectrum of low altitude winter range and high alpine summer range (most of the Central Rockies), elk will rarely be below 8,000 feet, with 9,000 feet being about average.
So while there may be 4 elk per square mile of an entire unit, once you get up to an appropriate altitude and habitat type, the number of elk per square mile should drastically increase. But don’t forget, the average group size during the fall rifle seasons is about 6 elk, while during the rut it averages more than 10 elk. One might at first think that looking for larger groups would be easier, but that’s not usually the case. Just ask hunters in Montana, Idaho or Wyoming’s wolf country. The mean group size out there is much larger as defense mechanism, which greatly reduces the number of elk groups per square mile of suitable habitat, making it much harder to find the one or two herds in an entire river drainage.
To illustrate this mathematically, take an area with 2 elk per square mile (which is the average for the Northern Rockies but half of much of Western Colorado), and assume half that unit is actual elk habitat that is used through the hunting seasons. That gives us 4 elk per square mile of habitat. For an archer trying to hunt elk in the rut, when the groups are even larger at, let’s say 10 elk per group, you’re looking at just 1 group of elk per 2.5 square miles. In wolf country, where group sizes often are more than 20 elk, you’re looking for a needle in a haystack with one group per 5 miles of habitat. This is where the seemingly minor increase in elk density in good elk country can really help your hunting.
Many of Colorado’s better elk units have over 6 elk per square mile. And going with an area where half of the unit is appropriate elk habitat, which puts us at 12 elk per square mile or more than one herd per square mile during the rut and 2 herds per square mile during the fall rifle seasons. When you add in additional human factors and elk avoidance, you can see why most serious hunters talk about wilderness areas. Considering the average distance from a jeep trail during rifle season from a 1980s study was 1.3 miles, it’s obvious that you need to get away from the roads for consistent success.
For the sake of this argument, let’s call it 25% of the elk can be found under 1 mile from a road and 75% are over 1 mile. Let’s go back to a 2 elk per square mile unit, such as popular places like Colorado’s units 7, 8, 19 and 191 in the Poudre Canyon just west of Fort Collins. If you’re hunting within a mile of the road, don’t expect to find a typical herd of 6 more than once every 10 miles. Whereas in that same area, if hunting over a mile from a jeep trail (they are even further from well maintained roads), your elk herd density would greatly increase to one herd every 1.8 miles or so. In many units, there are so many roads and so few places where one can get much over 2 miles from the road while still remaining on public land, that it’s no wonder the success rates are in the single digits and the only elk you see are on high elevation private lands.
Since the whole idea behind westernhuntingdata.com is to put the odds in your favor, you need to be hunting where the game is and the roads aren’t. You can see how much a seemingly small increase in the number of elk per square makes. There are units in Wyoming with over 9 elk per square mile, 30 deer per square mile and 20 antelope per square mile. Colorado has a unit with 11 elk per square mile, several with over 9 per square mile and another unit with 25 mule deer per square mile. While Montana’s average elk density is about 2.5 elk per square mile, there are a few units with between 12 and 19 elk per sq mile. Idaho has a 10 elk per square mile unit. Oregon has several units that exceed that number and several deer units between 20 and 30 per square mile. Even California has units with more than 10 deer per square mile. If you want to succeed, you need to put yourself in a position to succeed. By arming yourself with information, you can make better informed decisions, put the odds in your favor and create your own luck. Obviously, hunting isn’t a game of pure chance, but there’s no reason to stack the odds against yourself any further than you have to.