u/AthoF35

After spending a lot of time studying elk movement data and hunting these patterns myself, the single biggest mistake I made was treating morning and afternoon as the same problem.

They're not.

MORNING — it's a bench play:

Elk feed through the night and stage on terrain breaks (benches, shoulder features, saddles) as light comes up. They're moving from open feed to daytime bedding cover. Thermals are pulling upslope off canyon rims by 9AM. Your setup needs to be on that transition — the last bench before the timber — with entry from below.

The specific feature: a flat to slightly concave break in slope at the edge of the timber transition. On a 10m DEM hillshade it looks like a step. Elk walk the contour of these before dropping into bedding. 30-yard shots can happen here before 8AM.

If your not comfortable with a bugle tube or can't cover a ton of ground, this is a consistent pattern that can help you strategically be in position at the right times.

AFTERNOON — it's a water play:

On a warm September day elk will come to water daily and maybe multiple times per day. Late summer archery is the most reliable water-hunting window of any big game season. The problem is most hunters set up too close and educate the elk on the first sit.

The right setup: 60–80 yards off the tank, downwind of the most likely approach trail, in position by 1PM. Elk don't commit to water until they're satisfied with the wind. Be there before they start checking.

If they can control it most elk will travel down slope to water in the PM into the wind. They are much more comfortable heading back to bed on a path they have already traveled safely.

Be on the lookout for some videos that will help explain this in the near future.

The bench in the morning, the tank in the afternoon. That's the two-sit archery elk day.

What terrain features are you keying on for early season?

Spent a lot of time on 6A data this offseason and wanted to share notes for anyone who drew or is putting in. This is not a tight mountain pocket unit. Elk here operate across larger country — broad forested plateau, broken canyon rim edges, and water-supported travel corridors running the length of the Mogollon Rim above the Verde Valley. The hunter who figures out water first wins. KEY TERRAIN BREAKDOWN: — The plateau sits mostly 6,000–7,500 ft. Ponderosa transitions to PJ scrub as you drop off the rim edges. — Primary elk country is the connected edge habitat where bedding cover, feed, and travel routes stack together — not the steepest terrain. — Post-fire areas from burns in the Apache Maid 2023 corridor are producing regeneration that elk are using hard. WATER IS EVERYTHING: — This unit has hundreds of seasonal tanks. In a good monsoon year they spread elk out. In a dry year they concentrate them at permanent water — Foxboro Lake area becomes the anchor. — Know which tanks were holding in September before you go. A dry tank changes your whole game plan. ACCESS: — Mid-unit positions are accessible without deep commitment but won't be empty. — The Schnebly Hill road corridor on the western edge gives you rim-edge access most hunters skip. — Southern end requires more approach — less pressure as a result. Happy to answer questions. This unit rewards patience and water knowledge more than most AZ elk country.

Anybody out here getting any luck with Western State application season? It's kinda like a mix of Christmas morning and school detention, not sure what you're gonna get ..