October Elk Hunting Tips | HIDDEN HONEY HOLES Most Hunters Miss
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Overlooked October Honey Holes | Elk Hunting Strategies That Work
Welcome to Backbone Unlimited. My name is Matt Hartsky. In this episode, we're talking about places most hunters walk past in October—the overlooked honey holes that still hold elk long after the rut winds down.
October elk hunting can feel like a gut punch. The rut is over, bugles are fading, and suddenly the mountains that felt alive in September seem empty. Most hunters pack it in or walk the same drainages they did during the rut, wondering why it feels like the elk just vanished. The truth is—they didn’t. They shifted. They got quiet, they got cautious, and they slid into pockets that most hunters either don’t think about or don’t want to put in the effort to reach.
These aren’t the obvious rut wallows or glassing knobs where every hunter in the unit has already parked their boots. These are the spots where elk hole up when pressure rises and survival instincts take over—places that look empty to most people but, with the right mindset and approach, can turn your October hunt into one of the most productive weeks of your season.
We’re breaking down the forgotten dark timber pockets, mid-elevation benches, hidden water seeps, burn edges, and a handful of other spots where October elk love to disappear.
Forgotten Dark Timber Pockets
When October hits and bugles go quiet, one of the first places I start looking is the dark timber. Every elk hunter knows elk use timber—that’s nothing new. But the key is which timber, and more importantly, which pockets most hunters never bother to look at.
Elk spend a ton of time in dark timber through October because it gives them two things they need more than anything else after the rut: security and recovery. These bulls have run themselves ragged in September. They’re worn down, burned thousands of calories, dropped weight, and in some cases are carrying injuries. By October, they’re not looking for the spotlight anymore—they’re looking for a safe bed where they can stay hidden, chew their cud, and rebuild some strength.
The overlooked pockets are the ones tucked away from easy access—a small patch of black timber between drainages that everyone hikes past on the way to a glassing knob, or a bench covered in dark timber halfway up a ridge that doesn’t look like much on a map. Sometimes it’s a steep finger of timber on a north slope that hunters avoid because it’s too nasty to still-hunt. These are gold mines.
You won’t call these bulls out like in September. You’ve got to slip in quietly. Pay attention to wind and thermals, slow way down, and read subtle sign—tracks, droppings, faint trails. If you can hear your own footsteps, you’re going too fast. Take a couple steps, stop, listen, and scan every pocket of cover.
One of the biggest mistakes hunters make is writing off timber because it feels like dead ground. Elk are built not to be seen. They’ll let you walk right past if you’re sloppy. Slow down, focus on areas that give them security, and you’ll start to notice how a pocket of dark timber lines up with a feeding bench or tucks just out of the wind where elk like to bed.
In October, bulls often move midday to stretch, feed, or shift beds as the sun warms. If you’re willing to stay in the timber when everyone else heads back to camp, your odds go way up. The more overlooked the patch of timber, the more likely it’s holding elk.
North-Facing Bedding Rims
Another honey hole that gets underestimated in October is the north-facing bedding rim. Everyone knows elk love north slopes for shade and moisture, but few understand how they use the edges of those ridges once pressure ramps up.
By October, bulls want bedding areas that offer both shade and escape routes—rims of north-facing timber just below a ridge or bench. It’s cover above them, wind in their favor, and a quick drop into deep timber if danger shows. Most hunters glass from the top but never realize elk are bedded just 50 to 100 yards below, completely hidden.
Hunt these rims with precision. In the morning, thermals drop—approach from below. In the afternoon, thermals rise—work down from above. Get the wind right before stepping into the bedding cover.
Yes, you can ruin a spot if you’re reckless. But in October, bedding rims often offer your best shot opportunity—especially with a rifle. Elk aren’t bugling in open meadows anymore. They’re tucked in. If you want to kill them, hunt where they live.
Elk on these rims shift beds throughout the day as the sun creeps and thermals change. Still-hunt slowly, and you’ll often catch them mid-move—stretching, raking, or standing up silently. Don’t just glass the big open slopes; get into the edges. When you find rubs, droppings, and faint trails, mark it. Elk will cycle through those rims repeatedly if pressure stays predictable.
Mid-Elevation Benches
If there’s one spot that gets overlooked the most in October, it’s the mid-elevation bench. Hunters chase bugles high or drop low for migration routes—but they skip the quiet, flat benches halfway up the mountain. That’s a mistake.
Benches are transition zones. Elk are leaving summer range but not yet committed to winter ground. They’re in rest-and-recovery mode. A bench the size of a football field can hold a dozen elk comfortably—especially when it has both cover and feed.
Look for benches on shaded sides of ridges or tucked between steep slopes. They often have a mix of grass, small springs, and green pockets that last later into fall. If a bench has those ingredients and isn’t near a trail, you’ve likely found an October honey hole.
Hunting benches means slowing down. Glass carefully from across the canyon, or still-hunt along the edges. Late morning through midday is prime time. Elk that fed in the open at night often slide into benches to bed, and you can catch them transitioning or shifting beds as sun angles change.
Don’t overlook the middle ground while everyone else runs to the extremes. Those mid-elevation benches are comfortable for elk, overlooked by people, and deadly when you commit to hunting them patiently.
Hidden Seeper Springs
By October, surface water in the high country starts drying up or freezing over. Wallows are crusted, ponds are mud holes, and creeks run low. But elk still need water every day. That’s where hidden seeper springs come in.
These tiny seeps don’t show up on maps—they’re small wet patches where groundwater trickles from the hillside. They might be only a few yards wide, but to elk, they’re gold. They offer water, green feed, and safety all in one place.
Look for sudden vegetation changes: bright green grass or willows in otherwise dry country, or alder clumps where they shouldn’t be. Listen for faint trickles. When you find one, slow down. Check for fresh sign—mud tracks, droppings, chewed vegetation. A well-used seep often looks like a little hub of elk activity hidden in thick cover.
Set up downwind with a clear line of sight. Elk often visit seeps midday or late afternoon. You won’t hear bugles—just the soft sound of hooves in mud or a flick of an ear. If you’re patient, you’ll catch cows or even bulls slipping in quietly before dark.
When others focus on big ponds or obvious creeks, think small. Hidden seeps are magnets for cautious elk that want water and cover—and most hunters walk right past them.
Edge Burns and Transition Zones
Many hunters think of burns as early-season glassing country, but burns with regrowth are still prime in October—especially along the edges.
Elk need nutrition to recover from the rut, and burns often grow the best late-season forage. By mid-October, elk avoid the open centers but feed along those 50- to 200-yard transition zones where new growth meets live timber.
Work the edges methodically. Glass where shade creeps across those transition zones in the morning and evening. Still-hunt along the boundary at midday, using the wind. Focus on finger ridges and small drainages cutting through burns—they’re natural travel corridors.
Five- to ten-year-old burns with thick regrowth of grass, shrubs, and young aspens can be incredible. Most hunters have moved on by this time, assuming the action’s over. But if you focus on the edges where feed meets cover, you’ll often spot cows stepping out first, with a bull hanging just behind.
Don’t abandon burns after September. In October, elk are still there—they’re just using them differently.
Steep, Nasty Holes Most Hunters Avoid
These are the honey holes that separate grinders from casual hunters. When pressure rises, elk head into the steep, tangled country most people refuse to enter.
These holes look miserable—steep canyons, blowdown, and tough climbs. But that’s exactly why elk feel safe there. The key is commitment. Be mentally ready for the packout before you ever drop in. If you’re thinking about the pain instead of the opportunity, you’ll never step off the rim.
Inside these holes, elk bed on benches, shelves, and finger ridges where they can catch the wind and escape uphill. Move slowly, sidehill quietly, and use thermals. These elk are relaxed and rarely pressured.
The rougher the terrain, the better it usually hunts. Fresh droppings, beaten trails, and undisturbed herds are common down there. The harder it is on you, the safer it feels to the elk—and that’s why it’s one of the most consistent October honey holes.
Transition Corridors – Following Elk Movement
Transition corridors are the travel routes elk use between summer and winter range. By October, weather starts nudging them lower, but they’re not fully migrated yet. They’re filtering through saddles, timbered drainages, and mid-slope benches—quietly and consistently.
These corridors are like elk highways. Cows and calves lead the way, and bulls follow. They use the same paths year after year because they’re efficient and protected.
You can find these on maps—saddles between ridges, narrow timber strips connecting basins, or diagonal trails cutting across slopes. In the field, look for deeply punched tracks, rubs, and droppings in concentrated lines.
Hunt them like ambush sites. Get the wind right, set up where trails converge, and sit patiently. Midday sits in those pinch points can produce multiple encounters. When early snows start, these corridors light up.
Instead of focusing only on feeding or bedding areas, look for where elk are going. If you can identify those natural travel lanes, you’ll find one of the most reliable October patterns there is.
Final Takeaways and Mindset Shift
October is often called the “dead month” of elk hunting—but it’s only dead if you keep hunting September patterns. The bugles may fade, the rut energy may die down, but elk don’t vanish. They shift into overlooked pockets that most hunters won’t explore.
Dark timber pockets, north-facing rims, mid-elevation benches, hidden seeps, burn edges, steep holes, transition corridors—all of these spots continue to produce if you adjust your mindset.
The biggest mistake hunters make in October is chasing rut behavior or only hunting obvious country. Success comes from slowing down, reading subtle sign, and trusting the less glamorous country elk actually use. Don’t quit—adjust. Move with patience, and go where most people won’t. That’s where the elk are.
TEAM BACKBONE Membership & Closing
If you’re serious about becoming the kind of hunter who finds elk when everyone else is back at camp saying they’ve disappeared, I want to invite you into TEAM BACKBONE.
It’s more than a membership—it’s an inner circle of hunters who refuse to quit. You’ll get 20% off site-wide gear, a member-only t-shirt mailed monthly, and full access to the digital content vault packed with backcountry strategy, fitness programming, checklists, and guides.
You’ll also have direct access to me and a private community of like-minded hunters pushing each other forward. We even run monthly gear giveaways so you’re always in the running for tools that actually matter in the mountains.
If you’re ready to sharpen your edge, train harder, and hunt smarter, check out TEAM BACKBONE today at BackboneUnlimited.com under the membership tab.
Thanks for being here. Until next time—train harder, hunt smarter, and never settle.