Use wildfire, water, terrain, and pressure layers to pinpoint elk habitat this September.
We’re heading into September, and if you’ve got an elk tag in your pocket, it’s time to fine-tune your hunt plan. This is Part 2 of our three-part How to Plan an Elk Hunt series. In Part 1, we covered the basics of GOHUNT Maps. Now, we’ll dive into how to use specific layers and tools to find elk when the season opens.
September elk hunting is never one-dimensional. Elk need food, water, cover, and escape routes from pressure. By layering those elements in GOHUNT Maps, you can zero in on high-probability areas and make sure you’ve got more than just a Plan A.
Burns are elk magnets. A fire rejuvenates the landscape, producing fresh vegetation and opening visibility in ways elk love. Elk will key in on these areas for 1 to 15 years after a burn, often acting like “ice cream shops” for feed.
Turn on the wildfire layers in GOHUNT Maps and toggle through past years to see which burns overlap your unit. Adjust transparency to make those areas pop and start flagging the ones worth checking.
Next, add in the water layers: streams, springs, and guzzlers. Elk need water daily, especially during September when they’re burning energy bugling and chasing cows.
Pair water with topographic maps. Look for benches, saddles, and small flat depressions that connect to water. Those subtle spots often hold wallows or wet meadows, making them perfect elk hangouts.
Elk spend much of the day in cool, shaded bedding areas. That’s where the Terrain Analysis tool shines.
The tool highlights likely bedding zones across the unit, letting you quickly focus on areas worth a closer look.
Topo maps are still one of the best ways to identify overlooked elk habitat. Use GOHUNT’s proprietary high-contrast topo layer to find benches, saddles, ridge breaks, and hidden pockets.
Combine topo with aerial imagery to pick out small meadows or cover transitions that might not stand out at first glance.
By mid-September, elk have usually felt some hunting pressure. They’ll push away from trailheads, ATV routes, and heavily used drainages.
Turn on the Roads and Trails layer to see access points. Then use the Road Density Layer — shaded zones show where roads are thick, while open zones highlight the most remote areas. Those are often where pressured elk retreat.
Some states offer elk distribution and migration data. Turn on layers like:
Knowing where elk start in summer and where they winter helps you predict where they’ll be in September, usually near transition routes between the two.
Don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to pick the single “best” spot in the entire unit. Break your unit into sections and evaluate each against the basics:
When an area checks those boxes, you’ve found a likely elk spot worth scouting.
Whether it’s your Plan A or Plan E, GOHUNT Maps gives you the tools to build a hunt strategy for every scenario. Log in today and start layering burns, water, and bedding terrain to dial in your September elk plan.
In Part 3, Trail will move to the mobile app and show how to put all of this into practice during the hunt.
Set your elevation band to the range elk in your unit are likely using (for many September hunts, that’s 8,000–11,000 feet).
Select slope ranges of 0–25% to highlight flat to moderate bedding terrain.
Add north- and east-facing aspects, which offer shade and thermal cover.
Summer concentration areas: Where cows and calves spend time.
Migration corridors and patterns: To understand seasonal movements.
Food: Burns, meadows, and benches
Water: Streams, springs, seeps
Cover: North-facing slopes, dark timber
Escape from pressure: Roadless pockets, remote access
