How long did it take for your first elk?

[BuzzH]

Seems like a very long time ago. Toward the tail end of Montana season 1980. Hunted every weekend and a week toward end of November.

First bull in 1983.

 

[Irrelevant]

5 pages deep and I believe I'm still "#winning"

 

[eshunt]

Filled an antlerless tag my second season rifle hunting. The first year, my dad, brother, uncle and another buddy all killed elk, basically the first year any of us hunted elk. It was a good intro to elk hunting, OTC rifle hunt.

Three years later I decided to start chasing bulls with a bow. So, first season with a bow on an OTC archery tag in CO I killed my first branch antlered bull. The addiction is now real!

 

[44hunter45]

5 pages deep and I believe I'm still "#winning"

That's what you call it. I call it perseverance. Definitely winning at that.

 

[BigHornRam]

It took me 3 years to shoot a cow elk hunting in the north Idaho jungle. I did luck out drawing a moose tag the year before shooting my first elk.

 

[c0d95]

It took me 3 years to shoot a cow elk hunting in the north Idaho jungle. I did luck out drawing a moose tag the year before shooting my first elk.

Feel free to post the moose picture… love seeing those!

 

[BigHornRam]

Feel free to post the moose picture… love seeing those!

Don't have any pics. It was a young bull.

 

[c0d95]

Don't have any pics. It was a young bull.

Is Idaho moose once-in-a-lifetime like Washington?

 

[David658]

Shot my first one on my second day, I was about 32 or 33. Joked that getting one so easy on my first trip would set me back, Karma would say 'no' for 30 years.

I was 63 when I got my next one.

David
NM

 

[c0d95]

Shot my first one on my second day, I was about 32 or 33. Joked that getting one so easy on my first trip would set me back, Karma would say 'no' for 30 years.

I was 63 when I got my next one.

David
NM

That’s awesome

 

[shrapnel]

Numero Uno; 46 years ago…

 

[Wyhunter]

Numero Uno; 46 years ago…

Hell of a first bull. Nice mass. I like the ol timey pictures (no offense to your age, you earn every year on this planet).

 

[c0d95]

Numero Uno; 46 years ago…

I love seeing the old school hunting photos. Cool to see how different things were

 

[David658]

That’s awesome

You define awesome differently than I do. At least I was getting deer.

David
NM

 

[CT_SD]

First was second to last day of season in 1989. Hunted for 8 days. I was 14 and lucky enough to draw a SD tag. Still waiting on #2.

 

[Busyfarmin]

My first elk made elk hunting seem to easy. Got him opening day didn’t leave truck until around noon and killed him at 3. Was definitely a case of beginners luck he was a pretty decent 6x6.

 

[huntandfly]

5 pages deep and I believe I'm still "#winning"

Pretty sure I’m a tie for second. Washington hunting will do that to a guy

 

[Big Sky Guy]

Like the title says, how long did it take you to bag your first elk? Bull or cow. 2023 was my third year hunting them and I have yet to get one. I've had encounters often but in the part of Washington I'm in its true spike only and I only encounter cows and big bulls. I'm putting in for a bull tag in my preferred unit, not counting on drawing, but I definitely feel like I am still just "paying my dues." How long did it take you?

~6.5hrs.

1st day ever elk hunting in 2015.

Lucky? Perhaps. I like to think our preparedness met the given opportunity 5 miles from the truck.

 

[gouch]

It took me two or four years, depending on how you look at it. For two years I bought OTC archery elk tags just because archery elk season and archery deer season took place simultaneously. Since I would be hunting deer, I might as well have an elk tag. Just in case. Both of those years, I killed a deer on opening weekend and spent the rest of the season wondering around in my deer hunting area looking for elk. Even though there were almost no elk in the area. I don't want to count those two seasons. In December of the second year there was a late season, one week, cow only, hunt in December, in a unit that actually had elk. My buddy and I went on that hunt. That is what I consider my first elk hunt. Two years later I killed my first elk during that same late season hunt.

 

[std7mag]

The wait to get my name drawn in the elk lottery here in PA.
13 years and counting.

Wonder the chances are on drawing out west on a cow elk with zero points?