I'm leaving Sunday night for my annual trip to Idaho. Reflecting on all my previous elk hunts I can't help but think "man you are a lucky guy."
Having a wife who understands what elk hunting does for my soul is truly a gift from God. This is a shout out to all the elk hunters wives along with...
Horseback from camp, travel the valley trails until we hear some action. Find a good place to tie up and hoof it from there. Only bad thing about the horses, is sometimes I have followed elk for over 3 miles before turning back to return to the horses.
I would recommend you do whatever makes you happy. If you can afford using outfitters and enjoy your experiences thats what its all about. If you don't use an outfitter and equally enjoy your experiences then???? You know the answer.
Its all about what you enjoy. To each their own.
Enjoy life...
18-20 days here. Couple days are used for hauling the horses. From the Midwest so by the time driving and acclamation occurs I usually have around 16-17 days to hunt.
Generally we leave Basecamp around 5:30 on horseback. We usually have a destination planned, but depending on what bugles we hear on the ride, plans sometime change.