MT elk hunting

[RyeGuy74]

My group hunt looks like it has turned into a solo hunt, so it'll just be me travelling across the country to hunt. To top it off I have never even seen the Rocky Mts. or a wild elk in person before so it seems like an impossible task to actually harvest a public land bull elk. I am just wondering if any of you more experienced elk hunters have any tips or advice for a first time, solo elk hunter? Thanks in advanced!

 

[BlakeA]

A few things:
-Have boots/hikers already broke in
-Do everything you can to be in the best physical shape of your life
-Have realistic expectations. Meaning, fully understand that going home with your tag in your pocket is probable.
-Keep your hunting radius within 3 miles of where you can get your truck/atv to a trail/road. If you are fortunate to harvest a bull elk, the size and amount of meat can be extremely overwhelming to those who have never experienced it before. Know and fully understand how to properly break down an animal.
-Get an inreach or similar device. Worth every penny.
-Practice with your weapon religiously knowing that if you do get lucky and have an opportunity, it will more than likely be the only one you have.
--Have fun and don't put pressure on yourself. It's hunting. Which should always be fun, not stressful. A punched tag and cooler full of meat is always just a bonus.

 

[runningmt]

Great advice above from @BlakeA and it’s worth mentioning again about good boots.

I’ve always thought elk hunting is about legs and lungs, start running or brisk walking every day, as much as you can. Make sure you’re doing it on uneven ground instead of pavement, those stabilizer muscles need to be worked. Walk in the ditch or the grass.

I also think beyond gear and physical ability, keeping positive in your head is very important. Elk hunting can be extremely difficult, and also things can happen quick and in weird places. My first two seasons in Montana 2006 and 2007, I shot a cow in the last few days of the season, and my first bull on Thanksgiving Day respectively. I had hunted hard through the whole archery season and gun season. At the time I worked three day weeks, and had four days a week to hunt. Mind over matter.

If you can swing it, take two periods off to come out, if it were me, I would come hunt the first week of the season and the last week. That is if you are rifle hunting, if bow hunting, I would come the middle to end of Sept.

 

[RyeGuy74]

Great advice above from @BlakeA and it’s worth mentioning again about good boots.

I’ve always thought elk hunting is about legs and lungs, start running or brisk walking every day, as much as you can. Make sure you’re doing it on uneven ground instead of pavement, those stabilizer muscles need to be worked. Walk in the ditch or the grass.

I also think beyond gear and physical ability, keeping positive in your head is very important. Elk hunting can be extremely difficult, and also things can happen quick and in weird places. My first two seasons in Montana 2006 and 2007, I shot a cow in the last few days of the season, and my first bull on Thanksgiving Day respectively. I had hunted hard through the whole archery season and gun season. At the time I worked three day weeks, and had four days a week to hunt. Mind over matter.

If you can swing it, take two periods off to come out, if it were me, I would come hunt the first week of the season and the last week. That is if you are rifle hunting, if bow hunting, I would come the middle to end of Sept.

I appreciate the advice! I however won't be able to come twice in the season. NC to MT with all the gear is a long, time consuming trip. What time of the season do you recommend the most? I'll be using rifle

 

[timber_hunter]

I’ve really grown to love multi-day solo hunting trips. It’s intimidating at first, and I always drag my feet leaving the house, but once I do I have a great time. Of course, there are ups and downs, and it isn’t always type 1 fun, but it doesn’t have to be fun to be fun. Being comfortable when you’re not hunting is critical, so I’d suggest a motel or some kind of hot tent/wall tent for your basecamp. Having a hot tent has greatly increased the fun factor for my solo trips. It really sucks getting back at 5 pm in pitch black, 0 degree temps, howling wind, with nothing to do but heat up a mountain house and crawl into the back of the cold ass coffin of your rig. Been there, done that, I’m done with it.

 

[OntarioHunter]

I prefer to hunt them later when there's snow for tracking. The downside is snow can also make retrieval difficult ... or impossible ... even with horses. I had livestock and still nearly lost the first bull due to blizzard followed by a terrible cold snap and more snow. And that was only end of October second weekend of the season (mind you winters were different back in 1971). This last fall we saw another blizzard and cold snap opening day.

There will be a lot to become acclimated to coming from NC to Montana. Snow, of course, but also elevation. It usually takes me two to three days before my body can adjust coming from 600' elevation. Your second wind will be very retarded for a while. Wait for it but don't stop. Prolonged stops only means you have to start again building to it. Sure and steady. Never pays to be in a hurry hunting elk.

Be VERY thoughtful about taking a shot just before dark. Elk are huge animals with thick hides and hollow insulating hair. If it dies during the night it probably won't be fit for dogfood by morning even when snow is on the ground. No long shot hail Marys at dusk! Hunting down a crippled elk in the dark is something best left to experts. I know that well enough. A raghorn damn near got me back in 1984.

I have been hunting alone for more than a half century. For me it's the only way to fly. But I won't lie, I have had more than a few close calls from getting turned around, abandoned by hunting partner (the closest I came to dying), crushed by a horse, caught in a blizzard, going through ice, etc. I always had the advantage of knowing the country I was hunting and usually someone at home knew where I was hunting and when I'd be back. You won't have those advantages. Make adjustments. This will be a daunting task for you.

 

[El Jason]

Hunt elk where they are. If you aren't finding any fresh sign, there probably aren't any elk. Move.

Good boots that are broken in are a huge. asset Hunting is no fun with blisters. Have good layers so you can stay warm and dry, and don't underestimate a fire to eat lunch by.

Keep things in perspective and have fun. It's easy to get discouraged early in the hunt when things are working like you'd planned. Have some contingency plans, and don't be afraid to drive into town for a chicken fried steak and an attitude adjustment.

 

[mtmuley]

Hunting elk solo is tough. I've been doing it for a long, long time. Sometimes even a half day off helps. mtmuley

 

[BuzzH]

Best advice I can give on Montana...where, is more important than anything.

All the elk hunting in the NW part of Montana is no good. A few locals kill elk still, but they have a huge upper hand on a NR wanting to hunt MT.

That has caused impacts on other areas in Central, SW Montana where there are still some elk. Mainly displaced elk hunters due to a complete lack of management in a vast majority of NW/Western Montana hunt a few hundred miles from where they live.

That means a lot more hunters where there still are some elk to hunt. Trouble with that is the pressure pushes a lot of elk on private and you'll not be hunting alone. There is NO where too far anymore, or hunting where others aren't willing to go.

The commercialization and desire to reach every single elk on public land has crushed that. Used to be able to get away from people by going back a bit further, starting to hike earlier, spending more time than the next guy. That was a good strategy 15 years ago.

Now, with lighter, better equipment, google-earth, GPS technology, rifles that shoot half way across a county, better optics, lighter tents, lighter sleeping bags...the pressure on elk is insane. There are virtually no safe places for a public land elk these days. In the case of Montana with 6 weeks of general season and people being willing to spend their entire vacations to hunt...I'm shocked that any legal bulls make it through hunting season. An elk can only hide and slip past hunters for so long. If you look at the bull to cow ratio's in Montana, some of which I find suspect, its easy to see not many legal bulls are making it through the 11 week seasons.

The only reason the few that do survive, is because of the vastness of Montana and the fact a few can find refuge on private where people aren't allowed to hunt.

I think a NR that wants to hunt elk in Montana on public land, better just come with a good attitude that its going to be a darn good vacation, taking your rifle/bow for a hike in some great country, and if you get lucky your vacation may be interrupted by actually killing an elk.

 

[OntarioHunter]

If you are planning on camping alone in the woods, I can tell you most who are uninitiated find it VERY unnerving at night. At first anyway. Something you're not used to. Even after years of doing it I can still get creeped out a bit sometimes.

 

[Rancho Loco]

Get boots for the hike out, not in. You might very well be hauling out 80+ lbs in the dark over endless seeming blow down timber.

Hunt uphill from your truck.

And start hunting as soon as you leave your truck.

 

[runningmt]

I appreciate the advice! I however won't be able to come twice in the season. NC to MT with all the gear is a long, time consuming trip. What time of the season do you recommend the most? I'll be using rifle

If that is the case, personally I would pick the last week of the season. It is more likely (not guaranteed) that the snow and weather will have pushed the elk down from the highest country, and a ton of resident hunters have either lost their drive after a long season, or ran out of permission from their spouses. I would note, however, the temps can be frigid (also not a guarantee), but my first two elk I mentioned above were shot in negative temps. I prefer below zero for elk, not sure why it works, maybe they’re forced to move more? That’s been my experience. The first week of the season, important to include opening day, can be excellent too, I have shot a few during this week as well.

If I were only hunting elk, it would be a toss up, first week or last. If I had a deer/elk combo, definitely the last week, as the rut will be on for deer, which is some of the best hunting you can experience in MT.

Good luck! Wish you success, but mostly wish you a fun hunt. While I have been successful 11 out of 15 seasons on elk, the average success rate on elk on public land for bulls is pretty low. I should note, about half of the elk I shoot are bulls, half cows. The meat is just too good to pass on a cow. I routinely hunt in “any elk” areas. Spikes are delicious too.

 

[stealthy_bowman]

All good advice so far. If you can swing it, do take a flight out in the summer to acclimate yourself with the area you plan to hunt. Even if for just a long weekend. As an easterner, I can't stress enough how important that is. A scouting trip will make your trip MUCH, MUCH, better. Just knowing exactly where you will have several options, across a given unit, for a truck base camp is huge and also knowing how to get there. Often, if you just look at OnX, you can arrive at the wrong conclusion that you can actually drive to a spot you want to hunt, but when you get there you may find certain roads blocked off... The other critical aspect of this for a flatlander is that it will quickly teach you what you can't and can do in terms of traversing mountains to get to a specific area.
For the actual hunt, definitively do move if you don't find elk sign, but this doesn't necessarily mean that you have to leave a unit all together. Maybe just go to the other end of it. That's exactly what happened to me last year and went from seeing zero elk or elk sign, to literally seeing what seemed like all the elk in the unit clustered on one end.

 

[tbowers]

My best advice is to take every post you read online with a grain of salt(mine included). You will see posts that make its seem like it would be an absolute miracle that you will kill anything to posts that tell you its 'easy'(there are less of these). What I find is most enjoyable is to get a general idea of the area I'm going to go via e-scouting and looking at data from the state and then just go- learn by doing. Look at the numbers- people are killing animals every year in every unit. No reason you cant be one of them. Is it harder now then it was 20 years ago? Probably just based on all the tech and info available to us but the animals still exist so just go get 'em.

 

[Wallydeuce]

I'm new to the forum but not to hunting. All of the above is great advice. I think altitude will be the biggest challenge early in the hunt. Put simply, it's gonna suck. Pace yourself.
The first time you see an elk up close you'll ask yourself if you've lost your mind going one on one with something that big but win or lose, your going to have a grin on your face that will last a lifetime!
Get a PLB. Inreach or Spot, so your family in NC can "see" you and that you can summon help if needed.
Learn how to break down the elk via the gutless method. This isn't a deer that you can drag around by the antlers. Also, bring paracord so you can tie a leg to a tree while you are removing it from the carcass. Good game bags.
Embrace the suck because there will be times when your situation really sucks. That's when you say to yourself, "there's no place I'd rather be right now ".

 

[Jason73]

What makes you choose MT? Just curious. Not sure I'd do grizzly country solo. Although never having done that I could be wrong. It would scare the s$#t out of me I'd almost guarantee. Lol.

 

[jejack26]

Make sure you have chains and a snow shovel, tow strap, saw of some sort to cut down trees that could blow across road blocking way out, especially if you come during rifle.

 

[MTGamecock]

As somebody who moved out to Montana from SC a few years ago and solo hunt out here, I think I have a sense of the learning curve you will face coming out here (although I had been to the Rockies and Montana many, many times before I hunted out here). A lot of great advice has been mentioned in this thread, but I will mention two pieces of equipment in which I have invested: 1) OnXMaps. OK, it's not really "equipment," but it is absolutely indispensable for on public lands out here. Recreational maps and NFS maps are helpful for planning, but there is no substitute for being able to see property boundaries while you are hiking. I use it ALL THE TIME, even when we hike in the spring and summer. 2) Garmin InReach Explorer or some other satellite communicator. Fortunately, I have never had to use this in an emergency, but it gives me some peace of mind when I am many miles from the nearest cell phone coverage. A brief nightly check-in text to your wife of loved-ones back home will also give them some peace of mind.

I would echo what somebody mentioned above about trying to figure out a way to make a scouting trip out here. Even if you can only come out for a long weekend, there is no substitute for having set eyes and feet on your prospective hunting ground before you strike off with all your hunting gear, in the dark, and in the cold. It took me two hunting seasons and a covid-spring and summer of hiking to develop a really strong feel for the public lands near my house, but once I did, I struck elk pay-dirt in my third hunting season. If you watch Google Flights closely, you can often find relatively inexpensive flights if you are flexible on the days you travel and the airport you wish to fly into. American now offers a direct flight from Charlotte to Bozeman, but occasionally, I have found the flights into Butte or Helena to be cheaper.

Somebody recommended the last week of the season above for the best chance of success. While that is probably good advice from a hunting success standpoint, If you have never even been to the Rocky Mountains, and as a solo hunter, I would recommend the early rifle season unless you have a lot of experience hiking (snowshoeing) in snow. Established trails can be very difficult to read in the snow and the snow can hide a lot of hazards along creeks and rough terrain. But be aware, even mid-October can bring show and sub-zero temperatures out here.

Lastly, get in shape, get in shape, get in shape. If you live near the Pisgah National Forests, that would be a good area to hit hard this summer so you can put some miles on your boots above 4000' elevation.

Good luck and come out here with the proper mindset and expectations. You aren't guaranteed to shoot an elk, but you are 100% guaranteed to see some incredibly beautiful country and experience it in a way that probably 98% of Americans never will. Don't let an obsession about shooting an elk prevent you from enjoying the experience.

 

[mxracer317]

My two cents are to not underestimate the mountains, especially since you don’t have experience with them.

Weather can turn bad, quickly. Have gear in your pack for worst case scenario depending on the time of year that you will be hunting.

Better to have it and not need it then need it and not have it.

Also, have FUN! Hunting is awesome and not anything you need to stress out yourself over or put yourself in harms way to prove any point.

 

[kansasdad]

Don't let an obsession about shooting an elk prevent you from enjoying the experience.

Worthy of framing and selling on inspirational posters