Observations

[diamond hitch]

I have always been amazed by people that have good bird dogs but don't pay attention to them or partner up with them. I have good bird dogs and spend my time positioning myself for the shot when the dog gets the job done.

As a horse hunter, my elk dog is my horse. She hears, sees and smells better than I. When her ears come up I focus between them. There is usually something worth watching.

Often I find people are in a big hurry to get some place. By going a little slower and focusing on activity 40-50 yds away, I often will observe squirrels, birds and various critters focused on elk and deer hiding in the bushes.

That extra time will also give you the opportunity to observe changes in the wind direction.

While you are walking, take a break before you break over a ridge. Often the ridge covers your sound and the elk tend to bed just over the top. Breaking over the top winded and tired gives the elk an undeserved advantage.

Elk hunting requires your full attention and your senses honed to a keen edge. You can be stupid at work if you desire.

 

[WyoDoug]

My critters are my kids. And no one can convince me otherwise. I have hunted on horseback a number of times and loved how a horse can give subtle hints that elk are near. I also am not a fan of move quick get they because they are going to get away kinda tactic. I move at my own pace and take a bit of time to look around. I also listen. If elk are talking, I talk back. If they are quiet, then I shut up other than a few cow calls here and there and maybe pop off a few locator calls if nothing is biting. There is no hurry and there is no rush. I do a lot of hunting on foot now but you will not see me rushing to get in front of where I think they may go. I may head that way but I no longer go as fast as I used to. I have found in my own experience that if you think they are coming up a certain drainage, they often appear sooner than you expected. But then I am also a meat hunter so I generally take the shots that they give me.

 

[WyoDoug]

Horses also have excellent hearing and smell, much like elk do. When we lived on the farm, I had a quarterhorse gelding I named Jake. I would whistle once and he might be at the end of the pasture nearly a mile from the house and he would come running just like you would expect a pet dog to do. If I get another opportunity at a horse hunt I will jump on it even at my age. Prolly a bit easier on my left foot which has some numbness.

 

[Wranglerman]

Good stuff guys. Diamond hitch, I too tend to watch horse ears when hunting elk. Nothing better than hunting with great friends.

 

[Roughwater]

My critters are my kids. And no one can convince me otherwise. I have hunted on horseback a number of times and loved how a horse can give subtle hints that elk are near. I also am not a fan of move quick get they because they are going to get away kinda tactic. I move at my own pace and take a bit of time to look around. I also listen. If elk are talking, I talk back. If they are quiet, then I shut up other than a few cow calls here and there and maybe pop off a few locator calls if nothing is biting. There is no hurry and there is no rush. I do a lot of hunting on foot now but you will not see me rushing to get in front of where I think they may go. I may head that way but I no longer go as fast as I used to. I have found in my own experience that if you think they are coming up a certain drainage, they often appear sooner than you expected. But then I am also a meat hunter so I generally take the shots that they give me.

I'm 70 and live at low elevation so taking it slow in the western mountains for me is somewhat mandatory. I'm pretty quick downhill though sometimes quicker then I planned to be. I love my pets though. I know what you mean by paying attention to them. I made two trips up to Alaska back in the summer of 05 and 06 and carried my dog Shadow with me. We were prospecting in the
Kenai Penninsula on a claim. I had just drove back the road to the claim and parked the truck. My dog always likes to lead and as I started back the short trail to the wall tent I noticed she wasn't close. I looked back behind me and could see she was staring at something. I looked the direction she was looking and saw a large Moose heading toward me on the trail to our Tent. I did the yelling and waving thing and the moose stopped, looked at me and did a slow controlled U-turn and walked back the way it had came from in no hurry. Another time we were going back on foot and up a very steep mountain to see a claim a few miles back in. As we topped the mountain Shadow had been ahead of all of us but suddenly I see her running and diving down the path we just came up. I was a little worried for her as the path we came up was near vertical. I was real cautious after that cause I know she saw something that scared the crap out of her. Whatever it was we never saw it which is probably best. Later in the day when we got back to camp she greeted us and seemed fine. She was a great companion for sure.