Real World success

[TexRed]

I got to thinking the other day. Dangerous, I know.

It seems like most of the guys that have regular harvest success year after year live near their hunting area or at least near the mountains where they can get real world experience. I am talking about guys who it’s a rarity for them NOT to kill an elk, deer, etc.

I live in the Texas panhandle and am within reach of the mountains of NM in about 5 hrs. We try to scout the units we draw/hunt at least once before season. This will be our 4th year hunting and between my hunting pard and I we have drawn/OTC on 10 tags and harvested 2 animals (1 bull elk, 1 buck MD). Hopefully the ratio continues to improve.

It would be interesting to see a gradient on a map of decrease in harvest success for DIY, public land hunters as you move further east. I know this will vary depending on a lot of different factors e.g. guys that hunt the same area every year, premium draw vs OTC, guided, private land.

 

[p_ham]

Time in the field= success.
You guys are at 20% which is average.
It would be interesting to see some sort of graphic like you say.

 

[westbranch]

I agree with time spent in the woods/field being biggest factor. I have talked to guys that have lived in ID for 15 years and hunt almost every year, but rarely woods outside of hunting season. They might do a quick drive on some forest roads in the late summer and see a few elk. And some have said they have only seen a handful of elk while hunting and don't see elk every year. A lot of the resident elk hunters I meet remind me of the resident deer hunters back in the midwest that just show up to deer camp for a long weekend.

 

[LopeHunter]

Seems the bull elk/any sex tags run about 20% harvest in aggregate in the West. Mule deer perhaps a bit better. I would say 2 in 10 tags is not shabby.

I have also heard that 80% of the bull elk harvested are killed by a small subset of all elk hunters. That would mean in a given year about 20 hunters out of 100 get an elk but only about 4 of those harvests are by newbies and 16 are harvested by hunters that do much better than only filling a tag 20% of the time.

Hunting the same patch of public land year after year is a plus. Last year may not resemble this year due to weather, fires, tag allotments, winter kills, etc but over a few years you will have figured out things like water sources, good camping spots, where critters head when are pressured, etc.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

I have a feeling that for elk distance from your hunt area isn't the biggest factor, it's probably a mixture of skill, willingness to be uncomfortable, and perseverance.

If you look at the harvest states in lots of units and states NR actually have much higher rates than residents. I have a feeling that there are some folks from Florida that have killed elk 17 years in a row DIY on public land and folks from MT that have killed 1 in 10 years.

 

[TOGIE]

i mean, i have colorado resident buddies and their families that are intimiately familiar with their not-too-far-away hunting area that they've been using for like 15-20 years as a family, their success rate is probably around 10-15%

i agree it has a lot more to do with the hunter and the individuals perseverance/dedication. the resident with that kind of dedication may not necessarily kill more bulls than the NR with as much dedication, but maybe he's killing bigger bulls due to his intimacy with the area, who knows

the aforementioned buddies of mine and their families go out and sit in the same 4-5 meadows every year for first rifle for 3-5 days and have done it that way forever.... not exactly a recipe for success. seems to me that's exactly what the average colorado resident elk hunter does to be honest

 

[44hunter45]

I have a feeling that for elk distance from your hunt area isn't the biggest factor, it's probably a mixture of skill, willingness to be uncomfortable, and perseverance.

If you look at the harvest states in lots of units and states NR actually have much higher rates than residents. I have a feeling that there are some folks from Florida that have killed elk 17 years in a row DIY on public land and folks from MT that have killed 1 in 10 years.

Amen,

I know locals here in North Idaho who have never killed an elk, but do catch an unlucky deer on USFS road each year where they can back their truck up to it.

@BigFin has stated on podcasts, and it is really true. Even locals need to get out and camp. driving out from home every day just makes you late to where the elk are.
Many of my favorite Idaho spots are far more that 5 hours from home. Especially dodging log trucks on a mountain road.

The OP is in Texas so this obviously is not in play, but when I drive on the Eastern Seaboard, I'm shocked how small those states are. 5 hours from home out west doesn't mean much.

I'm in the "often gets an elk" demo. Elk are not, "where you find them". You do not, "find them where they are". They are often right in front of you but not legal for the tag in your pocket. There are years when that 20% looks really good.

 

[SAJ-99]

I got to thinking the other day. Dangerous, I know.

It seems like most of the guys that have regular harvest success year after year live near their hunting area or at least near the mountains where they can get real world experience. I am talking about guys who it’s a rarity for them NOT to kill an elk, deer, etc.

I live in the Texas panhandle and am within reach of the mountains of NM in about 5 hrs. We try to scout the units we draw/hunt at least once before season. This will be our 4th year hunting and between my hunting pard and I we have drawn/OTC on 10 tags and harvested 2 animals (1 bull elk, 1 buck MD). Hopefully the ratio continues to improve.

It would be interesting to see a gradient on a map of decrease in harvest success for DIY, public land hunters as you move further east. I know this will vary depending on a lot of different factors e.g. guys that hunt the same area every year, premium draw vs OTC, guided, private land.

The time frame (season) may be part of the problem. If you live close to the area you probably can get in more hunter days compared to someone driving 15hrs and camping for 7 days. Experience is helpful, but a lot of it boils down to luck (at least in archery) and the more days you can hunt the more times you get to roll the dice. Just my view.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

If you live close to the area you probably can get in more hunter days get less days just hunting weekends compared to someone driving 15hrs and camping for 7 days. Experience is helpful, but a lot of it boils down to luck (at least in archery) and the more days you can hunt the more times you get to roll the dice. Just my view.

This is more the reality that the harvest statistics suggest

 

[thusby]

When you get a few decades of experience hunting and take it seriously, then you get pretty darn good. I'm willing to imagine a lot of people on this forum, you can literally drop them at a random spot with a tag and they will be successful 9 times out of 10. The 1 time they are not successful was probably due to some selective harvest or time running out on a short season. There are some intangibles that all the good hunters possess. Like wllm said, perseverance and embracing the suck are key components.

 

[nrpate05]

I wouldn't worry too much about success rates. 20% for public land DIY is good. Since moving to CO a few years ago, I've focused on units that were a 4-5 hour drive from my house. This isn't all that long, but I never really got to know the units outside of hunting season and it has shown in my own success and playing 'catch-up' come hunting season. I'm applying for a unit much closer to home this year and my brother lives in the unit, so I'll be able to scout a lot more which I'm excited about. This goes against my own advice of 'hunt the same unit every year to understand what the critters do' but I'm saying to hell with it for now. Not giving up when the deck is stacked against you is probably the biggest part of the equation. It's easy to get beat down during a tough hunt, but figuring out how to bounce back is crucial.

 

[BuzzH]

I think average success is a pretty random thing.

I also believe that where someone happens to live, really isn't always the best way to figure success rates. There are NR's from all over the place that likely have as high, or higher success rates on elk than a vast majority of the "locals".

Its been my experience that a guy that travels 1000+ miles, invests in an expensive tag, etc. is going to take it pretty seriously and put some serious effort in. A casual, local resident elk hunter might hunt a weekend or two and drive around most of the time.

That theory falls all apart when you have a local that invests a lot of time and takes it seriously, and conversely when a NR uses his "trip out west" for an excuse to get drunk with his buddies every night for a week.

Too many variable, IMO/E to nail it down.

 

[MTelkHuntress]

I also agree there are a lot of variables but I did have a thought last season about consecutive days in the field. I know plenty of people that are successful almost every year that spend 7 or more consecutive days in the field. I know they dont work extremely hard but they are able to stay out in the field longer and during the week (when presumably way less hunting pressure exists). Many NR do spend a week or so it seems, they arent just hunting for the weekend.
The few people I know that are successful every year and only hunt weekends, have a spot figured out over the years. I know one guy that spends maybe 3 or 4 hunting days and only during the last couple weeks of rifle but also drives quite a ways.
On the flip side, a guy that hunts where I do, stays out there until he gets one, last year was 22 days I think.

I would wonder how much standards of a bull plays a factor in regards to getting one every year.
Just a thought among the many variables that exist.

 

[AggieHunter]

Isn't the saying, "10% of hunters kill 90% of the elk"

 

[EYJONAS!]

If your name is @Stubaby your probably batting a .899 to .999 on the success side of things.


The rest of us are just mediocre .

 

[LopeHunter]

I have a feeling that for elk distance from your hunt area isn't the biggest factor, it's probably a mixture of skill, willingness to be uncomfortable, and perseverance.

If you look at the harvest states in lots of units and states NR actually have much higher rates than residents. I have a feeling that there are some folks from Florida that have killed elk 17 years in a row DIY on public land and folks from MT that have killed 1 in 10 years.

Non-residents seem more prone to pay for a guide/outfitter/private land. Makes sense to me. A non-resident has more skin in the game as add up door to door costs including a tag that is often 10x resident cost and perhaps a few $100 from paying for points for a decade to pull the tag. Non-residents with a job also may be burning up a chunk of their annual vacation time. Residents are more prone to hunt a day or two per season, especially if the tag is one they can draw most years or just buy OTC such as is the case in WY for Region tags.

In the non-resident bucket are the Easterners headed West for the first time thinking every critter behaves like a whitetail, prior residents that moved away so have a leg up as a non-resident and non-residents for just over the state line. I do think the non-resident as a whole tend to arrive for the hunt with the motivation to hunt 5 to 7 consecutive days and is more likely to hire guide/outfitter/private land. Final point is residents are more likely to lie about harvest success if is an honor reporting system since they do not want to advertise anything while the non-resident is as proud as the father of a newborn so wants to report that harvest.

 

[mtmuley]

driving out from home every day just makes you late to where the elk are.

No it doesn't. mtmuley

 

[dgc1963]

well Im not a great elk hunter but been lucky on my western hunts I know back home I do lots of home work run cams from June till november think about what Im doing and dont just go hunt cause the season started, I look for big mature buck and need a reason to go into their living room
when I do get to my western hunting spots Im just a tad over the top being tenacious I enjoy the hunt know matter how it goes but if I can push myself to make things happen Im all in
esp since I only have so much time to get it done maybe thats why the NR numbers are higher prob lots more crack pots like me out their

 

[MT Bound]

No it doesn't. mtmuley

What mtmuley said^
I live in the heart of elk country and can be at a # of trailheads within 30 minutes or less.
Not everyone has that opportunity and I feel very fortunate. Believe me, I paid my dues in spades for 20+ years, now I'm living the life I want

 

[mtmuley]

What mtmuley said^
I live in the heart of elk country and can be at a # of trailheads within 30 minutes or less.

Yep. Not everyone is that lucky I understand. Keeps the percentage high though. mtmuley