Starting Late in Life

[COProfs]

I strongly support your plan for starting in your backyard GMU. It makes a massive difference if you know the terrain, even as a hiker. A middle-of-the-range GMU that you know well, is a much better proposition than a stellar GMU where you don't even know the roads. It's also nice to sleep in your own bed and still be able to be in a good position before sunrise. Most new hunters are so tired and stressed with camping and altitude and terrain, that they start giving up quickly after the energy of the first couple of days is gone.

Don't underestimate how much help you can get from your local folks, once they get over that the high-falutin' Profs are actually hunters (check my handle ). They won't give up their honey holes, but they may help a lot with access. IMHO the absolute best hunting is public land on the edges of private fields, in places where you need landowner access (or deep local knowledge) to get onto the public land without hiking for 10 miles.

It's been said by others above, but I will emphasize - walk less, glass more. Get out before first light and stay out till dark. Don't pay too much attention to every little elk sign, but look for recent signs of sustained elk presence in numbers. Keep moving until you can't take a step without stepping in fresh elk poop, then you're in the right place.

Apologies if this sounds a bit hectoring, I'm just trying to be succinct. Good luck and keep us informed!

Ha, I'm a ProfJ as well! Thanks for the encouragement about getting to know the local GMUs. I've been spoiled by living within spitting distance of some of the best trout streams in the country. There are elk in my back yard, basically, so I know they're here, but I know that finding them - when and where - is going to be challenging. There's just so much I am clueless about. I have a new appreciation for what I put my students through. I don't even know the questions to ask, but I also know that there' no reason that I should. Exciting and humbling. Anyway, thanks for the reply.

 

[MS 9x56]

Ha, I'm a ProfJ as well! Thanks for the encouragement about getting to know the local GMUs. I've been spoiled by living within spitting distance of some of the best trout streams in the country. There are elk in my back yard, basically, so I know they're here, but I know that finding them - when and where - is going to be challenging. There's just so much I am clueless about. I have a new appreciation for what I put my students through. I don't even know the questions to ask, but I also know that there' no reason that I should. Exciting and humbling. Anyway, thanks for the reply.

Keep smiling and the Lord shall provide. Anyone with the will to listen and the sense to know who to listen to can be successful. Good luck.

 

[noisy]

I'm getting the "glass glass glass" message consistently here. I'm supposed to be getting ready to teach in a few weeks, but instead find myself obsessively reading posts here and pretty much anything else I can. Learning a lot, but also learning just how much I have no clue about. So thanks for the advice and encouragement.

Glassing is great, but I know plenty of guys who like to hike until they find elk sign, and they are successful elk hunters. Find a balance that works for you. Hiking is a helluva lot more fun than glassing IMO.

 

[painbow]

I'm getting the "glass glass glass" message consistently here. I'm supposed to be getting ready to teach in a few weeks, but instead find myself obsessively reading posts here and pretty much anything else I can. Learning a lot, but also learning just how much I have no clue about. So thanks for the advice and encouragement.

Look at it like this - especially as a new hunter, you need as many stalks and opportunities as possible, because you'll inevitably screw some up.
So what's more likely to yield you multiple chances?
Hiking 7 miles in to a remote drainage, or covering 100 miles in your truck and glassing thousands of square miles of country?
Always choose what is going to give you the most rolls of the dice in a given time frame (again, as a new hunter, if someone is an expert that knows what they need to do, this advice doesn't apply)

 

[COProfs]

Thanks for the replies. I've been walking a lot, going across ridges, looking at whatever benches I can find. I'm looking at what the maps tell me is their winter habitat, I get that; mainly I'm just trying to slowly get the lay of the land. That said, the more I read the more humble I get. I'm 59, so I have, what, maybe 10 more years of hard country left in me, to be realistic - ah, how I miss my cartilage! So I figure if I work really hard, and get really lucky, I might get, what, 2 elk, maybe? Oddly, that doesn't discourage me. That actually seems optimistic. I wish I'd started earlier, but I haven't. I read an article on F&S this morning that said, basically, that 50 is too old, and also read several threads where guys in their 70s were still hunting and packing out solo - but I'm just going to try to be optimistic and not think in terms of success or failure. I have tremendous admiration for those of you here who know what you're doing.

I think the hardest thing for me right now is just not knowing what I'm looking for. Not knowing what sort of timber is too thick, or too thin, what sort of grassy bench might be a good feeding spot. None of it feels like a waste of time, because it is just good to be out in the woods, but it certainly does feel like a mystery. I've marked up a small area on Onx and am slowly exploring it, but honestly, I don't know if any of it makes sense.

Call the GMU game warden?

I saw a grassy spot near a small stream yesterday, down a steep slope, that looked to me like a bedding spot, and when I hiked down, sure enough, the smell was powerful. Deer, elk? I don't care - it gave me a huge lift. Small victory, and I'll take it. If I see a bull at some point this year I'll be happy.

 

[PikesPeakElkHunter]

Welcome aboard. September 1st will be my 50th opening day. Still look forward to it as if I was 16 (legal age to hunt alone in PA). I live in Divide and am very familiar with units 511, 59, and 581. Been hunting them for 35 years. The issue with most of the responses is the people responding don't realize how dense the forest is in our part of Teller County. Glassing is virtually impossible due to the elk using the deep, hidden draws as they migrate off of the Peak area and out of Raspberry Mountain as 4th season arrives. It's not snow that drives them during 4th season. It's their need to find food since the growing season ends basically this week.

This is also the main reason 4th season bull tags are almost always available in your unit. Depending on the food availability, the elk usually have migrated into Mueller State Park and onto other private land before 4th season. The state troopers used to have to stop traffic as 200-400 elk would cross 67 into Mueller and the Maytag ranch area. Those days seem to be over now. But, there are still elk in both units. DOW used to have a late cow elk only season for units 59 & 581 that we hunted successfully every year. If you can send me a PM (private message) through the forum I may be able to help with some useful information. If you don't have enough comments yet just reply here again and we'll find a way to connect. I have 4th season tags for a buck and cow in 511. But, I can share multiple locations in your units to assist.

This may be interesting for you!

 

[painbow]

Thanks for the replies. I've been walking a lot, going across ridges, looking at whatever benches I can find. I'm looking at what the maps tell me is their winter habitat, I get that; mainly I'm just trying to slowly get the lay of the land. That said, the more I read the more humble I get. I'm 59, so I have, what, maybe 10 more years of hard country left in me, to be realistic - ah, how I miss my cartilage! So I figure if I work really hard, and get really lucky, I might get, what, 2 elk, maybe? Oddly, that doesn't discourage me. That actually seems optimistic. I wish I'd started earlier, but I haven't. I read an article on F&S this morning that said, basically, that 50 is too old, and also read several threads where guys in their 70s were still hunting and packing out solo - but I'm just going to try to be optimistic and not think in terms of success or failure. I have tremendous admiration for those of you here who know what you're doing.

I think the hardest thing for me right now is just not knowing what I'm looking for. Not knowing what sort of timber is too thick, or too thin, what sort of grassy bench might be a good feeding spot. None of it feels like a waste of time, because it is just good to be out in the woods, but it certainly does feel like a mystery. I've marked up a small area on Onx and am slowly exploring it, but honestly, I don't know if any of it makes sense.

Call the GMU game warden?

I saw a grassy spot near a small stream yesterday, down a steep slope, that looked to me like a bedding spot, and when I hiked down, sure enough, the smell was powerful. Deer, elk? I don't care - it gave me a huge lift. Small victory, and I'll take it. If I see a bull at some point this year I'll be happy.

I wouldn't be so pessimistic. I think if you work hard - you could definitely get an elk every other year (or even every year)
and I have friends in their mid 60s still doing crazy stuff - like free climbing half dome.

Don't put limits on yourself.

If the limits come, they come, but don't write them into the future voluntarily.
Outside of that - your thinking on glassing and habitat is too micro at the moment.
Once you're a bit more experienced, narrowing it down to specific feeding materials, or timbered areas, or whatever, can make more sense.
But when just getting started - your only goal should be to glass as much square miles of potential elk habitat as possible.

If you want some more info - look for migration data, call the warden and bio, and ask some locals who are willing to be friendly.
But other than that - get up early, and spend some time behind the binoculars looking for the animals.
That will teach you more than anything!

 

[PikesPeakElkHunter]

This video may be helpful regarding elk.

 

[hank4elk]

Thanks for the encouragement.

I'm 68 and dealing with limiting health issues after years of climbing all over easily ,all over the west. No more bull pack outs solo.

But I'm hunting this year again for elk. Still trying to figure them out and my 1st elk hunt was 1975.
I live along them now and learn something new every day.

My visit with BF and uncle Larry last year was mostly talking what the heck do we think they might do or where they might be.
Just talked elk for an hour with a new neighbor. Always learning something new.

Watching critter behavior is always #1 on my mind.
Use your outdoors experiences previously in your favor.

 

[COProfs]

I wouldn't be so pessimistic. I think if you work hard - you could definitely get an elk every other year (or even every year)
and I have friends in their mid 60s still doing crazy stuff - like free climbing half dome.

Don't put limits on yourself.

If the limits come, they come, but don't write them into the future voluntarily.
Outside of that - your thinking on glassing and habitat is too micro at the moment.
Once you're a bit more experienced, narrowing it down to specific feeding materials, or timbered areas, or whatever, can make more sense.
But when just getting started - your only goal should be to glass as much square miles of potential elk habitat as possible.

If you want some more info - look for migration data, call the warden and bio, and ask some locals who are willing to be friendly.
But other than that - get up early, and spend some time behind the binoculars looking for the animals.
That will teach you more than anything!

Thanks for the encouragement, and the advice. I'm wavering between wild optimism and abject pessimism. It's a personality disorder!

 

[COProfs]

I'm 68 and dealing with limiting health issues after years of climbing all over easily ,all over the west. No more bull pack outs solo.

But I'm hunting this year again for elk. Still trying to figure them out and my 1st elk hunt was 1975.
I live along them now and learn something new every day.

My visit with BF and uncle Larry last year was mostly talking what the heck do we think they might do or where they might be.
Just talked elk for an hour with a new neighbor. Always learning something new.

Watching critter behavior is always #1 on my mind.
Use your outdoors experiences previously in your favor.

Yeah, thanks for this. Great to hear that you're hunting - trying to get the "still" out of my mind. I totally agree about critter watching. I was out fishing two days ago and watched a stoat chase down and kill a chipmunk, right there on the bank, and I thought, yes, ok, this is in itself pretty amazing. I felt bad for the chipmunk, but also just found that little stoat totally bad-#ss. Anyway, just trying to calibrate expectations in relation to realities.

 

[COProfs]

I wouldn't be so pessimistic. I think if you work hard - you could definitely get an elk every other year (or even every year)
and I have friends in their mid 60s still doing crazy stuff - like free climbing half dome.

Don't put limits on yourself.

If the limits come, they come, but don't write them into the future voluntarily.
Outside of that - your thinking on glassing and habitat is too micro at the moment.
Once you're a bit more experienced, narrowing it down to specific feeding materials, or timbered areas, or whatever, can make more sense.
But when just getting started - your only goal should be to glass as much square miles of potential elk habitat as possible.

If you want some more info - look for migration data, call the warden and bio, and ask some locals who are willing to be friendly.
But other than that - get up early, and spend some time behind the binoculars looking for the animals.
That will teach you more than anything!

Awesome advice. I intend to do all of that, so thanks, really appreciate it.

 

[Thegreatwapiti]

If you are truly hunting in a forest, you really don't need optics IMO. I stopped carrying them about 5 years ago when I realized I could never see more than 75 yards anyway. It's 2 less pounds in my backpack and I would rather carry something else with those 2 pounds! Welcome aboard!!

 

[lifeisgoodsteve]

We've been hiking these areas several times a week for almost a decade, but that's on trails. So here's my initial question: should we just pick an area that looks promising on the topos and Google Earth, and bushwack? Find game trails? This is steep, timbered forest. What's the best way to go about getting to know a piece of land? I imagine we'll have to find ways to get away from all the people who hike and hunt in here, but first I'd like to start to get to know the terrain. Any tips would be great. I went out earlier in the week and did five miles on a trail, poked off trail a little, but mainly just wanted a first look. It's all intimidating, but we're in it for the long term, so we'll work through what seems like just mystery to us.

I'm really starting this as a place to keep track of our progress. Thanks for reading.

Congrats, hunting is an amazing experience, as Randy puts it, "to participate" in nature versus just a spectator. Just being fully present and more aware of all that's around me and going on is great.

Regarding scouting and learning the country, plus learning in general, I highly recommend sorting through Randy's podcasts plus also Remi Warren's. Randy and Remi both have a wealth of background content on e-scouting, which can help you narrow down the off-trail areas that could be worth scouting, whether from the vantage of a glassing spot or with boots on the ground.

In general, they're both amazing contributors to the learning and improving process.

 

[HuntNM]

If you are truly hunting in a forest, you really don't need optics IMO. I stopped carrying them about 5 years ago when I realized I could never see more than 75 yards anyway. It's 2 less pounds in my backpack and I would rather carry something else with those 2 pounds! Welcome aboard!!

This! As a new elk hunter myself, I was told to "glass glass glass" but there's only a handful of open valleys in the wilderness I hunted last year, and I put in a LOT of miles. The weight of the binos and fumbling around with them just wasn't worth the effort. A range finder in dense forest/wilderness is all I'll need this year. For the few open valleys I come across, I'll just squint real hard!

 

[QuartzCachers]

We are in somewhat the same boat, especially with regard to age and expectations. I will be 59 this November when I embark on my first Elk hunt. I do have a ton of hunting experience, as I have hunted my whole life, just not elk. So I'm basically starting from scratch with it. In your opening post, you said many of the exact same things that I have said recently, especially the part about hopefully having ten good years to hunt elk in the backcountry. I will be coming in from Alabama, and like you, I am super excited about the prospects of a memorable first hunt. I'll be going during fourth rifle, in a very busy unit. Good luck to you guys!

 

[FillTheFreezer]

Welcome aboard. September 1st will be my 50th opening day. Still look forward to it as if I was 16 (legal age to hunt alone in PA). I live in Divide and am very familiar with units 511, 59, and 581. Been hunting them for 35 years. The issue with most of the responses is the people responding don't realize how dense the forest is in our part of Teller County. Glassing is virtually impossible due to the elk using the deep, hidden draws as they migrate off of the Peak area and out of Raspberry Mountain as 4th season arrives. It's not snow that drives them during 4th season. It's their need to find food since the growing season ends basically this week.

This is also the main reason 4th season bull tags are almost always available in your unit. Depending on the food availability, the elk usually have migrated into Mueller State Park and onto other private land before 4th season. The state troopers used to have to stop traffic as 200-400 elk would cross 67 into Mueller and the Maytag ranch area. Those days seem to be over now. But, there are still elk in both units. DOW used to have a late cow elk only season for units 59 & 581 that we hunted successfully every year. If you can send me a PM (private message) through the forum I may be able to help with some useful information. If you don't have enough comments yet just reply here again and we'll find a way to connect. I have 4th season tags for a buck and cow in 511. But, I can share multiple locations in your units to assist.

This may be interesting for you!

Thanks for sharing this video. A lot of reinforcing and motivating points. I need to watch this over and over again. This was my first year living in the west and gave the Elk Bow hunting on Public land (GMU 59, 581, 511) a shot. Learned a lot in the field but still more questions than answers at this point.

 

[FillTheFreezer]

I wouldn't be so pessimistic. I think if you work hard - you could definitely get an elk every other year (or even every year)
and I have friends in their mid 60s still doing crazy stuff - like free climbing half dome.

Don't put limits on yourself.

If the limits come, they come, but don't write them into the future voluntarily.
Outside of that - your thinking on glassing and habitat is too micro at the moment.
Once you're a bit more experienced, narrowing it down to specific feeding materials, or timbered areas, or whatever, can make more sense.
But when just getting started - your only goal should be to glass as much square miles of potential elk habitat as possible.

If you want some more info - look for migration data, call the warden and bio, and ask some locals who are willing to be friendly.
But other than that - get up early, and spend some time behind the binoculars looking for the animals.
That will teach you more than anything!

Good tips! I was always afraid of calling the warden or biologist because I assumed they are annoyed by getting so many calls from hunters.

 

[utah400elk]

Sorry I missed your intro. I have always had great luck finding elk two different ways.

First is looking at at map and trying to find places that are at least 1 mile from the nearest open road. Having lived in Utah, Wyoming, Nevada, and Colorado, I have found the universal truth that most people are very lazy. They simply won’t hike. The number of animals I see increases rapidly the further I get from the “roads”. It is also important to note that not all miles are equal. In Wyoming and Utah I often hunted off closed forest service roads. I would hike in on a closed road and hunt from there. My best Wyoming wallow was only 30 yards off a closed FS road but almost exactly one mile from the locked gate. I always got elk on that wallow (early season) and never ran into other hunters. Look on google earth and try and find pockets away from the roads. That has worked for me.

Next would be a call to the biologist for the unit I want to hunt. You need to do your homework before you call. The biologist will often recommend drainages that hold elk. Also ask if there is a specific food source the elk focus on during the season you want to hunt.

Final step would be to combine your E-scouting and biologist info then put boots to the ground. This has never failed to work for me. I really believe that a few hunters harvest most animals. Distance and perseverance pay off. Best of luck and welcome to the hunting community.

 

[passinthru]

Good luck and Welcome. Some great advice has been given. Enjoy all hunting has to offer, it has never let me down. You have many, many years left to chase all these animals around.