Top 20 Elk Hunting Topics

[Big Fin]

So, Fin has been asked to work on a 20-part web-based video series that is expected to help potential elk hunters overcome a lot of obstacles that are keeping them from becoming elk hunters. Many midwestern and eastern guys are very avid hunters and could do the elk gig, with no problem. Just so hard to find the information that would help them increase their chances of having a good time.

I know some would say, "I learned the hard way, so can they." Or, "Come out and put your time in, after a few trips you will know enough." I understand that notion, but that is not practical for many guys in today's busy world.

I want more elk hunters. More elk hunters mean more advocates for elk; here out west, and in their home states. In times when we need more advocates for the wild lands that elk call home, many are not participating due to lack of information, or at least lack of a place where that information can be readily found.

I am always amazed at the questions I get via the show. Many are from very experienced hunters and the answers are something I take for granted after 20+ years of elk hunting. If these experiecned guys are having these questions, I am pretty sure many other "hope to be elk hunters" are having the same questions.

Here is the outline of what the video series will look like.

• 20 clips, all two to four minutes.
  
• Topics will be based on the sorting of my emails from people who want to hunt elk, but have a hard time justifying such when they have limited vacation time beyond their family commitments.
  
• Will be available on selected websites.
  
• Will not give hot spots or units.
  
• Will hopefully provide tools to research areas and make good decisions about where to go.
  
• Will give some overview of how the drawing process works in those states that give Non-resident elk tags.

Without knowledge, many of those potential elk hunters just give up, or save up for many years and hunt elk once with an outfitter. They do not become the elk nuts we find on this site. Hopefully we can get a few of them afflicted with that problem.

So, rather than just me sorting the hundreds of emails I have on that topic over the last three years, I was hoping guys here might chime in, as to ideas that helped you when you were getting started. Or, questions yoy may have that have prevented you from becoming elk hunters.

Many avid whitetail hunters want to hunt elk. They would do anything to hear the bugle of a bull in September or track them in fresh snow of November. But, being far from most the elk herds in the country, it is hard for them to justify their vacation or hunting budget on what seems like an intimidating task. Many are younger guys with families who have not been at their jobs for long enough to get 3 or 4 weeks paid vacation. Many have small children and even their time hunting near home cramps the family schedule.

If they had more information, the odds of them taking the elk plunge would increase, as the risk of it being a shot in the dark would decrease. The goal is to give them information that allows them to plan their own hunts and increase the likelihood they will have a good time and come back for more. We all know killing an elk is not all that elk hunting is about, especially for those who do not have the elk mountains out their back door. To many of them, coming out west, learning about elk and being in the mountains with some hope of success is all they expect.

So, if any of you have thoughts or ideas you think would be good for this video series, post them up. Thanks in advance for any ideas provided.

 

[Dinkshooter]

So if my wife will not let me use a week of my vacation to hunt elk. What should I do?

 

[idnative1948]

My number one, is to check the FG website for whatever state you want to hunt in and study up before you start asking anybody questions like where should I go in XX state and what area will have the best results.

My next thing is if you are going to be hunting large game, for crying out loud, plan ahead on how you are going to take care of the meat for travel back home. I have talked to so many wild game processors that have to turn guys away who have brought in ruined meat.

Sorry if I sound grumpy, but just my two cents.

 

[idnative1948]

So if my wife will not let me use a week of my vacation to hunt elk. What should I do?

Get another wife

 

[Lawnboy]

I was thinking that the best way start would be asking regional biologist some general questions about elk numbers in areas you have previously researched. This would help them narrow down areas that really do hold elk. Then you could go into how to use google earth to identify elk habitat and again narrow down areas to focus on. A segment on using gps for safety and ownership boundaries would be excellent.

Obvisously even a segment on conditioning and preparing for the elements and the hunt.

Maybe a segment on how to read a topographical map. Not sure how many flatlanders know if they haven't needed them.

Anyway that's a few thoughts. I have more but gotta run. will post later

 

[DreaminofMT6X6s]

Another area of interest might be - what you need to do when you're 2 or more miles in and you've got an elk down. How you would prepare for that (knives, pack frame, etc.) basically and the gutless quartering technique. Guys I meet that enjoy hunting are always asking, how did you get him out of there? Seems simple for people that do it every year, but a lot of guys just stare with their mouths open cause they've never been exposed to it. Anyway, just something I thought would be useful.

 

[Oak]

How to tell the difference between a moose and an elk. Maybe you can use Dinkshooter's guide.

 

[huntRme]

This is a pretty tough question in a way. I remember a few years back when I had my first/last Montana elk tag that included a 410 cow tag. I went to the refuge headquarters in Lewistown and explained the situation...basically, that I didn't know what I was doing...and talked to a very nice man that got out the map and said, "drive to the end of that road and walk that way." I did, and before I could get an elk I got my first whitetail (a nice 3 x 4). The next time I was able to get back out there I had my elk by middle of the afternoon. That said, I'll echo what someone else said, to talk to the right people.

Another thing that I think is important to know is that you can get an elk within walking distance of your truck.

And, one more thing. A mature elk is much different than a deer laying there on the ground in front of you. It may seem a bit overwhelming when you try to roll it over to begin the gutting/skinning/quartering/boning, or whatever you do, process, and the critter won't move. New guys need to know that one man can do the job, but it will just be different than what they may be used to.

 

[mdunc8]

Don't overlook state and BLM lands when deciding on a place to hunt. Many east coasters have no idea that they even exist. I assumed all public land hunting was done on forest service lands before moving out here.

 

[pseshooter300]

Well I think this is great I have hunted here in east Tn and Va mountains for going on 20 years and I am just now deciding to take the leap and come out west and hunt. I have read many posts and asked a lot of questions some have helped and a lot have told me what steps to take to research and that is what I'm doing. But this is a great idea

 

[Big luke1981]

I am no expert by any means but this is some of the areas that i would cover..

Picking a state to hunt: go to the states g&f website and determine the draw dates and cost.

Determining the area to hunt: Look at harvest reports, draw odds, Talk to the local warden/biologist, study google earth, find maps of area etc

Apply for a tag: limited entry tags, OTC, meat hunts (cow tags)

Conditioning: A lot of people do not understand what it is like to head out west and hunt elk at 5-10,00'.

Cost of trip: travel expense, Lodging, food, taxidermy, processing and extras.

Navigation: How to read maps and use a gps to determine where public/private lands are

Camping/Hotel: Pros and cons of both, camp essentials

Packing for a trip: Gear list

Understanding elk and their habitat

How to glass: A lot of people do not know how to use their optics and glass an area correctly

Photography: making sure you get good pics of your trip and any animals harvested.

Taking care of game: How to debone, quarter or gutless method. How take care of the meat in the heat.
How to secure your meat from predators if needed

Taxidermy: how to prepare a cape in the field for taxidermy (shoulder mount or euro)

 

[d-bone20917]

This is a great topic and very timely for me. Being from northern NY I have always dreamed of heading west to hunt elk (and other big game), but as you said, the family (kids are 2.5 and 5) and job make it difficult to travel that far. I have been hunting primarily whitetails for 23 years, but I'm not the treestand type. Me, my brother and a couple of friends are planning to head to Colorado in 2013 for an OTC archery elk hunt. I'm pretty obsessed with the planning. I've been reading forums, watching the field dressing videos, working out, and I have spent a lot of time on the CO DOW page, which I will say has a ton of good information. But I have a lot of questions I haven't been able to find answers to yet, so this will help.

The gear is another thing that I've been researching hard. I finally have a reason to buy a Mystery Ranch pack and some Kenetrek boots. I can't wait to see where this thread goes.

 

[nidahunter]

I think one of the biggest hurdle newbies face is mental. All of the "pros" in the magazines and on tv make us believe that the only way to even see an elk is to pack into the wilderness 10 miles from anywhere (which is grest if you can do it.) But alot of us only have a few days or a weekend here or there to hunt elk, and it is still possible to succeed. I dont know how many times I have left the truck, hunted for a few hours and came back to the truck and had tracks w/in spittin distance of my truck. Elk are found in many places, and it doesnt have to be an ordeal to hunt them!

 

[Bowhuntrben]

One thing I think would be helpful is knowing how to hunt elk in various types of terrain. That is, when is sitting for hours and glassing appropriate, when is crawling through the dark timber appropriate, sitting over a water hole, etc. Also, what type of habitat to look for.

Another helpful thing might be to give information on the maps for the GPS so you know where public land is (as well as links to paper maps). Links to regulations for various areas one what is legal as far as camping, vehicles, etc.

Information or links giving information on what must be done to remain legal once you have harvested an animal would also be good to give. Sometimes reading through the regulations can be a bit unclear.

It might be a good idea to give guidance on what to do with the meat once you harvest an animal. Particularly if you are hunting a time of the year when it is warm. What do you do to ensure that the meat doesn't spoil. It would also be good just to give them the realization of how big these animals are..that you aren't going to just drag one out like a whitetail.

One thing that has kept me from being real interested in hunting some areas is Grizzlies. If you could have some segment on areas where these bears are found and precautions to take when hunting in these areas (i.e., what to do to minimize your chances of having a bad encounter with one) would be beneficial for someone who has never hunted an area with them.

 

[NCArchery]

Respect for the mountains, navigating in the mountains, at night, what to do in a storm, lightning safety, compass skills if the gps is not working.

basic survival skills

Camp safety, in bear country

Spend more time researching and preparing than the actual trip takes, they will enjoy it more.

Hunting elk in the timber

Hunting non-vocal elk

 

[Devil Diver Down]

Fin-
I think Bart, Big Luke and some others have already laid out a good number of possible webisodes. The tough part of a lot of these are corresponding visuals--what the heck b-roll will you have for some of it?

I think if you looked at the various steps you take when planning a hunt (minus shooting permits and camera gear/logistics), you could easily break it up into 5 parts for planning the hunt (budget/places/e-scouting/what type of hunt-backpacking, road hunting with Utah's finest, etc), 5 for getting ready (property issues/conditioning/gear/logistics/backup plans), 8 for the hunt (glassing/habitat/behavior/etc) and 2 for recovery/meat care. That'd be my 20.

I think a lot of this information could even be real helpful to guys, on this board, who have been elk hunting before.

 

[drahthaar]

I think Big Luke's list is really good. Maybe some of those could be separated into 2 episodes. Pretty much covers it and then some.

Another episode could be the different terrain types in "the west". I haven't really been many places personally, but I know hunting CO must be pretty different than ID and MT, just some of the elevation differences could be shocking. Eastern MT vs Western MT. The gumbo vs the grizzlies. I know I have run into some non-residents here in the nw part of the state that were just overwhelmed by the steep and deep and the jungle brush. They watched videos of "hunting the west", but the west on the videos was breaks type country, long shots, seeing tons of game etc. It just aint like that here.

 

[Big O]

Some really good ideas so far.

One thing I notice when taking some guys out is the difference in packs and there contents. Some go way overboard in my opinion and some are far from ready if they actually shot an elk. I think we could all still learn from guys on this sight what is really essential for a full days elk hunt, atleast the options. I know I still tweak mine a little from year to year.

And after the kill- I think the first I elk I shot back in high school it took 3 of us to deal with, now it's not a big deal to do it by myself. I know for a fact last year in SW MT there was a bull wasted by some first time elk hunters, they just didn't know enough, or how to take care of it in a timley manner.

I came off a hill 2 years ago after packing out elk, 3 guys from Missouri were at the bottom heading up, only one was using bino's, the other 2 did not have any. This was in SW MT also. That seemed obvious to me, maybe we take it for granted like Fin says.

 

[RobG]

What to bring for an unexpected overnight. Binocs, rangefinder, a proper rifle. Elk behavior (out in the AM, where they bed, running 50 miles after being spooked, bull vs cow, elk sounds and sounds like elk). Elk vs lama.

One of the most useful tips in tracking a wounded elk I got was watch for the one that breaks from the herd because that is the wounded one. I've also been successful for cows and spikes *running* at the animals I just spooked because there are always a few stragglers wondering what the heck is going on.

 

[sagebrush]

Firearms and how to be prepared for the hunt.

Some guys think they can't hunt elk with anything less than a 30-378. Some think they can take their Cabela's package rifle out of the box, buy a box of Corelocs and they're a 1,000 yard shooter (It's not your dad's Savage).


Optics, rangefinders and how to glass.

I think most new hunters are looking for big game to be standing broadside in the open. They need to coached on where to look and what to look for. If they plan on shooting over 100 yards, they need to understand the importance of a rangefinder. When rangefinders first came out, I had a lot of fun finding out just how bad I was at estimating range. I was surprised at the effect of terrain and lighting on my ability to judge distance.