NEWBY. ANY TIPS? FIRST HUNT IN SEPT
Elk
Contributors to this thread:
GOING ON MY FIRST ELK HUNT. BOW ON PUBLIC LAND. HONESTLY ANY BASIC TIPS/ADVICE WOULD BE APPRECIATED.
Get ready to hike a lot. try your best to be In shape for it.
Click on the Elk icon and start going back through the threads. You'll find more tips/advice than you'll be able to stomach, believe me! ;-)
Good luck and welcome to the most addictive sport on earth!
STARTING TO LOOK AND GO THROUGH THREADS NOW. ALREADY BREAKING IN MY BOOTS AND CLIMBING ALOT OF RIDGES. DEFINITELY EXCITED. THANK YOU
After you go through threads until your eyes are bleeding, you can use the Bowsite search function to look for specific topics, like "wallows", for instance.
You came to the right place. Some of the best elk hunters in the world post here. Get ready for a great ride!
Mine was last year...solo. Being a green flatlander my best advice is to be mentally prepared. I was physically as ready as I could be, but I own a small business and the whole 1600 mile ride was on the phone taking care of details. Because of this I couldn't get it out of my mind and focus on hunting...because of that I was defeated shortly after I got started. I will be more prepared this year.
"don't over train!"
Impossible! ;-)
Seriously consider hunting from a Basecamp, no need to bivy hunt to get into & kill elk! This is a huge plus in having a nice warm & comfortable camp to come back to from either an all day hunt or returning at midday. Lots of elk within 1/2 mile to 3 miles from roads. You'll appreciate it on those cold rainy/snowy days.
Use usgs 7.5 minute topo maps carefully & go over them until you know them like the back of your hand in the area you intend to hunt. You can form a great game plan by utilizing the freedom to choose areas to hunt that you can drive to mornings, evenings or whatever!
Learn how to imitate various elk sounds for location purposes. Bugling & cow calling can prove priceless at the right times! Get calls now so you can practice & feel confident in your sounds well before elk season starts.
Get a GPS & learn its basic functions along with carrying paper maps of the area & a compass, know how to use them, this will offer you the confidence to explore areas well away from trails where most hunters enter from.
Here is a basic list of items we carry in our packs for an all day elk hunt. This should help you out as a guideline what to bring & what not to bring! Good luck & ask any further questions you may have! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Water Bladder, min 60oz 100oz is Better---
4 Elk Bags---
Wyoming Pack Saw---
Orange flagging tape---
Food for all day---
Back up energy bars 5---
Space Blanket-A Good One!---
Large plastic garbage bag- can be used for many things including a shelter or work surface!---
1 25' & 2 50' 1/4" nylon rope- Paracord---
Water Purifier Carbon Straw---
1/2 Roll of Athletic tape-Emergency Use---
Celox, Stops Severe Bleeding Fast!---
Ziplock bag of matches,lighter,fish hooks,flies,20' fishing line,small packet magnesium flakes---
carbide knife sharpener---
small leatherman---
Zebra headlamp flashlights---
4-extra AA batteries, fits all my units---
Garmin GPS 655T---
Compass & maps---
small notebook & pen in ziplock bag---
6-rounds .357 spare bullets- --
Eye glasses---
Ziplock with aspirin, benadryl,, vicadin for bad muscle/leg pulls, etc---
Camera - Nikon Cool Pix---
These are items in my Exo 3500 pack whether it's an all day hunt or for several days back! This pack with all the above & weighs aprox 14#-15# - If I add lightweight rain gear when needed it will add 2# - Still very light & easy to hunt all day in!
ElkNut1
Forget everything you know about whitetail. Be more aggressive than you think you should be. Find elk before you start hunting.
Freshta and Link I agree.
Persistence, mental toughness, good boots, watch the wind and consider thermals, draw your bow before the shot is presented.
When you get on some elk stop and think, too many times I've been caught up in the moment and made erroneous mistakes. Its a kick in the tail but it is all a part of the learning curve, but stay at it.
Thank you all for the advice and tips! Very much looking forward to getting out and about chasing them around CO.
How exactly do the thermals work up there. It's fairly flat here except for some "ridges" and some small "mountains." Never have had to deal with thermals before.
Cold air sinks, warm air rises.
In the evening (usually when the shadows hit) the air begins to cool, creating downward thermals that will last all night and into the morning.
Mid to late morning, as the sun heats things up the air warms and begins to rise. Upward thermals usually last through the afternoon and into early evening.
Of course, this is also dependent upon weather (afternoon thunderstorms, cold fronts, etc.) and terrain.
READ, READ, READ threads on this website. Watch Gritty Bowman on Utube. Watch the Aron Snyder episodes.Get the best equipment you can afford. Elknut will help you. All you have to do is ask. I'm sure others will also. But, I try not to bother everyone. Welcome to elk hunting. It will change your life.
The most important thing I have seen mentioned in this thread that took me a season or two learn is 1) Find the elk before you start to hunt them. 2) Obey the wind 3)Draw your bow before the shot presents itself.
In that order.
I found that getting in on elk isn't hard once you find them. With the wind right of course. And you can't shoot a bull you didn't draw back on.
Locating elk: of course hearing them is ideal. That's what we all love. But when they're not talking, spend a lot of time glassing. Look for them out feeding early and late. But don't expect them to expose themselves in a nice, flat meadow. That would be way too easy ;) Look for them feeding on steep openings like avalanche chutes or hillsides with a lot of pitch. I like to focus my glassing on areas like that.
Try and get as many days as you can. Being able to stay one more day once you find some elk is a huge benefit.
Slow down and enjoy your hunt. Stay positive, believe in your tactics and keep at it. Avoid decisions that effect multiple days. Like lets backpack up on top of that mountain and camp. If the elk are not there you just burned three days or six hunts. I can hunt allot of new ground in six hunts from my truck
IdyllwildArcher's Link
Purchase the book at this link and read it cover to cover.
Ditto on the book IdyllwildArcher suggested.
be in good shape. learn to be able to make quick decisions when getting ready for a shot and be able to judge different ranges w/o a rangefinder. Practice in the summer this way with unknown distances. Sometimes you wont have time for a rangefinder or they move before you get a shot. Unless you are hunting water they are constantly moving and you will have very little time to get a range with the elk standing there. Also be aggressive in spot and stalk. if the elk are really rutting hard and bugling you can sneak right in on them and get a shot lots of times. My experience is you will have more success this way than simply trying to call one in. Buy the onXmap chip! it will be the best piece of equip you have
Still reading what you guys are saying. Just bought the book. Already had the chip. Scott
If you are traveling afar to get to your hunting spot and have a partner/s going with you I think it is wise to discuss everything beforehand. You should be in about the same shape, physically and fiscally. If not, it should be agreed how the split will go. Each hunter should be equally committed to doing their part in setting up on a bull if hunting together. No one should be a default guide / caller unless that is the deal that was made. Work on hand signals and what to do if you are not in eye sight of each other when you set up. It could take a while to develop and the elk may still be coming in or hung up. If they hang up get creative. Before you pick up again glass every shadow and clump of brush within 100+yds. Be ready to draw. Agree to not talk about hardships like bad weather, aches and pains or the sniffles, hunter pressure or homesick etc. I have seen marvelous things happen after having lost hope. So don’t put yourself through the hassle of losing it. Decide what kind of elk will make you happy on the last day of the hunt and shoot the first one that meets those criteria. You will learn more about elk after the pressure is off than you ever will while still trying to tag. It's a phenomenon.
Its either a phenomenon or and old Chinese proverb. I can't remember which. It should at least be in a fortune cookie.
"Forget everything you know about whitetail."
I would respectfully disagree with this statement. There are a lot of cross-overs between the two but before you can apply any of it, you have to find them.
Also, I know a lot of guys are better shots than me, but my rule of thumb is if I don't know the range, I don't shoot unless it's in that slam dunk distance, < 25 yds. It has cost me elk, but I'd just assume keep hunting than letting an arrow go in the timber on a guess and then hiking up and down, up an down looking for an elk I most likely won't find. I like watching them fall over and that alone keeps me from shooting at unknown distances > than 25yds.
Whether you have questions about gear, clothes, weather, packing out game etc just keep telling yourself to hope for the best but plan for the worst.
I've seen it in the 80s and I've seen 8 inches deep of slushy wet heavy snow.
My other basic piece of advice would be to remember that you have to find the elk after you kill it. They are tough and can go a long way on 3 legs and one lung. Also they can hide on the side of a thick north slope very easily. So think about that if a marginal shot opportunity comes along. It is NOT better to have shot and lost than to have never shot at all!
Have fun! Things come to you when you don't put pressure on yourself. Take time, many times a day to soak it all in.
Shoot the first legal elk that presents a shot.
Just like your first lover, you will never forget it