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Well it's looking like next year my buddy and I will be putting in for the elk hunt in Montana next year.
We have 0 experience with elk but have grown up outdoors and both been hunting all kinds of species since we were kids (27 years old now). We figured we would try our hand at some elk. I have been doing lots of reading and research on elk and different peoples tips, ideas, and stories. I was just curious what you guys could help me with as far as elk hunting goes.
We plan on going on a DIY hunt, pack in, set up camp, and go from there.
If Montana doesn't work out Colorado OTC is our second idea but I'm still trying to figure out how that works. Another question I had was which state offers a better chance at harvesting an elk? I don't need a trophy, I'd be ecstatic to kill a cow. Just looking for a good time and a chance to fill the freezer.
I agree with Scoot. With zero experience or lots of experience I'd truck camp in a new area you know nothing about. This way you can stay mobile & not get sucked back miles in & many days wasted with few to no elk in the area, it's a risky gamble . By having a base camp it will allow you the freedom to consider a variety of areas in a 7-10 day hunt.
Consider your elk hunt o be after Sept. 10th so you are more apt to hit rutting action!
ElkNut1
I have 0 experience back packing in the mountains. But have been gathering a good list of what I need to bring along. I've grown up in the outdoors my whole life as has my buddy and would like to think we'd be alright. I know the mountains is a whole new environment but I feel like it's something we both can handle.
I was considering truck camping just in case we ended up in a dead area we'd be a little more mobile.
What's the difference in the Colorado OTC tag and the general tag from Montana ?
It's not about whether you can survive or not in a back pack hunt, I'm sure you'd do just fine, it's that you don't need to in order to find & kill elk! Staying mobile is what I would do as an experienced elk hunter. I'm hunting WY this year & I will not start the hunt with a bivy hunt in mind, I will return each day back to a basecamp. This will be my first time hunting this state.
CO OTC tags you purchase over the counter & MT tags you still have to apply for them even though they are similar once you draw in MT for a regular tag. You will be able to hunt General areas in both. This has been my experience in hu8nting these states.
ElkNut1
Only do the backpack thing as a first-timer under two circumstances - If somebody you trust very well has handed you a hot spot that holds elk no matter what (and has no other hunter pressure), or you find elk too far from the road to hunt realistically on foot from a base camp.
Otherwise you can have a nice fall camping trip. That can be fun too, and you can fish while you're at it, but if you really want to kill elk you'll follow Scoot's advice.
Im not near as experienced as a lot of guys on here, im realy still in the beginner cat myself. My vote is for staying mobile. You cannot predict were other hunters will be or have been. After the first few days the elk maybe blown out of any area. If you really want the adventure of packing in I would plan on being able to spike camp for 3 days. That way if you find elk that are to far to hunt from the truck you can go back in after them.
Out of 12 days last time we saw elk 9 days. We hunted several different areas in 2 different units.
P.S. buy the best binos you can afford.
Be mobile for sure.
I been hunting my units for over 25 years and I still put 500+ miles on my truck in 10 days of hunting
I'm going to go against the grain a little bit here. My first elk hunting trip was in 2003 and my buddy and I chose to drop camp in CO about 5 miles off the road (we thought it was further at the time). We heard bugling bulls most every morning and every evening for 12 days. We messed up some good opportunities and learned from them. Typically we'd hike 2-3 miles from camp and return every night.
My best memory was when a 6x6 bull came straight to my cow call and at 12 yards I couldn't get drawn because he was on edge and there wasn't enough cover. I watched his ribs expand and contract and he bugled right at me as I shook. I saw the snot dripping from his nose and the little red veins in his eyes. He smelled like a lockerroom. I tried to draw anyways and he exploded when he saw me. It was an awesome experience!
We had both camped before but hadn't camped away from a vehicle much. I think the backcountry camping was a huge part of the experience. I've since truck camped too and it may be a more effective way to hunt elk but backcountry camping and hunting is a richer experience for me.
Good luck and enjoy the journey!
elkstabber, great experiences there bud! >>>>>>>
I feel those that bivy hunt think that we who hunt from a base camp don't penetrate very far, quite the contrary. We cover 5- 12 miles everyday on foot, we do get into the backcountry & hunt everything from the road we left on to the furthest distance traveled that day. If there's elk around we hunt them if not we move on. It's not tough to do when your all day pack weighs under 15#.
It's nice to know that we can move freely from camp into new country each day if needed to locate & hunt elk. We rarely enter via trail heads, we choose to rambo towards areas chosen on our studied topo maps of the areas of interest, this reduces hunting pressure 10 fold by not using the trail systems.
This is why you see us suggesting repeatedly to get in the best possible shape you can, elk hunting is fun but can be tough on the mind & body at the same time. We all from treestand hunters to runner & gunners need to be in the shape needed to compliment our hunting styles & packing out loads of meat, you gotta think positive, this is more than a camping trip! (grin)
ElkNut1
I'd love to pack in and set up camp but I'm going in kind of blind. I don't know any of the areas I'll be hunting and would hate to be stuck in an area with no elk for a whole hunt.
When looking at topo maps what is that you guys look for? What is it that makes an area good for elk?
Live2, much depends upon the terrain and vegetation where you hunt. Where I used to hunt there was heavy timber with aspen transition leading down to sagebrush flats where the elk fed at night. Or they would go all the way down into hay meadows. The aspen transition was where we would catch them in the mornings as they headed to bedding, and the bottom of the transition areas was where we could hunt them in the evenings when the thermal settled.
Where I hunt now it's 95% pine and spruce timber, with feed interspersed on mostly the south-facing slopes inside the timber, or in little pocket meadows. A lot of it is "generic" but the elk like to bed on benches on the northeast facing slopes, and follow trails through the deadfall and timber to reach the feeding areas. They move around a lot more in this area and don't get into 2-3 day patterns like they did in my old area.
Take a look at the StartMyHunt maps. He breaks down the areas by vegetation and habitat types, showing high-quality forage, lower-quality forage, bedding, and security areas where they go when disturbed. He also shows "hot spots when security and high quality forage overlap.
Honestly, don't pack in and set up camp blind. Find the elk first and then figure out a good spot to camp if they are too far to hunt from where you can park. You'll be into a lot more elk and save yourself a possible pack trip into nowhere. Once the season starts and the pressure hits, many great "elky-looking" areas become elkless, when they had a ton of elk right before the season started.
Live2, one thing I'll add is that I live in the middle of the new area I'm hunting now. I scout all summer, and check out a couple new spots a week. About 90% of the spots I circle on the map are discarded after the season starts, either because of other hunter's direct pressure or because the elk have moved.
Likewise, most of my best spots have been found during the hunt, by using maps and triangulating where others are hunting. This is why mobility is so important.
I have a buddy I went to high school with who just recently moved to Montana so he is fairly new to it and the regulations.
He lives in unit 317 and thinks it's a OTC unit. If so that's where I'll be headed next September if the tag situation works out.
That sounds great! Do you know your dates yet that you will be there for your hunt? After Sept. 10th is best for getting into possible rutting action.
ElkNut1
I don't have any dates set yet but I get 19 days p.t.o. at work so I will probably try to plan my hunt around Sep. 10!
What is the weather like up there in Mid September anyone know??
It might be blue bird beautiful sky's and warm 70's or it might be blowing snow and 30's ....toss a coin.
I live here in Idaho & the weather is pretty much the same as our neighboring state MT. The weather is generally just fine. Temps can have 20 deg to 35 deg mornings & 65 deg to 75 deg daytime temps. It's like this nearly every year. You can have frost many mornings especially as you hit mid Sept & on. Snow is unlikely during these times but like anywhere you still prepare clothing wise with the needed stuff at camp. We have light weight rain gear we add to our pack as needed.
A normal Sept day for us we wear a longjohn or merino wool base & our hunting pants over that. (I prefer longjohns) For upper we wear a merino wool base against our skin & sometimes a lightweight longsleeve shirt then our camo shirt over those. We rarely if ever leave or take a jacket of any sorts. We run & gun so are on the move most every day. If I were sitting a trail of sorts for hours I may consider a light weight jacket mornings or evenings, depends on how cool it was going to get!
ElkNut1
From what I've read I feel like I'll enjoy the run and gun style of things. Kind of sounds like turkey huntin as far as the locating them and trying to cut them off. Am I correct in that assumption?
There are a variety of ways to hunt elk. In running & gunning yes you locate & get as close as you can to them. Unlike turkeys who cannot wind you elk have fantastic noses so getting ahead of them when possible can be tricky, you cannot allow them to smell you at all not even for a split second or they are gone! Monitoring the wind with a bottled wind checker works great for us & all elk hunters should have one or something similar to keep track of it.
Sometimes terrain features will play out favorably & you can get ahead of them or stalk in silently but in much of the west out here it's tough to do with all the brush & downfall that is here. Calling can play a huge role in ones success when an ambush is tough to accomplish. Being prepared in both areas of Calling or Stalking/Ambush would benefit you greatly! You never know which one will be needed so have your bases covered so you can take advantage of every opportunity!
Know ahead of time what you're willing to take, as a new elk hunter keep your sights reasonable & consider the first cow or bull that gives you a good shot opportunity.
ElkNut1
Glad to hear you're willing to take a cow. As a beginner in 2008 I had visions of killing a herd bull 1st time out. Watched too many hunting shows. Although I almost got it done using a hoochie mama. Ended up going home empty handed that year but now I'm stuck with an addiction. Then I set out to learn as much as I could and started frequenting different forums and soaking in advice from a lot of elk killers. I purchased Paul's PlayBook and studied it hard. I also got a great piece of advice from a fella on ArcheryTalk that went by the name of Slickstalker (Rod) he suggested I not be picky and get used to the process. If I have an opportunity to kill a cow? Kill a cow. If I have an opportunity to kill a bull? Kill a bull but learn what to do after the animal is on the ground. There is a process involved. From planning your hunt to packing one out. I took that to heart. I killed a cow in 4 consecutive years after that (1 with a rifle) and followed that with 2 consecutive bulls.(made a bad shot on a nice bull last year) now I've made a conscious decision to hunt bulls first if i draw my NM choice and whatever I have an opportunity at if I hunt heavily pressured CO elk. In the end, the ultimate goal is to fill my freezer because there is nothing better than eating the best meat on the planet in April and my freezer is empty :( I can't thank Paul (Elknut1), a few on this site and still more from ArcheryTalk enough for sharing their experiences and advice with me and pointing me in the right direction. The hard part on these forums is sifting through and separating the good from the bad information but with a little experience afield, sifting through gets easier. Another thing Rod told me that has proven vital is having the encounters. The more you have, the more you learn and the more you up your odds. It's a process. Best of luck!
