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elk hunt info

I couldn't find any info on the outfitters report so wanted to ask the forum. Does anybody have any experience with Lazy J Bar O outfitters out of Montana for archery elk?

I am graduating college and want to treat myself within the next 3 years

Go DIY and hunt ALL 3 years. ;)

What OutdoorDan said. If I could go back to my early 20’s I’d just do DIY hunts. Great experience and you’ll save thousands

I’ve gone guided, IMO it is not worth the money. Figure it out and do it.

I’m in the figure it out stage right now. Have learned a ton on here but so much more information to get her yet. I’m headed to wyo this year as diy.

It will be interesting

Try to hook up with an experienced DIY elk hunting group. You will learn a lot about different ways to hunt, setup camps ,etc. Be sure to get physically fit as you may also be a pack mule. Good luck.

I have nothing against DIY , and would love to go that route one day, but for now I think I can learn a lot from a guided hunt . Lazy JBar O caught my attention due to the remoteness of their area and being a horseback hunt seems like it would be an awesome adventure.

It will likely be an awesome adventure, but for the price of that hunt you could buy pretty much high end everything from camping to hunting, and go out west every year for less than 1200$'s/year if you bring a couple buddies. I'd treat myself with great equipment that will last many many years of chasing bulls every year.

Buy the elk101 course, pick a state, and go do it. Yes it's difficult, but you'll learn a ton if you do the DIY route.

Wannaelk, I’m not saying they are all the same by any means.. I had the same intention as you, to learn from an experienced “guide” who could show me the ropes so to speak and then go diy.

Unfortunatelt, I learned nothing except how to blow elk out of an area.. I could have saved my 4k and done that on my own.

There are so many videos out, articles, blogs, and forum posts to peruse that these days your elk education could start now. We live in an information age these days. An elk hunter can have a pretty good idea what to do just researching articles and watching videos. The number one thing that I believe that elk rookies do wrong, specifically from a whitetail mentality is, they don't stay mobile. They find an area that has a little sign, and hammer it for a week. Elk hunting is a transient adventure. I personally believe you would learn a lot more hunting more often, then on one expensive trip. But it sounds like you are stuck on this outfitter. This outfitter hunts public land for $47-5700, so that is pretty expensive for public land. I would pick "the Bob"out of the two areas if I were to do that. Otherwise, my preference would be to go for private access on unmolested private land bulls for that money. But, I hunt public land normally for the cost of my Idaho tag. Good luck.

wannaelk, OutdoorDan pretty much summed it up.

My advice... if you’re committed to the outfitter route than I’d spend a little more and make sure they guide on private land. Also understand that in MT you will have a wolf/Grizzly issue depending on where you go.

Wanna: Sorry no one on here can help actually answer your question. Maybe someone knows and will chime it. Unfortunately I have no knowledge. There are a lot of really diehard DIY guys which is great, but that doesn't mean it is the right thing for you traveling that far without experience and trying to find someone to go with you isn't always easy. So if that is what you want, stick to your guns and keep doing research. But you definitely want to find some guys who have hunted with the outfitter you choose. Don't go in blind with only talking to the few references the outfitter gives you, unless he gives you a complete list of all hunters

would there be public pressure 16 miles in via horseback?

No, but typically not as many bulls 16 miles in as a ranch hunt. Also, I have a friend that has been into the Bob a few times. He killed a couple small bulls, and while I am sure there is some good bulls there, it won't have the quality or quantity of a good ranch hunt. That being said, a wilderness hunt is a great experience. That is why I would pick "the Bob" out of the two areas this outfitter hunts.

wannaelk I'm in a similar boat. I'm looking to expand my elk knowledge over the next 2 years and for my graduation gift to myself I'm doing a DIY. I have bought an Elk bugle, some reeds, and of course a few other little things. Chipping away at it and I can tell ya that by my math and my list(s) it's a huge money saver to do it DIY. YouTube it, you learn a lot. I watch 2-3 videos a night, at least. It's become like a nightly prayer. If you want to do guided, I would suggest finding one with NO SUCCESS RATE POSTED! That has been a huge red flag thus far. Seems that the guys with a success rate have an even higher success rate of pissing off their clients. And usually it's their "Shot opportunity". I could go on for hours. PM me sometime, I found a guy who lives in the area who banks off scouting the land for ya, getting you a gear list, etc. All the tricky stuff really. Like a redneck travel planner. Let me know, and good luck out there! Maybe we'll run into each other! Maybe it'll be hard for the elk to distinguish which unit to get the hell out of... haha

Start Applying for Arizona !! When you draw in 8-10 years or even 2-3 give us a call and we will teach you all you need to know about elk hunting in one season. you can watch all the videos you want but until you have been in the field chasing bulls you wont learn much. Oh and by the way we have a very high success rate ^^^^^^^^^ and i would say 99% of our clients leave our camp happy.

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