Contributors to this thread:
We know ‘confidence kills’. The more confidence you have, the better chance you have killing an elk.
So, on a scale of 1 - 10 what is your confidence level for killing an elk this year? (10 being high - 1 being low)
Me - 9 Girlfriend - 5
You better not have made me jinx myself brad!
9. I won’t say 10 since nothing’s guaranteed, but confidence is high.
3, my unit is mostly closed. That crams us all in a small area and gives the elk a giant area that isn't on fire with no hunting, camping, atving, or hiking pressure. Plus, my main focus is getting my son an opportunity.
I need to listen to a couple motivational CDs.
10 for me. 5 if the elk don’t cooperate.
I always approach each year with the highest confidence. However, if I had to assign a number this year would be 7 or 8. If I don't kill, it wont be for lack of effort.
I’m at a solid 3. New unit. No scouting, no “inside info”. Just some e scouting, onX and spots A-D pinned on a map. Should be fun!
9 that I'll get at least one good shot opportunity at a bull in a totally new area. 5 that the opportunity will be at a bull I want to shoot.
100 % Public ground/Solo on my 3 elk tags.......Soooooooo
Utah--- 7 kinda being Picky......
Wyo--- 7 on the Cow
Wyo--6 on the Bull
Good luck, Robb
9 because they don’t exactly commit suicide.
8
Brand new area, only e-scouted, rough country, but I won't be picky.
10
For a couple reasons.
1. Im more concerned about having a good time hunting with close friends and being in the mountains. 2. I have a lot of elk meat left over from last year. 3. Im not bringing a cooler.
8 but I have went out to Colorado with that confidence level every year. It's a smooth 0 on the drive home
9 don't want to jinks myself.:)
7- Like to think I am figuring this area out. And I won’t be too picky. Rag horns and larger, beware.
8-9 depends on weather but high either way
Going to NM, 40,000 private acres, guided, Sept 20, for five days. My confidence is 8. As someone else said, they don’t commit suicide.
Um.......LOL. I am currently dry aging my tag.
I like EMG's Assessment. Especially since we are hunting together again this year.
First year I’ve had any confidence. I’m at a solid 8! Can’t wait 100% chance we’re gonna have some fun.
Mine is typically pretty high but I got my ass kicked on elk last year so I'm pretty humbled this year. I have several different tags to hopefully notch though so I'm an optimist 7 overall.
10, I have worked way to hard and way to long to allow lack of confidence to be the chink in my armor.
Bringing this back up to the top.
So, how did your confidence turn out this year?
Starting the season: 8 Confidence was high after filling two cow tags with my bow last season but I understand the law of averages.
Second day of hunt: 8>5>4>10>2>10 I killed a cow an hour before sunset after some encounters that didn't work out earlier in the day with winds over 25mph.
Guess I was a little over confident. Still had a great time.
Same here. I thought we would at least do our normal 50%. Until the unit burned. And a week before we were leaving had to go to a new unit we’ve never been in. Oh well we had fun showing 2 young men on their first western Hunt, the mountains.
^^^^ easy to say after the fact Paul - Ha!
I was supper confident going in. As the days passed and I kept screwing up bull after bull and I was completely defeated. Had to figure a way to get my confidence back or give up and go home which was not an option. Made a bold move to a new spot that didn't really look all that good on Google but no one was parked at the trail head. So I convinced myself I was the smart bowhunter for going into this spot and that everyone else was to dumb to realize how great this spot was. It at least got my confidence back up. Packed way back in and set up camp on top to listen as the sun went down to bulls bulging. Killed my bull at noon the next day.
After the kill I figured out why no one else was in there. To get him out was a real chore. I didn't realize sage brush could grow on a sheer cliff.
No meat but still intact. I was at full draw twice on opening day. (AM and PM) Same bull but the planets didn't align.
Color me wrong! Hunted hard as ever for 10 days, just could not get a shot opportunity.
First elk season on our own, carry cow tags, both me and wife)
3 weeks ago: 8
After 2 weeks, most days, out, elk no longer on cameras, heard 1 bugle, called in 1 spike, saw 1 other "elk". Wife has seen nothing from a treestand on a travel corridor that had very reliable traffic: 5 (come on rifle! we have til end of Dec)
confidence we will do it with a bow (2 days left): 1
Well... I said 3 at the beginning of season. I only hunted 4.5 days in a completely new unit I’ve never set foot in. Did some “E” scouting and was able to capitalize on that and basically lucked out on finding some good habitat. 3 of those days I was into elk and had at least 3 encounters where I had multiple elk within 50 yards in thick timber. Never did get a shot but It was a good (short) trip. I love finding new and productive spots. It’s tough to make it happen in a season let alone 4.5 days. Maybe next year.
