Montana Elk Hunting Tactics

[cakreiner]

Well seeing the pics of everyones favorite elk hunting photos has got me absolutely pumped for my trip. I have hunted whitetails in Michigan for 17 years and am going to try for my first elk. I only have a cow tag but am still pumped to give the mountains a try. My Uncle drew a bull tag so we are going to try hard to get him a bull.

What tactics should be used? We are going to be in the Bob Marshall for opening day archery Sept. 6th and staying till Sept. 20th. What has your experience been? Do we want to spend more time calling or sitting on trails? This is a first time for all 6 of us.

[MTdrahthaar]

Get out and hike. Find fresh sign. Call and locate them and move in. I hunt just north of the Bob, but the country is much the same. Are you doing the early rifle in the Bob? Or archery.

[rather_be_huntin]

My suggestion is find every video, TV show, book, online article that you can get your hands on about calling. You will be there during the time when bulls are gathering harems and starting to breed and they will be talking quite a bit. Calling will be by far your most effective weapon. Practice calling while your driving to and from work, over the weekends, when ever you can.

Since it's the first trip for all of you, you will have to substitute someone else's experience for your own. But if you go out there practiced up and an arsenal of calls you will have a great chance atsuccess. Yes there will be hiking, scouting, and searching involved but if you can do some hot cow calls and some locator bugles it will make your life A LOT easier.

Go to Paul's website and get his videos....they are the best I've seen when it comes to calling and locating elk and I've seen Primos vids, Carlton vids and a whole bunch of others as well.

http://www.elknut.com/

Trust me try his videos out....he's a diamond in the rough when it comes to this stuff.

[cakreiner]

We are going out there with our stick and string. We are all die hard bow hunters.

I have watch 4 of the Primos videos and those are awesome. I just picked up a realtree video but they didn't do much in the way of showing how to call.
I have a decent arsenal of calls so far. I got the hot lips, hoochy momma, pack bugle, and imaka da bull crazy. My brothers are practicing with the mouth calls. I've been driving the wife crazy but I think I am getting them figured out.

Also with my Uncle having a bull tag should he hold out and shoot a decent bull or should he take the first bull he sees? These videos make it look like there should be a good chance to get a 5x5 but what are the real odds? Like I said this is the first time for all of us.

[MTdrahthaar]

I don't know where you are going in the Bob, or where you are going to start from, with that said, there are areas in the Bob that have an early rifle season open. I have heard that the elk are very educated and call shy due to this bugle'em and shoot'em season.
I don't hunt the Bob because of the rifle hunters in there.
You guys are going to be there long enough, he can certainly hold out for an encounter with a big 5 or 6.
This part of the country is VERY brushy, the problem is not getting close, the problem is seeing what it is, a spike, or a toad 375 bull. I have been inside 10 yards from bulls and had no look at vitals, it can get ridiculous.
One thing we have taken too, when we think a bull may be hung up or educated, we just start shaking the alders, cause a ruckus, they can't see you anymore than you can see them, many have come right in from that.
If you haven't been in the mountains much, winds are upslope, upbasin during the day, and turn and come down slope in the evening and nights. You get on benches in the basins and they can get pretty swirly, the bench creates kind of an eddy in the wind. Its the wind that will cause you more problems than anything, because you are in such close quarters of these elk. You hunt that many days here, you are going to be close to elk.
Bring your bear spray and pistol. Bear spray for sure. Just tons of g-bears to not have anything.

[mtfury]

Cakreiner, Take heed in what Mtdrathaar said aout bringing bear spray and a large caliber handgun or shotgun. My cousin outfits in the Bob and they are always having problems with those damn grizzlies. They are not afraid of anyone. There is an early rifle season that starts Sept. 15th so be prepared to wear orange and hunt with the gun hunters I have hunted the Bob once and will never go back Way to many other good places to hunt without the G-bears and rifle hunters during Bow Season Good Luck on your Hunt this fall