Josh: Elk hunting success is low, perhaps 25% or less. That is just the way it is. Of course, even going home empty handed you can derive great satisfaction from an elk hunt, but you need to be looking at this realistically. Even hunters who go with outfitter/guide have low success rates. You need to understand what your expectations are. Do you want a 7x7 that scores over 400? Are you ready to shoot a cow 15 minutes into opening day? On a first time do-it-yourself hunt the odds of success are pretty low, I would think most elk hunters would agree with that.

You will want to decide where and perhaps when you want to hunt. Most states have a permit drawing system for non-resident hunters. You will need to select a state and probably a unit within the state. Colorado has the most elk and the most non-resident permits. If you are not looking for an above average bull, Colorado is probably the place to go. If you are looking for an above average bull, be advised that lots of others are competing with you to hunt the units that are well known to have the above average bulls. Basically the game is to limit the number of bulls taken in such a trophy unit so some of the bulls can survive to 7 or 8 years of age when their antlers are at their optimum size. To get drawn in such units you typically have to accumulate preference points for several years. Others can provide you with more details on this than I can, as I am not a trophy hunter.

In Colorado (others can advise you on other states) there are several seasons available -- bow season, muzzle loader season, and four separate rifle seaons. You will need to decide what style of weapon you want to use. With respect to the several rifle seasons, you will want to be aware that the elk may be a different places during different rifles seasons. For example, elk may be up near tree line in the early, first rifle season and then way down low during the fourth rifle season. This may mean that a unit which is horrible for first rifle season because it contains no high country is great for fourth rifle season because then the elk have migrated down to it. Be aware that lower ground may be private ground, and hunting private ground usually costs a lot of money. The public ground may be up in the high country where only early rifle seasons are good for elk. Be aware of this issue when you do your research. I know this sounds complicated. You are liable to have to think about this and puzzle over it for awhile before it sinks in and begins to look less complicated. For Colorado I advise you to go to their Department of Wildlife or their Department of Fish and Game web site and order their "Big Game CD." This provides a treasure trove of information on draw probabilities for different units for different seasons; success rates of hunters in the different units for the different seasons; and location of the elk herds. The deadline for applying for the Colorado elk draw is the first week of April. You can apply on line, using a credit card which will be hit whether you draw or not (if you don't draw, they will refund to your credit card). You may need to pay attention on the application to select a party application since you are going as a group.

For Colorado cow permits cost something like $300 and "any sex" permits cost something like $500. In some areas, a bull is defined to be 4x4 or a brow tine longer than 5".

If you do an early season elk hunt you are liable to be hunting elk at over 10,000' and mostly using your legs to get you there. You will need to be in excellent physical condition. If you are overweight, begin to lose weight now. Combine your weight loss program with exercise. You will want to do both strength training and aerobic or cardiovascular training. You will be out of breath and have a hard time breathing even if you do great cardio training, but if you are in good condition you will spring back more quickly also you will have more endurance and be more apt to be able to keep at it all day and into the night, if you are fortunate to take an elk. Something I found valuable in my first elk hunt this past October was to work on my climbing muscles by doing a lot of squats holding weights and doing lunges. There is a lot of climbing involved in elk hunting. Don't wait to do this training. I would say that you ought to be at your target weight 4 months before the hunt and in good shape. THen with that remaining 4 months of time you need to really dig in and kick up your training a notch. Take care of your body -- eat enough protein and get enough sleep. YOu don't want any injuries that will set back your training regime, and not getting sleep and not eating right are likely going to lead to injuries if you train hard. Of course, if you are riding horses up the sides of the mountains or riding ATVs up the mountains, maybe you can get away with poor condition, but I wouldn't count on it. Conditioning is key. If you are not in condition, you are liable to sleep in late, stay in camp, hunt less aggressively. Also, if you take an elk, these are huge animals and unless you have made arrangements to have the meat packed out of the mountains, you are liable to have to carry big loads of meat out on your back on packframes. Get in shape.

The weather is very changeable in the high mountains. You need to have the right kind of clothes. Clothes that are warm when wet and are quiet when hunting. A first layer of polypropylene or other synthetic wicking material is advisable. A second layer of wool trousers and wool shirt works. Some people prefer a synthetic fleece of some kind for the second layer. A third layer of a waterproof, breathable parka is needed. You will need warm gloves and a good head covering, such as a balaclava. I also had a heavy wool vest that I wore over the wool shirt below the breathable parka that I was glad I had. I personally liked the wool a lot. It was comfortable over a wide range of temperatures. It was warm when wet. It dried out quickly when it had gotten wet. It was quiet and comfortable.

Good boots are critical. They should be heavy to protect your feet from rocks, particularly when carrying a heavy load (60 LBS of elk meat lashed to a packframe). They should keep your feet warm and not cause blisters. You will want to make sure they are broken in before you wear them on your hunt. Serious blisters can result from shoes not broken in, and blisters will stop your elk hunt in a hurry. Expect to pay about $200 for a good pair of boots. Wear thin polypropylene (or silk or other wicking fabric) next to your skin and heavy wool socks over the polypropylene. I used Meindl Perfekt Hunters and found them to be very good boots. No doubt others can recommend other suitable boots. I found the break-in period of the Meindl Perfekt Hunters to be shockingly short. I wore them on a deer hunt in Oklahoma and just walked in them and they were comfortable from day one.

You should have a headlamp with extra batteries (maybe even an extra headlamp) in your day pack. You should have at least two good knives in your day pack. You should have a good magnetic old fashioned compass in your day pack and the appropriate USGS 7.5 minute topographic maps in your daypack. I fold my topo maps and put them in a gallon zip-lock bag to keep them safe from the elements. If you fold it right, you can have two sides of the map visible through the plastic zip-lock bag. I think thata GPS provides good functionality for a non-resident elk hunter not entirely familiar with the area he is hunting, but you don't have to have a high dollar GPS to get much of the value you want. A cheap Garmin Etrex (about $120) will track your movements and allow you to either back track your complete path or let you go back directly to your truck, if you enter the truck's location as a waypoint. Knowing how far you are from your truck, how much time it is taking to travel, what altitude you are at, being able to store locations (where you saw a big rub on a tree while scouting, where you found bedding areas, etc) all can be done with this inexpensive unit. Buy a $500 GPS if you want to and you can afford it, but be aware that even a $120 GPS provides a lot of useful navigational horsepower. If you get any GPS, be absolutely sure you practice using it at home before you go out elk hunting!!!! Take extra batteries for the GPS. Carry drinking water in your day pack. Carry lip balm in your day pack. Carry sunglasses in your day pack: that fresh snow with bright sunlight at 10,000' really knifes into your retina. Carry some food in your day pack -- chocolate bar, granola, jerky.

If you are hunting with a group and you intend to keep together, give some thought to leasing a satellite phone for the duration of the hunt. These phones allow you to phone home or emergency personnel from remote mountain locations, for example when you slide over a cliff in the snow when you step on a tree trunk hiddne below the snow and break your leg and can't crawl out of the gulley you are in. It costs about $100/week ($50 to lease but then about $50 shipping cost to return the device). This is cheap insurance, particularly when shared among a group of guys hunting together. When I went hunting alone for elk this past October I had one of these satellite phones in my day pack; it helped my wife feel comfortable about my hunting solo.

Most of my comments above are directed to having a safe hunt. Actually getting an elk into your sights is another dimension to the hunt. I'll comment on that in a following post.