RE: first elk hunt
eyeballjr:
Good luck on the hunt. I am not familiar with the area but here is what I did in WY my first elk hunt. 1. I looked at the number of available tags in your area of choice as compared to the rest (just to judge herd). 2. I got topos - as you did. 3. I called the game biologist that covers that area and the game warden and asked them all sorts of questions - the biologist is better sometimes because the are tuned in to the herd instead of law enforcement. 4. when I got to the closest town before we headed into the hills - I got supplies and stopped at the local sporting goods shop and gas station and poked around for some info. They don' t always want to share info but usually they will give you some pointers. 5. I got camp set up a day and a half ahead of time and took some time to do some additional scouting and look for sign - not too much though or in the wrong places - don' t want to push them out of the area. Always look for water.
Get a big one