RE: What do I need for elk hunting
WIbucksniper,
If you are driving out from town and the owners of the ranch are going to guide you and they have the elk movements down pat and there is no pressure on the elk and they see them every day while tending their stock, then great you can't beat that with a stick. If you simply have a connection that is going to let you hunt on some land or if there is other direct or indirect pressure on the game and you have to do it on your own....
If you REALLY want an elk, then:
1. Show up a week before the season to scout so you can walk to and from your "sweet spots" in the dark both ways without getting lost.
2. Skip the mule deer thing (a deer is a deer is a deer) until after you've ALL got your elk.
3. Lose the hotel and do your sleeping way back in the thick of elk country -- in the morning before sunrise, TIME will prove to be one of your biggest enemies.
Elk hunting (except for dumb luck) requires different tactics than either popping bambi in the local deer patch or doing road hunting. [On the other hand, road hunting can be fun: donuts, hot coffee, no sweat, pretty country, nice conversation (game can't hear you talking with the windows up), and for packing purposes the game is seldom far from the truck!]
4. IMHO 30-06 minimum with 180gr. premium bullets (heavy for caliber) for elk. Also, just because an elk didn't crumple like a deer and then runs off without so much as a flinch or a limp, don't think you missed him -- follow it up hard.
5. If the locals aren't going to br helping you, then make sure you have plenty of knife power AND a saw or an axe for field dressing. ALSO you need some plan in advance as to how you will retrieve the meat -- do NOT underestimate this: blown knees, damaged backs, and heart attacks await the unwary on this last one and can indeed turn it into the (negative) hunt of a lifetime.
These thoughts are in response to WIbucksniper only and as always other opinions may vary, just pointing out a little of what consistently works for us year in and year out.
Good Luck and Good Hunting,
EKM