I want to hear about your advice and tips that have brought you success in you elk hunts.

Some of my tips off the top of my head...

1) Become proficient with elk calls, if you can't master a mouth diaphram there are many external reed type calls that will work, also there are excellent push me calls by Primos and Carlton. After learning how to call, learn when to call and what to say. There are good videos made by Primos, Wayne Carlton, and others will teach you when and how to call, but they don't cover much in what each call means. To learn this, the best advice I can give, is to get your hands on one of elknut1, videos. He covers all these topics and more, he goes in detail on what each elk sound means to the elk and when to use it. I recomend owning them all!

2) Keep track of the wind and hunt with the wind in your face at all times. Even with the best calling or caller in the world, if a bull or cow winds you, game over and they will bark and run away. If they don't wind you but only see you and bark, just bark right back at them. When that happens the elk that seen you might run away but any other that are around will pay it no attention and just think that its two cows that are mad at each other or confused.

3) Be as sent free as possiable, even with the wind in your face there are many little up and down swirling drafts in the mountains. Some are strong enough to detect and some are so slight that you are not aware of it. Thats why I want to stay as sent fee as possiable. I try to bathe everyday and use sent free body soap, and sent killer of different types. I think most brands work fairly well. Remember its not always easy to stay sent free when hiking uphill and several miles at a time. For this I cary sent free wipes and wipe down evry now and then when I am sweating badly. I have never used sent lock clothing because I would be too hot. But I think it would work if you were hunting in tree stands or ground blinds over wallows.

4) Don't worry about making noise. Everyone has different calling strategies but I like to sneek in under 100 yards and set up and call. When sneeking in, you might step on and break a branch or two, or if the ground is dry it will be noisie. Don't worrie just give a soft cow call or two to make them think you are an elk.

5) When calling do make noise, a lot of it. You'll want to break branches, stomp the ground, and rub big branches on trees. A bull elk will beat the heck out of a tree when he is working it over with his antlers. Do what he does and create a lot of noise to make them think you are the bull.

6) Use a decoy they work great, I have used them with calls, and with out calls next to well used elk trails. When using the decoy I put elk fire, or cow in heat (same thing) in a drip bottle next to the decoy. My hope if it looks like and elk and smellls like and elk it must be an elk to the real elk.

7) (Some might disagree with this) But IMHO you should never put an elk scent, be it cow in heat or any of the varities of a bull or cow scents on you or your clothing. Why three reasons. The first is elk have a strong strong scent, I have had bulls come into me silent and I only knew they were there because I could smell them first. If you are coverd in the scent you will not know if you are smelling the scent on you or the real bull elk. Second if the elk does smell it he will pin point you and come in strait to you, giving you a strait on head shot. Thats why I put it wilh my decoy and set up to the side so when he comes in I will have a broadside shot. And the third reason, bears,,, some of the country I hunt has Grizzly Bears in them, some bears both black and grizz, have learned to key in on the calls and let their nose guide them from their. Most of the time a mature bull elk can out run a bear, some don't. Either way a bowhunter can't and these last few years thier have been quite a few bear attacks on bowhunters here around Idaho and surrounding states.

8) This should be along with checking the wind and elk scent, but when checking the wind I use the cow in heat by Hunter Specialities. It comes in a spray mist bottle. Its mist is fine enough that I can see it in the air for almost as long as the powder (baking soda) wind checker that you can purchase or make at home. I figure if the wind is wrong at least the elk will hopefully smell another elk, and not me. One thing to be aware of it works best in sunlight, if in the shade it still works but after about 5 yards you can't see it very well but at least you know what way the wind is comming from. Same goes for a cloudy day, and when its almost dark it is hard to see at all.

9) If you are hunting with a large group, bunch up in groups of three, two callers and one shooter. Also keep the callers at least 40 to 100 yards behind the shooter depending on the situation.

10) When calling in and working a bull that you can see it in front of you. Remember to always turn around and check behind you from time to time. I have had bulls sneek in behind me at under 20 yards only to bust me and hang up the bull in front of me.

11) Be ready for any weather, in September it can go from 80 degrees down to the mid 20's and snowing in a matter of hours.

12) Eat well get good sleep (i.e.have a good sleeping bad and pad) and drink plenty of water. Two things a elk bowhunter is in always need of sleep and water.

There are plenty more I can think of, a lot that would have to do with calling but I"ll stop for now and I want to hear what tips you have learned that have brought you success over the years. Thanks idahoelkinstructor