younggun308

Me and my uncle and dadwere sorta interested in maybe doing a DIY hunt for elk.
I was researching Idaho, and I found there isa hunt that people can apply for in Area 62 for an either cow or bull any weapon hunt, and it has historically had a 69% chance of drawing.

I was thinking of Idaho, since Colorado is probably swarming with hunters.
My family works out at the gym, so we can get in shape.

I was wondering if anyone also had a suggestion for what would make a good DIY hunt. I was thinking of 2008 or 2009. I would like an estimation of the cost of going somewherefrom Cleveland,Tennessee.So if you could include a price estimation, that would be great.

I bet there's a mountainful of stuff I don't know, but that's why I'm askinghere.

Thanks in advance,

Josiah

Hunter_59

younggun, you need to give everyone more information on what type of a hunt you are interested in, ie; gun, bow, public land, private land, terrain you're capable of hunting in, etc., etc. Beware that much of the land out west may look inviting but it may be mostly private and can be very hard to gain access. I'm not sure about area 62 in Idaho but make sure you research it thoroughly before you purchase the tag. A DIY hunt can be the most enjoyable hunt if you do your homework. Give us some more information on what you are looking for.

longknife12

Lotta people where I hunt...also, remember that elk are migratory.....where they are now doesn't mean they are there tomorrow.
Any nonres tag is expensive. Not trying to be negative, if I can be of help
please pm me.I have always diy'd it. Some years I kill others I simply enjoy the trip.
Dan

ShatoDavis

When those sorta's and maybe's turn in to "for sure" and "definately"
then we'll talk. Why should anyone take your question seriously when you aren't.

You need to narrow down your options. Maybe colorado, maybe idaho, maybe, maybe, maybe. You need to think some of this out on your own. There is excellent hunting in colorado. There is also excellent hunting in idaho,montana, wyoming, utah,new mexico, arizona etc. The better units will be tough to draw obviously. Unitsthat are easy to draw generallyare either prodominantly private land or so rough and rugged that it is very hard to hunt. Thats just the way it is.There aren't any magical units out there thatwe can tell you about.Besidesif their was a unit that held huge bulls that was over the counter and had good access the last thing I would do is blab about it on the internet.

I would say thatColorado would be your best bet for a beginners DIY hunt. Find a place with some decent access and just go out and try. If you narrow down your options there are some colorado folks on here that couldsteer you in the right direction.

Cost estimation: anywhere from $1000 to $5,000 per person. Lets start with the basics

DistancetoRifle Colorado (because its a cool name) from Cleveland Tn.= 1502 miles. Estimate 15MPG= 100 gallons each way= 200 gal. roundtrip @2.59/gal= $518/3 = $173

Figure $20 per day per person for food, for 7 days= $140

Nonresident bull elk license = $501 per person

Will you camp, or stay in a hotel? Hotel =$75 per night x 7 night =525/3= $175. If you camp you will need good equipment.

For far I've spent $989 of your money on the bare minimum neccesities and assumed that you have proper gear. From here the numbers just keep climbing.

Alsatian

younggun243: Shatodavis is right. You need to have a more definite plan. I'm guessing that is what you are asking for in your post, some help from people to refine your plans. I'll assume this is your request.

You need to identify your objective. If you want a trophy elk, DIY is not the best plan. I can't provide much information on trophy elk hunting, so if this is your objective you'll need to speak to others for advice on that subject. It is expensive. If you just want an elk -- cow or bull -- life becomes easier but not a sure deal.

In early season elk are up high, often on public land; in late season, after heavy snows have arrived in the mountains, elk are low, often on private land. Hunting elk on private land is generally very expensive. You will probably need to put in for a permit to hunt a specific elk unit, in whatever state you choose to hunt, and you should select that unit/season with an informed understanding of where the elk are going to be at any given time of year, to the extent this can be predicted (this is based on weather and that is somewhat unpredictable to say the least). Figure out what state you want to hunt, basing your decision on both likelyhood of drawing, success ratio of hunters, and where the elk will be at during the specific hunting season time periods. Note that Colorado has a very good "Big Game CD" which provides a lot of supporting information that can help identify the best hunting unit for your needs.

For DIY hunt you will need appropriate clothing. Good boots well broken in. Breathable clothes that support layering so you can put on additional layers to get warm when the weather gets cold or you begin to cool down from a strenous hike and so you can take off layers as you heat up from hiking or the weather is warm. You need an outer layer that will keep you dry in rain and/or snow. A head covering to keep your head warm is needed. Gloves are needed. Wool is good because it is warm while wet and dries relatively quickly; cotton is bad. Underwear made of moisture wicking material such as polypropylene is recommended. If you do not have any of this stuff it can be expensive to buy. Don't skimp on boots or you will pay the price in sore feet that let you down when you most need them to work for you.

Get a GPS for every hunter. It doesn't have to be the most expensive one in the catalog. The Etrex is cheap -- about $120 -- and does a lot. Learn how to use it before you go afield. Carry extra batteries. If you know how to use one of these, you will feel much more confident going into the woods off the roads, and this is key to expectation of success.

Get a headlamp to cope with your dead elk after dark while keeping your hands free.

Carry a couple of good, sharp knives.

Plan to use a .30-06 shooting 180 grain bullets and heavier on elk. There seems to be a concensus that this is the lower limit of elk worthy cartridge. There is likely to be all sorts of disputes over my statement, but this is my advice.

younggun308

Alright, thanks for all the help, I'm just trying to find out some stuff from you guys firsthand to try to convince my family members that doing an elk hunt isn't impossible. My uncle uncle is a bit reluctant as far as leaving a familiar place and working very hard to find time to do this kind of thing, which neither he nor I nor any of our hunting buddies know anything about, or if it'll be worthwhile from the perspective that this will cost lots of money.

I suppose that if one's planning a DIY, they must have commitment to sacrificing resources to do it, but I don't think anyone in my family has that for know, since, well, we haven't said to ourselves, "We are going to have to do an elk hunt someday.", In fact, I was talking to my uncle about hunting in the West for elk, and he asked me how do people get the money for it, and so I mentioned how one of you guys saved up tax returns for 2 or more years, and that helped, and he apparently thought that that would be too much trouble, and he promptly responded, "I would just rather hunt here."

That greatly troubles me, since he is my hunting mentor, and I seem to have more ambition than he does, and if he doesn't want to do it, there's nothing I can do. I do believe if I could show him that a hunt costs less than $2,000, I could convince him. I was telling him how a member here went to hunt black bear in Alaska, and he did it for less than $2,000 a person, and he got real interested, but, it was black bear, and we have those here in TN.

I don't want to hunt elk until I first shoot a deer, I haven't yet, I killed a turkey this spring, if I have been arrogant, being a know-it-all, I apologize, I have no right to be. I missed a doe at 250 yards in January, and I feel bad about that, because I actually wounded it, hitting it low.
Since then, I was able to practice a lot with my gun, (.308), and I am confident I could kill that deer if the shot was given to me again.
The reason I missed the deer was, I didn't compensate for the bullet drop.
The guy who was with me told me to put the crosshairs on the doe's back, and I didn't listen.....The rest is history. I will not give up, I am determined to become a good, ethical, successful hunter, who isn't intimidated from the distance of things, etc. I just have to learn, and I am learning, as I hunted twice turkeys, and tagged one, and I am going to hunt this fall for TN riverbottom whitetail.

I don't know what to tell you my situation is, but there's the story.

Alsatian

younggun243: I think a DIY elk hunt for non-residents does indeed require a substantial amount of committment and trouble. Maybe your uncle isn't prepared to make the sacrifices and suffer the pains -- both in the pocketbook and in the weary, overtaxed muscles -- that come with elk hunting. This is OK. No one says everyone needs to be an elk hunter.

Maybe your .308 will work for elk hunting if you exercise discipline on what range you shoot at elk. I will let other advise on this topic.

Back to clothes. Wool is good for the middle layer, in my opinion: your pants and your shirt. You can get good army surplus wool pants by looking around, for example on the Internet, for about $20 maybe $25 with shipping. I'm thinking about the M-51 medium weight wool pants. Similarly with wool shirts, you can find Pendleton wool shirts on the Internet for about $20 to $25. Layer these over some medium weight polypropylene or thermex long underwear and long sleeved top. You need a couple more top garments to keep warm when you stop moving or when it is particularly cold. You could get a heavy wool sweater and layer an insulated, rainproof parka over the sweater. I like to wear the Filson wool vest under an insulated, rainproof parka -- but the Filson wool vest is moderately expensive. Some people prefer synthetic fleece versus wool. I imagine that too can be entirely suitable, but I'm not sure it is better than wool and I'm not sure you can find pants for $25 shipped and tops for $25 shipped, as you can with army surplus pants and used Pendleton shirts. Don't forget a warm hat, such as a polypropylene balaclava.

My term "good boots" probably needs some further definition. These are going to cost in the neighborhood of $200. You want stout souls to protect your feet walking over rocky ground in the dark and perhaps carrying a heavy load. You want leather that goes maybe 10" or so up from your soles. It is probably a good idea to have some insulation -- maybe 400 grams of thinsulate -- in these boots to keep your feet warm when you sit in the cold for extended periods of time. I use the Meindl Perfekt Hunters which cost about $200, I think, and I have heard many other hunters use these with pleasure. There are also other good boots, but none are cheap. Wear two pairs of socks with these boots -- a thin pair of polypropylene or other "wicking" fabric on the inside and a heavy pair of wool socks on the outside.

I have used this term "wicking fabric." This means that the fabric encourages sweat or other moisture, for example rain, to migrate away from the skin, which helps keep you warm. When you are hot and sweating these wicking fabrics do not make you feel hotter; just when you cool down you feel dry and don't feel cold as you would in cotton. These garments dry quickly, for example in a tent overnight before the next day's hunt. I find wool dries pretty quicly too. Cotton is bad because it does not wick moisture away from your skin, it does not dry quickly, and it makes you feel cold when wet and loses most of its insulation value when wet.

Carry water with you everyday and drink it. You will dehydrate rapidly at altitude.

Elk hunting is generally very strenuous. Do not kid yourself about this. Cardiovascular reserves are very key. If possible, in addition to cardiovascular workouts do some stair climbing, hill climbing/running. Do deep knee squats with weights. Do "lunges." Your legs are going to get a constant workout and you will need lots of endurance to keep going for the length of the hunt. A lot of people say it is the hunters who cover the most distance on foot who are the most successful. You can plan to walk 5 to 10 miles a day in the mountains over 10,000 feet altitude every day while elk hunting. If you have never hiked at over 10,000 feet altitude you are in for a fun experience. The bad news is that you will be out of breath and have to pause frequently; the good news is that your breath comes back quickly and you can still get there moving more slowly!!! Upper body strength is useful when dealing with a dead elk, but you will need the legs every day, all day long. If you are overweight, take off the weight.

You need to have a plan to get the elk out. You generally cannot drag an elk to your pickup truck. You will need to carve up the elk at the kill site. This means either quartering the elk or skinning and deboning. If you are going to pack the elk out yourself on your back you will want to skin and debone at the kill site. Learn about how to do these things. If you are going to quarter you will need to arrange to have a packer come to retrieve your elk. You will need to have a plan to butcher your meat. You could take your meat to a local processing facility or butcher; I'm guessing this may cost about $200/elk. You can also butcher your elk yourself if you are comfortable with this operation. You need a plan. An elk isa big animal, and you don't want to be stuck improvising when you have an elk down. If you plan to pack out the elk you should obtain a stout external frame pack and perhaps some strong cotton game bags.

Most people will agree you need to have a good pair of binoculars -- maybe 8x40mm, for example Nikon Monarch for about $300. There are lots of other binoculars for lots of different prices. Probably cheaper and lower quality than the Nikon Monarchs is not a good plan. The binoculars are intended to save you the walking time and effort in the mountains.

This is all directed to equipment considerations. So far no talk about the hunting. You need to have a good hunting plan and then one or two back-up plans. Conditions can change and you may need to change your hunting plans accordingly. Think this matter through carefully.

You should try to visit your selected hunting area, for example during the summer, hiking in to look your area over for a day or two. The point is not really to "scout elk." In October during the hunting season the elk may be located somewhere different from where they are located in mid-July or early August. The point is to study the terrain and try to identify some strategic hunting spots -- for example a high point overlooking a grassy meadow bordered by thick timber with locally available water -- and understand how long it will take you to arrive at this location by maybe 5:30 AM. Think about what other hunters will be doing during hunting season. If you are close to the road, how many other hunters are going to be bumping elbows with you? Also it will be prudent to learn first hand what it is like to walk around at 10,000 feet in the mountains. If this seems like a lot of trouble, driving all the way out to the Rocky Mountains from Tennessee to do a preparatory trip, you are getting some idea of what is involved in elk hunting. It is not easy. It does require planning and some investment of time and money.

Perhaps others will post more information. Good luck. Read older posts in this and other forums. You should find a lot of good information.

WWhunter

I have done over a dozen DIY elk hunts and done it while I was living all over the world. It takes LOTS of research and commitment. I have hunted in all of the different seasons....ML, archery, rifle. My favorite is Archery followed by ML. But for the first timer I would suggest either ML or Rifle unless you are VERY proficient with your bow.

All of the advice given so far is pretty much "spot on". As one poster stated....the price of gas has a large portion of the cost of the hunt.

You can get by very cheaply if you try.....my first trip out to Colorado was really an experience. We survived on MRE's and slept under a cheap blue trap hung over a rope tied between two trees. THAT was roughing it. We spent 3 weeks gone from home and came back with a P&Y 5x5 and 2 mule deer. Pretty good for the first time!!

The hardest part of the entire hunt is finding someone that has the desire as much as you do. Luckily, I have a friend that is the same as me. I am a good money saver but my friend isn't so what we agreed to do was for him to mail me $100/month and I put it into an account just for our hunting trip. This may seem like alot to some people but figure its only $25/week.

Good Luck

younggun308

A "hunting fund" would seem to be a good idea. That's something we could do, instead of trying to shoot for the moon.

ShatoDavis

Youngun,

That is a sound plan.You should start saving up for your hunt. Start putting back some money. Anytime you have an extra 10 spot shove it in a safe place and forget it, instead of blowing it. In a couple of years you'll be surprised how much you've saved. In the meanwhile you can be researching your hunt. You can start putting together your gear in the as well. I personally wore the same pair of shoes for two years because I put the money I would have spent on shoes towards some high quality hunting boots. Everone has dreams, some people simply work harder to realize them.