Elk Hunting
 

Anybody here ever been elk hunting? What should one expect on an elk hunt(I'm considering going on one in the upcoming year)

RE: Elk Hunting
 

Are you talking about a guided hunt? If so make sure you're in shape, that will help you to have a good hard hunt and if you're willing to hunt hard a guide will sense it and usually will do his best to get you in game because of your conditioning and attitude. Expect to be up well before light and not return to base camp till after dark. If things seem a little tougher than you thought don't complain nobody wants to hear it. Always try to pitch in around camp with chores and what not, splitting firewood if you can doing dishes, whatever it takes. Remember guides arn't your personal slave out there. Treat them like you want to be treated and you'll have the time of your life. Look around, ask around so you end up with a reputable outfit. The more you put in the more you'll get out. Before you head out on the big hunt read all the elk hunting mag. you can, watch hunting videos so you have some knowledge about your quarry. p.s.If you're just meeting friends in their hunting camp for first time, this info still applies. Good luck. elknut1.

www.elknut.com
Bugling Bulls & Beyond!

RE: Elk Hunting
 

Theres an elk hunter or two on this board but we can' t help you without the details.

RE: Elk Hunting
 

what ever you are going to use to hunt elk with practice,practice,practice. be it bow or rifle. everything that elknut 1 says is true, there ain' t nothing worse than a lazy person at camp, get some books, magazines, and videos and learn how to make elk sounds, you' ll get pretty excited the first time you call in an elk. get in shape, jog,lift weights, climbing machines(these will probly help the most). don' t worry about making alot of noise when hunting elk because they make alot of noise themselves(especially if you are calling too) mainly research your animal,get in shape, and practice,practice,practice shooting.

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RE: Elk Hunting
 

hey robert you wouldn' t happen to be related to any of the scott out of oklahoma would you???

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RE: Elk Hunting
 

best piece of addvice i can give you is " MAKE SURE YOU' RE IN GREAT SHAPE" them mountains are killers be prepared for plenty of walking

RE: Elk Hunting
 

If you drink, try to keep the partying to a minium untill you kill your elk. It is very hard to hunt with a hangover, and you miss precious time when you get up late. Good luck.

RE: Elk Hunting
 

Tussey Hunter,
Without more information it' s kinda hard to give information, but I' ll try. In todays world, elk can be hunted from desert type sage country such as Arizona, in shirt sleves. The other extreme is, 11,000 ft, above the timber line in -30 degree weather. About the only common factors is to have company. Know your rifle and it' s trajectory. Practise with your rifle until you know its limits as well as your own. A small elk is bigger than the largest deer you' ll ever see, have the tools too care for the meat. A Wyoming saw is real handy, and so is parachute cord. There are many thing we can rough it on, sleep is not one of them. The best sleeping bag you can find is a must. Waterproof boots are also a must.

Contact a game department and have them send you all the information the have on elk, including anatomy. Visit your library for all the information they may have. When you have made more positive plans, come back, there are a lot of people here who can help.

RE: Elk Hunting
 

where? when?how?with who?
elk hunting can be easy,hard, or anywhere in between.
answer the first four questions and we can help you alot better.

RE: Elk Hunting
 

jjt,
Well put. Kind of difficult to address the question shy of writing an encyclopedia. Some times I think these " generalized questions" are just being " thrown in" to the forum to keep the readership signing in and throwing in the ole infamous $.02 worth thus keeping the " page hits" up.

How much money, how many days can you be gone from home, what season, what kind of hunt, what are your connections (if any), what is your past hunting experience, what are your physical limitations, do you ride horseback? All relevent factors.

For the most part elk hunting is NOT: sleep in your own home/eat/leave 45 minutes before sunrise/drive to the local deer patch/shoot bambi/drag him by the antlers a quarter mile/toss him in the pickup/be back home for a beer by 11am!

Never Go Undergunned,
EKM

RE: Elk Hunting
 

I' ll tell you what to expect on a elk hunt. Expect to have muscles hurt in places where you didn' t even know you had places. Expect to lose weight while eatin' like a staved hound. Expect to be cold, wet and scorchin' hot, possibly on the same day. Expect blisters, calluses, an' just genrly sore feet. Expect the best conversations with some of the best company on earth after dinner, only to be too tired to enjoy either. Expect beautiful country an' jus' when you unwind enough to start noticing how really wonderful it is, its time to go. I could go on forever, but thet would be expected from anybody what' s hunted with me.

RE: Elk Hunting
 

Expect to get hooked like you have never been hooked on any kind of hunting before. no matter how hard it can be it is worth every ounce of effort having a bull bugle in your face.

RE: Elk Hunting
 

Expect to shake like a leaf when you stick that first elk then expect to haul out big bags of the finest eating meat on the planet. You will figure out the sore muscle and work part but you won' t mind it a bit. Good hunting.

RE: Elk Hunting
 

Tussy Hunter:

I went for the first time last season in WY, self guided. I followed the advice of many of those on this net and read books by Van Zwoll and others and watched numerous videos (try for the kind that are " How to" instead of " follow us and look what we shot" ). Every post so far has been right on - conditioning is crucial. Two guys I was with didn' t take it seriously enough and were coughing up breakfast before daylight, seriously. I started training as soon as I got the draw results and then for the last two months before I left I walked with my boots on and carried a 30lb pack around my neighborhood - it looked silly in the summer but I was in far better condition - I only really had to adjust to altitude. I never saw an elk though the sign was there - I was calling back and forth with a bull but could never get a view - the others I was with saw him and a couple more but no clean shots - we were in big timber with little meadows. Even though I never saw one I got hooked and will go every year I can draw a tag. Get started now on reading and exercise - even though it seems a long way off and you will enjoy it much more. Write back w/questions.

Sigma7

RE: Elk Hunting
 

There are many good books on the subject, try to read as many as you can.
1. get in shape, most elk hunting is in rugged, high altitude areas.
2. always carry survival gear when hunting, it' s easy to get lost, many hunters every year spend a unscheduled night in the back country most live/some don' t, the weather can rapidly turn ugly in the high country.
3. be prepare for winter, listen for weather updates and carry chains in your vehicle.