Big TK

Good afternoon all-

I have been a frequent lurker on this board for some time now and I now feel " up to speed" enough that I thought I could post. As I mentioned above, I finally convinced my wife to allow me to leave NE Wisconsin and venture out west for an elk hunt. Man, I' m so excited. I' ll be going with an old buddy of mine and both of us are first time elk hunters. We' re both very excited, however, we also realize that the odds are not stacked in our favor. With that in mind, we' re exhausting every possible option to try and improve those odds. No matter though, if we bring one (or two) home, then great...if not, I' m sure it will be a great time.

We' re applying for a draw in unit 67 near Gunnison for either sex 1st rifle season and if we don' t get in the draw, then we' re going over the counter to unit 441 just west of Steamboat. We' re going unguided and strictly on foot. We have already been conditioning and reading every elk magazine, book or article I can lay my hands on. I am in the process of ordering topo maps for the area from huntinmaps.com. I have my rifle and load picked out (my 30.06 Remington with 180 grain Nosler Partitions.) and most of my gear purchased, but since this is my first elk hunt and scouting is not possible (and the season is so short) I am looking for any tips that can my hunt more successful.

I' ve spoken to the DOW several times and I' d like to thank Charlie, Bud and Roy for all their help up to this point. We' ve ordered the Big Game CD and in combination with that and several phone conversations, have narrowed down our hunting areas to some specific locations:

For unit 67, we' re looking at backcountry areas in the La Garita Wilderness and Sawtooth Mountain. And for unit 441, we' re looking at Routt Natl Forest at Quaker Mountain, Meaden Peak or Sand Mountain.

Does anyone have some firsthand experience in these areas?

What sort of calling would work on elk in early to mid October from the 11th to the 15th?

Any additional tips, or reassuring words :-), regarding game care once we get one back to camp would also be appreciated. I' ve read several other posts regarding packing the meat out and stuff, but I' m slightly concerned about spoilage during the day if it gets warm.

Thank you in advance for any advice!!

Big TK

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ELKampMaster

Big TK,
Welcome to the boards,
First elk hunt - hungary for knowledge, reading everything in sight -- I remember -- exciting times! I appreciate the obvious legwork you have done. Can' t help you with the Gunnison area except that I' ve 4 wheeled and camped thru there in the summer time -- definitely more rugged country than your back up choice up by Craig which by the way is the general area where I hunt.

Email me with a phone number if you like and we can talk.

Couple thoughts just too start things off:
1. Where are you going to sleep and how are you going to keep warm?
2. How are you going to navigate in the dark in a place you have never been?
3. " Scouting is not possible" and the season is so short" --- Trust me by the end of the season you will have had enough! Buuuut, if the season was 3 days longer would you find the extra three days? My point is the short season should leave you with extra days for scouting -- showing up to a strange area the day before opening day is a recipe for unfilled tags.

Thats enough for now,
EKM

rather_be_huntin

Sounds like you are heading in the right direction. You' re doing everything you should be doing to have a successful hunt. Careful though, elk hunting is real addicting so you probably better prepare your wife for a lifetime of hunts.

I' m not from Colorado nor do I hunt it so I can' t help you with your unit. But I can tell you since you' re worried about it being warm and spoiling your meat you' ll probably be in 2 feet of snow. You should pack for different weather conditions and dress in layers. The weather changes quickly in the rockies that time of year. I' ve gone to sleep after a full day of hunting in a t-shirt and woke up to 6 inches of snow the next day.

That late in October I wouldn' t expect to do much calling. You local boys can correct me if I' m wrong but here in Utah they aren' t calling much and don' t respond to em either by the middle of october. Take a cow call though and it might be useful for stopping a bull for a shot if nothing else.

When you get your topos look for water sources as it will probably be another drought this summer. Once you find good water sources make sure they are reasonably far from roads and a little tough to access to cut down on pressure. Then look for cover nearby with meadows also close by. It will probably take a few days just to locate elk unless you get lucky so I would bust my butt trying to find them once you get there. Don' t get discouraged if you don' t see any for the first couple of days, just look for sign at or near water sources. Once you find fresh sign work the area.

Take a good knife and sharpener along with some sort of bone saw. Elk are big tough animals. You will definitely want some sort of bags for your meat. Robert Scott gave some advice there. If you are on foot a good pack frame would be a good idea.

Hope this helps and enjoy your hunt. Keep doing your homework and it will payoff.

Big TK

WOW!

Thank you all for your helpful tips and your insight.

In response to some of your questions Elkamp...

1) As for sleeping and keeping warm...we' re just planning tents, camp fires and sleeping bags...my bag is rated to -15 degrees. We' re really planning to rough it out there. Very minimal in terms of supplies (other than the obvious survival gear, food, drink, clothing and the like). We would like to remain as mobile as possible, in case we have to move camp to another location mid-hunt.

2) We have a GPS unit, compasses, we' ll probably use flourescent nylon to tie to trees for path markers, etc.

3) We have actually planned 9 total days for the trip. The actual hunt itself is 5 days, we' ve planned 2 days for travel and that leaves us approx. 2 days for scouting on the front end before the hunt. In addition, we' d like two days to prepare for the change in altitude before we begin any strenuous activity in hopes of heading off any altitude sickness.

Rather_Be...

We feel pretty sure that we' ll encounter some drastic changes in weather while we' re out there...so layering clothes has been something we' ve discussed extensively. In addition to waterproof clothes. I have some gortex duck hunting gear that I' ll bring along...very good stuff. I' ll be bringing two pairs of boots, one set of Rocky gortex 600 grain hiker/hunting boots and another pair of Rocky pac boots that are about 1000 grain. In addition, several pairs of socks (cotton, wool, polypro and some sock liners) for any occasion.

Thank you for the tip regarding calling: I' ve been practicing with the Primos Terminator and RMEF Buglin Fever mouth calls for about 3 months now. I guess it never hurts to know them...even if we won' t need them that much. Someone I talked to over here basically said to leave your bugling at home and ONLY cow and calf call. said that bugling is a waste of time.

Thanks for the tip on the water sources...other tips I' ve been told...look for aspen stands and if found assume elk to be in the dark timber surrounding it, they like the openness of the aspen and tend to bed in the dark timber around it.

Another is too look for saddles along ridges, check for recent burn areas, cover areas tend to be upslope while feeding areas tend to be downslope, check N and NE facing slopes, try to find the hidden benches and holes, find the lush green meadows near dark timber or hidden within the dark timber.

Robert Scott-

We' ll definitely have plenty of game bags with us...now...we just hope we have to USE THEM! :-)

Thanks again fellas!

Big TK

noway

Get in better shape!
That is the number reason most hunters are unsuccessfull. Elk hunting will wear you down faster then you can imagine. If you are too tired to hunt the areas where the elk are you are spinning your wheels.
Practice shooting offhand, timber elk often give you only a couple seconds to get off a shot at a moving animal.
Bring your bugle and cow call, the first day or two use your bugle to locate, unless there are a lot of hunters.
I have called in many bulls on Oct. 15th here in Idaho using the bugle and the cow call. Opening day is by far your best chance to call a bull during rifle season.
After the second day leave your bugle in camp.
We have hung meat in the shade and put an old sleeping bag over it in the day and take it off at night to cool in up to 60 degree weather and not had any meat spoilage.
During the day the elk will be in the N or NE facing slopes in the timber, look for flat benches on these slopes with water, usually at mid elevations. They normally travel out at dark to feed in the nearest meadow and back before sunup to the timber. Once the pressure hits they find small meadows in the timber to feed in and rarely show themselves during the day unless hunters are moving them around.
This is public land hunting, whole different story on unpressured elk on private land of course. Good luck with your hunt!

txbowjunkie

Last year was my first elk hunting experience so I feel I know exactly how you feel.

You mentioned that you don' t know the area and won' t have time to scout. I' d suggest getting some aerial photos and topo maps. You can get a pretty good idea of what you' re getting yourself into with those. Look for natural funnels and places that you think might hold elk. Then call the DOW and pick their brains. You might even want to call some local sporting shops in the area. If you have a specific place in mind they' ll usually give you some info.

Don' t rule out areas low and away from the pressure. Once the guides and hoards of hunters hit the woods elk will often break away from the herd and hold up in places most hunters overlook. That' s what happened with me. We hunted high for 4 days and never once got a shot opportunity. We decided to drop down lower away from the pressure and let them push the elk to us. Day 5 a nice fat cow was on the ground and I' ve never been prouder. In my book that elk ranks right up there with my largest racked whitetail!

In addition, set your sights on something obtainable so you don' t get disappointed. I wouldn' t go with the expectations of shooting a record book bull. Focus on getting any legal elk then if you get the opportunity at a big boy great.

Last but not least, you have beginners luck on your side. Don' t discount that for a minute!!!!

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BeaverJack

Big TK,
I' d look for a lil' comfort. Your hunt will be more enjoyable an' you' ll stay afield longer with a good rest an' VERY good food! A thermorest pad will help a lot, I also pack an airline pillow and some ear plugs so I' m dead asleep when I' m in my bag. The wool comment is dead on. Camp shoes is also a good idea. Take good lunches and stay away from camp all day. Meet yer buddies for lunch, but get used to comin' back to camp after shootin' light is gone.

elknut1

I second NOWAYS thoughts, I too have had similar success with the methods and techniques he talked about. The only thing I would do differently is continue to bring the bugle even after the first day. We' ve had bulls respond at one time or another during entire month of Oct. Certain cow calls work awesome during Oct. as well. Hunt hard and never give up. elknut1