first time elk hunter
 

My brother and I have a drop camp elk hunt in CO lined up for this coming fall. I have been doing alot of research and found a pile of info on what to expect and how to prepare yourself and your gear. I can't find much on hunting tactics or methods. I have alot of white tail hunting experience and assume elk hunting is or can be somewhat similar. Any pointers or advice would be great.:wave:

Get in the best shape that you can, because elk hunting, for the most part, is much MUCH more physically challenging than whitetail hunting is. Plus, most likely will be at much higher altitudes then you, as a flatlander, will be used to.
Depending on which season you're hunting, you may or may not need to learn elk calling. Rifle hunting isn't as reliant on calling as archery or ML hunting is.
Main thing is get in shape. Can't stress it enough.

Thanks Howler. The Physical demands seem to be the most challenging from what I have read and your comment. I have been told that if you are not fit it will ruin your hunt and your chances of getting to where the elk are. I have a long way to go to get in shape but plan on working at it pretty hard.
We're going first rifle season so glad to hear that calling would not be of the highest priortity since I don't know anything about it. My hunch tells me to get into position to hopefully catch them travelling to and from bedding/feeding areas. Any other ideas?

What season are you hunting? Elk hunting is much different than hunting whitetails. The biggest difference is that elk are herd animals. In a good whitetail area, you can sit in a tree and within a few hours have a deer walk by. Elk country can be void of elk for miles before you get into them. Learn how to read sign to know if elk have recently been in an area. The sign may be a few hours old, which is a good thing, or it may be weeks and months old, meaning they have moved off to a different area. When you find them, that's when the fun starts. Beware, don't let them know you are there or you may never see that herd again. As long as you keep the wind in your favor, you have a great chance of making something happen. Good luck!

We're going first rifle season. Any pointers on elk sign? I guess the obvious is droppings. do tracks show up well on the type of ground out there?

Thanks! about the wind.........I use Scent Away products when deer hunting and have had good bucks directly down wind of me and not pick me up. (sometimes). Do elk have better noses than white tails? I guess by packing along some food in a back pack would make it harder to cover up your scent also.

Don't disregard calling either. The first rifle season you will still hear bugling. If any thing else, a good cow call can settle down a herd if you are in close. Not saying bulls will come running like they will in Sept, but it is another tool in the tool box. A simple push button call like the Hoochie Mama is always in my vest pocket for quick use.

Thanks for the tip. With a name like Hoochie Mama it's bound to be good. I'll check it out.

Hoochie Mama's work geat!!! Best cow call I have ever used.

Lots of guys don't like them but I can say with all certainty that they have worked for me. A couple of years ago I had a small herd above me and I was climbing out of a steep canyon in the dark timber. I looked up and spotted a pair of legs that just had to be connected to a cow. I froze and eventually I could make her out and it turned out there was a calf with her and the rest of them were just behind her. She knew I was something that wasn't supposed to be there but couldn't figure out what I was. The wind was right so I figured what the heck might as well try the Hoochie. I made a couple of cow calls and she started to feed again and the whole herd came walking over from the top. I could see a legal bull but had a small spike get closer and closer and it was almost to where I would get scented. The whole herd all stopped moving and were looking down at me as I was crouched behind a tree. That stalemate went on for what seemed an eternity and I said to myself I can see the legal bull but had no shot and now he was frozen so I reached into my pocket and squeezed the Hoochi Mama again. They all started to walk again and the bull got a few yards behind a cow at 50 yds and gave me a kill shot. On more than one occasion the call has worked well and I have hunted the 1st and second season. Still some bugles then.

Using the call cow is a great tool when elk hunting. Whenever elk hunting I got my call (s) tied around my neck for quick easy access. As said above works well, another way I use it if you spook elk and they are leaving the area, even if you miss a shot or didnt knock the elk down, hammer the call and you stand a good chance they will stop to look back for a moment which might be your window you need to punch your tag.

+1 to that!!!!!!!

My family rfile hunts first season, I bow hunt, but they hear bugles enough so that they often can locate the elk by following the sounds and are quite successful and filling thier tags because of the bugling bulls.
As has been said, a cow call of some sort, even mewing with your voice, can sometimes freeze a bull long enough for a shot. I also wouldn't go during any rifle season without a cow call at the ready.
Did I mention, get in shape.

Get fit, take the right gear, be safe, shoot straight.

Elk hunting is strenous, but it is not running a marathon either. It helps if you have been in the mountains and have some familiarity with what you will be up against -- climbing steep hills with less oxygen available. For first rifle season generally the elk will be up high -- close to timberline -- say between 10000' and 12000'. Just to put a precise figure on it, say at 11000' in Colorado. With heavy snows the elk will be pushed down out of the mountains and public lands to lower, flatter ground usually privately owned. Work on aerobic conditioning and also strength conditioning. The aerobic conditioning is to develop stamina and endurance -- the ability to hunt all day long for 5 days straight. The strength exercises should focus on your legs: squats, lunges, and other leg exercises. Climb the stairs at work if that is possible. Wear weights on your ankles and repeatedly lift your legs up so your knees are as high as you can lift them -- say 60 repetitions with each leg for one set and do three sets. Sit-ups. Laying on your stomach and arching your back to hold your upper chest and lower legs off the ground for 60 seconds to 120 seconds is a good exercise. Work into your execise routine slowly, don't overdo on the front end. An injury may sideline you for 6 weeks -- like a calf muscle pull. Manage your diet. If you need to lose weight, do that. In either case, make sure you get enough protein.

You can encounter a wide range of weather while elk hunting. This being the case, plan to wear layers of clothes so you can shed and put-on clothes as needed. I like an inner layer of wicking fabric such as polypropylene -- long underwear bottoms and long sleeved polypropylene top. My second layer is wool -- army surplus wool trousers (M-51 medium weight wool trousers can be bought for about $20-$30 per pair and are very well suited to high mountain elk hunting) and Pendleton wool shirt. You can buy Pendleton wool shirts on line for about $20-$30. Wool retains much of its warmth when wet, it is silent when walking through the woods, and it dries out quickly. I like a heavy wool vest as an insulative layer over the shirt when it gets colder. Mine is a Filson vest that cost $110 new. Maybe you can find something less expensive. I also have a wind proof/water proof hooded parka that goes over all this. This outfit keeps me warm to about 20+ degrees fahrenheit when I'm sitting still. If you are walking, I would guess this would be good down to 0 degrees. I do not bother to try to prepare for hunting at below 0 degrees -- if it is that cold I'll probably be back in the tent. My parka is strictly speaking an anorak -- a pull-over with no front zipper or buttons. This does work for me -- but it is a pain in the butt to pull on or to pull off. I guess it has some theoretical warmth advantages. Have a good warm head cover, both for hunting and for use when sleeping in your tent. I like a balaclava, aka "ski mask." Have good hunting boots. I like Meindle Perfekt Hunters. There are other suitable elk hunting boots available. Make sure yours are broken in and fit your feet well. Take extra socks. I use an innner thin sock of wicking material -- polypropylene for example -- and a heavy outer sock such as wool. You may consider taking a rain suit so you can hunt in the rain. On the other hand, you may just choose to hang out in the tent on a rainy day. Have good cutlery. Most people recommend taking two sharp knives, stout knives. I recommend the Wyoming Saw for cutting bone, such as cutting through heavy shin bones to cut off hooves. Have sunglasses and sun screen. If you have to spend much time out in the daylight in snow fields you will be glad you have both, particularly the sunglasses. Did I say don't forget your sunglasses? Take lipbalm. Take some toilet paper. Take a GPS. It doesn't have to be an expensive, fancy GPS. I think you can get good service from a simple Etrex at about $120. This will work to enter waypoints (your camp, your hunting spot, your kill, where you stopped for lunch, etc). When you want to find your way back to -- camp, kill spot, lunch spot -- you just tell the GPS to find the subject waypoint. This simple GPS can also tell you your altitude, the time of sunrise and sunset at your location, how far to your favorite bar (if you enter that as a waypoint), and other useful information. Of course, if you invest in a more sophisticated GPS you can display topographical maps on your GPS and even roast a guinea hen if you so desire. Depending on where you are meeting your outfitter, you may wish to have tire chains or tire cables for your vehicle. Also, you might consider using a four wheel drive vehicle. If your outfitter is picking you up at 5000' and packing you in on horses, these considerations may be irrelevant.

Be safe. Be careful walking. When trees or saplings fall over downhill and get covered up with snow they make for excellent foot-slides. Watch out carrying heavy loads: you can blow out a knee very easily when you slide on a piece of snow or a patch of mud and put a sudden load on a knee that is located in an awkward position. When using your knife, take care, particularly after you get tired and/or cold.

Practice with your rifle so you know your limits. You don' thave to be able to drop your elk at 1000 yards. You don't have to drop your elk at 400 yards. You don't even need to drop your elk at 200 yards. Learn where your limits are and don't shoot beyond them. I'm, comfortable shooting at 200 yards. Under the right conditions I might be comfortable shooting elk at 300 yards (good rest, physically rested, not out of breath, not too much coffee, etc.), but then it might be a question whether my .30-06 has the umph at 300 yards. The elk I killed in 2009 was shot at about 75 yards, and there weren't any problems with limitations of either my shooting capabilities or my .30-06 180 grain bullet. If possible, check your rifle's sighting once in your elk camp. Probably sight your rifle to shoot about 3" high at 100 yards.

You should find out when your outfitter will be checking in with you and make sure of what he provides and what you need to provide. Is there a canvas wall tent? A heater? Does he provide cut firewood or is that on you? What about food and water? Will he pack out your meat? How often does he come by to packout meat? How do you get your meat from your hunting area back home?

For a few bucks I think it would be well worth it to pick up elknut's playbook and dvd package. Wouldn't hurt to pickup a call package as well.

http://www.elknut.com/index.html

Some of the information is pretty basic, and the production quality on the DVDs is lacking a little bit, but for a first time elk hunter it would be money well spent.

I use the lil chuckler bugle and cow call with a mouth reed and after a little practice you can do pretty well with it. A lot more versitility than a hand call and you can keep it in your mouth at the ready and your hands free.

Good luck, you'll be addicted.

That's a lot of good info there. A few things I didn't think of. I've been talking to the outfitter several times getting details of their service and they cover just about everything in camp but the food. He even suggested to bring a fishing rod in case we get lucky early on. (he won't pack us out early if we do get lucky early) My 2 main things to get covered now are fitness and footwear. Thanks for the help.

I checked out that link, looks like some good info. I'll probably order a combo pack of some sort. Thanks for the tip

I did say above that you will want to be at the right altitude for hunting the first rifle season in Colorado. Typically this is close to treeline. You might want to discuss with your outfitter at what altitude he is going to place you. Not to dump on outfitters, I suppose an unprincipled outfitter might put you at a lower altitude because it would be easy to get you out -- not so far up the trail from base which would likely be at low altitude, and also less subject to a heavy early season snowfall -- and because it would reduce the chance you would be competing with his high dollar fully outfitted/guided clients. Just check on the altitude issue and confirm this is suitable for hunting first season.

Additionally, you will want to identify what your hunting expectations are and find some way to validate your hunting expectations. If you expect to get an 8 point that scores in the upper 99.9% of heads, this expectation would not agree with hunting in an unlimited, easy access unit. Additionally, when you have articulated your expectation, you need to try to determine what your odds are. If your odds are 20%, this may mean you would have to hunt five seasons to bag your animal. If you are OK with this scenario, good. If this is not the case, you might want to reevaluate your goals. If you have hunted 3 days of the 5 day season and not seen anything, would you change your objective to a cow elk? Play all of these scenarios out in advance in your head to avoid disappointment post season. If you take a minimum legal bull opening day and see a 7x7 saunter through camp on the fourth day, again you want to be able to feel like you considered all scenarios and made a rational, deliberate decision to do what you did.

In my case I'm just after a quality hunt that results in elk meat going home with me. I'm not a trophy hunter. My first elk was a legal 3x4 which was probably 2 1/2 years old. The meat has been excellent eating. I'm pretty tempted to plan on taking a cow this fall. I would leave bulls for those who only want a bull. Chances are that a cow will be better eating meat than a bull. Having said that, if I see a lone bull that doesn't look too mature (and hence tough) but legal with no cows around him before I see a cow, I'm liable to take that young bull.

Just think through your goals and your odds carefully.

Don't get too stuck on thinking you have to be at tree line early in the season. It varies across the state. The area that we currently archery hunt has elk below 9000' in Sept., and as high as tree line.
My family still hunts first rifle season every year and they've never killed anything at tree line and actaully seem to do quite well every year between 9000' and 10000'.

Colorado Elk
 

I live in Pueblo Co. and was raised in Pa. 38 years of elk hunting started off very slow. you must learn to hunt elk and forget most you know about white tail hunting. Most of Colorado has good numbers of elk 250 thousand, Pa. has 2,000,000 deer and the state is less then half the size of Colorado. Pick up the pace cover as much mountain as you can, use good optics any place you can see for miles. Do not slow down till you see elk then start to hunt. If you see no elk today in the morning go to the next ridge or drainage and do not hunt as a group. You take one drainage and your bud another till you find what you are looking for.

As already stated, get into good shape. Hunt until Dark. I have seen so many animals when a lot of people are already heading back to camp. Stay that extra 30 minutes. Batteries are cheap, get some flashlights. GPS also can help keep you from getting lost after dark if you know how to use them.

Get as good of binoculars as you can afford. Use the glass to find the animals, then hunt them hard. Elevation always helps when glassing. Don't limit yourself to looking 500 yards away. Look the next ridge line over 1-2 miles away. I have decent pair of bino's and when the evening sun hits them, on a west facing slope, they will light up if you know what to look for. Finding them is the easy part sometimes. Figuring out how to hunt a certain drainage without chasing them to the next county can be the challenge. A lot of times I will hunt a certain drainage, but always try to get myself into a position that I can watch multiple ones at same time. I will get into a spot where I can have a shot on one hillside, and watch one or two others at same time. I am too far away for the other spots, but if I see animals I can make a decision on if I can make a stalk on them.

Never go into the bedding area, you will just chase them out. Try to find where they are moving to / from and setup between there. Use elevation to your advantage. I have watched a herd for two or three days before actually going after them.

Use a premium bullet. They are large animals. Find a premium bullet that shoots well in your gun. I prefer Barnes X, but there are many good premium bullets these days.

And last but not least. Have a plan on getting meat out / processed. Sounds like you have drop camp, are they going to help pack meat out also, or just pick up in your camp. If you shoot an animal several miles from camp, have a plan to get it back to camp. Butcher and Taxidery fees add up fast. Not to mention shipping fees for both.

Keep in mind that the hunting in Colorado is hard. Hunting elk can be even harder. Not having hunted elk before your in for an uphill battle. The hunting experience is what make the hunt enjoyable.

Food For Thought.
"2009 Elk Harvest, Hunters and Percent Success for All Rifle Seasons" : Antlered 18%. 2010 hunt harvest information not posted, but 2009 is. If you know what unit your hunting the Colorado Dow has a wealth of information if you take time to find it.

Good luck with your hunt.

Want pointers on elk scouting hunting calling and knoledge of how to go about a wilderness hunt? That is precisly what my website is all about its an easy read and to the point. I have also hunted whitetail in the midwest. www.publiclandforthepoorman.com

I live at 8500 ft, and hike 300 days a year at over 10,000 ft.

Elk hunting still wears me out. When you think you're in shape. Work out harder. ;)