What do you hunters consider Elk hunting?
Like me I consider hunting elk by beating them at their own game and getting as close as posible.

I read on some of these post of guys/gals shooting elk at 300+ range and what not.
Do you consider hunting elk by stalking or more ambush.

What are your stratigies and tactics.
BBJ

To me an Elk hunt would be a rare treat, probably a once in a life time event. I would love to be able to put my skills up against an Elk just to see how close I could actually get. If I did get one it would be icing on the cake.

I am rather new to elk-huntin . The few times I have been were in Washington state and we used the " ambush" type hunt.
I am going to Colorado unit 75-77-78-751-781 for the 1st rifle season next month. This will be my first time huntin in Colorado so I will be in new/strange country. I plan on gettin there a couple days early to scout. When and if I find fresh sigh I will set up for ambush, until I find fresh sigh I plan to cover some ground and do a lot glassing.
Now I have a question for you veteran elk hunters out there, does this plan sound feasible or am I way off-base? If I am off-base please give me your opinion of how I should approach this hunt. A little " constructive critisism" will not bother me at all.
Take care, good huntin and may God bless you and yours.
DD

First off,best of luck on your up coming hunt.
I' m not one to lay off fresh elk sign,I take it to them.It depends on how fresh of sign,if it is a place where they are pushed to or bed,or feed(morn. or eve.)is a good place for an ambush.But for me elk hunting is mostly catch up I like to inersept the between places and stalk them down.I love going up and down hills,love getting them at their own game.I like the mid after-noon when they are beded down and sneak on them in their beds.Have you ever heard the crash of 25 head of elk blowing down the ridge right after down your elk,or how quiet your rifle echo' s after you take that old bull in blow down drainige.Smell that it is hunting season.BBJ

With Elk, it' s just that, isn' t it?...Hunting I live in an area that is infested with elk. Most of you guys probably think that those of us who are blessed to live in such an area get to watch them all the time, learn their daily habits, and just go out on opening day and fill our tags. NOT!!! With jobs, spouses, kids we don' t get to spend that much time looking for them. Besides. If I' ve learned even 1 thing about them, its' that you can rarely count on them to stay in one specific place much more than 24 hours, and if they decide to move, it can be many miles in less than an hour. And then, even if you are among them, nothing is certain:

Case in point. 5 years ago during the 3rd season, I was climbing a very steep ridge to position myself on its' face between 2 migration trails. I knew they would be moving across it to a wintering area 2 miles to the south at some point in the next few days. As I climbed, nearly crawling, snow began to fall in great thick potato chip sized flakes. Not a minute later, shots rang out to the North. Within a minute after that, a herd of about 100 elk came thundering across the ridge above me. I felt and heard them coming before I ever saw them. I was left exposed in the grass and sagebrush as they poured in above me, and stopped. 200 black eyes peering down at me through the snow 150 yards away. I raised my rifle to look for bulls and saw several dispersed in the back and end of the group. But...I couldn' t shoot.

My heart was hammering from the climb,and the angle of the slope so steep that my scope lens was caking with the wet flakes. I couldn' t shoot...They watched only momentarily, and then were off at a run to the south, high above me. I continued to climb. and eventually reached my goal; a stand of junipers half way up the ridge between the 2 trails. After sitting and continuously shaking my head for ten minutes, I heard more elk coming. this time, below me.
In my fatigue and frustration I had placed myself in the middle of the stand of trees, not the edge as intended. ...and here they came. The same herd, and heading back in the direction from which they originally came!!! Now I had but a small gap in the trees just below me as they passed single-file at a full trot. Like looking at a closely passing train through a keyhole. Again, no way to get a shot. No meat for the freezer, no antlers for the wall...that, strangely enough, is what I have at times, come to know as Elk Hunting.

are you implying i should be using a 30/30? oh jeez...now i' m really confused right now, my tactics consist of listening to guys who act like they know and walking my ass off with my eyes open, when in doubt...hey, it beats " buffy the vampire slayer" reruns...

Please, Joe. No more on the 30-30 thing or I' m gonna have to start a Bighorns with wrist rockets thread.

I' ll take them any legal way I can!! Good luck.

I like to get as close as I can and get in front of them if the wind is right and call.Even if I don' t get a response I' ll set and wait a good while.A lot of times some descent sattalite bulls will sneak in.I like to kill them at close range,just see how close I can coax them.Called in a nice 6x last Sun.he came in and stopped broadside at 20 yds.as soon as he turned his head he was missing his left antler so I let him walk.
I love to climb the tallest of mountains,I log year round so I stay in pretty good shape hooking logs.Elk hunting is great and kind of a noble tradition.Hope all of your hunts are great ones and even the missed or busted bulls are ones that memories are made of.Good Luck in the Elk Woods,
George

Well until I can get my arrow to fly true at that range, I guess I' ll stick to the calling them in close or stalking in on them close.