Elk Hunting Tips
09-02-2015, 11:58 AM
#1
Giant Nontypical
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Join Date: Jul 2004
Location:
Posts: 6,357
Elk Hunting Tips
I don't have any great tips to offer, but I thought I would float this in hopes of the more knowledgeable among us sharing their wisdom. These are random thoughts that may be helpful.
1. When you know there are other hunters around, stay on your ambush stand later than you might normally. When other hunters move they may push an elk to you. I shot a cow elk last year as a result of this idea.
2. Try to hunt 2-3 miles in from the nearest road/ATV trail. Most DIY hunters won't go even a mile off road; the outfitters are back in 7 or more miles. This may put you in elk country with very few hunters to compete with and maybe receiving the benefits of hunters nearer the road chasing elk to you. Do think about how you will get your elk out.
3. I camp while elk hunting. I carry water walkers and a set of sweats. When I get up in the middle of the night to answer the call of nature I pull on the sweats and the water walkers. That is much easier than pulling on hunting clothes and boots. Any slippers would work, but the water walkers have a grippy sole that helps in snow and ice.
4. When packing out elk meat on your back, it may be good to get an early start rather than sleeping in at camp. It may be easier packing over frozen trails than to wait until later when the trails thaw and turn muddy. This is situation specific, but something to bear in mind.
5. If your kill is above the trail you will use to pack out your elk, cut the elk up into carrying size pieces at the kill site but skid these pieces down the hill to the trail on a plastic tarp. Again, situation specific, but if the situation fits it can save work.
1. When you know there are other hunters around, stay on your ambush stand later than you might normally. When other hunters move they may push an elk to you. I shot a cow elk last year as a result of this idea.
2. Try to hunt 2-3 miles in from the nearest road/ATV trail. Most DIY hunters won't go even a mile off road; the outfitters are back in 7 or more miles. This may put you in elk country with very few hunters to compete with and maybe receiving the benefits of hunters nearer the road chasing elk to you. Do think about how you will get your elk out.
3. I camp while elk hunting. I carry water walkers and a set of sweats. When I get up in the middle of the night to answer the call of nature I pull on the sweats and the water walkers. That is much easier than pulling on hunting clothes and boots. Any slippers would work, but the water walkers have a grippy sole that helps in snow and ice.
4. When packing out elk meat on your back, it may be good to get an early start rather than sleeping in at camp. It may be easier packing over frozen trails than to wait until later when the trails thaw and turn muddy. This is situation specific, but something to bear in mind.
5. If your kill is above the trail you will use to pack out your elk, cut the elk up into carrying size pieces at the kill site but skid these pieces down the hill to the trail on a plastic tarp. Again, situation specific, but if the situation fits it can save work.
09-03-2015, 07:26 AM
#3
Giant Nontypical
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location:
Posts: 6,357
6. Take more than one hunting knife. The first may break or dull. Take a worthy saw. You don't want to saw through elk legs and elk heads with a crumby, unwieldy saw (a good saw is the Wyoming sae, but there are no doubt other good bone saws).
7. Remember where you killed your elk so you can return to it. You might mark the location and some landmarks on the path to it with flourescent flagging tape or mark the location on your handheld GPS, or both.
8. Shoot until the elk falls down. Don't assume that because you didn't see the elk flinch when you shot that you fired a clean miss.
7. Remember where you killed your elk so you can return to it. You might mark the location and some landmarks on the path to it with flourescent flagging tape or mark the location on your handheld GPS, or both.
8. Shoot until the elk falls down. Don't assume that because you didn't see the elk flinch when you shot that you fired a clean miss.
09-03-2015, 03:06 PM
#4
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: On an Island in Vermont
Posts: 22,580
All great advice Alsatian. Most important...hunt with some young bucks who can help pack out the quarters. We always use pack frames to get them out. I carry the light weight pack of 4 game bags in my hunting pack and have the heavier canvass ones in the pack frame. I always hunt with others and when one of us kills one of the other guys go back to the vehicle to get the pack frames. If I get the animal down I start in with the gutless method and when I separate the quarters or if way back bone the meat it goes into the light weight cheese cloth bags to keep clean and the fly's off the meat. When help arrives with the packs I transfer to the heavier canvass bags which you can hang in the shade. Do the research on how to use the gutless method of dealing with the elk. Way easier, cleaner and better to field process the carcass. Lots of hard work but the best hunting I have ever done. Leaving Oct 13 for Colorado.
09-03-2015, 04:10 PM
#6
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: On an Island in Vermont
Posts: 22,580
09-04-2015, 02:40 AM
#9
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: On an Island in Vermont
Posts: 22,580
