hardcastonly

Over 5 decades there have been several factors that I have and many other people eventually do come to realize have a rather obvious effect on your success, rates.
if you were to compare the modern hunters gear and easy availability to the related tools of the trade to the early mountain men, the current advantages are remarkable.
the availability of knowledge from sources like the RMEF https://www.rmef.org/ and buying a few reference books, and videos, won,t hurt one bit!
gain personal experience, access, the knowledge of others,and your skills and resulting chances improve.

and access to video instructive classes , and related hunting related equipment, that are currently available would astound hunters in the pre WWII era.

(1) hunting out of state on a regular consistent year to year basis is and continues to be an expensive hobby,
thats only getting more expensive, over the decades as fees and licence costs, travel related expenses have consistently increased over the years.
too get more out of the experience it helps to do your research on the area you intend to hunt,
and its going to be rather difficult to function in the higher altitudes for most people,
so take the time and effort to get into much better physical condition,
no mater what condition you think your in, the lack of oxygen at higher altitudes will effect you.

(2) the definition of insanity is doing things the same way year after year, getting the same results over and over again,
yet each time expecting to get a totally different result, simple things like keeping in reasonably consistent, month too month contact, all year long,
with the area biologist and game warden, increases your odds significantly. learn the guys name, send him or her a box of a dozen donuts or if its a girl
flowers along with a short request for your preferred hunt area tips.and related knowledge, will generally pay off in increasing your success on trips.
no one person knows everything, about hunting , your game or area, thus taking advantage of the knowledge,
and experience held by many skilled, other people gives you a huge advantage

(3) even a blind squirrel occasionally finds the occasional acorn.
(if your only seeing elk and mule deer occasionally your not taking full advantage of the knowledge available)

(4) your personal attitude, YOUR having dogged ,persistence (having masochistic tendency's)
and taking the effort year around, of your physical conditioning does mater.

(5) if your not consistently successful, year after year you might want to consider looking at your potential options,
and analyze how you might improve. wondering aimlessly is seldom productive ,
learn to use topo maps GPS, and read up on the game, what it eats where it beds etc.

(6) doing your research carefully you will have a significant advantage over joe average,
that simply drives out too the area , parks and starts randomly wondering the area.

(7) having several experienced and previously and consistently successful mentors, ups your odds of success substantially.

(8) you do have lots of current options that modern technology , has given us, that were not nearly as easily accessed in past years,
accurate topo maps,
satellite photos,
accurate and semi reasonably priced, hand held, GPS,
greatly improved optics,
more durable and accurate rifles and ammo,
far better quality thermally efficient and moisture resistant yet breathable clothing
access to local biologist and game department data banks
lazer range finders
infrared vision enhancement.
much improved camping, back packs, sleeping bags,tents and edged weapon quality.

(9) game processing and meat transport, and meat preservation knowledge and your access to it at a reasonable price is currently a huge leap upward, in tech from decades ago.


(10) most guys I have hunted with would initially have struggled a great deal to rapidly and consistently,
drop into a sitting, kneeling or standing position and rapidly place a shot into a 3" orange dot at 100 yards
learning that shooting from field positions, using a sling and a decent bi-pod and frequent practice can improve your chances,
of making an accurate shot by easily 200%-500% , familiarity with shooting accurately from field positions
does vastly improve your odds. shooting skeet improves your odds on hitting a rapidly moving close range deer or elk in the typical aspen/conifer.

(11) the combo of accurate topo maps and a GPS potentially allows you to find natural restrictions too game movement and be in areas that limit the games escape routes,
a smart hunter will use that info to locate, and be at those choke points thus using the tech advantage he has,
and consistently improving his odds of getting a good shot opportunity.

(12)
if your not seeing game where your camped within two days change hunting areas, you've got a limited time,
access to food, water, changes in weather, preferred, altitude and area hunt pressure will effect games location,
elk have zero problem moving miles every day, too find food water cover, or distance themselves from hunting pressure.
unlike whitetail deer they may not be back at your location for weeks, or more, you need to locate the elk in a vast area.
use optics and don,t limit your options be flexible.

(13) use of top quality optics, a good rifle sling and a swivel bi-pod thats tall enough to allow you to comfortably shoot from a sitting position helps a good deal.
I've used one like this for decades, it makes little sense to spend thousands of dollars and dedicate a great deal of effort getting in shape,
then stalking game if you cant rapidly and accurately make a precisely placed shot from a field position into the games vitals, from a reasonable range under most conditions
HB25CS 25C Model S -13.5-27" Swivel Bipod

(14) pick your hunting partners carefully
yes its always a P.I.T.A. if your dealing with some guy who subconsciously feels,hes been lied too!
and that if he spent one or two days wondering aimlessly around, in what he has been told too believe is "elk country"
and when not only him, but everyone else in camp has failed to even see an elk, hes ready to pack it in and go home.
once you've had experience in elk hunting you'll find that ELK can and do cover a lot of terrain, an over night snow that allows you to see,
obviously fresh tracks (even the new guys can now tell fresh from 3-5 day old) tends to help , but if your not seeing elk, change altitude and type of cover,
they will NOT tend to be wondering out in open meadows, and they do require feed, water, cover and vastly prefer low hunter pressure,
thus it generally will require learning to get into less easily reached areas and watching your air flow and odor , and learning to glass and use a topo map.


(15)
buy a few instructional tapes on elk calls, get a cow call and bull call, and learn how to use both,, practice and listen to the tapes, they may not always help you draw in a bull, but they may if properly used raise just enough doubt, in an elk as to what hes hearing move around, near him, to allow you to get just a bit closer for a shot before the elk decides the next drainage seems a healthier option.

(16)
you will need dependable transportation capable of dealing with dirt roads, deep mud, and occasionally deep snow and icy surfaces, something with 4 wheel drive and at least moderate ground clearance, is recommended,your guide may provide this but if your providing the transportation you'll need snow chains decent bumper jacks ,a shovel, a spare tire and detailed area trail maps and regulations



theres some good universal tips in this thread also
Florida Whitetail Experience

hardcastonly

If you can think of any related tips to increase your ,or other members odds of success that are not listed PLEASE add those,
after all the whole idea here is to post tips and info, too help all the members

mthusker

Hard work. Simple, work harder then most, that will be the biggest help.

hardcastonly

anytime you travel you should have a bare minimal rifle cleaning and basic screw driver/allen key and bore cleaning tool kit
I can,t even remember all the many multiple times having a rifle cleaning kit and a set of screw drivers available to tighten scope mounts or bedding screws,

or having the tools to adjust or tighten a trigger adjustment screw or sling mounts or some other minor problem made a difference in a hunt.

salukipv1

Prepare well before the hunt.

Work hard on the hunt.

Hope you get a bit of luck during that hunt.


Having a good hunting partner is huge. I've hunted before, and they get discouraged on Day 1. You need someone who knows it won't be easy and will keep their head in the game for 6-10days etc... and be positive.
If taking a new guy...with little experience on new areas etc... I would warn him ahead of time, and say no hunt goes according to plan A, but if we keep our head in the game days 3-10 can really pay off. Ie., we need to learn the area... and give it our best shot.
I've been on some DIY hunts and when 1 guy, ie., ME, is working for 2 guys, keeping that other guys head in the game, it's a real bear!

hardcastonly

yes, its critical you pick your out of state hunt companions carefully, its critical everyone reads and understands each states regulations
.having taken several dozen out of state 1 -2 week hunts,and hunts covering several states over 5 decades.
"at times in two states when the dates ran consecutively or over lapped and cash flow was great)
it helps screen out the less helpful people if you take a few longer weekend deer hunts with all the potential applicants for a out of state elk hunt first,
you may not eliminate all the losers and cheap skates,who won,t pitch in cover their fair share of work and expenses,
and those that expect everything to work out perfectly, but you will be able to identify many,and not have too deal with them later as a result,
its always a P.I.T.A. if your dealing with some guy who subconsciously feels,hes been lied too!
and that if he spent one or two days wondering aimlessly around, in what he has been told too believe is "elk country"
and not only him, but everyone else in camp has failed to even see an elk, hes ready to pack it in and go home.
once you've had experience in elk hunting you'll find that ELK can and do cover a lot of terrain, an over night snow that allows you to see,
obviously fresh tracks (even the new guys can now tell fresh from 3-5 day old) tends to help , but if your not seeing elk, change altitude and type of cover,
they will NOT tend to be wondering out in open meadows, and they do require feed, water, cover and vastly prefer low hunter pressure,
thus it generally will require learning to get into less easily reached areas and watching your air flow and odor , and learning to glass and use a topo map.
its called HUNTING, not... out of state, step out of the truck,and shoot your trophy elk"
the fact is less than 40% of the hunters hunting ,even in good areas fill a tag in any given year,
you can generally tell the good guys vs the less useful when it comes time to put on the snow chains, or pack out an elk from over a mile away from the truck that someone else shot, or if the truck gets stuck or breaks down, by who considers it a huge P.I.T.A. vs the guys that jump, into help with out complaining, jack up the truck, and install snow chains of open their wallet when an un-expected bill is presented,

I well remember both myself and my late hunting partner wearing 70-80 lb back packs , full of elk he had shot,
while leaning on aspen for support, in a deep canyon in Wyoming,trying hard too catch our breath ,
I turned to him and said " we paid how much to do this?"
both of us burst out laughing so hard neither of us could catch our breath for 10 minutes
thats the kind of hunting partner you want!

hardcastonly

btw
it helps to think things through logically , if you have a topo map and you see obvious camp sites listed ,
you know for sure hunting pressure will be applied expanding like rings in a pond that you threw a rock into come early pre-dawn,
many hunters will get up and trudge out of camp in the pre-dawn, knowing this provides a thinking person with a topo map a known, factor,
in game movement on the few opening days of the season in many areas.
most people will not climb up or down cliff faces or cross steams deeper than about 24" deep thus,
if your willing to study a topo map you may find areas that game will find almost secure from hunting pressure,
due to your average hunters reluctance to be uncomfortable, wet, or forced to work hard to access the area,
and you can certainly with some planing hike well into and far past the areas,
that get routinely flooded with the ebbing tide of the clueless orange masses.
be 1/2-to-1 mile or more up some canyon with limited access and on a higher terrain feature like a timbered bench, or ridge,
over looking a stream, or rolling aspen and willow, or in an area where the canyon walls or a sudden drop off a cliff limits travel,
and you concentrate and limit, game options exiting the area.
don,t make the mistake of loading yourself down with equipment think things through ,
use your head and limit what you take to necessities,
its really easy to over load yourself with equipment, but on the reverse, take what you'll NEED!
heres a quick memory jog list, for MY hunting day pack
(you sure may not need everything, and I don,t carry everything all the time)
(but this list may jog your memories or cause you too think.)
(remember you might be forced to stay out over night, & weather is unpredictable)
skinning knife
kukri
compact blade sharpener
compass
area topo maps
canteen
licences
cell phone (car charger and/or back-up batteries)
several lighters
several mil surplus trioxane heat tabs
granola bars
rain poncho
2 gallon zip lock bags
small block & tackle hoist & rope(50 ft parachute cord)
spare ammo
heavy hoodie jacket
large plastic tarp
aspirin
other meds
lip chapstick
water purification tablets, or filter/pump
down vest
gps
pack of wetnaps
toilet paper
emergency food
on your belt
large knife or light tomahawk, or kukuri
the cold steel (TRAIL MASTER, or ( KUKRI) are good choices
canteen

anything that could get screwed up if you fall in a creek like medicine, licences, cell phones etc. gets double zip loc bagged
related links
https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/altitude-sickness#1

https://www.uchealth.org/today/2017/...tude-sickness/

https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000133.htm

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/altitude-sickness/

yes it takes some extra effort, some planing , and extra effort,
but a full cooler of elk meat and aching muscles beats tag soup!

obviously if you have suggestions, tips or knowledge to offer the less experienced members please post any helpful info

hardcastonly

yes I'm all too well aware many guys hate videos, but at times the videos
frequently do provide useful info

hardcastonly

I'm sure at some point two rather controversial subjects will come up for discussion, in the thread, the use and effectiveness,
of various camo vs the use of required blaze orange in many locations,
and the necessity of scent or odor control and a hunters awareness of thermals and how odor can effect or degrade hunter success rates.
In my experience proper use of camo is far more critical in archery season where ranges and any elks ability to detect movement at the closer ranges is obviously greater,
but from what I've read scientists have determined elk and deer eye sight differed a great deal from human eye sight.
ungulate eye sight sees blue and yellow shades well but the orange and red shades are much harder to differentiate,
and are likely seen as shades of greys, yellow and blue. that may be true, but they catch movement very easily.
elk key on movement and odor , and if your seated in brush and no movement is detected ,
camo is not mandatory, but in my experience it provides a minor advantage,
(minor mostly because your forced in many areas to wear 500 sq inches of orange,
even if it appears grey or yellow thats still a larger single unbroken area, easily seen if it moves)
good camo even in a black and white photo breaks up your outline making what you are at distance more difficult to determine.

hardcastonly

http://www.mytopo.com/products/hunt-...e.cfm?state=CO

http://www.mytopo.com/products/hunt-...iAAEgJnQPD_BwE

https://huntwise.com/?gclid=EAIaIQob...SAAEgKTc_D_BwE


https://www.zerotohunt.com/how-to-fi...as-a-beginner/

current technology has made it fairly easy
having the correct maps with PRIVATE property vs BLM boundary maps and a few APPS that provide related info, and ideally current aerial photos
helps a great deal

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/c125...SAAEgI1qfD_BwE

https://www.bestreviews.guide/gps-ha...&google_params[matchtype]=b&google_params[network]=g&google_params[device]=c&google_params[creative]=305167452634&google_params[keyword]=%2Bgps%20%2Bhandhelds&google_params[adposition]=1t2&google_params[adgroupid]=61444576500&google_params[campaignid]=1602940956&bs=3IwBmK12kktwvO2N-9Oy8kRfHUPY9u_jy8ILs8gRlFl-vUfdKZIn9-J18pxf6uaDn0P-W45DXpmWJuLAU5x6og==&google_params[feeditemid]=&google_params[targetid]=kwd-302470492315&google_params[loc_interest_ms]=&google_params[loc_physical_ms]=9012039&google_params[devicemodel]=&google_params[target]=&dest=0&sys_id=0 605&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1LiV2cnm4AIV0uDICh2tkwNyEAAY AiAAEgJv8fD_BwE

https://www.thegpsstore.com/Hiking-H...yAAEgLNK_D_BwE

https://www.nwtf.org/hunt/article/4-must-have-apps


https://www.outdoorlife.com/tested-b...ps-for-hunters


http://www.huntmap.com/?gclid=EAIaIQ...iAAEgKfSfD_BwE


https://www.huntstand.com/printed_ma...SAAEgJF_vD_BwE