Elk Hunting: Decades of Experience & Wisdom
 

Big Country has suggested establishing a reference topic for elk hunting tips and tactics from people who either have decades of elk hunting experience (sometimes over 50+ years) or have taken several elk (say at least 5-10). The idea is to have members share their experience and wisdom with other members who have less experience or are just starting out.

This topic is not designed to have any links, gear lists, states to apply in, calibers or gun recommendations (those can be posted in other topics). Just your suggestions for other members on how to be a more successful elk hunter in any of the Western states with elk tags on public land. IOW, provide tips and tactics to help newbies, just like you would provide for a son/daughter or niece/nephew who are going elk hunting for the first time or have elk hunted only a little and are looking to substantially up their game and chances for success. With all of your collective experience gentlemen, this topic could easily provide over a couple hundred years of combined elk hunting experience--something no book provides.

In PMing back and forth with Big Country, he suggested many of the following members as having a lot of elk hunting experience and who have a lot to offer. I’ve added a few names myself but am not on this list. I have hunted elk before but don't have anywhere near this level of elk hunting experience. Some (but not all) of the members who have this level of elk hunting experience and wisdom include: Alsatian, Big Country, Big Uncle, bronko22000, BRUSE, buffybr, Champlain Islander, dig4gold, flags, hardcastonly, idahoron, Iowawhitetail2016, MountainDevil54, mthusker, Muley Hunter, Rob in VT, ronlaughlin, sundance55, TwoBears and of course, stealthycat. I know more members have this requisite experience and apologize in advance for not naming all of you. But please consider also sharing your experience and wisdom.For the rest of us, please respect the topic guidelines and elk hunting experience for requirements for posting. And for everybody else that would like to soak up a whole lotta years of elk hunting experience and wisdom, enjoy the topic from all of these guys paying it forward.

we all tend to learn mostly through personal experience, but most people are willing to have a more experienced mentor,
speed up the learning curve , and thus reduce the time and effort required to learn through trial & error.
the first thing Id suggest anyone considering an elk hunt do is get the states hunting licence requirements and read through them carefully,
once you've decided to apply for a licence and understand the states licencing procedures,
and you fully understand that in many states youll need a plan "b", "C" and "D"
simply because you may not have access or draw the area you prefer to hunt and may be required to both gain "POINTS" ,
an hunt less desirable areas during your first few years.
thus purchase of several areas topo maps and doing your research on each area is a smart route to take.
generally you'll want to hunt with either a friend or two and/or with an outfitter with a long record of happy former returning clientele.
selecting an outfitter will also require doing research and checking references carefully,
in any business theres scam artists, who are thrilled to take you money and not provide any or inferior services,
its your job to do the required research and assume , some references will be less than truthful.
try hard to get references from several previous years and fairly current references,
and ask the previous hunters for any friends,
or fellow hunters phone or e-mail contact numbers.
check with the local police and better business people and any outfitter organizations for complaints before booking a hunt.
every year you'll hear about guys that sent a healthy financial deposit, to some one,
only to find the check cashed and the people cashing it no longer return phone calls.
you'll need to get in better physical condition in almost all cases,
increased altitude will kick your butt at least temporarily ,
I live in Florida at close to sea level, I generally hunt Colorado or Wyoming,
the change in altitude takes several days for your body to adapt ,
you'll want to consult your family doctor before making the trip, and start spending at least a 1/3 hour,
on a tread mill or running stairs, as often as possible for months prior to the trip,
look up altitude sickness, on the internet, in my case every year without fail,
Ive gotten head aches and feel like crap for about 24 hours as my body adjusts to the altitude change
. It helps to drink lots of liquids like hot tea and gator aid, even when you don,t feel thirsty,
and take an aspirin a few times a day during the hunt and get to the hunt area at least two days early,
buy and use lip gloss it helps keep your lips from cracking.
get and use a decent hat with a brim that keeps sun out of your eyes,
get decent ankle support boots with an aggressive tread sole,
protect anything that will be damaged by moisture in double zip lock bags (wallet, MEDS, licences)
if your dealing with an out fitter ask questions about what they suggest and follow the advise ,
bringing a great deal of extra gear, or failing to bring the suggested gear,
is almost always going to piss off any outfitter. the guides are there to assist you, follow their advice,
but they are not going to act as a personal servant
they can,t take your shot for you, they can,t get your out of physical shape butt,
up on some ridge as fast as it might be required
, where youll get that shot of a lifetime, if your so out of shape that breathing at 7000-9000 ft of altitude is a chore,
and after two days of hunting your ready too pack it in, its not the guide or outfitters fault if you don,t score!
and yes your expected to get up early and hunt till dark if you want to be successful ,wither you have a guide or are hunting on a D.I,Y. hunt.
sleep at a few thousand feet lower altitude and take hot showers,
as it helps the body adjust before the hunt, spend the first few days before you hunt,
getting acclimated, Ive found sleeping the first night at lower altitudes like Denver before going higher helps.
yes you need to practice with your rifle shooting from field positions theres no bench rest in the field,
you should be able to use a rifle with a sling and bi-pod too consistently punch holes in a 3" orange dot,
from 100 yards from a sitting or prone position, and at 50 yards off hand.
most guys can shoot bragging size groups off a bench rest,
few of the guys I hunt with, could initially and consistently hit a coke can on a tree stump,
from 100 yards from a rapidly acquired field position,
youll need a day pack to carry personal items like a spare insulated vest, rain poncho, cell phone, skinning knife , personal med;s, licences, toilet articles etc.
if you hunt on a D.I.Y. public land hunt, a GPS, several topo maps game meat processing tools and a pack capable of hauling 60-70 lbs of meat is also advisable.


this similar thread has a few tips
https://www.huntingnet.com/forum/big...uccessful.html

I have hunted elk passionately for roughly the past 40 years. South West Colorado and North Central Wyoming have a lot of my boot tracks. Most of my hunting has been with a backpack at higher altitudes with a rifle playing the spot-and-stalk game. My occupation allows me to be absent from the office for a month or so at this special time of year. As an East Coast guy the altitude is rough on me so I always go a week earlier than the hunting days just to acclimate a bit to the altitude. During this early time I spend many hours behind a spotting scope to get some sense of where the elk were likely to be found, and where other hunters would be roaming.

Elk in this type of country are not at all tolerant of humans and if they are spooked they will go far away. Most other guys like to walk or ride the easy paths on the main ridge tops so I often found the elk liked to bed on a shady bench off the top of one of the side ridges. The stalking part sometimes involved running to try to intercept elk as they went into or came out of the timber. Elk hunting for me was a game of legs and lungs, and going places others would not. I envied the horse hunters (aka "pony soldiers') that could cover more ground but found that there were many places that horses will not go.

I was a late in life elk hunter. 2 of my hunting partners and I decided to try out elk hunting in Colorado in the early 2000's. Rob had the only experience with hunting the west and that was for mulies and pronghorn. So 3 experienced eastern whitetail hunters took off on a cross country truck trip to learn all we could about elk hunting. I hunted for around 10 years straight and took 6 elk so we all did learn as we went. The other guys had similar results. We all had the basics with equipment but over the years added a few specialty items more suited for western type hunting. One of the first things that comes to mind is get into the best shape you can possibly be. The altitude where the elk are normally at in early September to late October is much higher than any of us could have imagined. The steep terrain and rare air makes everything more difficult. Speaking of altitude we learned along the way that altitude sickness can come into play. I experienced it on one of my first years and every year after that took a prescription med called diamox which conditioned my blood to work better at altitude. It is a common treatment.to prevent altitude sickness and other than a couple of minor side affects is an easy solution to what could be a trip killer or worse. The west is a bit more vast than what most of us are used to so a good compass,topo maps and a GPS are good tools to keep everything straight. Elk are vocal so having a couple of calls seems to help out. An easy bullet proof call is a hoochi mama call. It can hang around your neck or sit inside a vest pocket and to operate it just squeeze the bulb. Cow elk make a lot of noise in the woods and often you can hear them mewing back and forth before you see them. They travel mostly in large herds so there is always a few eyes looking around so it is easy to get busted. I did have some success still hunting them but found that I had to go much slower than when hunting deer. They are big and numerous when herded up so seeing them before they see you is quite possible if you are a good still hunter. Out west there are a lot of terrain changes to help conceal your hunting. One issue that is more of a problem are the winds. Out west they seem to ebb and flow in the traditional ways between morning and evening but because of the mountains and numerous canyons the wind tend to constantly swirl and switch directions. Having a powder wind detector is a good way to combat that problem. Elk have a very keen sense of smell and if they get a whiff of a human they are often gone from the area and they don't stop. Being a herd animal they leave a lot of sign with tracks and droppings so when I am still hunting or just covering land scouting, I look for the fresh sign then slow down. Another specialty item is a good pack frame along with a bunch of hunting buddies to get an elk out of the woods. Learn the gutless method of field dressing ..it will keep both you and the meat cleaner. A Wyoming saw is another specialty item I carry just to get through the bones when field dressing. Another item used after the elk is down are game bags which can cover the meat, keeping both dirt and flies off from it when transporting it out of the woods. Generally when an elk is down it takes most of the day to get it out so having help available is always best.

If you get the chance to do preseason scouting be very careful not to spook the elk into the next zip code. Cruising for fresh sign is good but spotting them from long distance is better. Most of the sign you will find is in the timber near bedding areas or travel routes. It is pretty easy to find sign in the open parks if there is a nice new blanket of snow. A herd of elk leave a lot of tracks in the snow that can be spotted fairly easily with binoculars with out having to walk in and leave human odor.

They often do not use the same trail when going into timber like whitetail deer do but often enough they will use the same general area. If you can watch where they enter timber to go to a bedding area in the morning odds are pretty good that they will pop out of timber somewhere near there when the shadows are long in the afternoon.

Sometimes you can smell elk if the wind is right and you are not far from them. To me the smell is kind of like being around cattle.

All great points. Normally our scouting is via truck looking for crossing tracks and long distance spotting into the meadows especially early and late in the day. We normally start to drive out on Saturday, get there on Monday. Open the cabin, get supplies and then starting Tuesday do vehicle scouting. Come Saturday it is leather on the ground. We normally hunt all week and head home the following weekend. Usually gone from home for a little over 2 weeks. Ahhhh yes they do smell just like cattle.

Hunt light. Carry your camp on your back so you can stay on the tracks if needed. Carry what you need to take care of the carcass. Bone it out where it hits the ground if legal to do so. Leave the hide, bones and head in the field next to the gutpile (if you want to get it mounted learn to cape it out and just take the cape and the antlers with a small piece of bone and leave the unnecessary weight there) since the coyotes need to eat too. Remember to take the ivories.Learn how to read a map and use a compass and don't be afraid to leave the trail and get into the back country. Hunt uphill and pack meat downhill.

Take time to savor the experience and look at the scenery.

Don't be afraid to hunt over on the other side of that ridge. This means one will probably end up hunting down. Hunting down is mentally very uncomfortable, but it may pay off. Most other hunters are too sensible to do such a thing.

Hunting on the other side of that ridge will get one away from most/many other hunters, and may allow one to stumble into undisturbed elk. Mostly, you will just get tired, and won't see elk.

Having a well designed durable pack frame is a great help. A good pack frame allows one to wander far from the truck/camp. Remember, if one hunts down, one has to pack the meat up. It is surprising how carrying elk quarters up is easier on knees than carrying them down. Carrying elk up isn't fun, nor easy. Carrying elk down isn't fun nor easy. Good heavy duty meat sacks are good to have, as is plenty of rope.

Elk hunting . . . my passion for 34+ years. Every year I think I know enough to succeed . . . only to be reminded that they have the upper hand.
My favorite hunting is archery, best weather, Aspen are turning, elk are rutting, absolutely the best time to be in the woods. Here that means September. Yep . . the WHOLE MONTH!
But my tactics/strategy stays close to the same for rifle.
1st: always keep your nose into the wind. They will be more alarmed by your scent than hearing you or even seeing you. Just don't be doing jumping jacks! There's no such thing as "scent free" clothing, sprays, or detergent. Example: my buddy bought some expensive scent free camo a few years ago and the first morning out we were driving to our honey hole and he farted . . . the whole truck could smell him!
2nd; I have the luxury of putting out game cameras all summer. Doesn't mean they'll be there when you're armed, but it is encouraging to know they've been there. So scouting helps, but is no guarantee. If you're out of state, research best you can. I would not hesitate calling a Game Warden assigned to the area you are coming to. They can be very helpful most of the time. Don't expect too much, they are hunters too and sometimes get skunked.
3rd; Stay out all day. Carry a light load with plenty of water, some food, toilet paper, knives and such. The middle of the day means more walking, 's l o w' walking, the elk are there all day, you should be too.
4th; if you suck at using calls . . . leave them at home!! You can find them with out the use of a call. They talk to each other every day all year long, they know when an intruder is there. I use them (90% cow calls) just to locate and identify, then walk in on them. You will run them out of an area faster than dropping a bomb on them with bad or excessive calling.
5th; Wear good, warm, lightweight, waterproof boots because you'll be walking some.
6th; Last but not least . . . shoot them by a road!! The real work starts after you have harvested an elk. (lol)

ok lets assume you've never hunted ELK, and you just stepped out of the truck,
you've got a topo map of the area and you have a compass and ideally a gps
step one, you need to pack your back pack, make sure you have the licences, and gear you think youll need and the boots clothing and gear you expect youll need, keep it light ,
you first step is locating or scouting the area and getting some concept of the area your dealing with,break out the topo map and locate where your truck is parked on it.
locate the logging or access roads and if there are any marked trails,
lets just for giggle use this topo map, notice theres compass directions, locate your current location on the map,your going to need to relocate camp and the truck at some point so you need to know what compass directions the ,
canyons and roads are in relation to where you intend to hunt.
look closely at the map, notice every so often theres a number like 6700, or 6200 on the lines, these are elevation numbers, the lines on the map are each at a specific elevation
lets assume your truck is parked on a logging road or trail, and you locate your location, follow the elevation lines, lets assume your parked at the spring where I placed the dark red pointer arrow, your parked on a rolling incline and too your south-west is a lot of closely spaced lines this indicates a steep incline, or ridge that juts up or canyon between you and moving directly to the south west, reading the elevation numbers and comparing those to the area your parked at will indicate if that incline is going to be upward or downward from your current location,
generally roads follow ridge lines (higher elevations or rivers lower elevations) some follow contours , its your job to locate your camp, then its relation and location compared too the surrounding lands contours. notice too the north east theres fewer contour lines, this indicates fairly level meadow or open areas, if its shaded on the map its more likely covered in trees and brush.
ITS hard to read this posted map but lets assume your at about a 6700 ft elevation,and too the southwest is sawmill creek at about 6200 ft elevation, that means theres over 500 feet in drop walking into that canyon, and about the same change in altitude walking back out if your route is directly south west, notice the slightly darker tan contour line, denoting your current elevation, follow it south east then back to the north west into sawmill creek, and you may find easier walking

those lines on the topo map indicate about 20 meters in change in elevation between any two lines the closer together the steeper the grade
there will be natural travel choke points like steep grades and canyon walls the blue and bright red indicate potential travel choke points.
obviously if you can find a place to easily glass those two choke points, game will need to find water and the creek supplies that, many topo maps are shaded indicating vegetation
having a topo map you can read and if you can find any recent Ariel photos helps increase your chances of scoring.
the idea here is to use your ability to glass the area to locate game, youll exhaust yourself if you try to walk the area extensively, but if you locate a ridge you can sit on and watch a terrain choke point you can in theory control with a rifle your odds increase, game generally trys to follow natural contours and would prefer to avoid trying to climb steep grades if not being pushed, as you gain experience in an area take notes, talk to your friends about what they saw.
game prefers area with feed and cover, its your job to locate the areas game uses and think of ways to avoid thermals and being spotted visually or have your odor reach the elk., before your well inside your rifle and your personal skill limitation on making an accurate shot.
easy access to any area from a drive-able road is frequently a strong indicator that game will tend to avoid those areas, as hunters will look for easy road access,
game will look for feed and cover in areas with good cover and less easily accessed areas, that provide cover and food & water,with less hunter easy access,
thus over time travel patterns over wide areas will form,
but keep in mind elk can and do travel many miles every day, your particular canyon or drainage may not hold any elk one day,
and hunter pressure else ware can and will alter movement. herds will move between several drainage's or canyons.
finding a spot that allows you to glass and control or deny access by game with your rifle,
through several natural terrain choke points is a smart route vs aimlessly wondering ,hoping to see elk,

I'll add another observation. Altitude can make the hunting very difficult. My experience has been that the elk, during the 1st and 2nd rifle seasons in Colorado where I hunted, were hanging out in the 8 to 12K levels. I am in pretty good shape for my age but when I get around the 11K level it starts to get hard to function. You run out of air easily and even a small incline feels like a huge mountain. I got up to 11.5 K one archery season and decided I would let the younger people I was with hunt up to 12k ridge line. I just knew it would have been difficult for me up there since I live at 118 feet above sea level.

When the big herds move it is usually a few boss cows that lead the way and the larger bulls seem to like bringing up the rear of the column. If the herd spooks they will want to keep following the leader so keep an eye on her if you are tying to into a position for a shot at the trailing bulls. It seems to me that the later in the season the more elk like to gather in larger herds.

One way to find elk is to wander through clear cuts. Chances are the elk will never be seen out in the clear cut during day light, but if there is snow, tracks made at night whilst feeding, will be seen. The trick will be to find tracks that leave the open, and head into timber. This may be difficult. The feeding elk may meander, and confuse the follower. Following tracks leading out of the clear cut, may lead one to the elk before dark, or it may not. Even if one catches the elk, one may never see them. If one sees them, one may never get a shot.

Some clear cuts attract elk better than others.













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Weather and hunting pressure have been enormous factors in my elk hunting experiences. Most of my hunts were between 9,000' and 12,000' in fairly open country. When it is warm weather the elk do not like t let the sun shine on them and hang out more on the North sides, shady canyons, and timber until the sun goes down. A bit of snow does not bother them at all but if the sky dumps a couple of feet of the white stuff the elk head down the mountain to an elevation more to their liking. A major snow storm pushes them very low on the mountain or even out onto the ranches below.

Forest fires will keep the elk away for a season but the new growth in the burned areas brings them right back later. I have taken bulls in the previous year's burns that many guys will not hunt.

Other hunters are always the wild card. I have seen guys walking or standing out in the open in the parks at daybreak and guys hiking through bedding areas at noon. Elk do not like that at all. I have watched elk listening to a four wheeler or dirt bike that was over a mile away from them. After they listen for a while the herd bunches up and heads in the opposite direction with great speed.. Human intrusion will have a big effect on the elk.

Many hunters work everyday jobs; can only hunt on week ends. One way to hunt elk, is to hunt during the work week from inside the house, by studying contour maps.

The map shown here was copied from hardcastonly post #12.










The map reveals a nice looking 'bench' which may hold elk the coming Saturday??










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one of the things I find rather amusing, and too some extent depressing ,is the more modern need, or desire, many people have for near instant gratification,
and the nearly companion desire for avoiding any physical labor. Elk hunting is NOT primarily
( at least in my opinion based on the need to kill an impressive elk!)
its about learning the REQUIRED SKILLS to mentally and physically challenge yourself, while learning to enjoy pristine remote mountain areas,
areas, mostly devoid of mans encroachment, and getting back into a way of life mankind followed and basically perfected for hundreds of thousands of years,
man has not the strength, teeth, claws or endurance to kill elk like a cougar , but we have the intelligence and ability too out think any elk,(well most of us do)
we have the ability to use TOOLS to vastly increase our natural lethality, and have developed weapons that vastly increase reach and our muscles destructive ability's
you hunt elk in some of the most beautiful mountainous, locations on earth, your seldom forced to meet a strict dead-line, and its a skill set,
that takes most people many years and many miles covered before you prefect the required knowledge.
modern man has weapons like rifles and compound bows , accurate maps and warm moisture resistant clothing,
that would amaze the mountain men of only 200 years ago, but they understood the mountains and game to a greater degree than most more modern and better equipped, modern hunters ever will.
yes its entirely possible for someone new at the sport to kill an elk, you have access to huge advantages in recent technology, but to be consistently successful ,
youll need to still locate and get reasonably close to the animal you hunt , that has remained somewhat unchanged.
you need to relax, enjoy being in a more stress free environment, and LEARN HOW TOO, look and listen, too observe carefully, your surroundings,
if you use the advantages modern technology provides like warm clothing, decent boots, accurate maps, spotting scopes, GPS, synthetic materials in back packs, tents, clothing,
and vastly improved lethality and range the modern weapons provide you,
it would seem to be a totally un-fair advantage over elk. yet the elk still have several advantages, many modern hunters are rather UN-observant, and LAZY,
they are not willing to spend days locating elk, nor are they willing too spend the effort required to learn how to get in close without being detected.
perfecting those skills takes time and effort, enjoy the challenge and enjoy the country, the scenery, relax and learn the skills required.
If your loosing sleep over thoughts your rifle does not have the range or power required... don,t bother,
I've used an iron sight revolver and archery equipment to kill elk. your problem is finding the legal elk, not in your equipment's limitations


. https://www.midwayusa.com/product/5...cf-430-diameter-310-grain-flat-nose-gas-check
MOLD DC C 430-310-RF
sized .430 and loaded over 21 grains of h110 does a great job

I had high hopes for this topic after reading the opening post. There's some good stuff in there but a lot of copy/paste, links, guns and gear stuff. That's just the prep stuff. What are each of you doing when you start your hunting? Things like looking in the snow for tracks are useful but what do each of you do whether there's snow or not? Where do you look for elk and how do you find them? Obviously some of you guys are pretty good at this stuff. Not asking for honey holes, just how you hunt the elk?

After a long hard day, one has a tendency to kinda quit 'hunting', and start moving too fast. Discipline is required to keep moving quiet, and slow as one finishes the day. One never forgets, spooking elk, by moving too fast, right next to the truck.

Hunting back through the same country on the return, kinda seems fruitless. Doing a drop hunt by placing a second truck, if a road is available, makes it so one never has to retrace steps at the end of the day.

If one is hunting alone, a second truck isn't possible, but a gps with a topo map installed, allows one to pick a circular path through mountains, and return to the truck without retracing steps. The gps with map, allows one to hunt strange country, and pick a path, without getting 'trapped' by cliffs, and such. The gps may also help one pick a path that will take one into unsuspecting elk. Watching myself refer to gps is interesting; we hunted more years without gps than with.











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I get the feeling your not reading,
everyone so far is trying to help the newer hunters


(1) do the required research prior to the season, to locate a good area with a reasonable game population
talk to the local biologist and game wardens, and local ranchers if you can.
get the proper licences, for those areas.
learn to shoot quickly from field positions use a sling and bi-pod.
(2) get and study topo maps and purchase area aerial photos, use both extensively
learn what elk eat, where they find cover, bed and locate the areas that provide the potential escape routes
locate the logging road access, and major camp sites, use the other hunter pressure too your advantage,
knowing where elk will avoid helps you limit the areas you need to glass.
(3) assuming your in decent physical condition, physically get out into areas ,
use a GPS to locate terrain choke points to glass for game,learn to recognizes tracks, and the age of elk droppings
scout on foot,in locations on the topo map's that indicate the location has potential.
(4)spend the time glassing the better potential areas, if you don,t see elk in 45 minutes, move to the next likely area to glass from
, and repeat, dawn till dusk until you see elk.
if you don,t see elk in two days move your camp to a different area and altitude
(5) once you've located legal shoot- able ELK use binoculars and your topo map info,
to move into range, as you cover ground to close the distance, while watching the terrain , maintaining your cover,
limiting noise and planing a route that limits your scent reaching the elk.
(6)move into range, reevaluate the game,frequently, watch for sentry cows and outlaying bulls ,that might spoil the stalk,
use your optics and once in range use your weapon of choice to take the elk ethically.
its not easy but its not complicated, it takes persistence and a willingness to get out away from the local road access.
(7) dress and process the game, transport it to the truck pack in zip loc bags and dry ice as fast as possible

Live a good clean life?




Post 10.......Wander the other side of that ridge.

Post 15.......Wander through clear cuts.

Post 17.......Study topo maps.

Post 17.......Wander benches, and any other likely looking structure.

Post 20.......Wander quietly.

Post 20.......Wander where haven't.




















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The elk is killed; now what. First thing is to thank it for giving it's life to you, and second is to thank the power that helped you stumble into the animal.

To get this far back, the hunter has traveled light; doesn't have much at all with. The hunter stands in awe. The elk is beautiful. The elk is huge. Wow, the animal is huge; it is too big to move. The hunter doesn't carry much, but has rope. The hunter knows the elk will stay here tonite. The rope is used to hold the legs, hold the elk, so it can be gutted. After the elk is gutted, the lower legs are cut off, and the hide is peeled back up the leg. The hide needs to be peeled back so it doesn't freeze around the knee, and become extremely difficult to remove.

Before leaving the ivories are cut out, and pocketed. Before leaving the location is marked on the gps. Before leaving one last look around, and a very humble thank you to the elk, and to the power.

As the hunter heads out, attention is paid to walking out such that a good path is found for carrying the elk. Tomorrow will be a very strenuous day. It will take three trips to get the meat to the truck. Care is taken to find a good path.

Tonite, if the hunter is not alone, around the fire the story will be told, and the ivories will be shown.














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Not trying to be a smartaleck or jerk but a person who hasn't hunted elk might want to have a little more knowledge or game plan before starting on their first elk hunt. Contrary to your comment that I'm not reading, I am. Perhaps I could better explain my questions by individually posting them below on your points.

Agreed. Makes a huge difference when hunting antelope.

I'm guessing living a good clean life means not having a lot of BO but it was kind of a cryptic statement. I've read a lot of your topics and you have a lot of good information to offer. I think that some of you guys forget what it was like when you first started and had like a million questions. When I take somebody deer or bear hunting, I try to explain everything we're doing and why. I know I'm not doing a good job of explaining it when I see that questioning look on their faces like they're not sure what to do next. It doesn't mean they won't make mistakes, get busted by animals, still don't have a lot to learn but I try to give them a comfort level of what they should be doing and looking for. It shortens the learning curve and they feel like they're making a lot more progress.

It's kind of like when you're teaching somebody how to shoot. Pistol, rifle or shotgun, they always have a ton of questions and don't want to look stupid. I've seen some instructors just give them the basics (very minimal) and then leave them on their own to learn bad habits, get frustrated and not like shooting. And when a shooter can't qualify, the instructor throws up their hands and says they're not doing it right. Often, those same instructors then give up. I've taken a lot of those same shooters and fixed their bad habits, explained why they need to do things a certain way and got them to qualify within an hour or 2 at the most. The shooters already know you know more about shooting than them. That's why they're asking questions. So they can get better and continue to improve.

Again, not trying to be a smart aleck but telling me "Live a good clean life?" doesn't really help. It comes across like I'm some kind of dumbass and not worth answering my questions. That's okay if you feel that way I guess but I'd rather you just didn't post an answer if you don't want to help.

elkman30 ,

Mostly the answers to your questions in bold can be found within the actual noted posts.

The reason i wrote 'live a good clean life', is because i had tried to help folk go hunting throughout this thread, and your post made it seem i wasn't helping, so i suggested the only additional thing i could think of. To me, if one lives a good clean life, you may encourage Yahweh, or Jesus, or the great spirit, to give you a helping hand, which one can use whilst elk hunting.

To clarify 'wander the other side of that ridge'. Mostly what one gains by doing so, is getting away from other hunters that need to drag their elk down to their truck. If no other hunter goes there, one may find undisturbed elk. Glassing won't do much good in thick timber. Mostly, elk are not on ridge tops, but there are exceptions. Elk seem to be down the hill side taking advantage of 'benches'. It seems Elk go where they are comfortable. They don't seem to spend much time in open timber. They do seem to spend time in thick timber, especially if there is a lot of dead fall. It seems they make it very difficult for the hunter to get close.

One way you may be able to make friends with a topo map is to get a gps with a topo map, or get a gps, and install a topo map. Walking through the mountains with the gps, and seeing the relation between contour lines, and the actual ground may help. Around Christmas every year one can find excellent gps for about $200 that do everything an Elk hunter needs.










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Both of you guys might as well drop it. This topic honestly isn't going the way I had hoped. There's a lot of elk hunting knowledge on this forum but this apparently isn't a workable venue for sharing it. In fairness, Ron, your above post probably had the most actual elk hunting tactics out of the entire 26 posts so far. But this is really just becoming a distraction so I'm unsticking it and letting it fall to the wayside. Maybe somebody else can provide a better venue that works.

I really like to hunt benches especially when there are canyons on one end or both. Through the years I have noticed that there is usually a lot of fresh elk sign on the benches. Not only is it a nice place to finally sit after climbing through the canyons but the elk think so too. Visibility on a bench is often pretty far so it is a good place to spend some time. One of the spots we hunt at Rob's place is on the north side of the mountain which is cooler and a good place for elk. Most of the time I hunted a special bench just below an old abandoned gold mine, I saw elk. A few years ago I was just getting ready to click off the safety on a nice mature bull elk and the wind shifted and I watched his hammies tense up as in slow motion and then he was gone. My last elk came on that same bench a few years ago. Lots of sign and I climbed down then up then down again through a canyon to get to it. I found a nice log to sit on to rest ad then I heard a distant bugle. I pulled out my bugle and let a couple of calls go out. I got an answer from what seemed a mile away. I put that call back in my pack and sat there on the bench. About a half hour later I heard a snap coming from over the edge of the canyon to my right. I got off the log and knelt down behind it for cover. I heard another snap and then some cow calls so I knew the elk were coming. The wind was perfect blowing from the canyon to me and suddenly about 30 yards away a cow came up over the edge. She looked all around and looked at my head sticking up over the log. The wind was right so she kept moving across the bench 30 yds in front of me. Along came another and another and another. The 8th elk was a spike bull and more kept pouring up over the edge fanning out in front of me. After 15 or 20 elk I heard a snap coming up the canyon but it was partially downwind and below me. I knew that was not a good thing and could see another couple cows coming up to my downwind side. They sensed something was off and heard one bark and all the elk started to walk pretty fast to the opposite side of the bench to the canyon to my left. More elk came up over the original spot and they were all moving pretty fast to catch up with the leaders. Then I heard the unmistakable sound of antlers rattling through the brush down at the bottom of the canyon. I got ready and as the sound got closer got my gun up on the log ready to shoot. The noise got louder and louder and up over the edge he came about 30 yards away. He was running from my right to left and I could see he was a more than legal bull so the safety came off and 2 quick shots found the mark. As I made the second shot he piled up against a fir tree. It was a beautiful thing when I got on the radio and told Rob I had one down. Rob came down onto the bench and helped me take care of the animal. Friends were soon called and we figured out a good place to access that bench from the highway and got the elk out after quartering in one trip with all the help. No tips in my little story but when things work out it can be educational. If Rob sees this he might post a pic since I always have a hard time doing it on this site.

I'll try to post

Sorry Cal. I wasn't trying to create a problem but apparently am. I thought your concept was great and don't want to take away from it. For the people I asked questions of, please consider my comments and questions withdrawn. No further responses are needed. There are other websites where it's easier to get the information without creating all of this drama. I wish you all good hunting.

All my elk hunting was in Montana around Wisdom, Missoula, and Great Falls.. It began quite a while ago, back when an elk tag cost $1. One trick we learned was to hunt government land above deeded land.. Elk truly like grazing on ranch land, but seem to have a need to move off sometime during the day. Never did hunt a ranch, but sure did get into elk above in the timber.

Elk Country
 

We avoided rocks like these religously. Our part of Montana has quite a bit of this type structure on top of some of the mountains. One year we followed elk that went into the talus field. They had trails made through the rocks, and as long as we stayed on the trails, it wasn't awful. We figured the elk were there to avoid hunters. We learned elk actually live there. Elk were able to navigate the sea of rocks. Elk have a network of trails. Hint: follow the trails. . Not so much me, the old guy, but the boy made friends with the rocks, and actually hunted there intentionally. It worked too. He has packed several elk out of the rocks. One year all of the spots i like to hunt didn't produce; i killed an elk in the rocks.












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Since I killed my first elk back in 1966 and have killed one most years since then, I guess I qualify as one of those geezers with decades of experience. I can write about my experiences all day long, but I don't know how good I could be in telling a new hunter how to hunt an elk. I've lived and worked most of my adult life in elk country and have watched herds of 150 or more from my front window.

There is a load of good advice in the 30+ previous posts in this thread, and I don't necessarily disagree with some of it, I just don't do it. For example, I'll sometimes carry a print of a topo map or Forest Service land ownership may, but I have never carried a compass or GPS unit.

I guess my first piece of advice would be to be in good shape, both physically and mentally. I've seen elk in valley floors and everything in between up to timberline. You need to be able to walk over that next ridge and you have to want to walk over it.

Carry enough gear with you so that if you have to you can survive a night in the woods, but I have never hunted elk with my camp on my back.

Elk like open country, but they don't like people. They are primarily grazers and often will be out feeding in meadows at daybreak and sunset. If its hot or if they have been spooked, they will hold up in the thickest and darkest timber. A good tactic is to glass meadows and other openings, especially at first light, from a high vantage point. I have killed a number of elk by very slowly sneaking through the dark timber during the heat of the day. The scrub oak and aspen hillsides like is found in much of northeastern Utah and western Colorado are a favorite elk habitat.

Like in other hunting you should be very familiar and comfortable with your rifle. You should zero your rifle and verify where it is hitting at 200, 300 and maybe 400 yards off a rest on a bench, then practice, practice, and practice at those same ranges from field positions, prone, sitting, or resting the rifle on a bi or tripod or tree limb or backpack. I have killed my share of big bulls, and I am primarily a meat hunter now. I like the behind the shoulder, 1/3 up in the body shot. An elk's heart/lungs vital area is about a 15" diameter circle. We have steel gongs that size at our range, and I practice on them at least once a week for 2-3 months before hunting season opens. Head and neck shots can be deadly, but they are a very small target. I am not a fan of long range and Hail Mary shots. Elk are too magnificent an animal to let run off wounded. A gut shot elk can run for miles and will usually not be found.

Elk are not armor plated and any rifle in the .270 Win-7mm Rem mag-.30-06 class with a good hunting bullet will easily kill an elk, IF you put the bullet in the right place. I prefer slightly heavy for caliber bullets for elk. I have killed and have seen elk killed with cartridges below and above these, but I think that it is more important to shoot a rifle that you are comfortable with and are able to accurately placing your shots.

Undisturbed, elk like to walk on trails. One of my favorite elk hunting tactics is to slowly follow game trails. Walking on trails is also quieter than just blindly walking through the woods. Elk like to walk on the crest of ridges and you will often find their paths there.

When elk bed down in the woods, they tend to face downhill, looking for danger. However, it is easier to drag or carry your elk (parts) down to your vehicle.

For twenty some years I had my own horses that I used to pack my elk camps back into the woods and to carry my elk out. Dragging elk out with a horse will work, but the dragged elk likes to get stuck behind trees. I've had to carry a few elk out on my back, but I have never boned an elk out in the woods. It is VERY important to open up and dress out an elk as soon as possible, and preferably hang the quarters to cool. I usually don't skin the quarters until I process the meat as the skin helps to keep the meat clean and I won't have to cut the crust off the exposed meat. Putting the quarters in game sacks will help to quickly cool the meat and will keep it clean.
An un-gutted elk left on the ground overnight, even on snow, has a very good chance of souring and spoiling.

Don't forget to take a small camera with you on your hunt. I don't have pictures of my first dozen or so elk because I didn't carry a camera with me. Years ago I took a friend Shiras moose hunting near West Yellowstone, MT. Riding in on the horses in the dark the first morning, my friend whispered to me that he had forgotten his camera. So had I. At first light we came to a meadow with a bull moose in it. That moose turned out to be (at that time) the 4th highest B&C scoring moose ever shot in Montana. And we didn't get any field pictures of it. Also make sure that your camera batteries are fully charged. I have stories about that also...

So enough of my rambling and good luck, as luck has played a very big part in much of my hunting.

all good advice, thanks

buffybr

Your post is interesting reading. Nice job!

Years ago we used to haul out camp after hunting season ended. These days it seems we have been snowed out every year early, and one had better haul camp out before season ends.. Global warming is causing more snow where we hunt. Seems like it may be best to locate elk earlier than we did in the past by finding tracks in the snow.


Game trails also reveal the presence of the elk that made the trails. Game trails can also be used much the same way as tracks in the snow, not just to provide easier, and quieter walking.















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Yep, when I'm outdoors, I'm always looking for tracks. Even when I'm walking my dog along the county road below my house, I'm constantly looking (and often seeing) for deer, elk, bear, and moose tracks in the dirt of the shoulders of the road.