My first elk hunt!
 

Hi everyone, So, I have a friend who invited me to go elk hunting with him. It’s a general short range weapon hunt in South Idaho. He said he’s gonna try and help me get my first elk.

I got the tag today, and needless to say, I am excited. I have never hunted elk ever. I have hunted black bear, mule deer, whitetail deer, but never elk. This is a first for me.

I am posting today because I am asking for some tips from experienced elk hunters. Do any of you have any useful tips for a first time elk hunter? I have a friend with me who will teach me, but I still would like to hear from you all.

Will keep you updated on the hunt when it happens.

Jared

If you don't live in a high altitude area, start your cardio workouts now.

Get some good boots and good binoculars!!

I already have some decent boots, I just need the binoculars. I actually have a decent monocular somewhere, I need to find it.

In addition to the items listed above get a cow call. Elk can be very vocal and a cow mew can be settling if you get busted. Be aware of the wind because elk have great noses and will leave the county if they smell danger. If it is at high altitude (above 8 to 9000) and you are from low lands you might think about asking your Dr to prescribe diamox. Altitude sickness will ruin your hunt and the altitude pills taken a few days before arriving at altitude and a couple days after you get there can make a big difference. Good luck.

Drink lots of water.

-Jake

You would be better off with binoculars. Don't skimp on equipment. You should consider a tripod to shoot from. You may get a long shot. Bull or cow tag?

See if your buddy has a pair of binoculars you can borrow for the hunt. Most hunters own more than 1 pair. Binoculars make scouting much easier than using a monocular. Champlain Islander also gave you very good advice. You don't want to have a special hunt ruined because of altitude sickness. Most of all, relax and just enjoy the hunt.

Thank you all for the advice so far. I really appreciate it. I will not “skimp on the equipment,“ as one of you said. If I’m going to get an elk, I’m going to get it right.

As for the tag, it says in the regulations for the unit I am going to, “Short range weapons only. Any elk.”

As for altitude sickness, I will get meds to handle that. Thanks for pointing that out.

Jared

Bull or cow tag! great! Go get one, I can tell you it will be a thrill when you walk up to one on the ground.

The diamox is a cheap drug that has a few funny side affects that Ill warn you about. It conditions your body to function as normal with a low O2 content. At 9000 to 11000 feet the air doesn't have as much oxygen. The side affects many experience is a tingling on fingers and lips. In addition a side affect that really was most troubling to me is that it makes carbonated beverages taste like a mouth full of pennies. While you are taking it beer tastes really bad and forget a soft drink. Within a couple days of ending the pills everything does come back to normal though. When we did the truck trip out from Vermont I started to take it and then we arrived at Rob's cabin on the 3rd day. I quit taking the pills on day 2 of being at the cabin. The first year or two went well when I wasn't on diamox but on what must have been my 3rd trip I had a bad case of altitude sickness. After that our whole crew took it. Believe me you won't even think about hunting if you get sick. We used to go out in the summer to work on Rob's cabin and my wife came down with it so we she started in on the diamox after that. Rob's cabin was over 9k feet so it was up there in the clouds.
Edit: another good item to have is a Wyoming saw to cut bone when you are dealing with your kill. Cutting the legs off a whole quarter helps to lighten the load or you can totally de-bone in the field for an even lighter pack out.

Don't over think it. Everyone always makes these big, long, expensive lists of must haves.

If it's in your budget- that's awesome. New toys (especially quality ones) are always fun. But not necessarily needed.

All you really need is a good pair of boots that you can hike in, your tag, your firearm, a sharp knife, a backpack, and plenty of water/calories to fuel yourself.

There are lots of things out there (binoculars, game bags, a pack frame, more comfortable equipment and clothing, the list can be long....) That make the hunt easier and more enjoyable. But purchase or borrow whatever you can, and don't worry about the rest. Get out there, enjoy your hunt, and learn from every experience.
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If your buddy is an experienced elk hunter theres a good chance he has allot of the stuff you'll need already and may be able to help you out by letting you use some of it.

Keep us updated on the hunt and how everything is going.

-Jake

Curious, what is considered a short range weapon for your hunt? Shotgun with slugs? Muzzleloader?

I am using a shotgun with slugs. That qualifies for the hunt.

Good hunting, chasing Elk or any deer with a shotgun would be interesting & exciting. Up close hunts can be unpredictable do your best & keep Safe out there.

Getting close is half the fun. Of the 6 elk I killed the first was the farthest and that was 125 yds and closest was the last one at 30 yds.

If you have an any elk tag then take the first legal elk you can which will probably be a cow. An adult cow will weigh 400 plus pounds and is a lot easier to handle as a first elk than a 600 pound bull is.

Get good binos, not decent binos. Wear broken in boots and use a weapon you are familiar with. Brand new stuff is not a good idea. Place you shot correctly. Elk are not really hard to kill with good shot placement but a gut shot elk can be a nightmare

My cow was 4 years old and was over 600 lbs.

Cow elk can get that big? That’s heavy! How many pounds of meat was on it?

By the way, I failed to say this when I first posted. I’m not really a trophy hunter, I just try to get extra food for my family by hunting legally. That’s all. If the elk has a big rack, that’s a bonus.

I may need to get a new freezer if I get an elk! My current freezer is already full of other food.

The first time you see an elk on the ground, when you're used to deer, you'll think ...."Now what?!"

They get big. Have a plan ahead of time on dealing with a critter that big. If legal where you're at look up the gutless method for quartering it up. This will likely be the easiest thing for you to do unless you're on a place that allows vehicle access etc. Of course if your buddy has experience, just follow his lead.

-Jake

My cow cost me a second freezer but it was well worth it. I never weighed the meat after it was butchered but I am still eating it and I killed it in 2018. It is almost gone, I have one backstrap and a neck roast in the freezer and a couple of rings of ring bologna.

That is a problem many hunters only wish they had. ;)

:biggrin::cool2:

Not a bad "problem" to have!!

-Jake

I feel his pain. So are you getting a chest freezer or a standup jnicholes? :D

Not sure yet. I’ll have to find something and get prices first.

Go with an upright. That way it is easier to find what you want. My first freezer was an ice-cream freezer out of a store , a friend gave it to me, the price was right and I didn't have a freezer. My wife is short and she hated the thing because when she was looking for something she would be leaning over the freezer with her feet almost off the ground. She was so happy when the thing crapped out. I have 2 uprights now. Just to give you an idea of the size of a cow elk----





This is how you get them out whole

An upright is the way to go. With a chest you're always digging stuff out trying to find what you're looking for.

-Jake

I got 2 uprights in the cellar just for garden stuff along with fish and game. Parents had a chest freezer when I was a kid and from what I remember it was a pain to dig stuff out. Things on the bottom seem to stay there and get real old and frosty. Nice looking elk OT.

I use an upright and agree with the above points about ease of use for getting a package out of the freezer. I rarely lose power here so items remaining frozen are not an issue. I have considered getting a chest freezer also but just for heads and hides.

Just measured my freezers. I need to go through them and see what I can get rid of. After I do that and consolidate some stuff, I’ll have room for the elk if I get one.

My friend taking me got back to me. He said the hunt may start within 5 days. We are still juggling some schedule stuff.

well you have to be well equipped

Tuesday, September 28th, 2021, the hunt begins tomorrow morning.

Now, let the hunt begin!

Good luck. Go slow and do a lot of looking with your binos.. They are usually in a group so going slow into the wind and picking apart all the terrain is the best way. Lots of cows in the herd and are always on the lookout so be aware. After first light they will be headed towards dark timber normally. Some of that timber has openings that you can use to scan further distances.

seems great mate

I got the spot, and right when I got there, another Hunter said, “I need you to leave. I have a bead on an elk.”

That really hurt. I guess my hunting plans for today went down the drain.

262lbs from my bull this year.

If you are hunting public land them he has no more claim to the elk than you do until it wearsa tag. I would stay right there to interrupt his hunt but I would be somewhere in that area. There is probably more than one elk in the area.

Heres the thing, it’s private property and we BOTH have permission from the land owner to hunt elk on it.

However, interrupting his hunt would not be nice, so that’s why I left.

Still, he is not the property owner, so what gives him the right to kick me off property that is not even his?!?

Its just not fair, I didn’t even get a chance to get out of my car this morning! I cried for TWO HOURS because I was planning this morning hunt for a while and he RUINED it in under a minute!

Its just not fair!

How big is the property? If it is a couple hundred acres and you have to use a short range weapon then there is plenty of room for both. If you had permission to hunt then only the land owner can tell you to leave.

I would have found a way to hunt regardless what he said.