Last year I went on my first ever elk hunt with my father. It was an incredible experience to be with my dad. He was hunting with a muzzleloader at the time and me with my longbow. He managed to take an elk I did not. I would like to go again this year and use an outfitter possably with a guide. I know it can be very expensive. Can anyone recomend a good outfitter that they have used or know about? I certainly would prefer someone who can accomodate a traditional shooter. Any input on states, managment areas, or recomended outfitters would be appreciated.

Thanks

Jim

Big Nine outfitters in BC, Canada is a good outfitter though I am not sure of their bow hunting experience
http://www.bignine.com/index.htm

Tell them a Friend of their son in law send you (his name Scott), you may get a deal of some kind.

Check out these guys. I've heard they are good with bow hunters; they might be pretty expensive though! http://www.pineyvalley.com/index.shtml

Jim, I have never hired a guide, I taught myself to hunt, And I am 13 for 14 on elk with a bow. I am not telling you this to brag!!! Im telling you this because they arn't that tuff to hunt and they are very easy to bow hunt on public land. I have hunted CO. WA. and OR Get the primose(sp) vidio the truth about big bulls vol. 1-6 watch them get some calls and practice Buy the book Radical Elk Hunting Stratagies and ask questions here Or pm me . Save the money. Pack lite and tent it. Look for national forest topo maps and look for roadless areas and pack in. Its not hard and its a heck of alot more fun when you do it yourself. Pick a state that you want to hunt and Call the Fish and Game department and ask them . Talk to the bios, Most times they will put you right on the elk. These are all things the outfitter does not want you to know>>>,, Why ? because they can't rape you for there fee's. Save the money and Buy that new coustom bow you always wanted.

Everything Rich said is right on. Also check out the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation's website for lots of info and in addition to the primos stuff, check out Eastmans Hunting Journal website. They are big into DIY public land hunts and have some products that help out with Elk.
All my elk bowhunts have been DIY in CO. Just make sure you bring enough friends to help you pack it out!

Thanks guys for the input. How did you choose a place to begin hunting on public lands? CO is a big state with lots of public lands. How would I begin investigating places that have good size herd? Or basically narrow down the options. I have heard that there are some places in Idaho where the elk hunting occurs at lower elevations than say CO. Which State? Which region in the state? Which managment zones? Which State parks? I live in the east I'm not sure where to begin on my own thats why I was originally asking about an outfitter. Appreciate any help direction or further advice

Thanks

Jim

Hello Gapshot,
Since you seem to be seriously considering DIY, check out http://www.eastmans.com/. They have some good info and a nice magazine as well.
Research is the name of the game in DIY hunting. Pick a state, Colorado is a good place to start, call the F&G dept. and talk to Wildlife Biologists and ask them about a good place to hunt, questions about the herd size and health, hunter success ratio, whether the tag is over the counter sale or draw, average number of hunters in the unit you can expect to encounter, terrain, what USGS topo's cover the area, weather, type of camping, if you have to pack in or not. They will in turn ask you questions about your expectations.
These folks are very nice and want to answer your questions and help you out. Heck, its another out of state license and tag fee to collect!
I have heard that Idaho, Wyoming and Montana have taken a huge hit on their elk herds due to the wolves being re-introduced there. So you may want to leave them alone for now until they get their managment plans figured out. Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah all have good to execellant elk hunting. Neveda does too, but that tag is over $1200!
Lesser known states for elk, IMO, are California (hard to draw, but good elk) and South Dakota. So for starters I'd stay with CO, NM, AZ or UT. Also, last but not least, try these folks http://huntinfool.com/index.html if you need more help or don't have the time to do the footwork for yourself.
Good luck.

If your going to CO check around Steamboat springs The white river unit. It'll take a couple of days but you'll have your chance

Thanks again I've been doing a little investigating based on your advice and it looks like I have some footwork ahead of me in terms of choosing an area and so on. However, thats the route I think I'm going to have to take, as going with a guide is just too expensive at this time. If anyone else has more advice/input I'm listening

thanks

Jim Robator

Me & a couple other guys are thinking about CO for elk in '06 or '07. Anyone familiar w/the Uncompadre Plateau (sp??) area?