Country Boy

Hello to all!

Need some advice!!!!

Here's some background info..

Several month ago I had mentioned that some of my friends and I got drawn for Elk in Montana.

I have never hunted elk.

My Uncle, who is kinda in charge of this hunt, has hunted elk in various states, including Montana.

Two of our group of five have hunted bear, moose, and caribou a number of times in Alaska and Canada.

We will not be using a guide. So us "elk virgins" have been hitting the books and internet and trying to learn from others mistakes and successes. Several pro-Mike Lapinski's and several skeptics in the bunch.

We will be arriving beginning of September and hunting for three (approx.) weeks.

We are planning to hunt in the Missouri Breaks (Spelling?) area 621 on the public land. We got the necessary permits (archery) for that. Also, we are looking at an area NW of Thompson Falls.

Are these good areas?

What should I be looking for in these areas? I'm not asking for your own "hotspot honey holes", but a general idea where to look in these areas or WHAT to look for.

Will the elk in these areas have lots of hunting pressure?

What else should I know??

I'm excited.... pumped.... getting jittery.... had several dreams involving elk.... one where I had to hit a bear on the head with my fist so he would let go of MY elk!!!!! Feeling young again... and excited....and...

Wolf killer

Hunting in the breaks & near Thompson Falls are like night & day.
I grew up near Thompson Falls. The hunting around there can be good. The trees & brush can be a pain at times to say the least.
The hunting in the "breaks" is on more wide open, rolling hill ground. If you need a reason to buy good optics, (spottihg scope, binos) the breaks are your reason.
If you drive to a good over looking spot before daylight & start glassing when it gets light enough to see, you will see at least one herd of elk in the breaks. Most of the time you will see two or three herds of elk. You will without a doubt see more elk in the breaks. Getting in bow range is the hard part.
I was told by one non-resident hunter "when Weatherby starts chambering a bow" I will come back and hunt the breaks.
He hunted for 10-days. He said he saw a ton of elk everyday. He said he never got one within 40-yards. I had the same problem for four days. On the fifth day I killed a raghorn bull.

Country Boy

Thanks for the reply Wolf Killer

Here's the optics between dad and I.

20-60X swarovski spotting scope
10x42 Leica Binoculars
10x28 Leica Binoculars

If the elk are a lot more visible in the "breaks", are there usually a number of hunters trying to work the same herd (or bulls) at the same time??

What is the hunting pressure like??

What is "proper etiquette" if we spot a bull and move in on him only to discover another hunter working him already? Do we back away? Do we hunt the sides "in case the bull doesn't like his calling" and decided to leave ?? Do we say, "Good Luck" and "best guy gets the bull" and work the bull too?? Do we...?????

noway

Can't speak to the how many hunters issue but I can help with the ethics part.

If you see another hunter is already hunting a herd of elk the proper thing is to not impede his hunt in anyway. This usually means to stay where you are and watch or leave and look for some other elk.

If would not be out of the question to move into a position to intercept the elk if he should blow his hunt and spook the elk.

However especially when elk hunting this is a very gray area as there is every possibility that your scent could blow to the elk and ruin the other fellows opportunity.

My policy is to leave and go look for some more elk.

This is a good place to use the golden rule, if you put yourself in the other hunters position before you make your decision on how to proceed you will probably make the right choice.

PacNWhunter

Great advice Noway, wish more people would do that. There would be less problems out there.

Country Boy

Thanks Noway,

We had discussed this amongst ourselves (discovering that another hunter is already working the herd) and decided that we would pull back and wait, rather than ruin somebody elses hunt.

I just did not know what to expect from others in this reguard.

What happens though if we are watching him (binocs) and the herd spooks and runs "for the county line".... can we then start hunting too or is it "his" herd??? Or is this just a "not gonna happen" grey area??

noway

Well as I said my rule is to have already left to find some more elk.
Elk when they spook normally head to the next county. In rough country on public land odds are it will not pay off to go trudging after them.

In your situation if the guy does head off after them and you know he is still hunting them you should go find some new elk again.
If however he throws his bow down and kicks it and then starts heading off in another direction then by all means you can go chasing after them with no worries.

Having said all this, DO NOT expect all the guys out there to follow these ethics. Just my opinion but I never want to get in a situation where I am knowingly competing with other folks at the same time on the same elk, takes all the fun out of it. But then I have the luxury of hunting very big country with very few hunters.

Accord to the othere posters response there are lots of elk in that country so you should have plenty of elk to play with.