Am I being a little over ambitious? (solo elk hunt)

[Finch]

As some of you may know, a buddy and I did an OTC backpack hunt in CO this past September. We had a blast but were unsuccessful in finding many elk. I had one close encounter with a cow (23 yards) and we had a vocal encounter with another elk. No opportunities to draw our bows though.

Well, I have the itch again for 2016 but our schedules don't coordinate like they did in '15 so I’d be going solo this time. Anyway, I have the first half of November off (was planning to hunt Whitetails here in VA) and I can probably get a couple weeks off in October. I only have a week off in mid September so not many options there (especially if I’ll be driving). Would it be totally crazy if I attempted to do some sort of elk hunt myself (archery or rifle depending on month)? I’m kinda liking what I read about Montana. The drive from VA would be the first obstacle and packing an elk out by myself would be the next. Not mentioning spending a week by myself in elk country. It really doesn't sound as good as I'm typing this compared to when I was planning this out in my head. The two weeks I have off in November and if I can get the two weeks in October would obviously be the ideal block of time if I decided to drive by myself. The drive last year SUCKED and that was with two people. Who am I kidding tackling driving that alone but I’m trying to be optimistic!

I could avoid the driving issue by possibly flying but all the gear needed would make that a pain in the rear. Plus, getting the meat back would be expensive and a hassle. Is my only real option to fly and pay an outfitter? (a bit expensive for my tastes) That or find another partner I guess? I think I know the answer but would be interested in your thoughts.

Also, please see the attached screenshot. Has MT always done this or is this something new? So if I apply for a tag and don’t draw, I’ll lose 20% or approx. $171? Wouldn’t it be better to take a chance and wait and try to buy a leftover tag? Also, I don’t understand what I have circled in red. If unsuccessful, why would I keep my big game or elk combo license if I didn’t draw? I feel a bit dense about that part.

Disclaimer: I’ve never applied for a tag before so keep that in mind.

 

[kad11]

A lot of the districts in MT are "general" units for elk which means they can be hunted with just the OTC elk license. There are some "trophy districts" that require an elk license as well as a permit (that you apply for in the lottery) to hunt. What you circled in red is basically saying that you can return your license if you don't get one of those special "trophy" permits or you can keep your license and just hunt the general units.

Late Oct/ Early Nov can be really mild with no snow or it can be really cold with lots of snow, so I would bring the backpacking gear but also be willing to truck camp. You can kill an elk either way so let the conditions make your decision for you.

I'd help you pack an elk out (I'm in Bozeman) and I'm sure there are lots of other guys on this site that would do the same. Do some networking and I think you could find plenty of people to help. Packing out an elk with another guy or two is pretty fun..... doing it by yourself usually just really hurts....

I grew up in Lynchburg and went to school in Lexington. Where are you?

 

[jaredgreen]

Solo elk hunting isn't for everyone, but if you have the mental and physical toughness, it is very rewarding. I'd dislike the solo drive much more than the solo hunt!

Plan on four trips to bring out your bull. I killed my bull last year 3 miles in- cross country. 2 1/2 hours per one way trip. I killed my bull at around 11:00 and returned to my truck with my last load at 3:30 the next day. I personally wouldn't want to kill one solo much further in than that.

One last piece of advice. Don't waste your precious limited hunting adventure time hunting dead ground. If your not into significant numbers of elk- move! Do your research and have two or three plan b areas. If I'm not into elk in two days of hard hunting, I'm headed to a new area.

 

[Luked]

I'm in the same boat somewhat. I'm planning my trip.out for 2016 going solo as I don't have anyone to go with either. It's pretty tough to figure things out and makes.ot very hard when I have never went out there.
There are quite a few of my family that think I'm nuts for going solo but it's the only thing I can plan right now.
I'm hoping that as it gets closer that I can find someone to go along but if not I'll go solo and if nothing else can say I did it solo and that will be a big confedence boost for me for the next time.

 

[Muledeerfanatic]

I've packed out multiple elk by myself. Did it this year with a big bull. About a mile and a half. It was shitty like every other time but you gotta just get er did

 

[Finch]

A lot of the districts in MT are "general" units for elk which means they can be hunted with just the OTC elk license. There are some "trophy districts" that require an elk license as well as a permit (that you apply for in the lottery) to hunt. What you circled in red is basically saying that you can return your license if you don't get one of those special "trophy" permits or you can keep your license and just hunt the general units.

Late Oct/ Early Nov can be really mild with no snow or it can be really cold with lots of snow, so I would bring the backpacking gear but also be willing to truck camp. You can kill an elk either way so let the conditions make your decision for you.

I'd help you pack an elk out (I'm in Bozeman) and I'm sure there are lots of other guys on this site that would do the same. Do some networking and I think you could find plenty of people to help. Packing out an elk with another guy or two is pretty fun..... doing it by yourself usually just really hurts....

I grew up in Lynchburg and went to school in Lexington. Where are you?

Okay, makes sense now. Thanks for the offer on the packout! I'm really just in the preliminary planning stages and still not 100% sure I'll be going this year. I had planned on taking 2016 off but I made the mistake of watching Western Hunter seasons 1 & 2 and here I am. Ha!

I grew up in the Natural Bridge area and went to highschool in Lexington. It seems like we may have crossed paths on here before. Did you go to VMI or W&L? Currently live a little south of Roanoke in Boones Mill.

 

[Finch]

Solo elk hunting isn't for everyone, but if you have the mental and physical toughness, it is very rewarding. I'd dislike the solo drive much more than the solo hunt!

Plan on four trips to bring out your bull. I killed my bull last year 3 miles in- cross country. 2 1/2 hours per one way trip. I killed my bull at around 11:00 and returned to my truck with my last load at 3:30 the next day. I personally wouldn't want to kill one solo much further in than that.

One last piece of advice. Don't waste your precious limited hunting adventure time hunting dead ground. If your not into significant numbers of elk- move! Do your research and have two or three plan b areas. If I'm not into elk in two days of hard hunting, I'm headed to a new area.

Wow, you did have a haul! Do you do a lot of solo hunting? How long of a drive do you have?

I'm in the same boat somewhat. I'm planning my trip.out for 2016 going solo as I don't have anyone to go with either. It's pretty tough to figure things out and makes.ot very hard when I have never went out there.
There are quite a few of my family that think I'm nuts for going solo but it's the only thing I can plan right now.
I'm hoping that as it gets closer that I can find someone to go along but if not I'll go solo and if nothing else can say I did it solo and that will be a big confedence boost for me for the next time.

So where are you headed? It would be one helluva feat doing something like that by yourself your first time out. Good luck!

I've packed out multiple elk by myself. Did it this year with a big bull. About a mile and a half. It was shitty like every other time but you gotta just get er did

I know I probably should be more worried about the pack out and hunting by myself but the drive is my biggest deterrent. I

 

[jaredgreen]

Wow, you did have a haul! Do you do a lot of solo hunting? How long of a drive do you have?
Yes, I try to do at least a couple days solo every season. I really enjoy the solitude and peacefulness. The drive is the easy part for me! I'm 45 minutes from my closest back country spot, and 4 hours from my favorite areas.

 

[TNArcher]

Finch, I might be in the same boat. Let me know if you're interested in a partner, or possibly splitting some costs and going with me and another guy. I live around Nashville. PM me if interested

 

[Jaguigui]

I'd second the help on a packout if you need help. I'm located in Great Falls. update this post or pm me as season approaches and I can shoot you my contact info if you need help packing out. Good luck!
Justin

 

[zman]

If you only have a week flying to MT is tough. No direct flights from the east coast.
My first elk hunt was a solo (couldn't get anybody to go). I flew into Denver, rented a truck and headed to the mountains. hunted for six days. Found elk but did not get a shot opportunity.
Here is what you could do. Stop at Wallmart and buy two big coolers. Return them if you don't kill an elk. Check them as baggage if you do. SW lets you do that cheap. I flew southwest and had two return flights booked in case I couldn't get an elk out in time. (they let you cancel flights and then you can use later).
I fly with all my gear. Buy a $6.95 luggage scale and keep it under 50 lbs. With two pieces of checked gear and a carry on you can bring about 115 or so lbs of gear. Might work for you if you are tight on time for a hunt.
Solo can be tough. Not a bad idea to hunt three days then go get a hot meal and then hunt more.

 

[Luked]

Finch
I'm planning on heading to CO for the early archery season in September. Not positive on the area just quite yet but got a couple of wilderness areas I'm researching.
I know ot will be a hard trip and would like to find someone to go with just to enjoy the trip better and be able to help one another but don't really know if that will happen yet

 

[Brendan]

I've driven twice from Boston, once Solo, once with a partner on the way out and solo on the way back. Each trip was 10-12 days to western MT. In a perverse sort of way, I enjoyed the drive. (Except for Chicago, Chicago sucks....)

Friday: 8 hours of driving to western NY / Eastern PA in the evening. Day 2: 17 hours put me to Fargo, ND at sunset. Day 3 I was hunting at 3 in the afternoon. The trick is getting started on Friday afternoon / evening, then to get on hunting schedule and be driving at 4 AM the next two days. Stayed in hotels and got a full night of sleep each night.

In a lot of ways Solo is easier. No worries about conflicting hunting styles, conflicting schedules, or worrying about someone else's level of preparation. I loved having a good friend join me this year, but I know him well and his hunting style. If you do go with someone else you don't know, there's a long list of things I'd want put out there between two people before agreeing to go together.

For me - the bigger question is going to Alaska. Much further, driving isn't an option, and in general much more remote and logistically challenging. I have a hunts I want to do there - guided and unguided, and I think for the unguided ones I'd need a partner.

This year - waiting on the Wyoming general draw, and have a couple long shot apps in as well...

 

[Pramo]

I'm from Maryland and went to school at Radford.

I hunt solo 90% of the time and bowhunt 99% of the time. I became and elk hunter 7 years ago thanks to a friend that lets me use his cabin in Colorado as a base camp. Solo hunting is what I prefer but I also use some caution and it took me 6 season to get happy with my kit and knowledge to where I now camp out 3-4 days at a time rather than do the 2+ mile hike in/out everyday. I hunted the same OTC unit and have had above 50% success rate killing a 6x6 and 3 cows, it really helps to know the land well and have a place you can go back to for a few years in a row. I think I could have been 100% successful but 2 years I held out for a Bull and came home empty handed to a pissed off wife who wants a freezer full of elk.

My main piece of advice and caution is the weather, once October hits anything can happen and prolonged snow would really make it hard to be on your own without the right gear and state of mind. I've gotten 8+ inches of snow in September and I have buddies that were snowed out in October. If I did a later hunt I would strongly consider a tent/stove combo mixed with truck camping.

As far as travel I fly it costs a ton especially if you go to a small airport but it also gives me at least two more days hunting and meat costs about $600 to process and ship. This give me a lot less to worry about and I can concentrate on hunting.

The other nice thing is having a couple people in the area you know in case you do have trouble or need help with and elk. I've packed elk myself but I get some piece of mind knowing I can get a hold of someone if I need to that is fairly close.

 

[rayporter]

i dont have a lot of suggestions, just one fact. you only have so many " helk" hunts in th ol body.

 

[5MilesBack]

I know I probably should be more worried about the pack out and hunting by myself but the drive is my biggest deterrent. I

I love hunting elk solo, I do it that way most the time. But then again, I also love those solo cross country drives as well. I've done a bunch of them over the years and loved every one of them.

If you're young and in even halfway reasonable shape, a solo hunt and packout isn't monumentous. The mental aspect is the piece that most overlook. If you're questioning the viability at all, then perhaps solo isn't for you. My response to most any type of solo endeavors is "heck ya......bring it". Physically I might break down, but mentally I'm all in.

Good luck with whatever you choose. I'd go for it.

 

[ndbwhunter]

I spent some time in MT by myself last season and had a lot of fun. Struck out during archery season, but got back out opening weekend of rifle season and had a bull down the first morning. I live in ND, so my drive isn't nearly as bad as yours, but the solo hunt was fun. I still prefer hunting with a partner though, even if it's just to have someone to talk to. I was camped about 3 miles in had my bull down within a half mile of camp. Took one load of meat out the first day and then hiked back up to camp right at dark. Got to the truck with camp the following morning, and ran into another hunter on the road. When he realized that I was by myself, he offered to help with the remaining meat, so that saved me from having to make a third trip.

Choose your hunting partners wisely. I had a guy tag along with me when I went out during the archery season. He had heard that I was going to MT and took it upon himself to buy a tag and invite himself along. Didn't have the heart to tell him no, so that's my fault. Long story short, he made it about a day before calling it quits. We had to drop 1,200ft to get water on the first day, and that pretty much took it out of him. He wouldn't venture more than a few hundred yards from camp for the rest of the hunt. I called the hunt a little early, as I couldn't stand being around him anymore. That made for a long drive home.

 

[airlocksniffer]

You can do it!!!

That's all I got.

 

[bz_711]

Good luck with whatever you choose to do...but I just have to smile knowing the elk bug bit you pretty good too I try to warn everyone...

PM sent.

 

[xziang]

With the distance that you'll be driving with a later November hunt you could run into road closures and slower speeds if it is snowing. With that other people have said might be worth biting the bullet and flying out and renting a vehicle. Pending where you hunt you could also get away with a midsize car instead of a truck. Agree with wallyworld is your friend for coolers and or Costco/sams if you have membership.

I have only hunted in September and have an 8hr drive to CO. Later/rifle hunts have crossed my mind but if I did one of those, you need to keep an eye on road conditions and weather. I80 can get shut down and I'm sure roads across SD/ND close down too because of blowing snow. Plan for a longer road trip if driving in November. Good luck with your decision.