Anyone else hunt Solo their first elk hunt?

[BKhunter]

Hey All,

Been compiling gear and reading as much as possible trying to plan my 2017 Elk hunt which will also be my first ever out west hunt. Being from NY it is kind of hard to find someone that wants to spend their week vacation sleeping on a mountain side. Have any other members gone solo on their first hunt? If so any tips and reassurances? I really want to go, but also spending a week solo and also with a possible pack out seems pretty daunting.

BK

 

[Tex68w]

I hear ya, I have a few guys that I am supposed to do our first elk hunt with next fall and I am trying to soak up as much info as possible before then. That said, I have been contemplating tagging along with a group this fall, if invited/allowed, in order to be of assistance in packing out meat and simply to learn and experience it all. Like yourself, I have also considered maybe trying solo this fall simply to get my feet wet, but the idea of it seems beyond daunting.

 

[cody covey]

My first 3 years elk hunting were all Solo. I'm from Vermont and moved to Colorado 6 years ago. Didn't know shit from good chocolate about elk hunting. Get through the first couple nights solo and your first pack out and then decide if its something you want to keep doing. Dont have an excuse to come off the mountain, bring enough food and warm clothes to stay and hunt through the week. Ive seen some tough dudes walk off the mountain because things got tough. You'll be fine, grab a tag and hunt. Hit me up in a PM if you need any help.

 

[Deepshax]

I only have one elk hunt under my belt, more of a hike actually but am not too far from you. I went with another guy last year but going solo this year. I would just say pick a number of hot spots you want to hit and go and hike your ass off and enjoy yourself. Maybe get the number of some packers in the area you are hunting to alleviate that burden. Spending a week in the mountains isn't a bad way to pass the time

 

[D_Eightch]

Ideally I would like to pair up with somebody for my first hunt, but it looks like I will be going solo as well.

 

[Frito]

Hey All,

Been compiling gear and reading as much as possible trying to plan my 2017 Elk hunt which will also be my first ever out west hunt. Being from NY it is kind of hard to find someone that wants to spend their week vacation sleeping on a mountain side. Have any other members gone solo on their first hunt? If so any tips and reassurances? I really want to go, but also spending a week solo and also with a possible pack out seems pretty daunting.

BK

I did my first hunt solo. I had my mentor at the time take me scouting there first and I returned once before the season to scout it again. He had already planned a hunt in another unit that I wasn't going to be able to make because of my work schedule so he turned me on to this particular unit and area. It was an extremely easy and successful hunt but in my case I was able to scout and prep well for it. I returned to that unit a couple of years ago hoping for a repeat and ended up hiking for 3 solid days getting nothing. It's doable though.

 

[Frito]

I only have one elk hunt under my belt, more of a hike actually but am not too far from you. I went with another guy last year but going solo this year. I would just say pick a number of hot spots you want to hit and go and hike your ass off and enjoy yourself. Maybe get the number of some packers in the area you are hunting to alleviate that burden. Spending a week in the mountains isn't a bad way to pass the time

This is true. There is a lot to gain, even from an unsuccessful hunt. Of course you don't want to travel and prep and come out empty handed but being alone on a mountainside is a growing experience. You get to learn a lot, and work out all kinds of quirks with your gear, etc. I live out here but I don't have a lot of resources or money so I've been able to rely on a few good friends and I do a lot of hiking/scouting during the summer to try and figure out what I'm going to do. I have friends in TX that get multiple animals every year because they have the money and time to hire guides to put them on an animal and they can't even begin to imagine why I haven't killed a bunch. It can be frustrating, but I really cherish my time in the wilderness.

 

[WyoRob]

I'll be doing my first elk hunt this season solo. Where in NY are you from?

 

[Josh Wright]

Solo hunting for your first elk hunt will not be easy mentally. There are units that have small cabins for rent that you can use as a base if needed. I would encourage you to do more research about that once you decide on a unit.

A week solo WHILE on your first elk hunting trip in high altitude will have challenges. I'm concerned this could have the possibility of not enjoying your first elk hunting experience. Food for thought.

 

[BKhunter]

I'll be doing my first elk hunt this season solo. Where in NY are you from?

Hey Rob. I live in Astoria Queens. It's right outside of Manhattan.

 

[WyoRob]

I just moved from upstate last year, so I was just wondering.

 

[gelton]

Do it. You wont regret it. Its not challenging, its serene. Sort of like therapy. Reminds me of Solo Hunters lead in w Tim Burnet when he says - cold - make fire. Hungry - eat food. Tired - go to sleep. You dont have to brainstorm with others or ask their opinion, you just do what you feel like doing when you feel like doing it.

That said, I didn't take my first solo trip till my third elk hunt and I don't think I would have done it without at least some experience under my belt. Also, due to weather conditions and the potential bad weather that almost always seems to crop up during rifle, I wouldn't go solo during rifle only archery.

 

[freshta]

I've been solo twice. Seems as though the logistics of getting like minded individuals to commit is one of the hardest parts of elk hunting!! Anyway both hunts were basically glorified backpacking trips but it was freaking awesome both times. Saw lots of beautiful country and tons of animals...most of which were NOT elk. I did see some elk on both trips but they were WAY too far away to go after. I wish I would've had a mule deer tag because they were definitely in abundance where I was at.

The worse two things to deal with for me was the 26 hr. drive there and back and the first couple days acclimatizing to the high altitude. Packing up from 9000-12000 ft in about 2 miles sucks kinda bad too but the thrill of being out there over-rode the climb. It did open my eyes to the daunting task of making several trips up and down that climb to the trailhead packing out an animal. My next trip, i plan on putting a packer on retainer just in case.

 

[freshta]

WyoRob, your living my dream...give up the hustle and bustle of life in the east for a life out west.

 

[lkwoolsey]

Depending on where you are going to be hunting, I am sure a number of members on this site would be more than willing to jump on a hunt with you. I'll be hunting ID this year, not sure where yet, but there are a LOT of members on here in the CO, WY, ID, and MO area. That said, if you've been backpacking before, and are a fairly experienced hunter, I wouldn't sweat going alone too much. I hunt alone quite often, and really it is just meshing 'truck hunting' with backpacking. You just have to be mentally prepared to pack out some heavy loads and make multiple trips. You will not pack out all the usable meat from an elk on your own in one trip. To take the MAX amount of usable meat, you will need a few trips. But, if you are not worried about that aspect, and, as I said earlier, are experienced in backpacking and hunting, being out there alone isn't a big deal. Just ensure you have the right gear and the right mindset.

 

[Northernpiker]

Pack as lite as possible, I always take to much, you don't have to go 5 miles in, have a packers phone number just in case. If you need to go out and stay a night at a motel do it, we're all different mentally. Have a communication device. And enjoy the adventure.

 

[elkyinzer]

It really boils down to three considerations solo: safety, mentality, and getting an elk off the mountain.

Modern technology combined with commonsense woodsmanship can largely negate the safety factor.

Whether you have the cajones to adjust and make the sacrifices necesary to accommodate the other two is a completely personal decision and one in which you should be honest with yourself about your capabilities and what your desires out of the hunt are. If you feel the benefits of hunting solo outweigh the risks of hunting with a flaky or generally shitty partner, go for it!

 

[boom]

when i first walked up to my first bull elk..i was thinking, "oh no..what have i done?!" it looked like a big horse laying there..it could barely move a leg..it was giant. i was happy to be surrounded by 3 of my friends.

 

[Jimbob]

Try to do something at home to simulate it. Go on a 5 day hike using the gear you would for your hunt, sans weapon of course. Spring is a perfect time to do this. Also pretend a local hunt is more remote. For instance, butcher your deer in the field and pack it out instead of dragging it or whatever retrieval method you normally use.

One year my dad shot a calf moose right on a logging road. We could have grabbed the ATV and trailer and had the moose in the truck and headed home in one hour. Instead I did the gutless method on the moose and loaded it into meat bags and packed the meat the 3/4 mile out. Gave me a bunch of info on what it would be like taking care of an elk and packing it out.

 

[oldgoat]

I did but camped with others and then went the opposite direction everybody else went and really got into the elk, all cows but that's what I had was a cow tag. It wasn't a backcountry hunt though, it was truck camping. Unless you are an experienced backpacker or an experienced elk Hunter, I would suggest doing the truck camping thing. Lot's of good folks up there that you can camp with and make friends and probably get some help from if you score. Then next time, try the backcountry thing!