Beginner Looking for Tips

[nettereo16]

You can get all your gear used on the Rokslide classifieds or substitute some hiking gear you might already own. Hunting out of state is already expensive, no need to buy brand new gear.

Besides that get in shape! Others mentioned some good resources for how to chase elk.

 

[mreddig]

It's a process. You will always be learning!

 

[nmuhs]

Randy Newberg, HUSH, and Born and Raised Outdoors YouTube channels will give you plenty of info. Also can see/hear mistakes they make and try not to replicate. Practice shooting and hiking up hills with weight on your back. Get your feet ready for punishment.

 

[DAOutfitters208]

Ill say this, you are either born with a instinct to hunt or you are not. There is no play book for hunting. You observe, adapt, and react. You can listen to every podcast, watch every youtube channel, and subscribe to every website, but at the end of the day you have it or you don't.

 

[MAC1585]

Get in the best shape you possibly can! The rest will come w/ time and experience.

 

[JMDavies]

Read, watch and research. Don't get discouraged when it doesn't go the way you thought it would.

 

[NC Hunter]

Best advice I know is scouting! Scouting days are more valuable than I ever imagined, you can't kill an elk until you find it.

 

[Easternhunter77]

Awesome tips!

 

[nmuhs]

Ill say this, you are either born with a instinct to hunt or you are not. There is no play book for hunting. You observe, adapt, and react. You can listen to every podcast, watch every youtube channel, and subscribe to every website, but at the end of the day you have it or you don't.

So you can never learn anything from others? Everything about hunting is innate?

 

[DAOutfitters208]

So you can never learn anything from others? Everything about hunting is innate?

Yes you can learn, but can you apply them an actually do it? I can teach you how to golf, but some people will never be good at it, no matter what they do. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses.

 

[Swede]

I am going to assume that you are paying over $600 for a license and elk tag because you would like to shoot an elk. Some have argued that killing an elk is not all that important, but when I take off a couple of weeks, and spend over $1,000 for equipment, travel and a tag, I am serious about shooting a critter.
That said; I recommend you take a good tree stand and spend some time in it. The more you want an elk, the more time I would spend in that stand. The key to success is setting up in a good location, and good stand placement. You can get a head start on that looking over a good topographic map and Google Earth.
It is my opinion that sending a rookie out with a call (grunt tube and diaphragm or bite and blow type) is a fools errand.

 

[Swede]

Whereas I do not entirely agree with nmuhs, I don't think he is too far off either. Trying to tell people how to hunt, especially calling, based on where you go and the elk situation you deal with, is similar to telling someone how to drive around Los Angles when your experience is within 50 miles of Bonners Ferry Idaho.

 

[dk88]

Like several others have said, getting into shape is one of the biggest challenges. Also quality optics make a huge difference.

Overall elk hunting is really hard work and experience is the best teacher but resources like Randy Newberg's podcast have tremendous value.

 

[derricklovatt]

+1 for born and raised outdoors. Being new to hunting I had never even seen an elk before until I got out there. It was a great way for me to visualize and prepare for a possible scenario. Learning from those who have more experience that you will cut years of learning time. I'm lucky that married into a family of good hunters that explain to me what i'm doing wrong and why.

 

[derricklovatt]

Also, getting in shape cant be stressed enough. If youre gassed the whole time youre out there youre going to have a bad time. I was doing 40 minutes on a stair stepper with a weighted pack on for months before my archery elk hunt last year and the difference between me and some of my buddies was obvious.

 

[Funsan]

What is a good first elk rifle?

 

[kylem]

I've learned a ton from listening to just about every podcast on elk that I could find. There's a ton of info out there and a lot of it can be found for free, but it'll be a lot harder to sift through all the info that way as opposed to paying for something like the elk 101 course

 

[Pulv]

Thanks for all of the guidance. This is a great group!

 

[Jfasher]

If you are archery hunting then the elk101 online course is definitely worth it if you are rifle hunting then don't waste the money. Check out get on YouTube and check out fresh tracks all that information is free. Lots of information from applying all the way to field care of the meat. Start with the basics and use each year to learn. Every year in the same unit is totally different than the year before. 4 years ago it was 70 during the day last year it was -19.

 

[Blinddog]

What is a good first elk rifle?

30-06, 7mm-08. 270 - any are great first time options. but all comes down to what you can shoot the most accurately. get out and practice.