cliff gray's elk hunting master class

[drpnw]

I just got back from cliff gray's "elk hunting master class" with cliff and cade cole and I came away pretty impressed with how much I was able to learn in just a few days. in particular, doing mock stalks with after the fact feedback and analysis helped me feel more confident about putting together the different components of a stalk that were previously only loose ideas in my head. it was also nice to do this outside of the pressure of a live hunt as i was able to focus on learning rather than filling a tag.

obviously its not for everybody: the class isnt cheap and i had to burn a week of vacation for non-hunting time. i didnt grow up in hunting culture and never really developed a community of guys to learn from. about 15 years ago (in my late 20s) i started solo deer hunting and have filled 2 of 7 elk tags over the years mostly through dumb luck. i have only hunted public diy. ive done a few of the popular online courses but have found them to be less helpful and more expensive than a couple of good books + youtube videos.

im curious if folks know of other similar courses, i would do this again if there was an equivalent for mule deer. IMO, it can be worth the price of admission if the course is hands on and in the field and the class size is small. there's probably a bit of an untapped market for this.

 

[bozeman]

I am glad you found something like this. I am amazed and realize how much I took for granted growing up. We grew up in the woods. BB guns, the pump style pellet guns, bows......we stalked and shot anything that moved, fished almost daily in two ponds on 40 acres. Birds, squirrels, rabbits, coons, skunks, deer, coyote, all fair game. I am often reminded of how well I had it and never once knew otherwise. I meet guys all of the time through work in their 30/40's who have never fired a gun and I am like 'what?'.......I agree, there is a market for classes such as this and should prob be many more going on. Best of luck this season and thanks for reminding me of how blessed I was growing up. I needed that reminder!!

 

[Cliff Gray]

first, that mahi in your avatar makes me jealous

second, thanks for coming out to the class and your thoughts on it. was great to get to know you and your brother. We really had an epic group with a phenomenal attitude on this one.

Inside the structured environment or just as a group of buddies walking through the woods, the value of putting together scenarios is way underestimated. like @bozeman mentioned, kids that grow up hunting do this constantly... like hundreds of times in a weekend. so do wolf puppies, bear cubs, kittens, etc... In our classes we have a cool feedback loop, but guys can also do some of it on there own too.

physically practicing elk call-in setups, mock stalks, shooting positions, etc... feels goofy, but your average guy can become 2-3x the hunter just doing it for 3-4 days.

 

[drpnw]

thanks @bozeman and best of luck to you this year as well. I dont know why it didnt occur to me, but it would be a blast to mess around with this stuff with my kids and let them feel the "magic" of being in the woods, seeing wildlife, etc.... ok, im about to buy my daughter her first bow now lol, lets see how my wife reacts

feels goofy, but your average guy can become 2-3x the hunter just doing it for 3-4 days.

that's how im feeling right now. will report back in september

 

[Capt.Gene]

I just got back from cliff gray's "elk hunting master class" with cliff and cade cole and I came away pretty impressed with how much I was able to learn in just a few days. in particular, doing mock stalks with after the fact feedback and analysis helped me feel more confident about putting together the different components of a stalk that were previously only loose ideas in my head. it was also nice to do this outside of the pressure of a live hunt as i was able to focus on learning rather than filling a tag.

obviously its not for everybody: the class isnt cheap and i had to burn a week of vacation for non-hunting time. i didnt grow up in hunting culture and never really developed a community of guys to learn from. about 15 years ago (in my late 20s) i started solo deer hunting and have filled 2 of 7 elk tags over the years mostly through dumb luck. i have only hunted public diy. ive done a few of the popular online courses but have found them to be less helpful and more expensive than a couple of good books + youtube videos.

im curious if folks know of other similar courses, i would do this again if there was an equivalent for mule deer. IMO, it can be worth the price of admission if the course is hands on and in the field and the class size is small. there's probably a bit of an untapped market for this.

I share the spear fishing addiction with you, and the Tournaments are addictive.