CO (archery) elk hunting buddy!

[va_to_co]

Hey all,

Long time listener first time caller.

I’ve been hunting since I was ~10 (almost 20 years now), bow hunting for the last ~11 of those.

But, it’s been on the east coast, in a tree saddle, for white-tailed deer. I love all of it. The scouting, the sitting, the sucking up the sweaty parts, the cutting up and carrying out, butchering, curing meat, smoking it.

I’m new to western hunting, killed a muley doe with my bow last year. Have an elk tag this year, classic story, someone bailed on me.

I went out for the first few days of the season here in CO, and realized I was sort of just bumbling around the mountains (quiet elk, but that’s part of the learning curve). Not a bad thing, but I think I’d like to have someone to embrace the suck with, provide some mutual motivation, etc.

Prefer hunting out of a backpack, questioning the steepness of the terrain and number of miles being covered on foot. I want to be tired at the end, even if there’s no meat being packed out.

So, hoping to find someone who wants to run around in the woods for a few days at the end of this month, or any September in the future. Also have a late rifle doe tag this year.

Thanks for reading my novel and happy hunting.

I’m based in Longmont.

 

[I90west]

You wouldn’t know it by watching about every YouTube elk hunt…but hunting solo for elk is way more effective. Being able to go with your gut and not have to bounce every move off some one else outweighs the benefits of having some one there.

Granted, I do a ton of elk hunting with my dad. We basically know what the other person is going to do before we do it. I enjoy spending time with him and have called in quite a few bulls for each other. But when it comes to killing elk and be efficient in the mountains, hunting solo is far more effective.

 

[TheHammer]

Elk hunting is so different than whitetails. Cutting your teeth solo can be very beneficial, sure there’s a ton of information available online to get some education with. Applying it and learning afield to fit your style is only going to benefit you and your growth. When solo you aren’t answering to anyone or babysitting. I’ll be out there in 9 days. Hopefully packing one out before season ends.

 

[va_to_co]

Elk hunting is so different than whitetails. Cutting your teeth solo can be very beneficial, sure there’s a ton of information available online to get some education with. Applying it and learning afield to fit your style is only going to benefit you and your growth. When solo you aren’t answering to anyone or babysitting. I’ll be out there in 9 days. Hopefully packing one out before season ends.

Yeah, I think what you and @I90west said is true. After a few days of pre-season summer scouting, I felt like I had an idea of where elk were. But after being in the woods, I realized I just don’t have much of an idea of what I’m doing in terms of actual hunting strategy. So much space, topography, wandering around (it feels like).

So my thought was that maybe someone else with similar goals and maybe similar or slightly more experience would be a decent sounding board. Help to cut the learning curve a little bit. But then again, I don’t know what I don’t know.

 

[Hnthrdr]

Gotta sweeten the deal man, what do you offer a hunting partner? If you are a bumbler you gonna be giving back rubs and foot rubs at camp?

 

[va_to_co]

Gotta sweeten the deal man, what do you offer a hunting partner? If you are a bumbler you gonna be giving back rubs and foot rubs at camp?

Hah, fair enough. More accurately I felt like I was wandering a bit aimlessly.

 

[Hnthrdr]

Hah, fair enough. More accurately I felt like I was wandering a bit aimlessly.

It’s all part of the process, success tastes a lot sweeter after hard work is put in that’s for sure, good luck man

 

[Beendare]

It’s all part of the process, success tastes a lot sweeter after hard work is put in that’s for sure, good luck man

Yep. You are hiking....but with a bow. Your success will improve dramatically when you learn elk behavior.

Hunting partners; I will say this- TO FIND A GOOD HUNT PARTNER YOU NEED TO BE A GOOD HUNT PARTNER.
They are out there. I have been hunting with a buddy off and on for almost 40 yrs that I met through the boyfriend of my sister- I drove to CO and hunted with him without ever meeting in person. I hunt with a small group of 1/2 dozen guys that I can absolutely count on. I got lucky.

Over the decades, I have hunted with a lot of Me, Me, Me types or guys that I just didn't feel comfortable with especially on a tough hunt like Kodiak where you really need a guy you can rely on- those last exactly one time.

An archery club would be a good spot to meet a like minded individual.

 

[va_to_co]

Yep. You are hiking....but with a bow. Your success will improve dramatically when you learn elk behavior.

Hunting partners; I will say this- TO FIND A GOOD HUNT PARTNER YOU NEED TO BE A GOOD HUNT PARTNER.
They are out there. I have been hunting with a buddy off and on for almost 40 yrs that I met through the boyfriend of my sister- I drove to CO and hunted with him without ever meeting in person. I hunt with a small group of 1/2 dozen guys that I can absolutely count on. I got lucky.

Over the decades, I have hunted with a lot of Me, Me, Me types or guys that I just didn't feel comfortable with especially on a tough hunt like Kodiak where you really need a guy you can rely on- those last exactly one time.

An archery club would be a good spot to meet a like minded individual.

Appreciate the insight and yes, it would probably help me to socialize in the right spaces more.

I think my lack of understanding elk behavior is definitely the biggest challenge. It is just so different from whitetails. The scale of it all is so much larger, plus they’re not homebodies the same way the little deer are.

 

[HTNFSH]

In my 30s, I knew a group of whitetail guys who went west every year but never invited me. After learning on my own through DIY and guided trips, I finally invited one of them on a 10-day elk hunt in 2016. I called in a screaming 6x6 bull on the last hour of the last day, and he killed it—his first and only bull elk. We packed it out together, split the meat, and that was that. I haven’t hunted with him since, and never once got invited on his ground.


Lesson: Elk hunting is hard, life is harder. Choose partners who contribute and reciprocate—or you’ll end up carrying all the weight, literally and figuratively.

 

[Hnthrdr]

In my 30s, I knew a group of whitetail guys who went west every year but never invited me. After learning on my own through DIY and guided trips, I finally invited one of them on a 10-day elk hunt in 2016. I called in a screaming 6x6 bull on the last hour of the last day, and he killed it—his first and only bull elk. We packed it out together, split the meat, and that was that. I haven’t hunted with him since, and never once got invited on his ground.


Lesson: Elk hunting is hard, life is harder. Choose partners who contribute and reciprocate—or you’ll end up carrying all the weight, literally and figuratively.

Also be very very careful who you share your hunting spots with…

 

[va_to_co]

In my 30s, I knew a group of whitetail guys who went west every year but never invited me. After learning on my own through DIY and guided trips, I finally invited one of them on a 10-day elk hunt in 2016. I called in a screaming 6x6 bull on the last hour of the last day, and he killed it—his first and only bull elk. We packed it out together, split the meat, and that was that. I haven’t hunted with him since, and never once got invited on his ground.


Lesson: Elk hunting is hard, life is harder. Choose partners who contribute and reciprocate—or you’ll end up carrying all the weight, literally and figuratively.

You’re right. And that story is a bummer. I think I made this post originally in haste, hoping for some get rich quick (or find a hunting partner) quick scheme. Which is silly. If learning to bow hunt growing up had been easy, the juice wouldn’t be worth the squeeze.