Elk Don't Exist

[Chris_in_Idaho]

I have finally figured it out. The whole thing is a conspiracy between the state and the outdoor gear companies to sell tags, rifles, optics, ammo, backpacks and boots to idiots like me.

I would be just as effective at hunting Bigfoot as I am at Elk.

 

[Ucsdryder]

Just remember, the agencies appreciate your yearly donation!

 

[Ross]

The more difficult the endeavor the greater the reward

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Elk are fun to hunt. The hunt is the fun part. The kill is work. Fun work, though!

 

[elkguide]

Been chasing them (and donating to a lot of F&G agencies) for years.
Spent 10 years as an elk hunting guide and after all of that,
they are still teaching me new things!

 

[GSPHUNTER]

Just keep on keeping on. It will eventually pay off.

 

[Wrench]

You can't win if you don't pay....



Or is it play? Same difference.

 

[kcm2]

I understand. When I go out in the woods with a bow, it's pretty clear that there is a restraining order keeping the elk away from me. 5 days of hard hunting on a ranch, and all that came within a long bow shot of me was seven cows from 60-100 yards for about 20 seconds. Ugh.

 

[Mojave]

I have been crushed by elk numerous times.

Keep chasing them.

 

[Wyo_hntr]

I have finally figured it out. The whole thing is a conspiracy between the state and the outdoor gear companies to sell tags, rifles, optics, ammo, backpacks and boots to idiots like me.

I would be just as effective at hunting Bigfoot as I am at Elk.

I will say this year has been tough with the warm temps and moon.

In a spot I usually see 50-150 elk (for the past 10yrs) I saw 5. Don't feel bad, it aint always all sunshine and rainbows.

 

[Pony Soldier]

I feel for you NR or non-local hunters. Elk have patterns dictated by weather, feed, and culture. Sometimes when someone kills the herd bull, you run the risk of the entire bunch relocating to the next in line. Cows have large ranges while the bulls seem to have much tighter limits.

For my country, I have to search an area of about 60 miles by 15 miles. Then within that search, what are the elevation limits- this week. Often it takes most of the first week just figure out where they are in the migration. After that then I can focus the search on drainage by drainage.

Dump the temperature less than 15 degrees and start over. As a long time local hunter I have paid my dues and can narrow the search down by my experience. If I don't cover 6-10 miles a day I just as well should have spent the day in bed.

You ranch hunters have the ability to see where I would be better off searching for squirrels. If it was easy there wouldn't be any left.

 

[Ucsdryder]

There’s a guy on bowsite named Jordan. I think he’s on year 10 or so without killing anything, it’s almost comical…not for him!


I have a buddy that hasn’t killed anything with his bow hunting similar areas where I’ve killed every year for the last 10 years. I’m convinced some guys just won’t ever figure it out.

 

[FredoTwoWheels]

I have said this to myself countless times, year after year. Are these things even real? I finally saw my first bull in this year, my 4th hunt, over ten years since my first - from the road at night. Its the only one I have ever seen. I feel like such an asshole sometimes hiking miles and trumpeting into a careless void hundreds of times, breaching the peace of the mountains with seemingly nothing to hear me or give a shit. Constantly questioning if I am doing something wrong, in the wrong place, did I time this bad? Did someone scare them away already? Did I make some terrible miscalculation in stealth or approach? Add to that I am usually alone so I dont even get to commiserate in a camp at night over a beer. I leave the woods crushed every time and pondering the monetary fee for my semi-annual failure, the price of tags, equipment, days away from my business, travel, not to mention days of bow practice, research, scouting, watching videos, reading forums, comments, IG posts, tag application, ect. If those were billable hours, I cant imagine the investment. Then you see posts of people, their first year hunting taking bulls I would mount on my wall. Its indescribably frustrating. Yet every year I forget the sour grapes and start all over again, excited and confident this is the year, I'll get one this time. I guess its the old adage "it doesnt matter how many times you get knocked down, just how many times you get up."

 

[Chris_in_Idaho]

I’m convinced some guys just won’t ever figure it out.

Maybe I should start a support group.

I have said this to myself countless times, year after year. Are these things even real? I finally saw my first bull in this year, my 4th hunt, over ten years since my first - from the road at night. Its the only one I have ever seen. I feel like such an asshole sometimes hiking miles and trumpeting into a careless void hundreds of times, breaching the peace of the mountains with seemingly nothing to hear me or give a shit. Constantly questioning if I am doing something wrong, in the wrong place, did I time this bad? Did someone scare them away already? Did I make some terrible miscalculation in stealth or approach? Add to that I am usually alone so I dont even get to commiserate in a camp at night over a beer. I leave the woods crushed every time and pondering the monetary fee for my semi-annual failure, the price of tags, equipment, days away from my business, travel, not to mention days of bow practice, research, scouting, watching videos, reading forums, comments, IG posts, tag application, ect. If those were billable hours, I cant imagine the investment. Then you see posts of people, their first year hunting taking bulls I would mount on my wall. Its indescribably frustrating. Yet every year I forget the sour grapes and start all over again, excited and confident this is the year, I'll get one this time. I guess its the old adage "it doesnt matter how many times you get knocked down, just how many times you get up."

Wow. It's like you're reading my soul...

 

[COJoe]

We got to camp two days early, spent five days hunting very hard, miles of dark timber climbing ridicoulus inclines, misreading topo satellite maps that look like meadows but are really aspen groves on horrible slopes, all elk sign is a week old, rubs, wallows, game trails so well used a blind man could follow them and one very close bugle that excited me something fierce. But in the end, the wind shifted at the very last moment before an unseen bull left town and all went silent quickly. That's hunting. My buddy and I came to the conclusion that we are great elk hunters, not just good elk finders, lol, as we never saw an elk either. We did see a couple squirrels though. I wouldn't trade our seven days on the mountain for much of anything. Great fellowship, laughter, awesome views and now we are already planning for our attack next year.

Stick with it Chris_in_Idaho, almost no elk were taken in the entire valley we hunted this year. Only two out of six clients for an outfitter that was near us took elk. We didn't realize the rainy summer brought dry streams and springs alive this year way up high, warmer weather made for ample high food way up high and lots of OTC archery pressure changed the 'normal' elk patterns this year. We need to adapt quicker next year and learn from our observations from this year. Looking back over our hunt, we realized some mistakes we made and will change it for next year. I do feel your pain though.

 

[cnelk]

Elk are rarely where you want them to be

 

[hereinaz]

Felt that way eating Coues deer tags for three years without seeing them. Felt that one year when we filled no tags and saw no elk in a honey hole.

Felt that way my first week of archery hunt this year. It was hot and nothing made a sound.