Elk101, treeline academy... etc

heatstroke18

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Nov 6, 2019
Messages
133
Looking at investing into one of these or another one I haven’t come across yet. Went on my first elk hunt last year and tried to piece a bunch of forums and YouTube information together and just didn’t feel like I had a handle on it. Despite being successful on harvesting a cow elk (saw a herd from the road and just cut them off). Looking to go on a 5 day backpack archery hunt this year and really want to have a better grip and stack the cards in my favor as much as possible.

Are programs like Elk101 and Treeline Academy the same? How are they different? Asking for any recommendations.
 
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heatstroke18

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Nov 6, 2019
Messages
133
Agreed. It’s seems like everyone has their twist on it. I’m looking for the one that does the best job teaching and translating e-scouting. Being an east coaster I don’t have time to get boots on the ground and I need to have some better plans than I had this past year. I thought I learned what I needed to and all my plans where useless and nothing like I expected. I need major improvements in this department
 

wapitibob

WKR
Joined
Feb 24, 2012
Messages
5,366
Location
Bend Oregon
Treeline is an e scouting course. I have it and have glossed over most of the modules and it should serve you well. In my opinion most of his material and ideas are sound but that’s just my opinion; we do a lot of the same things. The only down side if there is one, he’s slow on getting the full course done but I’m sure he has a life, kids, and all that goes with it.
Newberg has some e scouting YouTube’s that I’ve watched that are pretty good too. He and I look at a unit the same way; roads first, and where is the pressure going to come from. Between those two you should be good. I don’t have elk101 and haven’t seen a reason to get it but I’ve hunted elk for almost 50 years.
 
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heatstroke18

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Nov 6, 2019
Messages
133
Treeline is an e scouting course. I have it and have glossed over most of the modules and it should serve you well. In my opinion most of his material and ideas are sound but that’s just my opinion; we do a lot of the same things. The only down side if there is one, he’s slow on getting the full course done but I’m sure he has a life, kids, and all that goes with it.
Newberg has some e scouting YouTube’s that I’ve watched that are pretty good too. He and I look at a unit the same way; roads first, and where is the pressure going to come from. Between those two you should be good. I don’t have elk101 and haven’t seen a reason to get it but I’ve hunted elk for almost 50 years.
Awesome. Yes, I was leaning this way anyways to Treeline. I don’t have a process yet so hopefully I can learn one here
 

Huntnnw

WKR
Joined
May 25, 2015
Messages
442
Location
Rockford,WA
there is no substitute for boots on the ground. You can look at all the maps and lay out the best plans from home and it can all mean nothing once arriving to the spot. If you are coming from outta state best plan is to keep hunting a area. First year is a scout,hunt and learn. Second year you will have a far better grasp on everything you learned the previous year and tweak your approach. I look at hunting OTC in new areas as atleast a 3 year investment
 

cured_ham

WKR
Joined
Feb 5, 2020
Messages
324
There is 100% no substitute for boots on the ground. If I lived where I could drive to scout for elk I would do that over the course (or both ideally).

But if you are like me and live 22 hours away from where you hunt elk then the online courses are a great tool. I worked through the Elk101 and Elk Collective courses and found them to be very helpful. They are not going to magically walk you into elk but it makes connecting dots when you are out there much easier.

I fully plan to add the Treeline Pursuits and Roe Hunting Resources online tools this year.
 

ClayS

FNG
Joined
Aug 7, 2020
Messages
17
Location
SW Iowa
There is 100% no substitute for boots on the ground. If I lived where I could drive to scout for elk I would do that over the course (or both ideally).

But if you are like me and live 22 hours away from where you hunt elk then the online courses are a great tool. I worked through the Elk101 and Elk Collective courses and found them to be very helpful. They are not going to magically walk you into elk but it makes connecting dots when you are out there much easier.

I fully plan to add the Treeline Pursuits and Roe Hunting Resources online tools this year.
What did you think of the elk collective? I went through the elk101 course last month and definitely learned a lot. Since then I've discovered the elk shape channel on youtube and have been curious if the elk collective would be worth investing in after having already bought the elk101 course.
 

cured_ham

WKR
Joined
Feb 5, 2020
Messages
324
The Elk Collective course goes around to people who hunt a lot and gets their personal strategies and opinions.

There are sections from Joel Turner on calling and shot process (just these two sections are worth the cost imo). Aron Snyder and Ryan Lampers do some backpacking info. Jason Phelps does some calling stuff.

If your first exposure to elk hunting is the Elk Collective course then it reads like a bunch of youtube videos. When I watched it before my first hunt the only things I was able to really take away was the Joel Turner calling and shot process. I called and shot my bull with those. Now that I am into 2021 prep a lot of the modules make more sense.

For the cost I think it is worth it. I am also the guy who considers the hours of research and prep entertainment.
 
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heatstroke18

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Nov 6, 2019
Messages
133
There is 100% no substitute for boots on the ground. If I lived where I could drive to scout for elk I would do that over the course (or both ideally).

But if you are like me and live 22 hours away from where you hunt elk then the online courses are a great tool. I worked through the Elk101 and Elk Collective courses and found them to be very helpful. They are not going to magically walk you into elk but it makes connecting dots when you are out there much easier.

I fully plan to add the Treeline Pursuits and Roe Hunting Resources online tools this year.
Yea I don’t think magically I’m gonna find elk. I need help connecting the dots and if I can stack 1 more cars in my deck to help I think that would be a success
 

drose

FNG
Joined
Mar 18, 2018
Messages
41
Location
Little Rock, AR
In the same boat as you @heatstroke18. I'll be diving into Elk 101 coming up in the spirng. Kifarucast had a pretty good podcast with Roe #315 they dive into some really good tactics and critiques to get you thinking about different strategies. I might get the elk collective if I find out I drew a tag. 1 month membership is clutch. Im a first timer
 

MGARZA913

FNG
Joined
Feb 23, 2017
Messages
23
Did the elk 101 and we try to digest as many podcasts and discussions as possible. From the eastern states too, so rely heavily on e-scouting. Brother and I invested a couple years in the same areas we picked off Google Earth, and archery cow in year 3, bull in year 4. Now that we're getting the hang of the program we've ventured into some new areas based on our lessons learned.
 

JCY

FNG
Joined
Jan 18, 2021
Messages
11
Elk 101 will cover everything you need IMO.

Check out his elk hunting strategy advise at the end of his YouTube vids “brought to you by” RMEF. Very simple tactics that they used that day.

Go hunt and OnX for E-scouting. A note of caution when using OnX, get the local Forest Service or BLM map as a companion to OnX because these paper maps will keep you on the legally open, motorized, system routes. Sometimes OnX doesn’t differentiate between closed and open routes.

OnX is a great tool, I use it all the time. But they sometimes aren’t aware of the latest travel management decisions/changes by the land management agencies.

Good luck!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Brillo

FNG
Joined
Feb 8, 2021
Messages
75
Location
West Michigan
I bought Elk 101 but I have never actually hunted elk so take this lightly. If you are only interested in e scouting vs. tactics, gear, etc, etc, you will be interested to know that the section on e scouting is chiefly a referral to Go Hunt. Compliment that with already available utube videos on e scouting and it seems to me like you will get what you want without engaging Elk 101. To me it all matters so I am satisfied with the knowledge gained.
 
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Messages
2,591
Location
Tijeras NM
Some basic knowledge of elk, some GE savvy and a little common sense goes a long way in e-scouting. And it doesn’t cost a dime.
 

Donk

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
May 4, 2019
Messages
149
I have had the Elk101 since it came out. They have added a few new sections that are pretty good. This is the way I look at it. You can usually get it with a discount code for $60-$70. If you are going to buy any new gear the discount codes alone are worth it. You can pretty much get the course for free if you are planning on buying new boots or something rather expensive. Maybe that just my excuse for keeping it.
 

Deadfall

WKR
Joined
Oct 18, 2019
Messages
1,526
Location
Montana
Call local biologist, ask where winter range is. Then ask where calving grounds are. Knowing those 2 things will greatly increase the odds of finding elk. By September they will be somewhere in between. A map will show where water, food and shelter are in those areas. That will greatly decrease the area you have to travel to find them. Looking at accesses and roads will further decrease the area you have to travel. The calling thing is just practice. record yourself blowing some calls, compare those noices to actual elk noises and adjust fire as needed. From your home you can fine tune calling. You can buy a book about elk behavior and learn just as much about elk from your house as you will through one of those courses. Itll cost way less. Elk hunting is limited to your imagination. Elk are social they make lots of noises.

Everyone calls to elk or at elk. Dont do that. Pretend you are a little herd just doing your thing. Elk being social also makes them curious. Ive watched some of the fancy people stuff. They all have the same tactics. They just wrap it differently. Everyone bugles. Its very useful. but its only one part. Yes you can kill em with only a bugle.

If you are patient youll find elk that everyone else is walking by.

Ue your imagination and save your money. Or dont..
 

hubbs77

FNG
Joined
Dec 1, 2019
Messages
26
I've started the ELK101 course online the first couple chapters are a little slow but when you start to get into elk calling and more in depth features of the course you will find it is worth it. I'm sure the courses are very similar and will help. Rokslide has been tremendous and the tidbits you can pick up on this forum are great but ELK101 and other online course give a very easy to follow format with modules of topics that may take a while to find on here.
 
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