First solo backcountry elk hunt

[alindsey1237]

I haven’t been able to find anyone that likes to hunt as hard as I do. So this year I will be hunting solo for the first time. I’m going to Idaho Sept. 16-23.

I have a few questions.
1) What are some strategies you use for calling solo?
2) If I happen to get one what order would you pack out the meat in? I’m thinking if I bone it out and hang it near a creek in the shade I should have some time to get it out safely. Thoughts?
3) any other advice is welcome. Minus the be in shape, be safe info that is obvious.

 

[MTNTOPARCHERY]

I personally don’t call a lot! I put elk to bed and make plays in the mid day. Has worked well for me.
If you are gonna call, be in tight when you do and don’t “over talk” them immediately. Give a little rag 5 wimpy bugle see how he reacts then go from there.

Meat - get it out ASAP. I usually try to take a rear and a front boned along with back straps on the first trip. It’s heavy and I go slow but a good majority of the meat is in the cooler fairly quickly.
Every one of these elk was shot in their bed

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[Raghornkiller]

In my opinion the easiest way to hunt solo is to hunt an area with dense timber so they come in close.You could glass and then spot and stalk in more open country but it will probably take a few days of glassing to find elk and then wait until they are in an approachable spot.I think on average it takes me 3-5 days to fill my tag by moving through dark timber all day and calling often enough to annoy anyone listening.I killed my first 4 at less than 15 yds as they went past me to the spot I had been just a minute before

 

[Sdieffen]

I only hunt in public dark timber. Glassing is not an option where i hunt, to thick. So i cow call as i walk thru the thickest, steepest, nastiest north facing dark timber i can find. Usually walk up on them. This is for early September. Once everyone is out bugling their heads of like they saw on some videos it becomes much harder to do this.

 

[alindsey1237]

I only hunt in public dark timber. Glassing is not an option where i hunt, to thick. So i cow call as i walk thru the thickest, steepest, nastiest north facing dark timber i can find. Usually walk up on them. This is for early September. Once everyone is out bugling their heads of like they saw on some videos it becomes much harder to do this.

This is the kind of country I am hunting as well. They all last year seemed to be at the bottom of some big basins and canyons. Makes me nervous to pack out of. Would you camp at the bottom of these?

 

[WI in the west]

Im relatively new yet to (one bow hunt, one successful rifle.), but have been having lots of encounters or days were your in the game and have a chance at getting a shot. what has worked for me so far is truck camping and hitting a bunch of spots, a new one each day and glass a bit morning and night until you find some, then decide what your best play is. Don't have your heart set on a spot you want the elk to be. And the standard be realistic on the shape your in and how far you can realisticly pack one out. after shooting one last season with the rifle It was definatly eye opening how much it wears your body down. so maybe consider keeping your hunting within in 3-5 miles of a road, but that number will vary for everyone. otherwise just have lots of spots marked to check so you don't waste time thinking about what you should try next and youll eventually find them.

 

[alindsey1237]

Im relatively new yet to (one bow hunt, one successful rifle.), but have been having lots of encounters or days were your in the game and have a chance at getting a shot. what has worked for me so far is truck camping and hitting a bunch of spots, a new one each day and glass a bit morning and night until you find some, then decide what your best play is. Don't have your heart set on a spot you want the elk to be. And the standard be realistic on the shape your in and how far you can realisticly pack one out. after shooting one last season with the rifle It was definatly eye opening how much it wears your body down. so maybe consider keeping your hunting within in 3-5 miles of a road, but that number will vary for everyone. otherwise just have lots of spots marked to check so you don't waste time thinking about what you should try next and youll eventually find them.

That’s what I did last year. It just took a while to get where we found them from roads. Figured I’d backpack in a night or two if I don’t find them move to the next area. I’m in decent shape. I’ve packed out 4 bulls with buddies so far one mine with a rifle. One muzzleloader for a buddy and two archery for other buddy’s. I know how heavy they are. I like the idea of the first load being super heavy that Mtntoparchery said. That could really suck though.

 

[MTNTOPARCHERY]

That’s what I did last year. It just took a while to get where we found them from roads. Figured I’d backpack in a night or two if I don’t find them move to the next area. I’m in decent shape. I’ve packed out 4 bulls with buddies so far one mine with a rifle. One muzzleloader for a buddy and two archery for other buddy’s. I know how heavy they are. I like the idea of the first load being super heavy that Mtntoparchery said. That could really suck though.

It does suck, best advice? Embrace the suck. No awesome hunting story starts when ya kill them 100 yards from the road. Being able to embrace what you have accomplished and own the suck, makes it soooo much better when you are eating elk and providing for family.

Killed this bear 4 miles from my truck in a awful hole. 117 lbs with the bow on my back and it brought the 3 of us so close as hunters, it was 100% the best hunt I have ever had.

Embrace the suck!!

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[sneaky]

This is the kind of country I am hunting as well. They all last year seemed to be at the bottom of some big basins and canyons. Makes me nervous to pack out of. Would you camp at the bottom of these?

Hunting dark timber works as long as you aren't in grizz country, then it's a death wish. I wouldn't camp in the bottom of the canyons unless you want to blow everything out of those spots. Get your water and get up on a ridge with some distance between you and the elk you're after. They're gonna feed up to bed towards you in the morning and you'll be in great position once the thermals switch. All the cold damp air settles in those bottoms too and can make for a miserable night's sleep if you get cold easily.

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[alindsey1237]

It does suck, best advice? Embrace the suck. No awesome hunting story starts when ya kill them 100 yards from the road. Being able to embrace what you have accomplished and own the suck, makes it soooo much better when you are eating elk and providing for family.

Killed this bear 4 miles from my truck in a awful hole. 117 lbs with the bow on my back and it brought the 3 of us so close as hunters, it was 100% the best hunt I have ever had.

Embrace the suck!!

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I look forward to embracing the suck

 

[alindsey1237]

Hunting dark timber works as long as you aren't in grizz country, then it's a death wish. I wouldn't camp in the bottom of the canyons unless you want to blow everything out of those spots. Get your water and get up on a ridge with some distance between you and the elk you're after. They're gonna feed up to bed towards you in the morning and you'll be in great position once the thermals switch. All the cold damp air settles in those bottoms too and can make for a miserable night's sleep if you get cold easily.

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that’s a good info thanks. Luckily not in grizzly country. Do you try and get on the same level as them in the morning and then move in on them during the morning before the thermals switch?

 

[Trumpkin The Dwarf]

I totally agree with the advice to pack out a hind and front in the first trip. Make sure they're boneless if you want to pack both. I will say that anything over 3-4 miles is going to S U C K. Anything beyond 5, you probably should have a couple elk pack outs under your belt first, so you know what you're getting into.

Citric acid will buy you more time to get the meat out if it's hot.

 

[alindsey1237]

I totally agree with the advice to pack out a hind and front in the first trip. Make sure they're boneless if you want to pack both. I will say that anything over 3-4 miles is going to S U C K. Anything beyond 5, you probably should have a couple elk pack outs under your belt first, so you know what you're getting into.

Citric acid will buy you more time to get the meat out if it's hot.

Could you explain citric acid to me or is there a link I can read up on this.

 

[Trumpkin The Dwarf]

Field-to-Freezer Meat Care in Alaska, Alaska Department of Fish and Game

Information on hunting and trapping in Alaska.

www.adfg.alaska.gov

Here's a good resource. It has a section on citric acid use. Basically it's powder that you mix with water and spray on the meat to form a low pH crust that keeps flies off it and bacteria from forming.

 

[trophyhill]

Calling solo. My favorite thing to do. So many options. When calling, knowing what different elk sounds mean and the context is huge. Whether hearing and responding, or soliciting. Your set up is huge and cannot be overstated. I want to be in a location where an elk has to come looking for me where the terrain or cover is to my advantage.

I want to call from a location where my sounds carry far and wide. If I'm looking for elk, I want to start off low key and not very loud, and then escalate if I'm not getting responses. It is easier to escalate to find an elks mood, than to de-escalate. Patience is key "for me" when getting them to come.

If my set up is right, I won't have to move. If it's not quite right, I will call and move. And if serious aggression is needed, try cow calling your way in to a bull that's calling you his way. But your head has to be on a swivel if you think he has cows. Though the sounds may not be aggressive, make no mistake, your actions are. Your sounds can be aggressive too, using bull sounds, in the right situation.

Another sound I came to love in the right situation or context, is the nervous grunt. If used at the right time, it's as deadly a call as you will ever use.

 

[Sdieffen]

This is the kind of country I am hunting as well. They all last year seemed to be at the bottom of some big basins and canyons. Makes me nervous to pack out of. Would you camp at the bottom of these?

The dilemma I face is camping close to elk but not too close. To me they are a lot like hunting turkeys. You see them during the preseason, then you go in and bump a bird here and there and suddenly they disappear. So the only way I'd camp right among them is if I watched a bull bed down in the evening and I thought that I could whack him at sunup.

As far as being nervous to pack out from the bottom of a canyon. That's a loaded question. We hunt between 10-12k feet. I helped 2 buddies carry one out from 11500 last year. It was 4 miles round trip to a FS road. It took everything we had. My wife and 12 year old help pack also. We decided to take a route following the contour of this super steep terrain instead of up and over a couple of canyons to keep elevation gain to a minimum. Wife told me half way that if I kill one back in there I was on my own. So, keep it real by yourself, because when you get tired you start making mistakes and that's where you sprain an ankle or get hurt in some other way. Everyone wants to harvest one, don't do it in a spot you can't manage!

 

[Fl Flatlander]

Any advice on the best size cooler for the back of a pick up truck for one elk?

 

[gaarchery]

I’m also wanting to go solo soon, this thread has been great!

 

[MN Hunter]

Any advice on the best size cooler for the back of a pick up truck for one elk?

2 - 110qt or 1- 210 yeti. I also take a smaill cooler for scraps, backstraps and loins.

 

[Eastman528]

I plan to be solo hunting this September in Idaho as well for similar reasons, my buddies that will hunt hard probably won’t be able to go where I really would like to this year. I have allot of elk hunting experience but have never packed one out entirely by myself. As far as the actual hunting and calling I am on the fence right now as to what time of September I want to go to best suit a solo hunt. I am looking for a 300 and up bull so that comes into play.
If I am successful I will hang the quarters whole, then bone them out when I am ready to pack them out, whole quarters will cool and hang better than a bag of loose meat. If I have to I will do it in stages rather than go clear from kill site to vehicle on each trip. I think breaking it up can really help for example maybe getting all the meat to the top of a ridge or a mid point. Where I am going I could be as much as six miles in I plan for it to be a multi day ordeal. As far as what order I pack stuff out in I typically do a hind/front first antlers are always last. Depending on the situation however I might take loose meat and back straps with camp. Then come back for quarters as again they will hang better. If it’s really warm you can make a slit among femur on hind quarters to let more heat out.

if you want to PM me I’d be happy to talk more specifics.