First Time Archery Elk Hunting Experience

[gentleman4561]

Sitting in a hotel in Bozeman, getting ready to fly back to Georgia after seven days of hunting public land in Montana.

I didn’t kill an elk, but what an incredible, though at times discouraging, trip.

We saw elk, foxes, mule deer, whitetails, moose, ospreys, and all kinds of other wildlife. We got into plenty of mule deer, a few elk, and even got within 45 yards of a nice 6x6 bull, but couldn’t seal the deal with a bow.

The biggest disappointment was the lack of bugling. We didn’t hear a single bugle the entire trip. Most of our time was spent hunting one unit, though we did a three-hour middle-of-the-night drive to try a different unit, still no bugles. The one bull that gave us a shot opportunity showed up after we sat on a meadow for ten hours straight.

We tried hard core loud knockout battle bugling, super soft chuckles, cow calls etc. could never get a response. We saw elk everyday but one and saw an absurd amount of sign, but never got them to talk. A local hunter we met who has hunted the area for a long time and killed 33 bulls in the unit blames it on the wolves and hunting pressure.

It was an amazing adventure, but I’m not sure what my future looks like when it comes to elk hunting. I will be back, just not sure if I want to take a week off work and fly across the country to hunt such pressured elk vs go with an outfitter. I am hunting Africa next year, so an elk hunt is off the table in 2026. I could probably afford a $10K elk hunt every 3-4 years, and I feel like that might be the route I go. Anyone else give up DIY public to hunt with outfitters?

As an example, we met a woman at the bar next to our cabin who lives on a 2,600-acre ranch. She showed us videos of elk bugling nonstop and a herd of 50 elk feeding in her backyard at 1 p.m. Not looking to do a road hunt/high fence, but is the happy medium saving points for 6-8 years and then doing public?

 

[fatlander]

Read this a long time ago and it’s held pretty true.

Mature bull elk with a bow cost 10k. You can pay an outfit, or you can slug it out on your own. Either way, it’s going to cost you 10k.


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[OXN939]

Sitting in a hotel in Bozeman, getting ready to fly back to Georgia after seven days of hunting public land in Montana.

I didn’t kill an elk, but what an incredible, though at times discouraging, trip.

We saw elk, foxes, mule deer, whitetails, moose, ospreys, and all kinds of other wildlife. We got into plenty of mule deer, a few elk, and even got within 45 yards of a nice 6x6 bull, but couldn’t seal the deal with a bow.

The biggest disappointment was the lack of bugling. We didn’t hear a single bugle the entire trip. Most of our time was spent hunting one unit, though we did a three-hour middle-of-the-night drive to try a different unit, still no bugles. The one bull that gave us a shot opportunity showed up after we sat on a meadow for ten hours straight.

We tried hard core loud knockout battle bugling, super soft chuckles, cow calls etc. could never get a response. We saw elk everyday but one and saw an absurd amount of sign, but never got them to talk. A local hunter we met who has hunted the area for a long time and killed 33 bulls in the unit blames it on the wolves and hunting pressure.

It was an amazing adventure, but I’m not sure what my future looks like when it comes to elk hunting. I will be back, just not sure if I want to take a week off work and fly across the country to hunt such pressured elk vs go with an outfitter. I am hunting Africa next year, so an elk hunt is off the table in 2026. I could probably afford a $10K elk hunt every 3-4 years, and I feel like that might be the route I go. Anyone else give up DIY public to hunt with outfitters?

As an example, we met a woman at the bar next to our cabin who lives on a 2,600-acre ranch. She showed us videos of elk bugling nonstop and a herd of 50 elk feeding in her backyard at 1 p.m. Not looking to do a road hunt/high fence, but is the happy medium saving points for 6-8 years and then doing public?

Realistically, with the landscape of western big game hunting since COVID, going with an outfitter is probably a better, more logical experience for most nonresidents.

Unless you're already sitting on a pile of points or happen to draw a really primo random tag, things will often be as you described- spending days picking your way across highly pressured public to maybe luck your way into a single opportunity, while guys who went with an outfitter (often at similar cost to an out of state DIY hunt by the time you factor in a decade worth of points and the cost of scouting a unit) watch bulls bugling and fighting each other all week.

 

[Scoot]

Read this a long time ago and it’s held pretty true.

Mature bull elk with a bow cost 10k. You can pay an outfit, or you can slug it out on your own. Either way, it’s going to cost you 10k.


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I've never paid one fifth that on an elk hunt and all my elk hunts have been as a non-resident and coming from the midwest. As a NR DIY public land guy I've killed a lot of elk too.

OP it's tough when they're not talking!

 

[Indian Summer]

Wolves will definitely cause elk to go silent. So will pressure. You don’t need an outfitter. I was a Montana outfitter for 12 years. You just need a new plan. Do you want to go hunting or do you want to buy an elk? If you just wanna buy an elk write a big fat check to hunt on private land. If you want to hunt just relocate and when you get there don’t try calling elk until you’re a good mile or so away from roads. Don’t park at a trailhead with everyone else. Find a random starting point. Maybe cross a river or claw your way up over a super steep slope for 2 hours where nobody else will.

I can tell you this: Elk aren’t deer. The words elk and easy do NOT belong in the same sentence. For that reason elk hunting is NOT for everyone. If you hunted elk and thought it was discouraging instead of addictive I’m going to say it’s not for you. Good luck in Africa. It’s easy there.

 

[fatlander]

I've never paid one fifth that on an elk hunt and all my elk hunts have been as a non-resident and coming from the midwest. As a NR DIY public land guy I've killed a lot of elk too.

OP it's tough when they're not talking!

How many tags, how much gear, gas and time off did you spend before killing a mature 6 point with your bow?

That’s the point I’m making. Based off this year alone I bet the OP is over 1/4 of the way to that 10k.


I put a bull in the freezer earlier this month that cost me less than 1/5th of that too.


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[TheArdentOutdoorsman]

Elk hunting as a Diy NR is a long row to how when it comes to being successful. The outfitted experience wont provide the memories or satisfaction that getting it done from scratch on your own will in my opinion, BUT, if you only plan to elk hunt a couple times then its certainly the way to go. It took me 3 unsuccessful archery elk hunts before I filled a bull tag. The main thing is simply DONT GIVE UP, your hunt can change on the flip of a switch. With each trip you'll be better for the next trip and eventually you'll turn a corner where you feel and hunt, like a successful elk hunter. Each trip you'll be better physically prepared because you know what to expect. Each trip you'll learn more about elk behavior, habitat and how the mountains move your scent. And so forth in becoming a better elk hunter with experience. My first trip, saw 1 elk in 7 days. Was mentally beaten by day 4. Didn't feel like I had a clue in finding elk. Each day I had less physical drive due to being mentally eroded. By now, I can find elk quickly due to knowing what to look for, I understand better how they move and behave, I know what habitat they will prefer within a given area and how they will use that habitat, I push harder and further than I used to because I have confidence. This, has ultimately led to success afield. Nothing will top the feeling when all your hard work has paid off and you cut that tag. Good luck!

 

[Chris in TN]

If you want to hear elk bugling and doing all the things you've read about, visit Yellowstone in late September or early October. It'll be glorious. It was for us. And if you aren't scared of the bears you can hike back in and get up close to the elk. We did. I parked one afternoon and jumped out of the car and took off running behind a small rise towards a distant bull. Looked back and my oldest daughter was chasing me. An elk hunter was born that day. We snuck over the rise and watched a huge bull scream at his cows and push them around.

If you want to kill elk.....my lifelong hunting partner is a great camper, not so great hunter. So we did a few guided hunts. Never regretted a moment or penny of them.

Now I'm trying to learn DIY unguided. Taking my daughter this year and I'm 100% certain we have put the cost of a single guided hunt, into this DIY hunting trip with all the camping gear, and we are buying BUDGET gear. If you're buying premium branded gear, you could easily spend two guided hunts on gear, in year one, then spend another 1/3 of that every subsequent year until you get your gear dialed in. Don't kid yourself that guided hunts are cost-prohibitive and unguided is cheap. You can do some very reasonable guided hunts, if you have realistic (any legal bull) expectations. Or do a cow hunt. After shooting a couple bulls I'm perfectly happy shooting and eating cow elk from here out, and they're certainly cheaper.

 

[Chris in TN]

Elk hunting as a Diy NR is a long row to how when it comes to being successful. The outfitted experience wont provide the memories or satisfaction that getting it done from scratch on your own will

Really depends on the person. I've killed deer on public. Sure, it's satisfying. But I hunt public because of cost, not a need to accomplish something.

 

[TheArdentOutdoorsman]

Really depends on the person. I've killed deer on public. Sure, it's satisfying. But I hunt public because of cost, not a need to accomplish something.

There are Public places that rival what you'll find on private. We call them honey holes

 

[Chris in TN]

There are Public places that rival what you'll find on private. We call them honey holes

Yes. Doesn't change what I said.

 

[Scoot]

How many tags, how much gear, gas and time off did you spend before killing a mature 6 point with your bow?

1 tag, not a lot of additional gear from what I already owned, 1 week bookended by 2 weekends, and 12 hours of driving each way to give you an idea on gas. Killed a nice 6x6 an hour and a half into day 1. But... i understand your point. I was lucky and doing it on your own comes with some expense. But the money difference between DIY and outfitted hunts is big and growing bigger.

Indian Summer's comment about it being discouraging instead of addicting is spot on. If that's how the OP feels, it might be best to just push the easy button and hire an outfitter. It's addictive for me- I think about elk every day. I have no interest in hiring an outfitter as I'd rather fail on my own than be handheld by someone else.

 

[Coveyleader]

You take all that time off, bust your ass, and don't hear a bugle? I get exactly what he's saying, and where he's going with this. Time vs quality experience. How can going a week in the elk woods without hearing one be addicting? Not to mention how many people are elk hunting these days.

Another option could be buying LO tags for decent units.

 

[Phaseolus]

If you want to hear elk bugling and doing all the things you've read about, visit Yellowstone in late September or early October. It'll be glorious. It was for us. And if you aren't scared of the bears you can hike back in and get up close to the elk. We did. I parked one afternoon and jumped out of the car and took off running behind a small rise towards a distant bull. Looked back and my oldest daughter was chasing me. An elk hunter was born that day. We snuck over the rise and watched a huge bull scream at his cows and push them around.

If you want to kill elk.....my lifelong hunting partner is a great camper, not so great hunter. So we did a few guided hunts. Never regretted a moment or penny of them.

Now I'm trying to learn DIY unguided. Taking my daughter this year and I'm 100% certain we have put the cost of a single guided hunt, into this DIY hunting trip with all the camping gear, and we are buying BUDGET gear. If you're buying premium branded gear, you could easily spend two guided hunts on gear, in year one, then spend another 1/3 of that every subsequent year until you get your gear dialed in. Don't kid yourself that guided hunts are cost-prohibitive and unguided is cheap. You can do some very reasonable guided hunts, if you have realistic (any legal bull) expectations. Or do a cow hunt. After shooting a couple bulls I'm perfectly happy shooting and eating cow elk from here out, and they're certainly cheaper.

Rocky Mountain National Park's elk bugling/watching is much better than Jellystone post reintroduction.

 

[BigAntlerGetter]

Sitting in a hotel in Bozeman, getting ready to fly back to Georgia after seven days of hunting public land in Montana.

I didn’t kill an elk, but what an incredible, though at times discouraging, trip.

We saw elk, foxes, mule deer, whitetails, moose, ospreys, and all kinds of other wildlife. We got into plenty of mule deer, a few elk, and even got within 45 yards of a nice 6x6 bull, but couldn’t seal the deal with a bow.

The biggest disappointment was the lack of bugling. We didn’t hear a single bugle the entire trip. Most of our time was spent hunting one unit, though we did a three-hour middle-of-the-night drive to try a different unit, still no bugles. The one bull that gave us a shot opportunity showed up after we sat on a meadow for ten hours straight.

We tried hard core loud knockout battle bugling, super soft chuckles, cow calls etc. could never get a response. We saw elk everyday but one and saw an absurd amount of sign, but never got them to talk. A local hunter we met who has hunted the area for a long time and killed 33 bulls in the unit blames it on the wolves and hunting pressure.

It was an amazing adventure, but I’m not sure what my future looks like when it comes to elk hunting. I will be back, just not sure if I want to take a week off work and fly across the country to hunt such pressured elk vs go with an outfitter. I am hunting Africa next year, so an elk hunt is off the table in 2026. I could probably afford a $10K elk hunt every 3-4 years, and I feel like that might be the route I go. Anyone else give up DIY public to hunt with outfitters?

As an example, we met a woman at the bar next to our cabin who lives on a 2,600-acre ranch. She showed us videos of elk bugling nonstop and a herd of 50 elk feeding in her backyard at 1 p.m. Not looking to do a road hunt/high fence, but is the happy medium saving points for 6-8 years and then doing public?

So not to be one of those guys, but I’m an outfitter. That being said from the way it sounds you watched tons of influencer videos and cam Haynes and all those guys that “hike” 250 yards from the truck layout a bugle and 12 respond. You then choose which one sounded the biggest and best and go after them and kill them. Is that close?

I get guys yearly telling me there’s no elk cause they aren’t bugling, we couldn’t find any tracks
On the trails we hiked, there’s no elk. Well pressure, wolves, and the new craze of blast bugles every 100 yards til you find one that bugles back is just educating elk to stay quiet. If you had an intruder in your home and couldn’t get to a weapon would you be yelling at them when ur hiding? Would you want to give away your position when ur being stalked? Probably not elk are adapting to be quieter, a bull can completely control his cows with sounds that you won’t hear 30 yards away. Influencers and social media, as well as wolves have changed the dynamics of elk hunting. The thing is social has hurt it and turned it into an “it’s easier than it seems” type of deal.

Guys come out west every year with hopes dreams and unrealistic expectations. It’s hard to give them the truth cause they will tell you well on tv. I’ll tell you there’s a lot of film not being shown and some audio dubbed in. A 10 day hunt slammed into less than 30 minutes you’re not gonna see the bad, the hard, and the boring stuff.

As far as your question going with an outfitter some are against it some do it, it’s your personal
Choice but your guide is most likely also going to know the elk and terrain. They’re going to give you the sorry they’re not bugling but usually they hold up here. They should know when to call to get elk in or areas to set up where they should be able to get elk in. A DIY your basically guessing and you could be setting up 50 yards to far away to get a bull to react, you could be tromping through the woods right through a bedding area that the elk were there but you pushed them before you even got there. Not saying that won’t Happen to a guide happened to me this week, but usually we know historic areas of where they go, where they bed, feed, transfer over etc. comes down to your budget and all that. Sure there’s guys that got it done their first time DIY and they were “kings” til they didn’t harvest again for several years. Or guys that found a honey hole and harvest constantly.

The question of is it worth it? Comes down to you and your personal opinion, if you do book an outfitter do your due diligence and talk to previous clients, and make an educated decision on who you go with and ask for realistic expectations vs the sales pitch to book.


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[Serrano]

Read this a long time ago and it’s held pretty true.

Mature bull elk with a bow cost 10k. You can pay an outfit, or you can slug it out on your own. Either way, it’s going to cost you 10k.


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I'm sure that way more than half of all bow elk hunters that have spent much more than $10K over the years have NOT killed a mature bull elk. That includes guided hunts.