First time elk hunting and solo

[SoloWilderness]

Elk are massive animals….. You will most likely have a two day retrieval on your hands if you kill one…. Stay close to the trail……..

Anticipate this and have plenty of cooler space, full of frozen water bottles to pre-chill. First solo bull I took was only 3 miles from the road. Took me 56 hours of continuous packing to get it out, 6 trips, with maybe 4-5 hours (total) of cat naps in that entire time. Be mentally and physically ready for that. Keep a stove with food/ water at each end, so you can refuel at the truck, and at the meat between trips. The further in you go, the more it will be a grind to get it out. Look for cool, shady all day places (creek bottoms with a steady breeze are great) where you can hang meat while you grind it out (these spots are as important to mark on your waypoints as any other, identify them while you hunt, so you have a few identified close to your line of travel out). Don't be afraid to call for help if you get one down and are struggling to get meat out.

 

[fatlander]

I hope it doesn't take two days in the middle of September.

I solo hunt all the time and it takes me an average of 3 trips in rough terrain and 2 trips in reasonable terrain.

Not all elk (and the men carrying them) are created equal. The bull I killed last fall yielded 252 pounds of completely finished meat, so realistically it was getting up around 300 before the bones and unusable scraps. The skinned skull and rack was another 29 pounds.


I don’t know of too many folks that can get that off the mountain in two trips.


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[svivian]

Not all elk (and the men carrying them) are created equal. The bull I killed last fall yielded 252 pounds of completely finished meat, so realistically it was getting up around 300 before the bones and unusable scraps. The skinned skull and rack was another 29 pounds.


I don’t know of too many folks that can get that off the mountain in two trips.


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You're not wrong one bit. I live 60 minutes from where I hunt and typically get two elk a year. one bull and one cow. Plus I help pack out 2 to 3 buddies elk a year as well so I get used to it. Not to mention when I'm doing it in two trips its not in steep country. These are also not big old bulls I'm killing either which also helps and in Colorado hunting OTC, most aren't either.

 

[Gapmaster]

Pay attention to everything, especially the wind. Learn thermals, elk aren’t Whitetail so you’ll need to tweak your hunting if that’s your background.

Watch the wind.

Be patient, but not committed to one area

Don’t let pressure immediately put you in a foul mood. It’s OTC, they’ll be plenty of pressure. Use it to your advantage.

Don’t overthink every move you make, you’re gonna screw up.

Watch the wind… yeah that’s 3 times I’ve said that!

Most of all enjoy where you are and what you are doing and learn as you go. Good luck!!

 

[JB64]

One more note that popped into my mind after I posted, this was a real eye opener for me. I have tons of backpacking and mountaineering experience. That said, much of that is confined to well defined paths/trails clear of obstacles. Off trail trekking, especially through blow down takes a toll. Even after you're acclimated, traversing blowdown will wear you down, even with a light pack on. Work out your legs, especially on steps, box jumps, hill repeats etc. You'll be glad you did. If someone already mentioned this, I apologize for double tapping it.

 

[Dillon.Curtin]

Appreciate all the advice guys. I’ve been going through the elk university course which has been great.

Any advice as it pertains to scent control? With pack weight being critical, what key items would y’all recommend bringing?

 

[TradLife406]

Have a realistic plan on how far you're hiking in with a plan to get the meat out. But also don't over limit yourself.

When I first started hunting elk I really cut myself short. If I had simply gone maybe another half mile in I'd have been in elk a lot more. But at the time I was 60lb over weight

I see a lot of guys wanting to go on their first elk hunt. They're also going on their first backpacking trip at the same time with untested gear. That's a bad idea.

With no backpacking knowledge I'd definitely try and find a place to truck camp. You don't get bonus points for going on a through hike or going in 10 miles. Not sure where this crap started. One mountain mile at elevation especially climbing or going down hill is about 2-3 on flat ground. Even if you're in shape it sucks.

If you can use an atv I'd do it. We atv in few miles then leave them there and spike camp. We usually kill within 2-3 miles of the atvs.
ATVs get a bad rap. But there's using an atv smart and then there's bugling off the atv.

If you do kill make sure you study up on how to keep the meat cool between trips packing.

Good luck.

Oh I'd really look into Chris Roes info. Game changer

 

[Karlg]

Appreciate all the advice guys. I’ve been going through the elk university course which has been great.

Any advice as it pertains to scent control? With pack weight being critical, what key items would y’all recommend bringing?

Play the wind. That’s all the scent control you need and maybe wear merino wool base layers, so you can stand yourself after a couple days!

You’re going to sweat an ungodly amount in the mountains, there’s nothing you can apply to yourself to beat an elks nose after that.

 

[Dillon.Curtin]

Play the wind. That’s all the scent control you need and maybe wear merino wool base layers, so you can stand yourself after a couple days!

You’re going to sweat an ungodly amount in the mountains, there’s nothing you can apply to yourself to beat an elks nose after that.

Makes complete sense. Probably should’ve thought about that before even posing the question. Thanks


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[Karlg]

Makes complete sense. Probably should’ve thought about that before even posing the question. Thanks


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No worries! I’m a whitetail guy, who used to worry about scent a lot. The more I hunt out west though, the less I worry about it here in the east. Just paying extra attention to the wind