How long would it take for you to give up?

[SWOHTR]

Just curious and wanted to generally poll the masses here. How many years would it take for you to stop ("give up") elk hunting with the chief consideration being you have never killed an elk, also considering the following:
-Consecutive seasons of seeing one or fewer elk;
-Consecutive seasons of seeing little to no elk sign;
-The time required - figure on 7+ days/season;
-Money required, esp. nonres tag prices.

Would the dream, thought, or "influenced idea" of killing an elk be enough to keep you going, despite multiple consecutive seasons of seeing little to nothing, and having hunted different states/units (as your residency, time, money) allows?

I have my own thoughts but wanted to see what others here think or have observed.

 

[Grant K]

with all those considerations I'd probably say that quitting is a reasonable idea if you aren't willing to change your approach, whatever you are doing now doesn't seem to be working well, and it's probably not going to get better without some significant changes.

Hard to tell what the exact issue might be but it seems like you might be in the wrong areas for the time of year you are hunting, maybe not covering enough ground, maybe getting stuck in a single area where the elk are just not at right now?

no idea what states you have been hunting but maybe consider a cow hunt in a unit that's hard to draw for a bull tag just to get some time looking at a lot of elk and a better feeling for where you should be, a couple of easy hunts can help to get over the hump of figuring out where elk like to be.

 

[snowymtnwolf]

That’s a rough one. Geesh

If the desire is great enough - continue until death.

But I would def change your ways.

I’d spend a summer (better for fall season dates) and locate elk in areas where a tag is possible within the time frame you deem reasonable.

Then when you find “your spot”, get the tag, and bag your elk


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[mwiggi]

I’d honestly give up after two seasons of not killing one. But I’m far from elk country.

 

[justinspicher]

If I didn’t live in where I do, couldn’t hunt elk every year, I probably wouldn’t do it. I am not a fan of hunting out of state.

 

[PredatoronthePrairie]

Don't want this to come off as rude. But I think an individual in that postion needs to take a step back and reevaluate where they are truly at as a woodsman. Firmly believe in the steps of growth as a hunter, and that all forms, Rabit, squirrel, duck, geese, trapping, heck even fishing all help build the foundation nessecary that is needed to improve one's craft.

 

[taskswap]

Just curious and wanted to generally poll the masses here. How many years would it take for you to stop ("give up") elk hunting with the chief consideration being you have never killed an elk, also considering the following:

State-wide average where I am is something like 22%, last time I checked. That's across the board - newbies and experienced hunters alike, as well as folks in the field for archery for a month combined with day-trippers who just get out opening day. But either way, that's 1 every 5 years "on average" with no other factors considered.

Based on that I'd go 10 years - that's two "missed the average" periods. But if you went more then 2-3 years without "seeing" anything worth keeping you in the game, you should be doing everything in your power to improve your skill. If you aren't seeing elk you're probably not where they are. If you went 10 years doing that, you should stop if for no other reason than you're wasting your time. You're never going to be successful hunting elk in downtown San Diego

 

[wapitibob]

You're hunting in the wrong place.

 

[Sandbrew]

Never give up - You need to change tactics and location. See new country, glass long distance, look for a new hidey hole.

Like an old timer told me after an 8 day backcountry grind without seeing a ram deep in a wilderness area. "Now you've figured out where they are not." There's a lot of truth to that wise statement.

Don't quit....ever.

Sandbrew

 

[SWOHTR]

To clarify, this isn't about me. I've found elk, been into elk, had opportunities on them. Made a lot of dumb mistakes, learned, and continue to do so. Had to take a four-year hiatus due to military obligations. I'm really talking more about the person who hears about it on a podcast (i.e., Rogan) and decides to do it. How long do you think they give it a try until they give up?

 

[SWOHTR]

Well in that case, that whole macho man ra-ra crowd should give up immediately.

"Should" - yes. Agreed...it's interesting to think how long they'll stick with it though.

 

[trophyhill]

Never give up! Ever! Watch the Cliff Gray video "why people quit on the mountain"

Here. I’ll make it easy for ya.

 

[CB4]

1. How many years would it take for you to stop ("give up") elk hunting with the chief consideration being you have never killed an elk?
   • Not a reason to quit
2. Consecutive seasons of seeing one or fewer elk
   • Change how you are scouting
3. Consecutive seasons of seeing little to no elk sign;
   • Change how you are scouting
4. The time required - figure on 7+ days/season;
   • Time in field = success
5. Money required, esp. nonres tag prices.
   • You can do it as cheap or expensive as you want, you dont need pricey gear, cow tags can be cheaper, if you want a 300" bull then yes be willing to spend money

 

[bigbassin]

I’d say it depends too much on the person and overall experience of the trip to put a number on it.

I’m on my third year of whitetail hunting and still looking for my first one. 1st year I easily hunted 30+ times and didn’t see any deer except a herd of does (not quite rivaling the herd ROAL Reaper single handily maintains) on the very last sit of the season.

I’d say most would consider that a failure, but I just viewed it as a way to scratch places off the list. Didn’t deter me at all, I enjoyed every minute of it.

With that being said, a $5 tag and a 30 minute drive is a lot different than traveling across country on a $1000 tag. Personally, I’d say 4 to 5 years assuming I’m not getting into elk. I would think if I’m coming close, it would keep me coming beyond the 5 year mark even if I wasn’t getting shot opportunities.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

I wouldn't give up, just give up on non productive area, and move on.

 

[ndbuck09]

I'm hoping people give up after 1 year.

 

[P dog]

Ive only been on 4 elk hunts before this year. 5th time was the charm for me killing one. Keep at it and dont ever even think about quitting. Change up tactics if youre not seeing them and proceed from there.

 

[Axlrod]

I guess it is whatever drives you. A lot of things in life i have said repeatedly "this will not beat me". Sometimes it does though. I have been pretty fortunate in my many years of chasing elk, so i find tremendous joy and satisfaction just being in the mountains.

I have a friend and his son that went to the MT unlimited sheep area hunting. Did not see a single sheep- for 5 years & at least 2 weeks in there each trip. Then 2 out of the following 3 years they each shot a ram. So never give up!

 

[KennethDeemer]

This could also be titled "how stupid are you?"

Spoiler alert, I'm very stupid.

On a more serious note, everything teaches you something. I hunted the last two seasons in an area that had extremely low densities of elk and was terrible country to navigate. I learned a lot about navigation, what is possible in a day, how to identify prime elk area, where pressured animals go, etc.

However, I learned 5x about elk this year when I switched to an area with great animal numbers. I would be hard pressed to spend more time in my last location after being in a place where you get many opportunities throughout the week vs losing your mind over a pile of 8hr old scat.

Bottom line, there are a lot of things you learn that make you a better hunter just being out there...But, if you want to be a better all around hunter and a killer, you have to be able to reliably get on animals and spend time in their house. @Grant K mentioned cow hunts in high success bull areas, that is where I wish I had spent my last two seasons instead of chasing ghost elk.

 

[SWOHTR]

This could also be titled "how stupid are you?"

I did contemplate what to name this thread, lol. I am in agreeance with a lot of the points in here. I switched to an area this year that I knew would be risky at best, and turns out...was everything I thought it would be and nothing I hoped. Compare that to units of years past where yes, the animals were scarce but they were there. At the very least, this season scratched my itch for trying this new area. I'm unlikely to return next year, on to a finding a new one.

I also think expectation management is an underappreciated factor. Going into something knowing the odds are massively stacked against you will change your perspective compared to entering something with the expectation that there's a big bull behind every tree, and being surprised to find out that is not the case.

It's also quite the dichotomy to look at the successful "influencers" if you will and compare and contrast. Those that grew up doing it vs those that just got into it and have capital reserves to burn. Both end up being successful, but the skillset between each is probably separated by a giant chasm. Then, apply that to the "everyman" who didn't grow up doing it and doesn't have the capital reserve. That's where expectation management is critical.