How many days did it take to kill your most recent elk?

How many hunting days did you invest before harvesting your most recent elk?


  • Total voters
    130

Geewhiz

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Aug 6, 2020
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SW MT
This poll is intended for DIY hunts, not guided hunts.

Thought it might be eye opening to see some numbers. If you are elk hunting this season and have yet to havest, give us your most recent, and then update your answer if you find success this season. If multiple years went by between harvests, add them up and give us the numbers.

Good luck to all!
 

Gerbdog

WKR
Joined
Jun 8, 2020
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908
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CO Springs
Last year was 1 day of me actually hunting for my tag. Let you know if i tag one this year.... currently on day uhhhh.... 14 this year? Was on a couple different bulls this morning but.... one just kept moving his cows away from me.... the other i snuck in close, got pinned by his cows, raked a tree, and he wanted nothing to do with it..... took his cows and exited the stage, frustrating.
 
OP
Geewhiz

Geewhiz

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Last year was 1 day of me actually hunting for my tag. Let you know if i tag one this year.... currently on day uhhhh.... 14 this year? Was on a couple different bulls this morning but.... one just kept moving his cows away from me.... the other i snuck in close, got pinned by his cows, raked a tree, and he wanted nothing to do with it..... took his cows and exited the stage, frustrating.
Put your 1 day on the poll.

Its amazing how many things have to align perfectly for an elk to hit the dirt. Keep at it.
 

TX_Diver

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Joined
May 27, 2019
Messages
2,598
I'll be on day 8 or 9 or something when I get back to hunting. That's just this year and doesn't include partial days when I was with a buddy who had a deer tag. Let's not talk about 2020, 21, & 22...
 

hiker270

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Joined
Nov 5, 2022
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537
Last year day one saw 2 cows, day 2 a cow and a bull. Colorado 5x5. Hunting pardner missed a bull day one killed a 4x5 day 4. 5 5 x5 elk.jpg
 
Joined
Aug 10, 2015
Messages
2,714
I don't have a tag yet for this year.

Last year, I killed a cow in the third morning and had an opportunity at a bull thereafter. I hunted for two more weeks but failed to fill my either sex tag.
 
Joined
Sep 5, 2012
Messages
753
Location
Gypsum, CO
Filled my bull tag opening morning at 11 am, got it quartered and hung packed it out Sunday morning by 10AM. Relaxed and did an evening hunt and shot my cow at 5:30PM.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

KHNC

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Jul 11, 2013
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NC
2 days on the last one in 2019. Shot one in elbow on day 4 last year and got to full draw on one day 7 last week. Didnt get a shot off.
 

philson208

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
May 16, 2021
Messages
100
archery bull killed on aug 30 last year. opening evening. pack out was 90 plus degrees.... was the first time tagging out on opener.
hoping for a repeat oct 1 w the rifle.
 
OP
Geewhiz

Geewhiz

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Guys you are making this look too easy for all the noobs.

Would be interesting to see how things changed if we had seperate polls for archery and rifle.
 

Laramie

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Joined
Apr 17, 2020
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2,642
My last was 8 days (5 archery and 3 rifle) but I was holding out for a good bull in a general area. Could have filled opening day of rifle. I think my average over the last 20 elk is probably 5 days. Many years done day one but a few tough archery years I didn't fill until rifle so those really mess up the average.
 

jdmaxwell

WKR
Joined
Mar 8, 2014
Messages
797
This year just off mountain. DIY. Archery Colorado
Packed in Sunday. Shot cow Tuesday
 

TaperPin

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Jul 12, 2023
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3,307
I bet 10-20 days is pretty common for public land diy hunts. Average guy doesn’t go out for a weekend and hang a tag on anything. Some cow hunts are different - those are one, two or three day ordeals unless someone is a Tidepod eater.

Experienced guys hunting familar country are probably in the 5 day range.
 
OP
Geewhiz

Geewhiz

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Joined
Aug 6, 2020
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SW MT
I bet 10-20 days is pretty common for public land diy hunts. Average guy doesn’t go out for a weekend and hang a tag on anything. Some cow hunts are different - those are one, two or three day ordeals unless someone is a Tidepod eater.

Experienced guys hunting familar country are probably in the 5 day range.
Dude, this thread points out the obvious. We're the cream of the freaking crop. We're the hardest of core. Simply stated, we're the best. Kidding, but definately a skewed demographic. Interesting nonetheless.

Many members on this forum eat sleep and breathe hunting. We scout, glass, hang cams and gather intel every month of the year which is why we tend to find success more often.

But I bet you're right. I know people that "hunt" the entire montana season and cant find a cow to shoot.
 

ORJoe

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Nov 8, 2021
Messages
185
Location
Southern Oregon
Like just that season (4) or including the scouting trips that summer and fall (10?) or also including the two seasons before that where I never got anything (oh boy)?
 

TaperPin

WKR
Joined
Jul 12, 2023
Messages
3,307
Dude, this thread points out the obvious. We're the cream of the freaking crop. We're the hardest of core. Simply stated, we're the best. Kidding, but definately a skewed demographic. Interesting nonetheless.

Many members on this forum eat sleep and breathe hunting. We scout, glass, hang cams and gather intel every month of the year which is why we tend to find success more often.

But I bet you're right. I know people that "hunt" the entire montana season and cant find a cow to shoot.
It is all very interesting. This group is definitely ahead of the curve. The guys holding out for a wall hanger have probably hunted a lot longer than 20 days, which screws up the averages! 🙂
 

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