Just getting started, looking for all the tips

[KcNsan3]

Buying 2nd hand is a great method, I still buy most things 2nd hand because you can find so much like new at huge discounts

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I just got a upgrade on binos and a rangefinder for a steal this morning from fella on facebook! Paid half of what I was expecting for the upgrade

 

[Mike 338]

Haven't bow hunted in a while but:

• Scout early for a spot.
• Hunt the wind. Might be the most important thing.
• Move real slow and be quiet. Very quiet.
• Glass ahead behind and through brush, trees, logs. It'll slow you down too which is good.
• Avoid getting lost in the dark. Those scouting trips pay off.
• Practice some with your broadheads. They fly different than fieldpoints.
• You can do everything right but the animal is always part of the equation that we don't control. It's just a walk in the woods. Have a good time.

 

[TaperPin]

If you’re going into it broke, you need to be tough. Mountain hunting is very physically demanding and a good equipment selection makes it easier. Skimp on gear and you’ll be packing an extra 10 pounds everywhere you go.

When I was just getting into backcountry hunting I kept a Checklist so nothing would be forgotten. For 95% of all mountain hunting the list doesn’t change from year to year. When I came across new gear I forced myself to look at that list and do the gut check to see if it was something I couldn’t live without or if was lower on the list of priorities. Focus on what goes in your day pack, because that’s always with you.

Practice - a good shot with a $250 bow and second hand hunting clothes will out hunt a bad shot in shitty shape with $3000 in gear.

By far the best way to teach yourself what gear works, is to use it - make yourself camp out, even if it’s just in your back yard. If you cant get to the high country, go wherever you can and put some miles on your boots carrying what you intend to hunt with.

Find a local friend who also wants to hunt the mountains so you can carpool and make short trips in the summer - nothing will keep you fired up like seeing big antlers covered in velvet in the off season, or playing with spike elk with a cow call until he tries to run over you.

The best elk hunters I’ve known are comfortable route finding at night - just being comfortable with yourself in the mountains at all times of day or night is a milestone. In the summer spend the night in the mountains with just what’s on your back - it sucks, but a few items make all the difference.

If you are a good long distance shot, don’t overlook timberline muledeer. In many high country areas the muledeer get very little pressure since most bow hunters are in the thick timber looking for elk.

New elk hunters can learn a lot by watching - get good binoculars and look for vantage points across drainages to see how elk move through the daily cycle. The first time you spot a huge bull in the middle of July living next to a small spring seep in the middle of a big heavily wooded patch of timber you’ll never forget it. Or a few bulls on a rocky ridge up high where the wind keep the bugs down. Cows and spikes vs big bulls all have a rythme and are somewhat predictable.

 

[KcNsan3]

If you’re going into it broke, you need to be tough. Mountain hunting is very physically demanding and a good equipment selection makes it easier. Skimp on gear and you’ll be packing an extra 10 pounds everywhere you go.

When I was just getting into backcountry hunting I kept a Checklist so nothing would be forgotten. For 95% of all mountain hunting the list doesn’t change from year to year. When I came across new gear I forced myself to look at that list and do the gut check to see if it was something I couldn’t live without or if was lower on the list of priorities. Focus on what goes in your day pack, because that’s always with you.

Practice - a good shot with a $250 bow and second hand hunting clothes will out hunt a bad shot in shitty shape with $3000 in gear.

By far the best way to teach yourself what gear works, is to use it - make yourself camp out, even if it’s just in your back yard. If you cant get to the high country, go wherever you can and put some miles on your boots carrying what you intend to hunt with.

Find a local friend who also wants to hunt the mountains so you can carpool and make short trips in the summer - nothing will keep you fired up like seeing big antlers covered in velvet in the off season, or playing with spike elk with a cow call until he tries to run over you.

The best elk hunters I’ve known are comfortable route finding at night - just being comfortable with yourself in the mountains at all times of day or night is a milestone. In the summer spend the night in the mountains with just what’s on your back - it sucks, but a few items make all the difference.

If you are a good long distance shot, don’t overlook timberline muledeer. In many high country areas the muledeer get very little pressure since most bow hunters are in the thick timber looking for elk.

New elk hunters can learn a lot by watching - get good binoculars and look for vantage points across drainages to see how elk move through the daily cycle. The first time you spot a huge bull in the middle of July living next to a small spring seep in the middle of a big heavily wooded patch of timber you’ll never forget it. Or a few bulls on a rocky ridge up high where the wind keep the bugs down. Cows and spikes vs big bulls all have a rythme and are somewhat predictable.

This is an incredible response! Thank you so much for it!

 

[TaperPin]

Glad to help. I grew up reading Jack O Connor hunting the high country - I never had the money for pack trips with horses, but for 15 years I hunted some great country in Wyoming doing it the hard way and was definitely worth the hard work.

 

[KcNsan3]

Glad to help. I grew up reading Jack O Connor hunting the high country - I never had the money for pack trips with horses, but for 15 years I hunted some great country in Wyoming doing it the hard way and was definitely worth the hard work.

Honestly, thinking I'm going to voluntarily take the difficult route while I'm still young.

 

[Coondog]

ON X Is your friend

 

[weekender7]

Get on youtube and find the Hunting Public. Watch all their videos. You will then be so far ahead of the learning curve it will be scary.

 

[KcNsan3]

Get on youtube and find the Hunting Public. Watch all their videos. You will then be so far ahead of the learning curve it will be scary.

Im all caught up! Meateater, western hunter, ive watched most of the big ones!

 

[Szwampdonkey]

My suggestion would be ignore everything you mentioned in your comment, i.e podcasts, websites, MOST DEFINITELY ignore Youtube and don’t ask for any advice on brands.

Then, go to your local archery shop and shoot a bunch of bows then buy what suits you best. Practice with it, then get out and hunt with it. Then as specific questions arise from your experiences come back and ask those. But mostly, you’ll learn what you need to know as you hunt on your own. There ain’t a thing you on Youtube that comes close to boots on the ground experiences as far as learning to bowhunt.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Then, go to your local archery shop and shoot a bunch of bows then buy what suits you best. Practice with it, then get out and hunt with it. Then as specific questions arise from your experiences come back and ask those. But mostly, you’ll learn what you need to know as you hunt on your own.

This right here.... I've killed a truckload of whitetails with my mid-range $400 Hoyt bow from 2007 or so. I buy regular, full length, fletched Cabelas brand carbon arrows and Slick Trick 100 broadheads. My sight is a HHA single pin and rest is a whisker biscuit. This setup shoots tea cup groups out to 30 yards without much trouble. I'm not sure when bows and broadheads and inserts went off the rails, but buying bow hunting gear shouldn't be as hard as they make it now. IF I was going to buy a new bow, I would go to Scheels (no other pro shops nearby) and shoot all of their used bows and see which one is more comfrotable to shoot than the one I have. However, I'd never upgrade my bow just to have new.

 

[Marble]

Do go into the weeds with arrow building, should you choose to do so. Keep it simple.

Shoot year round
Go to 3d shoots and indoor leagues
Watch "School of Nock" on YouTube
Find someone that can mentor you through all the questions and issues you'll have. This is usually someone you'll meet at organized events.

When buying gear and setting up equipment, do it with the thought of eliminating gear failure. You do not have to buy top of the line, but cheap stuff isn't always the best.

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[Szwampdonkey]

This right here.... I've killed a truckload of whitetails with my mid-range $400 Hoyt bow from 2007 or so. I buy regular, full length, fletched Cabelas brand carbon arrows and Slick Trick 100 broadheads. My sight is a HHA single pin and rest is a whisker biscuit. This setup shoots tea cup groups out to 30 yards without much trouble. I'm not sure when bows and broadheads and inserts went off the rails, but buying bow hunting gear shouldn't be as hard as they make it now. IF I was going to buy a new bow, I would go to Scheels (no other pro shops nearby) and shoot all of their used bows and see which one is more comfrotable to shoot than the one I have. However, I'd never upgrade my bow just to have new.

I think it went off the rails when manufacturers started giving free bows, broadheads, releases, any gear really to Youtubers to “test”. This in turn is driving the “i need the latest greatest bow every year” mindset because people watch these Youtubers touting how much better the newest gear is when the reality is they really aren’t doing anything much different from year to year.

 

[TaperPin]

Another thing to keep in mind is there are many different types of hunting, so what one guy is using may vary a lot from someone else and although it might not be obvious now, once you are there it will all make sense. We all gravitate to styles of hunting that fit personal preferences.

For instance if you get into an area like this there are about 3 areas that hold elk and they are hunted differently - the vast majority of it isn’t really great for elk. The thicker timber down in the bottoms within 5 miles of your car holds the most elk and is pretty easy to access if your camped at the trailhead - it also has the most pressure from other weekend hunters, although horse hunters will avoid the thickest parts. You need good car camping gear and enjoy putting some miles in on the pack trails that get close to your area - then slowly working through elkish parts and bugling up other young hunters.

There are a few spots right at timberline where a few elk will come to the edges at dusk and feed and lock antlers with a number of bugles throughout the night. I get a rush out of this, but you have to have a cold camp downwind of the elk travel corridors to enjoy it. Not everyone wants to backpack 5 miles uphill for a quiet cold camp experience that’s still in the middle of a bunch of trees. You’ll be trying to connect as they move into and out of hard to see areas.

It‘s a common misconception that a guy can connect by spot and stock hunting with a lot of binocular time from vantage points - the horse hunters cover much more ground and have better access than you ever will, not to mention there are guided hunts camped farther in and they hunt the good spots and have a much better idea of what is where than you will.

The post card of a bull walking across some open timberline meadow in the middle of the day is a fantasy driven by photos from Yellowstone Park - you’ll never spot a local bow hunter up high in the middle of the day and you shouldn’t be either.

Get used to the idea that in addition to equipment, you need other resources to hunt well - develop a knack for getting local knowledge. On one of these high ridges during deer season a couple of well dressed dudes with $8k in rifles, $6k in optics, and the latest camo pattern worked their way up, stopping every 1/4 mile to glass….eventually they made it up to where my cold camp is hidden and we chatted for a bit. They were hunting guides from Montana fitting in a personal trip before Montana‘s season opened. To them it looked like big bucks could be hiding anywhere on this ridge or the next one over in either direction. Man we’re they pumped up having a great time!

They never asked and I didn’t volunteer the information that the ridges they were looking at never have anything but does and young deer, maybe a moose or occasional blackbear. Had they asked I would have explained a lot of the local knowledge and suggested some very good secondary spots where they may actually connect with a good deer, but they were too wrapped up in what they thought things should be.