Key Attributes of Successful Elk Hunters

[chasewild]

Of course other methods work but it's generally by hunters who have no confidence in their abilities to call! No kidding! You can call in & kill bulls on any OTC unit in any state if you dedicate yourselves to the important stuff!

ElkNut/Paul

Randy Ulmer and Levi Ulmer never have a call in their mouth.

 

[BeaverHunter]

Randy Ulmer and Levi Ulmer never have a call in their mouth.

True but I don’t think it hurts to have the ability to call well. Just one more tool to use.
And this is coming from a guy who has had a great run the last 10 years(10 branch bulls, I’ve been blessed) and hasn’t called in a single one. Doesn’t mean I’m not trying to learn to call and learn their vocalizations. Part of being a good hunter is always learning new tactics and being humble enough to admit the way you do it might not always be the only or even the best way. I’m always looking for new ways to kill an elk, while not forgetting the things that have helped make me successful in the past.

 

[Btaylor]

Flesh this out as I feel it’s spot on and a lot of hunters could benefit from this mindset and how to achieve results.

I 100% agree with the post you quoted. Another way to say what he was getting at is the hunt is everything right up to the moment you aim your gun or draw your bow. At that point it is killing time. Not every hunter has the skill set to close the deal every time. Generally speaking the guys that are truly killers have killed a pile of crap and it is not generally all 1 or 2 species. They hunted a lot of stuff where they had a lot of opportunities to kill. The only way to be good at killing is by killing. It fortifies your confidence that if you move to take a shot something is going to die. You dont get in position and wonder if you can make a shot or wonder if something negative is going to happen. You get in position and there is a feeling of "I succeeded, time to close the deal" and the light comes on and everything shot related goes on autopilot. Some guys are piss poor hunters but stone cold killers, some are great hunters but poor killers, 10%ers are good hunters and closers.

 

[slick]

I’m not an expert by any means, but as to the “kill mentality” I believe it’s also something a person should practice. While you’re on your training hikes, walks in the woods, scouting, work, etc. imagine a bull coming in and where you would set up, and where the bull might hang up, and envision that animal moving through the woods. When will you draw? Where will you set up? How do you think that animal will move through the area? Where could he hang up? Where are the shooting lanes?

Taking a break every once in awhile and playing through that in your head in a random spot has helped me.

 

[bowtech3dhunter]

I 100% agree with the post you quoted. Another way to say what he was getting at is the hunt is everything right up to the moment you aim your gun or draw your bow. At that point it is killing time. Not every hunter has the skill set to close the deal every time. Generally speaking the guys that are truly killers have killed a pile of crap and it is not generally all 1 or 2 species. They hunted a lot of stuff where they had a lot of opportunities to kill. The only way to be good at killing is by killing. It fortifies your confidence that if you move to take a shot something is going to die. You dont get in position and wonder if you can make a shot or wonder if something negative is going to happen. You get in position and there is a feeling of "I succeeded, time to close the deal" and the light comes on and everything shot related goes on autopilot. Some guys are piss poor hunters but stone cold killers, some are great hunters but poor killers, 10%ers are good hunters and closers.

Thank you. This it pretty much exactly what I meant. Having experiences and learning from those experiences and gaining confidence. I’ve been doing this for 30 years and I know no matter how fast or stressful the situation or encounter is playing out, if I can get my cam rolled over and I settle in, that animal is done. Like you said it just comes after a pile of dead critters.


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[RCB]

"Half of the secret of success on a shooting trip lies in getting up early and working all day."
-Theodore Roosevelt
(This is from a chapter on upland bird hunting but I'm sure it applies to hunting in general.)

 

[chasewild]

True but I don’t think it hurts to have the ability to call well. Just one more tool to use.
And this is coming from a guy who has had a great run the last 10 years(10 branch bulls, I’ve been blessed) and hasn’t called in a single one. Doesn’t mean I’m not trying to learn to call and learn their vocalizations. Part of being a good hunter is always learning new tactics and being humble enough to admit the way you do it might not always be the only or even the best way. I’m always looking for new ways to kill an elk, while not forgetting the things that have helped make me successful in the past.

Calling elk is one of the best things on the planet -- whether it leads to a kill or not. But I'd sure love it if everyone had their call taken away from them, running from basin to basin screaming their face off.

 

[trophyhill]

Knows elk anatomy, shot placement and every angle they didn't teach you in 9th grade geometry class

 

[trophyhill]

I 100% agree with the post you quoted. Another way to say what he was getting at is the hunt is everything right up to the moment you aim your gun or draw your bow. At that point it is killing time. Not every hunter has the skill set to close the deal every time. Generally speaking the guys that are truly killers have killed a pile of crap and it is not generally all 1 or 2 species. They hunted a lot of stuff where they had a lot of opportunities to kill. The only way to be good at killing is by killing. It fortifies your confidence that if you move to take a shot something is going to die. You dont get in position and wonder if you can make a shot or wonder if something negative is going to happen. You get in position and there is a feeling of "I succeeded, time to close the deal" and the light comes on and everything shot related goes on autopilot. Some guys are piss poor hunters but stone cold killers, some are great hunters but poor killers, 10%ers are good hunters and closers.

There was a guy on another forum named Slickstalker (Rod) who said to me when I first got started, and I'll paraphrase,

" killing elk is a process, from calling, to the hunt, to touching off the shot, to field dressing, to packing a huge animal out of the elkwoods. Kill when you have the opportunity whether bull or cow, and learn the process and get used to it. He also said to be aggressive and have as many encounters as you can and learn from each encounter" knowing that as Paul says "not all encounters are created equal"

that was some of the best advice I've had on this quest to become the best elkhunter and killer I can be.

 

[PathFinder]

Spending loads of time in the field rather than on the internet watching others and discussing what makes a successful elk hunter.

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