Learning to elk hunt, what would you ask/prioritize ?

[matthewmt]

Would it be fair to say hunting pressure in the open country pushes animals harder than areas like where I am at in Northwest MT with lots of heavy timber? Seems like certain popular spots get hit frequent enough but elk are still harvested.
I have a spot only a few miles from home that borders private property at the base of the hills. quite a bit of development in the area, houses are close enough you can hear dogs barking at times, vehicles constantly but there is a lot of cover and still signs from a bull rutting over the last few years.

Sry if this is the wrong thread.

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[Idaho CTD]

10% of the hunters kill the elk because the other 90% are either not prepared or not willing to do the hard work of elk hunting. A 50lb overweight guy riding around on his four-wheeler hoping to get lucky won't be helped by a seminar until he makes the decision to work for his success and understands what that means. That's what I'd concentrate on. Hard work.

This is so true. If those people would stay home we would have kill odds approaching 50% or more in some units here. I had a buddy from Washington come over to hunt elk with me for his first time this year. He was really surprised to see what it took to get into the elk, that part was relatively easy compared to some hunts, and to kill one. He got a shot at a 6x6 and missed it. I had to run after them to get a 5x5. Bull elk killing and packing isn't for lazy people. Cows I can shoot off of a ranch every year and drive right to most of them but bulls are a different story for most people.

I do have to add that it helps a huge amount to know what elk like. The people that know elk can look at a place and be able to tell if a elk will like it there. There may not be elk there all the time but there is generally sign from them being there in the past. Hunting pressure changes where elk go and when they get pressured they usually go deep in the timber.

The bottom line is elk don't like people. They will put up with them at times but they really don't like to be around people, quads, dirt bikes, etc. if they can avoid it. Generally they will be in the next draw over from a dirt bike or quad trail or they will be past the end of a road.

 

[tfitter]

I'll provide my experience this year as a first time elk hunter from the Mid-west. I was in an OTC unit in CO - went with my dad and father-in-law, both of which were hunting muzzleloader cow tags and I was archery either sex. The 9 days we were there it was relatively hot and seemed like it was highly pressured. The bulls were not bugling much at all until the second to last day (sept 17th).

I had zero luck calling anything and just tried to rely on the staples of feeding areas to dark timber and try and intercept them. I was able to draw my bow back 4 different times for shot opportunities - two of them were just a bit too far for my range. The other two it was just too thick.

Most of the guys I talked to from other camps were not having any luck seeing elk. I was the only one seeming to see elk every day, but I was also logging more miles with more effort. Did not end up killing, but learned a ton from the experience and am already preparing for next fall.

My take-aways to improve on:
1. Shoot bow more effectively - My max distance was 50 yards. I had shot opportunities at 55, 60, and ~70 yards.
2. Stay in great shape - I had been training for a marathon in Oct so my cardio was in good shape, however I was not used to carrying bow and pack all day and was sore from this. Cardio helped me tremendously though.
3. Stay motivated! I seemed to see more elk because I was out there more than anyone else - I would just go set-up on what I thought looked like travel routes between cover and food.
4. Get off the motorized trails. I could hear 4wheelers buzzing around early morning (after I was already in woods) and then mid morning when they went home. Seemed like the only hunted mornings mostly.

All in all I had an awesome experience - I think it was a poor week from what is normally seen there based on reports from other groups we talked to on way out. Hot, had sheep ranchers all over in there (was supposed to be out a few days prior), elk were not bugling "like normal", and I was hunting with mostly out of shape, older guys - but loved sharing it with my dad. We will be back next fall! Anything tips to focus on for next year? I want to be effective out to 70 yards, so I am getting on that this winter!

Thanks for reading and as always, I appreciate the knowledge sharing on this website!

 

[les welch]

10% of the hunters kill the elk because the other 90% are either not prepared or not willing to do the hard work of elk hunting. A 50lb overweight guy riding around on his four-wheeler hoping to get lucky won't be helped by a seminar until he makes the decision to work for his success and understands what that means. That's what I'd concentrate on. Hard work.

Disagree. There is a big differenece between not prepared and inexperienced. I definitely agree with a lot don't have the desire to work for it.

 

[Gorp2007]

I'll jump in. I'm a Midwest hunter recently relocated from Ohio to South Dakota. I've got 3 years of experience hunting whitetail with 1 year of success. I'm scheduled to go on a elk hunt out in Colorado during the first rifle season in 2017, GMU 24. It's not a guided hunt, but we're being packed in on horseback and dropped off to our own devices and they'll come back for us in a few days. So here are my questions in priority order. I'll give the general "every new hunter" question and the amplifying questions related to my particular situation:

1) What am I looking for? What does Colorado elk habitat look like? Both in person and via GoogleEarth.
2) What does a day in the life of an elk look like? If I get to a spot at 9am, are they all going to be bedded down or moving? How often are they bedding/moving in a given day?
3) How long should I sit on a given spot? I've hunting in Ohio where your only options were stand hunting and still hunting and here in South Dakota I was able to do a little bit of spot and stalk (with great spotting success but very little stalking success). If I find good habitat/travel lanes should I sit still for the next 8 hours like an eastern whitetail hunter, or should I be moving and trying to go TO the elk? If I'm trying to spot/stalk, how long should I glass an area before moving along?
4) How far should I be prepared to go? I'm at a drop camp several miles into the wilderness, how far out from camp should I be prepared to range on a daily basis? I'm not worried about the miles, I just want to know how far out I should be map scouting. Also, I'm pretty sure if I get more than a mile from camp, I'll be rolling solo because no one else in my group is going out that far.
6) How do I adjust strategy for a group? What's a good strategy for hunting with a 3 overweight old guys, 1 teenager, and another 30-year old who hasn't seen cardio in 5 years? Travel as far away as fast as possible?

I should probably just start a new thread, but this seemed in line with the OP's request for what a new elk hunter is trying to learn.

-Gorp

 

[Deepshax]

I definitely came into a bad case of adult-onset hunting, having never hunted when I was little or teen or even in my early 20's. I am lucky enough to have family who have hunted all their lives and took me under their wing and showed me the ropes (whitetail). I learn more from being in the woods then anything I've ever read in a book or on a website. I brought that same mindset to my 1st elk hunt this past Fall. Although I did pour over maps and DIY strategies for the preceding months, it seems most of what I read flew out the door the minute I stepped into the woods with my bow. I figured Ill just have to go until I find elk which I never did. Many of the locations I had made hot spots on maps did seem to have some type of sign; a couple times being in areas with heavy musky odors and wet droppings but just couldn't find them. Did I blow them out and not know it? We're they just somewhere else for part of the day? Questions I cant answer due to never setting eyes on any...its difficult to know what a prime area feels like without observing the target in that environment. I can spot deer driving 65-70mph cause I know where they will be from having so much contact with them. Certain areas just scream deer and your eyes trained to lock into these areas almost subconsciously. Having never stepped foot in any of the areas I was hunting was daunting, especially given the sheer scale of the landscape vs what Im used to in NJ.

I plan to go back solo next September but dont think Id change much even with my lack of success. I think I just didn't cover enough ground this past go around. I think that was probably my biggest limiting factor, staying in particular areas too long and not covering enough ground. I think that as long as I can find some I think I can figure out a way to get a shot opportunity one way or another.

 

[kicker338]

I'le make it simple, the 10% that are most successful is because they live in the area where they hunt or close to it. They spend a lot of time being just in the woods looking for where elk hang out. After you've hunted and area for a few yrs. you can find the areas where elk like to hang out yr. in and yr. out. I have some pet places where you will almost always find elk there. That's why out of state hunters who are constantly successful, go on guided hunts, why, because good guides know where the elk are

 

[Idaho CTD]

I'le make it simple, the 10% that are most successful is because they live in the area where they hunt or close to it. They spend a lot of time being just in the woods looking for where elk hang out. After you've hunted and area for a few yrs. you can find the areas where elk like to hang out yr. in and yr. out. I have some pet places where you will almost always find elk there. That's why out of state hunters who are constantly successful, go on guided hunts, why, because good guides know where the elk are

This isn't necessarily true. The last two years I've had two different non-resident tags both in areas I've never had tags before. I filled both tags. One hunt took 2 days to get a elk and the other took 3 days. One was a 3 hour drive and the other was a 4.5 hour drive for me. This year I drew a good tag in a area (5 hour drive) I've never hunted before and shot a 303" bull the first morning of the hunt. So that is 3 bull tags in 3 totally new units to me with 6 days hunting and 3 dead elk. The 2 non-resident tags I filled because I went where other people didn't want to go. They weren't easy pack outs but that's what you have to be willing to do to fill tags.

Sure it is easier to fill tags year after year if you hunt the same area and know what the elk do and when they do it but that doesn't always happen and it doesn't necessarily need to happen if you know what to look for and where to look for it.

 

[Dromsky]

This isn't necessarily true. The last two years I've had two different non-resident tags both in areas I've never had tags before. I filled both tags. One hunt took 2 days to get a elk and the other took 3 days. One was a 3 hour drive and the other was a 4.5 hour drive for me. This year I drew a good tag in a area (5 hour drive) I've never hunted before and shot a 303" bull the first morning of the hunt. So that is 3 bull tags in 3 totally new units to me with 6 days hunting and 3 dead elk. The 2 non-resident tags I filled because I went where other people didn't want to go. They weren't easy pack outs but that's what you have to be willing to do to fill tags.

Sure it is easier to fill tags year after year if you hunt the same area and know what the elk do and when they do it but that doesn't always happen and it doesn't necessarily need to happen if you know what to look for and where to look for it.

So besides time in the field, how does one learn what to look for and where to look for it?

 

[Idaho CTD]

After opening day start looking past the end of the roads where no one wants to go. Translation....steep nasty stuff. One thing to remember too is later in the season when the elk start to migrate they are more concentrated. That cuts the amount of land you have to search for them in down to about 1/4 (or less) of what it was. You really need to spend time in the woods to be able to identify what terrain they like. It varies some with where they are throughout every state too.

 

[timekiller13]

It is very difficult to know where to start/what to ask if you have never done something before. This year was my first elk hunt. OTC Colorado archery. I spent 9 months studying maps, reading forums, listening to pod casts, working out, practicing elk calling and shooting my bow. When I got to Colorado, I realized that everything looks way different in person than it does on a map. Actually being out there and setting foot in your hunting area trumps any sort of cyber scouting. I am not and will not be able to make pre hunt scouting trips. I knew that I was basically flying blind going in and kind of figured on my first year more as a scouting adventure with the off chance of shooting something. Once I got to my hunting area, I realized that areas that I had studied hard on maps were areas that I had no real business even messing with, and areas that I overlooked while cyber scouting were areas that I should be focusing my efforts on. In the end, I went with the Keep it Simple Stupid theory and just went out and hunted. I saw elk, had a chance to shoot a decent bull but blew it. But I had fun. My plan is to continue to hunt the same area over the next several years.

 

[les welch]

Disagree. There is a big differenece between not prepared and inexperienced. I definitely agree with a lot don't have the desire to work for it.

Are you hunting with Paul at Lone Tom?

 

[les welch]

I'le make it simple, the 10% that are most successful is because they live in the area where they hunt or close to it. They spend a lot of time being just in the woods looking for where elk hang out. After you've hunted and area for a few yrs. you can find the areas where elk like to hang out yr. in and yr. out. I have some pet places where you will almost always find elk there. That's why out of state hunters who are constantly successful, go on guided hunts, why, because good guides know where the elk are

False, False, False.

 

[kicker338]

False, False, False.

Geez it's been working for me for 16yrs. what am I doing wrong???????

 

[Oregonelk]

Hello guys - I've been reading for months with out posting. OregonElk - is indeed from Oregon. Which I happen to love. OTC archery tags are a gold mine if you work it right.

I can tell you I think the single most important factor to the success I've had in the last 18 year of archery hunting in Oregon is scouting. I start in May and don't stop until normally 4 days into Archery season. That is how long it takes me normal to kill a bull. I've shot 9 of these within 100 yards of each other and not out of a stand.

Scout, Scout, Scout and more Scouting and you will be fine. Don't make excuses. I will drive 4 hours for 3 hours of scouting.

Good luck!!!!

 

[freediver111]

I find Oregonelk's scouting suggestion interesting. I live in a pretty good area for OTC elk hunting in Oregon, so it helps I can scout relatively close from home. The only issue is that I find scouting not very effective, plus the pressure is immense once season starts around here. I hike around a bunch in August, but often times I hit areas I've killed elk in the past and they aren't there. I really feel in a lot of pressured areas the elk will move to more remote locales once the pressure hits i.e. opening day! I use scouting trips to look at areas, scout good routes in, etc., but I'm not necessarily looking for elk there in August. I'm always amazed how much elk will move once pressure starts.

My key to success is what others have stated, I go relatively far from roads/pressure. I talk to a lot of guys that come here to hunt and they always say things like "elk aren't talking, too much pressure, too many ATV's, guys bugling all the time, etc"....Well, I rarely see anyone in my spots, and I've killed elk 6 of the last 8 seasons, not to mention helping buddies fill tags every year.

We aren't always that far from a road, but I can assure you we hit the steep nasty stuff more often than not. Places most guys aren't willing to go. I know guys killing them off logging roads, and guys that mainly stop and call from the road to locate a bull then get after them, but I find that technique tough. Sure you'll often get a response, but that bull has heard a lot of calls from roads and right off the bat you made him leery. The chances of him willing to commit to a call goes down since he's familiar with calls from a road or just being in an area that has people around. Oregon public lands have tons of roads, so getting away from them is a challenge, but it's doable. You might only be 1/2 to 1 mile from a road, but it's generally steep and nasty country guys don't want to go into.

Sure, I hike steep crap and get into elk that are less pressured, but it's not like I don't struggle. Elk will be totally silent at times. I recall this year we hit an area with lots of bulls opening weekend. We hunted hard and saw multiple bulls, but not a single one was willing to commit to a call or even bugle. We usually ended up seeing them as we were hiking to our next spot or bumping them 100-200 yards away from a spot we just spent 20 minutes calling from. They had no interest in cow calls, and there was zero bugling going on. Fast forward to the last weekend and we had multiple bulls talking back and had many commit to the calls, one that fell to my buddies arrow (I shot a bull on the first week of the season this year, but that's a different story). I will say that one area is odd. The bulls don't bugle much, and for some reason there's usually several bulls around and very few cows. It's a weird spot and unless you know how to hunt it, you'll struggle, and many times you'd think there were no elk there at all.

I rely on calling a lot. We do multiple blind call sessions throughout a day. One tip I have is always be ready. They often come in silent to blind call set-ups. I've missed chances at bulls in the past because I didn't have an arrow nocked and I was waiting to hear a bull before getting ready. Big mistake. We happen to use cow calling a ton, and it seems to work, but keep in mind the bulls we kill aren't huge. Mostly 5 point satellite bulls. I know how to bugle, and can call very well, but I'm still trying to figure out how to get the big guys to commit to coming in to fight. Bugling tends to work to locate the bulls, but I have had very little success calling them in with a bugle. That's just my experience in eastern Oregon. Every place is different. I know guys kill good bulls using bugling, even in OR, but that just hasn't worked for me yet. Most of the time I get in close, challenge a big herd bull, and he takes his cows and runs. Cow calling has been the producer thus far in the 8 years I've hunted elk.

 

[Oregonelk]

I find Oregonelk's scouting suggestion interesting. I live in a pretty good area for OTC elk hunting in Oregon, so it helps I can scout relatively close from home. The only issue is that I find scouting not very effective, plus the pressure is immense once season starts around here. I hike around a bunch in August, but often times I hit areas I've killed elk in the past and they aren't there. I really feel in a lot of pressured areas the elk will move to more remote locales once the pressure hits i.e. opening day! I use scouting trips to look at areas, scout good routes in, etc., but I'm not necessarily looking for elk there in August. I'm always amazed how much elk will move once pressure starts.


You made a very good point to the general hunter. Come season the roads, and I would say the first "land" mile is covered with guys and gals making pushes, calling and getting after it.

I run trail cams from May to September moving them every few weeks to be legal."14 days in Oregon" Because of 18 year of scouting/experience I can tell you that after opening weekend my bull/cow numbers are 10 times what they are prior to season. one word " Pressure" 99% of elk will run from it. Some go few hundred yards most will go a mile + but "but" "but" They will return mid week when most guys head back to work. They have a home range like most animal do.

So what I get on my trail cams 99% of the time is 6 point bulls and bigger before season. These are the bulls I'm after. Now I will get a few new ones come season but for the most part the first week in Oregon I'm after these solitude dudes. Normal the first week ends I'm done hunting - " I can't remember the last time I hunted in September" These solitude bulls will start to migrate away as my cams have proven that by the end of the first week in September. They are after the cows.


So with that said - here is my setup

The closes drivable road is just over 4 miles. The nearest walkable/bikeable road is 3 miles. I hunt bedding grounds until 7:45am in the morning(Always north facing). I hunt water from 8:00am until 2:00pm. ( I have killed multiple bulls between 11:00am and 1:00pm. Last I hunt feeding areas from 2:00pm until dark. Elk will often feed between 2:00pm and 4:00pm bedding again until the last hour of light. If I'm not sleeping under the stars I then have a 2 hour hike out as it's almost 800 feet up hill to my rig. I normal stay out 3 days"2 nights" at a time. I don't call much - normal the elk have no clue I'm even there.


Man - lot's of good stuff out here.

 

[greentimber]

I'le make it simple, the 10% that are most successful is because they live in the area where they hunt or close to it. They spend a lot of time being just in the woods looking for where elk hang out. After you've hunted and area for a few yrs. you can find the areas where elk like to hang out yr. in and yr. out. I have some pet places where you will almost always find elk there. That's why out of state hunters who are constantly successful, go on guided hunts, why, because good guides know where the elk are

I'm 1500 miles from my elk hunting spots but I'm successful every year. This can be explained with one word. Work. I work my ass off and won't accept failure. That's the #1 ingredient in a successful DIY elk hunt; effort. Before season preparation, in-season effort, and post-season review and improvement.

 

[YZF_88]

Great thread. I haven't checked out the forums here for a while. Lots of good stuff to catch up on!

Knowing what I have learned now, the question I wish I would've had a good answer to is WHEN to hunt OTC units with lots of pressure. I've been adjusting my efforts to focus on hitting the hills after the majority of hunters have packed up and left. The last 10 days of September have been great the last couple years. The later the better. Most guys get burned out the second and third weeks. Even though I end up hunting areas with boot tracks everywhere, it seems as if the elk come right back to the core area after they get pushed out the first three weeks.

 

[Shrek]

It all starts with being in good enough shape to go where you need to go. I didn't prepare this year and had to call off my hunt from the top of the mountain because I didn't think I had it in me to get an elk out even if I had managed to creep around and kill one. Lesson learned ! I just came in from a three hour walk and I'm going at it again first thing in the morning before I go stuff my face at Christmas dinner. It's a year round commitment.