Looking For Friends Out West

[Kcarlson63]

First time posting here and just joined recently so thank you for any input and guidance you guys have to give. I’m 29 and live in NE Florida and have been hunting on this side of the country my entire life. Deer, Turkeys, Hogs, Ducks ect...but I have become completely addicted to learning everything possible about elk hunting and then getting out there and doing it in an OTC state for an archery hunt. I am fortunate to have the ability to take off 2-3+ weeks in September given my occupation and that month being the last slow month before things get crazy. My problem is, while I absolutely will....I just don’t really want to do it alone. My father and brother are both active hunters but Dad is too old for a backcountry trip and my brother is more of the..pay an outfitter do everything type. Which is fine, it’s gotten him 4 bulls in 3 states but I just don’t have the kind of money he does to fork out $10k trips.

I’ve started all the online research that everyone else does when they first decide they want to make that leap to Western hunting but I would like to try and find a crew of guys preferably around my age that are probably already good hunting buddies and who would be willing to allow someone to tag along to not only learn from people who have done it before, but also just enjoy the camaraderie of being out in the woods with good people just enjoy everything that there is when you get away out into the woods.

I’ve started putting my gear together with a mixture of what I’ve already had from whitetail and accruing the new things necessary to be successful out West. But really my question is...if you have no contacts out there, no current friends who are even interested in big game hunting, and family members who just wouldn’t be willing to put in the work to do it ourselves..what should I do?

 

[RyanCmns]

Under general discussions the is rokslide rally might have some luck there I recently heard a story that would make me be careful doing it but swapping a hunt for a hunt might be a good option

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[Bob92057]

Go solo save the grief. I’m 59 and go every year.

 

[Djacker]

Go solo. I went on my first elk hunt solo. Killed an elk too. Packing out an animal is harder alone but doable.

 

[cgasner1]

Killed all my best animals solo lace the boots up and go


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[87TT]

66 and got mine solo this year. Just go.

 

[cnelk]

You wont kill any if you dont kill the first one

 

[ncstewart]

I get the traveling from FL part is gonna suck solo but after that the hunting part in my opinion is better solo. I’m not a backpack hunter per say so midday if I get bored i just find a camp and go BS. Met some really cool guys that way from all over.
Like everyone else saying main thing is to go and don’t get intimidated by it. If you can kill in FL you can kill out west.


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[Dos Perros]

Hunt solo, have a packer on speed dial. You'll also get more biters on a hunting partner if they know you've been out there and done it before once or twice and didn't go home early.

 

[cgasner1]

Unless your wanting to brag about how far the gps says from the truck don’t prey go solo killed 2 bulls this year one was 200 yards from my sxs best archery bull to date and other was about 600 yards from it just go try and find some elk people are going deep past and enjoy the struggle


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