New elk hunter - where to start?

[Ninjahunter]

Boots, good pair of boots makes a big difference, have them broken in before hand.

 

[Indian Summer]

Bow? Gun? What state?

 

[kaaby]

E-scouting and boots on the ground scouting are extremely helpful. It’s also really beneficial to talk to previous tag holders after completing 10+ hours of e-scouting so you will understand what they are talking about.


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[Trekker308]

MTNTOUGH has membership sales all the time, sometime up to 60%. You can also get 6 weeks free by using a lot of influencer promos. They have guided programs for all fitness levels. Their programs are specific to mountain hunting and staying injury free. Not to mention the programs for backcountry nutrition, spiritual resilience, and a supporting community app.

 

[joshdeboer]

Bow? Gun? What state?

Focussing on gun this year, in Western Montana.

 

[deef56]

Do some research and forum'ing on water at elevation bands and areas you are looking at. OnX and any other mapping service will show possible drainages but most of them will be dry. So mark areas of known water, areas of possible water, and have backup plans if you get 1000' above a drainage and there is no water. I have been in Western MT and North/Central Colorado and have had to go to plan B or plan C on camp/hunt locations just based on water availability during that time of year.

 

[Blake C]

Shoot, shoot, shoot....
Get proficient within 500yds in any position. If you can't shoot with confidence then the rest doesn't matter.

 

[deef56]

Also, if not local to the hunting area. Call ahead or do some research week of on road access to the areas you are going if any are higher elevation, back country, or near areas getting heavy rainfall... Have had spring bear hunts go sideways because of one snow bank on a north facing road and have had elk hunts altered due to road wash outs week before season. Nothing like spending lots of time focusing on one area to not be able to access that area because of the roads.

 

[Jon Olson]

My best tips are:

• Focus on north and northeast slopes where it is cooler and more moist. Never seen elk on south slopes unless it's Nov after one snow event
• Lots of elk 1/2 mile to 3/4 mile from roads during archery season where I'm at. Some forest roads close in Oct and those are good ones to walk and hunt off of
• Be up and hiking towards and be close to your goal area by first light. SO much elk action is that first hour of sunlight and then they are bedded. Same with last hour in evening
• If you go on walks, hikes or rucks then wear the same shoes/boots you plan on hunting in. I made that mistake wearing the most comfortable Brooks running shoes on my rucks only to hate life during hunting season in my boots. I now hunt/walk in Altras which are soft/comfortable like Merrills
• Walking/hiking hilly terrain is the most realistic way to prepare to hunt in... the mountains

 

[Weedis]

As a flat lander myself, first time out west was a few years ago. I would agree with others on the fitness part, get some exercising in. We don’t have crap for terrain in central Minnesota so I do incline on a treadmill. It helps but still not what it’s like in the mountains. Get your rifle dialed in, be confident with your shooting and practice off of tripods, packs etc. that you will have in the field. Don’t skimp on footwear, your feet will thank you.

 

[ProRoad]

Volunteer for any organization doing habitat work that will get you up on the mountain. I did 3 hours of Juniper clearance yesterday and it nearly broke me... How soon we forget how hard even the basics can be.

 

[ELK49]

42.65199, -84.52644

 

[Blake C]

42.65199, -84.52644

No commitments!!!

 

[hibernation]

Hello all, I am a new hunter, I have an elk tag for this fall and am trying to get prepared. I'm basically starting from scratch with gear other than a rifle,

If you're starting from scratch with your outdoor gear, spend as much time as you can in the field between now and hunting season. Figure out what gear you need to be outdoors all day in all weather.

but more worried about fitness

Really hard to give advice here without knowing a baseline, but the simplest approach is to do a lot of hiking. Walk fast around your neighborhood if you have to. Build good aerobic fitness, condition your feet, knees, and hips to carry your body and daypack around all day. Have enough strength to physically handle elk quarters. You can make this as complicated as you want, but try to assess your own strengths/weaknesses. If you're carrying excess body fat, dropping weight will go a long way.

and how to make a hunting plan/scout.

90% of elk hunting is finding the elk. You can find a lot of accounts of first elk hunts where they never saw an elk. Read up on their daily/seasonal habits, spend time in the area you're planning to hunt if possible. Bear in mind that elk can be in different areas in different seasons, and that while a whole basin might be "elk habitat", they're only in a few locations at any given time. Often with no rhyme or reason, they're just in a certain spot today. Might be somewhere else tomorrow.

Any advice would be greatly appriciated!

Break hunting down into its basic skillsets, self-evaluate, and see what needs work. Hopefully you have at least a few of these partly covered. Are you brand new to the outdoors in general or a seasoned hiker who's getting into hunting? Already an avid target shooter? Have you butchered anything before? Etc.

• Off-trail navigation, often in the dark
• Dealing with inclement weather safely
• Hiking for long periods, sometimes with heavy packs
• Understanding your state's regulations, season dates, boundaries, tagging procedure, and proof of sex
• Safe gun handling and marksmanship
• Anatomy and shot placement
• Breaking down a large animal

Don't underestimate the last one, especially if you're hunting alone. An elk is a huge animal and honestly, would not be my recommendation for someone's first big game animal unless they have a partner. It's doable, but it's a lot. You will want to really prepare for this, both in terms of technique and physicality. I would strongly recommend having a second person.