New Guy Trying Elk

[Still Hunter]

I suggest putting in for a draw to Start earning points. Get a OTC TAG and hunt several OTC units adjacent to one another. 17 days is a long time in the elk woods, however I have not seen any Kryptonite on my adventures just remember to bring along your cape. You can do everything right and never see an elk or on the first day blunder into a 350+ Bull and stick him at 6 yards. Can’t kill them at home. So just go. All you need to learn is already been posted. Go to the search window and type in your topic. People can give you tons of advice but mostly you really just got to learn on your own. We can tell you to hunt to stay focused and stay vigilant all the way back to camp but it doesn’t make sense until you are walking up a trail looking at the ground, worn out and just thinking about the next step and you walk right into a three cows and 6x6 bull at 20 yards and your busted!! Then it makes sense. Good luck!

 

[Indian Summer]

With all due respect…. If 20 hours is too far to make such an important investment in your hunt you’re not as committed as you need to be. Elk hunting is serious business and finding a good area is more than half the battle. It’s most of the battle. I’m 24 hours from a place I already know really well and I still go out from time to time to scout. It’s fun just like planning a hunt. Even if someone were to hand you a place to hunt it would still be priceless to go see it with your own eyes and hike it. There are piles of threads on here where guys say “Holy shit it was NOTHING like it looked on Google Earth or Onx”

If you don’t get started on the right foot it could ruin your desire to hunt elk. I always say if you’re going to do something do it right. In a unit with say a 25% success rate you have to do everything you can to avoid being one of the 75 out of 100 guys who comes home empty handed. Going to scope out your area would be THE biggest game changer to accomplish that goal. Good luck!

 

[cnelk]

Send me a PM on where you’re thinking about hunting and for a small fee I’ll go scout it and take pics for you.

 

[trophyhill]

I’m just gonna say it now. Welcome to the addiction before you ever get started

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Good luck and welcome to the fun! My first thought…

I’ve taken out several first timers with guys expecting to spend “10” “7” “14” blah blah however many days. You want to know how many days most guys last before they come up with some excuse to pack it in. Four. It’s always 4 days like clockwork. It’s physical yes, but the mental is so much harder to overcome. It takes time spent out there learning how to overcome the NEED to get back home.

PM me for more details on sticking to it out there.

 

[eddielasvegas]

As the self-appointed chairman of the welcoming committee, it is my privilege to extend a laurel, and hearty handshake (virtual, of course) to our new member.



Eddie

 

[Jwknutson17]

I would come out to scout in August for 10 days. Get into 3-4 units with a day or two in each and just enjoy some time with boots on the ground. Spend the remaining 7 hunting in September. Day or so can go both ways. You will have a hunting plan, with multiple backups.

 

[hibernation]

I am a new elk hunter

I gotta ask, does this mean you're a new hunter chasing elk for the first time? Or completely new to hunting, and starting with archery elk?

 

[bvangor]

17 days is a long time for a first time solo elk hunt. I would refine your truck camping setup to be comfortable/dry and mobile. You will burn out after the first week if you are not comfortable.
Inventory vehicles at trailheads on the weekend and weekdays. Some are get only weekend pressure and you may have an area to yourself Monday-Thursday.

That is a very good call I did not really think of that. Thank you for the help!

 

[Sulfire145]

I love the simplicity of this haha. Finding elk is killing elk, 100% true. I will keep this in mind for sure. Do you usually spend a day or so in a spot and if youre not hearing something you move to the next? Or what is a typical timeline for you? I have heard everything from hunting an area for a day or so and if there isnt fresh sign, or sound move on?

Keep moving. It's real easy, especially when new to elk hunting and travelling a distance, to chase spots on a map that "should" be holding elk. When you're making one trip out a year and have a limited amount of time see as much country as you can.

 

[TAGPUNCHER]

I got a couple. In my Co OTC experience no matter what unit I have found 100% and killed 100% of elk within 1200' from the top of the highest point. EX: area has max elevation of 10,200' I find all sign from 9000' and up. That's where I concentrate nowadays. This is archery I'm speaking of. Absolute not telling you to not try lower. I do that after I bang the HELL out of the top. Second piece of advise I can give is to document EVERYTHING YOU FIND. When you find scat,tracks,old rubs,new rubs etc etc. Drop a waypoint and document it. Your elevation,date,temp, moonphase etc etc. May seem silly and some of your pals may call you a geek but it in say 5years your punching the shit out of of tags and meanwhile they are at camp eating Mountain house it will ALL BE WORTH IT. The 3rd point and to me the most important one in this EVER ENDING EQUATION that you are jumping into is your MIND CONTROL AND ATTITUDE. The golfers on a course will tell ya the HARDEST OBSTACLE for them is that 6inch fairway between their ears. After day 3 of what will likely be the most ASS whipping thing you have done to date, you are GOING to start dreaming of cold draft beer,hot cheeseburgers and strippers. LOL. THIS is where elk hunters are born. This is when an elk hunter will pull mountain house out ,chug down a half liter and POINT HIS ASS FORWARD. NEVER STOP TILL YOU HEAR A FAT LADY. IT absolutely takes 15 SECONDS to change your life. Those sought after 15 SECONDS will never happen sitting in the cab of a truck at the trailhead. BEST WISHES AND PULLING FOR YOU BLOOD BROTHER....

 

[tdhanses]

Biggest thing you can do is just go hunt and learn, throw a dart at the board and get to know it and a few other areas the best you can electronicly but in reality nothing is better then boots on the ground learning, don’t get discouraged if you don’t find success, use what you learn and keep on going.