Newbie Elk Trip Planning

[coosa1]

Let me preface this post by saying I have been a long time lurker here and have really enjoyed the forum. I'm an Alabama resident with absolutely no experience in western hunting and I don't know where to start.

A buddy and I have decided that we’ve talked and dreamed about it long enough. We’re going somewhere next year and chasing elk. I figured it best to go ahead and start planning (and getting my fat butt in shape) now. So here’s what I’m hoping someone can help me with. I don’t know where or how to start getting this thing planned. All I know is that we would really like to do a rut hunt and possibly get to experience bugling.

What states should we be looking hard at if we want a good chance at a hunt next year?

How in the world do you decide on a unit?

Should we do a higher odds draw and hope for the best or go somewhere and get over the counter tags?

And if we get a tag how in the heck do you even figure out where to hunt on those huge expanses of land?

 

[brownie9582]

First you need to decide what kind of hunting you would like to do for elk in no particular order:
- Rifle / Muzzleloader / Archery
- Spot and stalk in open country
- Call em in hot in the timber
- Backpack hunt or truck camp

Once you get some of these things aling with how you would like to hunt then you can start to decide where and how it might be good for you to hunt. As far as finding places you have to start by escouting a combination of OnX or similar and Google Earth.

My experience is when elk are where people don't really want to go, and that doesn't mean 10 miles deep. You can separate from other hunter 3 ways... thick, steep, or distance. But those same locations also need to provide everything an elk needs/wants, water, food, thermal (cold or hot), and security (covered by thick, steep, and distance).

Just the above will give you a great start, but some options for you might be Colorado or Idaho OTC, Montana General Tag (can still buy a point for next year), or some draws that can be had with no points.

I went on this same journey a few years ago and through a number or highs and lows its been a ton of fun but I have a great group of guys to hunt with that stay after it and have fun staying after it!

 

[coosa1]

As far as narrowing it down goes I think we will be leaning towards archery and calling them in the timber as we are both big time run and gun turkey hunters so that is the style of hunting we are more accustomed to. And for the camping aspect, we have been kicking it around a little bit. More than likely we will truck camp but will have at least a bag and a rain fly in our packs in case we get way in and want to just park it there for the night.

 

[Superdoo]

Does a non-resident need preference points to reliably get in for the Crazy Mountains?

 

[njdoxie]

Take the time to read thru the elk forum, all your questions have been answered many times.

 

[AaronMColeman]

Take the time to read thru the elk forum, all your questions have been answered many times.

Yeah but it’s fun to a talk about them again! I enjoy it.

 

[DanimalW]

You could roll the dice at drawing some random lottery odds on some units in New Mexico. If that doesn’t pan out, the. OTC Colorado is probably your best bet. I don’t know that general Idaho or Montana tags are that much better to justify driving that much further.

 

[njdoxie]

Yeah but it’s fun to a talk about them again! I enjoy it.

No doubt.....just my standard advice to newbies, there is a wealth of knowledge in the threads.

 

[Donjuan]

Toprut, gohunt etc can give you data on hunter numbers and success and public land % as well as draw odds.

For example, let's say a unit has 25% success but only 10% of it is public, then likely they are killed on private.
Also you can get an idea of pressure. Like if a unit in Colorado has 1200 bowhunters, you won't be alone

 

[wytx]

Might as well throw in Wyoming and buy a PP now. You might luck out in random draw and get a general tag. Lass pressure than Colorado OTC.

 

[Hooverfb]

You could roll the dice at drawing some random lottery odds on some units in New Mexico. If that doesn’t pan out, the. OTC Colorado is probably your best bet. I don’t know that general Idaho or Montana tags are that much better to justify driving that much further.

By going to idaho or montana, it's already better than colorado since everyone goes to colorado... myself included