% of elk hunters…methods

[Poser]

I hunt them from home. I hunt them from truck camps. I hunt them while backpacking.

There are advantages and disadvantages to all, but I generally try to avoid having to hike more than an hour from trailhead/truck/camp to be effectively hunting. For that matter, more than 45 minutes of driving back and forth, will justify a truck camp vs. home. I don't want to drive an hour, hike 90 minutes and then have to reverse that in the same day just to eat and sleep as that is too much time spent commuting.
If I have a good spot that is a 2.5 hour hike to be effectively hunting, then I'm usually backpacking as, again, 5 hours of hiking in and out is too much time spent commuting. If I'm back in there for 3 nights, you're talking about getting ~10 more hours of sleep.

 

[Wprinkle]

Man that's situational dependent. On extremely heavily hunted colorado units I normally have the best luck going past day hunter but before the outfitters. Good units, camp at the truck and move till you find elk.. I will say I've killed probably 80% of my elk within 1 mile of heavily used roads and the trailhead/trail. People walk/ drive past a lot of elk while trying to get to a "better spot."

As someone mentioned before all styles work but "backpack hunting" and elk hunting in general is 99% marketing. Everything is marketed to backpack elk hunting.

 

[Hnthrdr]

Done it all, it all can work. Day hunts or hunting from a cabin is what I do these days having a bunch of little kids, used to backpack with camp on my back or pack in and spike camp and hunt a few drainages at a time. It all works it’s all fun. I have a neighbor who wants to do a drop camp and has the gear and animals so I might hang out at his camp for a few days these year

 

[taskswap]

Calling all the experts! I was pondering this today so I thought I would post the question. What percentage of elk hunters are backpacking(3+ days in)for the hunt with minimal gear?
What percentage of Elk hunters are doing day trip hunts from their house or hotel/air bnb?
What percentage of Elk hunters hire an outfitter for their hunts(Drop camp/full guided)?

I’m from Pa so I don’t have the slightest clue….all my buddy’s here are the backpacking type, but wanted to see what everyone thought based on their experience.

I doubt anybody tracks these stats. Maybe run a poll?

It's complicated, though. Personally, I mix it up. There have been years where I backpack in 6-10 miles, years where I "spike out" (just an overnight, usually) 3-6 miles, and years where I just hiked in daily. Some years with bad weather I drive around more, to find where the elk have moved to, while others I just stay put. I definitely don't use an outfitter, but I don't sneer at those who do. It's just not what I want for me (and my budget).

If you're new and this question is to help you learn, what I'd say is while deer are strongly territorial, elk are often not. There are two kinds of elk herds: migratory and resident. Migratory herds roam a lot and you need to be pretty mobile to find them. Resident herds are less so, but still move a lot - they can do 2-5 day "loops" through a several-mile area. But both are still motivated by weather. They have thick, heavy hides and even 60F is hot for them. They'll (usually) stay as high as they possibly can for as long as they can until heavy snow or hunting pressure forces them to move.

IMO, the decision about whether to backpack in is more about the experience than success rates. I know guys that regularly take elk within a mile of a very busy, noisy parking area / base camp. Nearly every year. But for many, "hunting" from an AirBNB/hotel is just not the same experience as backpacking in somewhere for 5 days. To me that's more about "is owning a Class A motorhome really CAMPING?" than actual hunt success.

That being said, "time in field" is definitely a critical metric. A guy who sleeps in a hotel every night but is out at 4am and stays out til well past sundown has a big edge over another who backpacks in but gets up at 10am and only hikes a mile a day. You need to cover a lot of ground, and binoculars are your best friend - let your eyes do the walking. But get out there!

 

[The Harbor Master]

My hunting group has always sort of romanticized the idea of back packing in and spike camping dozens of miles into the back country. The reality is, we don't have horses or mules, we'd need to spend thousands on various gear, and pretty much every year we kill elk within a few miles of the truck/4wheeler. Id still like to do a multiple day hike in just for the experience, but it's definitely not necessary to find quality elk.

 

[D_wit22]

This thread is a great example of the quality guys on here. Really appreciate everyone and there input. Helps guys like me get a head start in the elk woods

 

[Slick8]

Agreed, this thread actually made me redirect my e-scouting thought process for a new area this year and I've identified a new route to look at during my Sept scouting trip.

 

[LCguy]

I think it really just depends on the area. The units I usually apply for in my home state are usually pretty dry and have very little, if any, permanent water so typically I just day hunt out of a base camp. If I were to draw a unit with lots of permanent water, I might be more inclined to hike in for a stay.

This certainly has it's own set of drawbacks such as waking up at 4 a.m., back to camp after 9 p.m. and straight to sleep, no time really to do much else.

It also has some pros, like the ability to stay mobile. If I'm not finding any elk, I can just load up the truck and drive to the other side of the mountains/next drainage system/etc. Like anything, it's all situational. What works for me in the dry units I hunt may not work in a unit with lots of surface water and vice versa.

 

[Hnthrdr]

I doubt anybody tracks these stats. Maybe run a poll?

It's complicated, though. Personally, I mix it up. There have been years where I backpack in 6-10 miles, years where I "spike out" (just an overnight, usually) 3-6 miles, and years where I just hiked in daily. Some years with bad weather I drive around more, to find where the elk have moved to, while others I just stay put. I definitely don't use an outfitter, but I don't sneer at those who do. It's just not what I want for me (and my budget).

If you're new and this question is to help you learn, what I'd say is while deer are strongly territorial, elk are often not. There are two kinds of elk herds: migratory and resident. Migratory herds roam a lot and you need to be pretty mobile to find them. Resident herds are less so, but still move a lot - they can do 2-5 day "loops" through a several-mile area. But both are still motivated by weather. They have thick, heavy hides and even 60F is hot for them. They'll (usually) stay as high as they possibly can for as long as they can until heavy snow or hunting pressure forces them to move.

IMO, the decision about whether to backpack in is more about the experience than success rates. I know guys that regularly take elk within a mile of a very busy, noisy parking area / base camp. Nearly every year. But for many, "hunting" from an AirBNB/hotel is just not the same experience as backpacking in somewhere for 5 days. To me that's more about "is owning a Class A motorhome really CAMPING?" than actual hunt success.

That being said, "time in field" is definitely a critical metric. A guy who sleeps in a hotel every night but is out at 4am and stays out til well past sundown has a big edge over another who backpacks in but gets up at 10am and only hikes a mile a day. You need to cover a lot of ground, and binoculars are your best friend - let your eyes do the walking. But get out there!

Not that I haven’t had good nights sleeping in the field, but getting good rest in a real bed, having access to a shower and real food not just backpacking food can be a game changer. Especially during later seasons not so much during archery.

 

[chindits]

I haven’t hunted from a road camp or day hunted since the early 90s. I don’t like people much and I don’t care for the looks of most hunting camps, but I strongly encourage everyone else to road hunt. Not sure how I’ll hunt pronghorn, maybe a mountain bike camp.

Oddly enough I even backpack when I’m not hunting, but I’m not a proponent of such things. People should generally shower every night and sleep in a bed for longevity.

 

[Bowhunter50]

I do a mix of both backpack hunting and hunting from a base camp. Probably 50/50 split. Like others have said, backpack hunting can be a big waste of time if there aren’t any elk in the area you’re hiking to. If I’m backpacking in I’ll make sure there’s multiple drainages I can check and preferably run a loop to cover more ground. One time I backpacked into a spot because I saw a lot of elk from pretty far away while day hunting and only chance was to backpack in after them.

 

[Gator4570]

Pitch tents at base camp then drive to our glassing knob. Herd an old timer say one time”If you can’t hear the road you’ve gone to far”.

 

[Scoutout325]

Backpacking in the summer to prepare for the elk in the fall!

 

[trophyhill]

No expert by any means. I've hunted elk with my bow in a way that's always evolving. Kinda fluid I guess you could say.

The way I hunt my favorite elk units in NM is totally different than how I hunt northern NM or Colorado.

Sometimes I truck camp. Sometimes pack in for 10 days, and sometimes pack in on my 4 wheeler and set camp up.

I also hybrid hunt. A back country camp and a truck camp returning to truck camp at some point, getting refreshed, and restocking back country camp. Don't have to take all the food and water in at once this way, and shower with a gallon or 2 of water and some deodorant, clean socks and drawers feels good after sweating your azz off for a few days straight.

Guess I don't apply to the OP's question on percentages. Just sayin there are many ways to "skin an elk".

 

[schur7559]

I just really enjoy the backpacking experience so that’s what we’ve always done. It helps that we’ve found a good area 4-5 miles from the trailhead that always seems to hold elk. There’s nothing like being immersed in the mountains for a week at a time- hearing the night bugles, the twigs snapping outside your tent, coffee in your sleeping bag before getting up in the morning, the sunrises and sunsets- all of it.

 

[elkliver]

You missed a large percentage category that have a base camp they hunt out of. either walking out of camp or driving to a jump off location and going for a hike. I will usually set up camp an then have multiple hunt areas within a 5mile drive. If they arent in canyon 1, then i hunt canyon 2. As others have said, backpacking sounds good util you figure out you spent a day packing into an area that doesn' t have elk

"What percentage of Elk hunters are doing day trip hunts from their house or hotel/air bnb?" um... this is pretty low. even when living within an hour drive of hunting trail head, it usually make more sense to camp

 

[Poser]

I just really enjoy the backpacking experience so that’s what we’ve always done. It helps that we’ve found a good area 4-5 miles from the trailhead that always seems to hold elk. There’s nothing like being immersed in the mountains for a week at a time- hearing the night bugles, the twigs snapping outside your tent, coffee in your sleeping bag before getting up in the morning, the sunrises and sunsets- all of it.

Definitely something to be said for this aesthetic -you get out there and get in the zone and stay in the zone to varying intensities: Its all hunting, nothing but hunting 24/7, even when you are sleeping.

 

[mad_angler]

I truck camp at a comfortable base camp. I drive 0-5 miles every morning to a new trailhead and hike in. I can efficiently cover a lot of territory this way.

I often think of spending a night at a spike camp but I haven't found a far enough and good enough spot to justify it.

 

[Felton]

We truck camp in a way that we can pack up and go to a new area on a whim. We’re hyper mobile. From camp we drive and check multiple drainages locating elk and move in on those locates.

We have all the equipment to pack in and spend a night or 2 but that takes us away from being mobile and slows us down. That equipment stays at camp until we decide we want to go deep. On a normal day hunt we put about 5-10 miles in.

in my opinion it’s worth getting a good pack that you can spend a couple nights in the woods with that has a load shelf. Use that pack as your day pack. It should be one of your first purchases. If you don’t have everything to pack in for a couple nights you can buy a few pieces a year and get to where you need to be.

 

[nphunter]

I’ve never used an outfitter. I spend the entire month of Sept hunting, I do a mixture of the above. I’ll backpack in for a few days, last year I took my packgoats into the wilderness. Car camp in good elk country, hunt from my house or setup a base camp in the woods depending on how far from home I am.

I could hunt from my house most days and kill elk. Chased a 340 bull around for a buddy after I filled my tag and was very close to home. I can sometimes hear elk bugle from my house which is nice. The problem with hunting from home is that it’s easy to get distracted by life, end up staying up too late or not getting out early enough in the evening because you get busy. For this reason I will typically setup a camp in the woods even if it only 20 minutes from the house, I can get back to camp, listen to elk bugle all night and come and go without waking the family.

I’ve hunted from motels with the kids and use to haul an old camp trailer when they went with me. To me the only time I want to stay at a hotel is on a late season hunt with super short days, spending 12 hours in a tent in single digit temps sucks. Even during Oct hunts a person ends up in the tent for a lot of hours. If I’m doing that I either take my floorless with a stove or my Kodiak with a heater and cot.

Time in the field is what matters, I honestly think you can be more successful using the road systems to your advantage than backpack hunting. The problem with backpack hunting is by the time you realize you’re in a crappy spot you’re already committed and wasted a bunch of time. I still enjoy backpack hunting and do a couple of them a year, I do it for the adventure more than the hunting.