Recommendations for Elk Hunting Books

[NealS02]

It seems like there are a ton of really good resources on mule deer that I have picked up and really enjoyed (Long, Denning, Eastman, etc.), which offer tons of information as well as approach to pursuing deer. On the other hand, I have struggled to find solid options or recommendations regarding elk hunting. I did enjoy Mike Eastman’s book and have also read pretty much the entire North American Elk: Ecology and Management. Ideally, I would like to find something that has at least some component of rifle hunting rather than just purely archery, but am open to suggestions on both. Thanks in advance!

 

[TaperPin]

Jim Zumbo doesn’t care about AR-15s and in our cancel culture he’s been an outcast for quite some time, but I found more nuggets of wisdom in his articles and books on elk hunting than others. His advice on still hunting timber is spot on.

It would be great if an elk hunting book came out that walked people through the completely different types of terrain elk are found in and how that affects hunting behavior during rifle seasons. Elk are such creatures of habit, what they do this year in any particular location is quite similar what will happen next year, but what the locals know is common behavior is not always obvious to the casual visitor to the area. Elk know every part of the terrain and have been conditioned to use it to avoid getting shot - it’s not stressed enough that that might mean moving just out of range of road hunters, moving back and forth between areas, moving from lightly wooded areas to open sagebrush, or moving into thicker timber.

 

[MOLC09]

The Elk Hunter and Elk Tactics, both by Don Laubach, are older books but are both entertaining with lots of good info and stories. Not sure if they are still in print but a lot of local libraries in elk country have them.

 

[T-y-ler]

The Elk Hunter and Elk Tactics, both by Don Laubach, are older books but are both entertaining with lots of good info and stories. Not sure if they are still in print but a lot of local libraries in elk country have them.

Just looked and eBay has a few of each of these at reasonable prices.

 

[cnelk]

My buddy wrote this book - it has some good stuff.
'Public Land Elk Hunting'

Amazon.com

 

[RockAndSage]

Drew a December cow elk tag, and it'll be my first elk hunt - anyone have any resources they could point me to on this kind of a hunt?

So far it looks quite a bit different than going after trophy bulls in August, but that's what most of the material seems to be focused around.

 

[NealS02]

Drew a December cow elk tag, and it'll be my first elk hunt - anyone have any resources they could point me to on this kind of a hunt?

So far it looks quite a bit different than going after trophy bulls in August, but that's what most of the material seems to be focused around.

I have found options limited for cow elk information compared to bulls. The most valuable resources I’ve found are an early Elk Talk Podcast episode from 8/2/2019 entitled “Cow Elk Hunting” and the Outdoor Class cow hunting class with Randy Newberg and Corey Jacobsen. Also, North American Elk: Ecology and Management was provides a very comprehensive explanation of cow behavior and needs, but is super dense.

I focus on food when hunting cows as the major factor to key in on. Water and security obviously also being very important, but the key message of the first two resources is food, food, and food.

 

[RockAndSage]

I have found options limited for cow elk information compared to bulls. The most valuable resources I’ve found are an early Elk Talk Podcast episode from 8/2/2019 entitled “Cow Elk Hunting” and the Outdoor Class cow hunting class with Randy Newberg and Corey Jacobsen. Also, North American Elk: Ecology and Management was provides a very comprehensive explanation of cow behavior and needs, but is super dense.

I focus on food when hunting cows as the major factor to key in on. Water and security obviously also being very important, but the key message of the first two resources is food, food, and food.

Man, those are great tips, thank you. Just downloaded the podcast. Checked out that Ecology and Management book too - it's $900 on Amazon right now.

 

[jmd]

Just bought them, thanks for the recommendations

The Elk Hunter and Elk Tactics, both by Don Laubach, are older books but are both entertaining with lots of good info and stories. Not sure if they are still in print but a lot of local libraries in elk country have them.

 

[TaperPin]

Drew a December cow elk tag, and it'll be my first elk hunt - anyone have any resources they could point me to on this kind of a hunt?

So far it looks quite a bit different than going after trophy bulls in August, but that's what most of the material seems to be focused around.

That should be a fun trip.

The local habits will have a lot to do with where the elk are in December so I wouldn’t put a lot of trust in generic elk hunting information being all that useful. For instance if snow pushes elk out of the high country they have established travel routes that haven’t changed much in 100 years and the amount of snow has a big impact in how close to winter range they are along that travel route, and they will be much more bunched together than any other season. Some elk go quite a ways, some hardly at all. It’s safe to say the locals always know the general locations to look and how close they have made it to winter range.

Same for sagebrush elk - as the days grow shorter they will gravitate to the same winter draws they always use, maybe not far away. It’s kind of like hunting antelope and a little driving and glassing up draws in the right spots quickly turn up hooves. The only guys not filling a tag are the ones who haven’t bothered to ask a local and spent time in the wrong area.

One popular area has a fairly easy to access travel route out of the mountains and elk will bunch up right before a fairly open bench, then small groups will run the gauntlet to the other side while hunters blast away. The successful hunters drag their elk downhill to the road and before long another small batch will make a run for it and the cycle continues until the end of the season. The key to success here is simply wear warm clothes and sit near the bench like a duck hunter waiting for a flock to fly by. The only guys not filling a tag here either just had a baby, or were given last minute tickets for Hawaii.

A little local knowledge goes a long way.

Edit: I just remembered this American Hunter article.

An Official Journal Of The NRA | Tips and Tactics for Late-Season Cow Elk

Reasonable draw odds, high success rates and filling the freezer with tender, tasty meat makes cow elk hunting a great option. Here are some tips and tactics for hunting them in the late season.

www.americanhunter.org

 

[RockAndSage]

That should be a fun trip.

The local habits will have a lot to do with where the elk are in December so I wouldn’t put a lot of trust in generic elk hunting information being all that useful. For instance if snow pushes elk out of the high country they have established travel routes that haven’t changed much in 100 years and the amount of snow has a big impact in how close to winter range they are along that travel route, and they will be much more bunched together than any other season. Some elk go quite a ways, some hardly at all. It’s safe to say the locals always know the general locations to look and how close they have made it to winter range.

Same for sagebrush elk - as the days grow shorter they will gravitate to the same winter draws they always use, maybe not far away. It’s kind of like hunting antelope and a little driving and glassing up draws in the right spots quickly turn up hooves. The only guys not filling a tag are the ones who haven’t bothered to ask a local and spent time in the wrong area.

One popular area has a fairly easy to access travel route out of the mountains and elk will bunch up right before a fairly open bench, then small groups will run the gauntlet to the other side while hunters blast away. The successful hunters drag their elk downhill to the road and before long another small batch will make a run for it and the cycle continues until the end of the season. The key to success here is simply wear warm clothes and sit near the bench like a duck hunter waiting for a flock to fly by. The only guys not filling a tag here either just had a baby, or were given last minute tickets for Hawaii.

A little local knowledge goes a long way.

Edit: I just remembered this American Hunter article.

An Official Journal Of The NRA | Tips and Tactics for Late-Season Cow Elk

Reasonable draw odds, high success rates and filling the freezer with tender, tasty meat makes cow elk hunting a great option. Here are some tips and tactics for hunting them in the late season.

www.americanhunter.org

Good stuff, and very helpful, thank you.