Solo Elk Hunting

[Brendan]

I've had both ends of the spectrum: Excellent weather and excellent hunting, and crappy weather and crappy hunting. When you get the latter, it is 100% mental to tough it out. You mentally should prepare yourself that the 2 week "Trip of a lifetime" you've been waiting for could be tough weather, uncooperative elk, and frustrating. You have to be able to embrace the experience, and have plans for how to deal with different scenarios.

But, I would advise good hard shell rain gear top and bottom, good gaiters, good broken in boots. Being able to keep yourself reasonably warm, dry, and comfortable makes a big difference when the weather goes south.,

 

[durandja11]

Colorado?

I tried my luck in the WY draw with CO or ID as a back-up plan. I have to go elk hunting this year as next year I know I won't be able to.

 

[longspeak74]

I handle the "things that go bump in the night" noises by sleeping in the back of my truck under the topper! Make sure your conditioning is in place and that you're familiar with your essential gear. The mountains are no place for trial runs.

 

[Indian Summer]

No doubt that no partner is better than a bad one. I prefer to hunt solo FOR SURE. But I like a buddy in camp. So my partner doesn’t have to be a balls to the wall elk slayer. He just needs to stay upbeat. A bit of a sense of humor is a plus. Even a non hunting partner will do. But I definitely agree that there’s no good reason to skip a year.

 

[Elkfitness]

I’ve always hunted solo and echo cnelks comment on overthinking things. You are out there by yourself need to stay focused on your goals. Don’t think too hard and try to go to too many spots if the distance is great. You’ll kill your legs and then your motivation. Have your plan a, b, c, and d set and try to stick to it. Trust your scouting but be open to a new area that you happen upon. I almost got bit by going too far in, that would be my advice. Be aware of how far you are when are seeing elk and want to make a stalk. 5 miles back is far when you are by yourself and have to make multiple rounds trips with heavy loads over rough terrain.


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[Wrench]

I suggest the simplest meals you can make. I hear guys complain about needing different meals and wanting to cook and drink. I hunt about 80 miles south of Canada and I'll eat the fastest calories I can swallow to get my ass asleep. If you've never hunted from the 4am hour into the 9pm hour.....it makes for one hell of a long day.

There will be days that the wind will not cooperate. Expect that and be patient. Don't rush to push them out.

 

[Marine4life]

I am always surprised at how boredom effects me.
I have found my scariest moments have involved lightning storms.
Don’t be afraid to relocate - you have to find elk to hunt them.


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[MtnOyster]

I love solo hunts, it’s about 1400 miles from my house to where I set up camp and I think the most important thing is to just keep it simple, your going to kill an animal not going out to eat every night, or bar hopping or partying, only take what you need but make sure you have what you need........don’t let the mental crap get you like it does some, if you do it right you’ll be so busy taking care of things you won’t think about being alone, heck being alone is the fun part, I could go on for an hour here but don’t over think things, take your time and think things through but don’t over think it.......simple, simple, simple..

 

[Marble]

I didn't find any problems with going solo, or anything that was an unpleasant surprise. Quite the opposite. I found the greatest pleasure in going solo. I was 100% in charge, totally responsible, totally independent.

Prior to the hunt, I had anxiety. Mostly of packing out an animal solo. I have cut up and packed out 50+ elk on horses, so the process was not something I feared. More the physical exhaustion that was sure to occur while traveling miles with the weight on my back.

But the actuality of it is, I did do it all myself. Carried it out, safely and efficiently. It wasn't bad at all and to be completely honest, I wish it had been slightly harder. It was only a cow, so with a bull I'll get my wish.

The satisfaction and sense of achievement, along with the peace and quiet of solitude was the best hunting experience if my life.

This year, my good hunting partner is going. Which I am thankful for and look very much towards the hunt. But I have to say I was slightly disappointed I wasn't going solo again.

I find the older I get, the more I value alone time, and find less tolerance for people that I am not close to, and more tolerance the people I am close to.

 

[durandja11]

wow thanks everyone for the great in-sight from people who have experienced it. It seems like the underlying theme is to keep it simple, don't over think, but keep your mind in the game. Enjoy every second in the woods and soak up the entire experience. This really does rig true to my soul and has me looking forward to 2020 as my best season yet. Thanks!

 

[rclouse79]

I am excited to go back and read all the replies to this question. My long time friend and hunting partner recently started his own business and has two young kids. Needless to say I have found myself out in the woods by myself more weekends than not. The one thing I am going to work on is patience. The last two years I have called bulls in, but have spooked them while trying to move to a better position as they were coming in.

 

[Cedarsavage]

I've never done a solo elk hunt, so take what I say with a grain of salt. I have hunted Wyoming, Nebraska and some trips in my home state of Michigan solo. If you want to go do stuff like this it's tough to get other people to commit to going, and if they do say they wanna go, most will back out before it's time to go. If you wait for someone else you'll probably be waiting a long time and most likely be like the rest of people who hunt that say "someday I'm gonna go do x hunt." then get too fat and or old to go do it. I always get a little anxious and nervous before I leave thinking about stuff can go wrong, but I haven't had a bad experience, I'm always glad I did it and usually feel like a pansy for doubting myself when it's all said and done. I will continue to go on solo hunts far from home.

 

[87TT]

I started hunting elk here four years ago After I retired at 62. At first I was scared also about the pack out. Never about the being alone. I have mostly hunted alone all my life. Since I chased rabbit and squirrels with a fiberglass recurve I rescued from a trash can. I have hunted with other people but generally we would go hunt alone and meet back up at a certain time or maybe just run into each other on the mountain.
The first year I didn't shoot anything but did break down an elk alone when my friend's GF hit a 5 point with her car and I tracked it down and salvaged it. Three years ago I shot and killed a bull but lost it only to find it two weeks later by the birds with a bear sitting on it. The next year I shot a cow with a rifle during a late cow season. I was able to break it down by myself and load it into my Samurai to take home. This last year I shot a forky bull and broke him down and packed him out in the dark. It was a honest 1.5 miles (by GPS) to the Samurai. Took me all night but I got him out, Thank you EXO and trekking poles. I'm about to turn 67 in a couple of weeks and can't wait for this year.

I didn't find any problems with going solo, or anything that was an unpleasant surprise. Quite the opposite. I found the greatest pleasure in going solo. I was 100% in charge, totally responsible, totally dependent.

Prior to the hunt, I had anxiety. Mostly of packing out an animal solo. I have cut up and packed out 50+ elk on horses, so the process was not something I feared. More the physical exhaustion that was sure to occur while traveling miles with the weight on my back.

But the actuality of it is, I did do it all myself. Carried it out, safely and efficiently. It wasn't bad at all and to be completely honest, I wish it had been slightly harder. It was only a cow, so with a bull I'll get my wish.

The satisfaction and sense of achievement, along with the peace and quiet of solitude was the best hunting experience if my life.

This year, my good hunting partner is going. Which I am thankful for and look very much towards the hunt. But I have to say I was slightly disappointed I wasn't going solo again.

I find the older I get, the more I value alone time, and find less tolerance for people that I am not close to, and more tolerance the people I am close to.

 

[5MilesBack]

I've always been a solo hunter. My advice: Just go out and enjoy yourself. You're in the mountains in September.......it doesn't get much better than that........enjoy it. Oh, and don't forget to kill an elk.

 

[cnelk]

Something you may want to consider is to line up a packer. Call them to discuss options and having an inreach for communication is a great accessory for this.

It will expand your hunting opportunities knowing you can get the animal out within a day or so.

 

[Skyhigh]

I solo hunted for the first time last year, in Idaho, around opener. My biggest issue was not staying until dark. It was mid-eighties basically every day. I would have no problem getting up early, hiking in the dark, but it wore on me that I hadn't seen much all day and that it was hot out. The couple days that I left the mountain early I regretted immensely, who knows what would have happened if I stayed the last few hours? The other days where I stayed out the whole time I saw elk, nearly having opportunities to shoot several times.

 

[87TT]

I sometimes carry a book and take a mid day break in the woods or nap in the woods if it's slow but stay out. Can't catch fish without a hook in the water.

 

[Beendare]

One thing;

That its hard to call elk solo with a stick bow.

______

 

[roosiebull]

Well 2020 has rolled around I am possibly on the verge of my first ever solo archery elk hunting experience....for other solo hunters - What is the one tip, strategy, suggestion you wished someone would have told you prior experiencing your hunt? What was the most surprising thing you just never thought of during the hunt? Whether it was mentally, physically or that one make or break piece of equipment. Just trying to prepare myself with as much knowledge as I can.

I do 90% of my hunting solo, I like it better, i'll go with friends after I kill one, but until then i'm solo.

the only thing that really stands out to me is staying within your means, be realistic on the spots you choose, because it can be warm in Sept, and solo packing a bull isn't easy, especially when you had just hunted hard for a week straight, so don't hunt places you can't get one out of in a timely fashion, and also do some research on meat care.

if you have your stuff together, you can take a couple days to pack an elk out if needed.

what I like is hunting at my pace, making the decisions I want to, and hunt however I want. half the noise, half the scent, half the movement…. that's a benefit. I tend to do a lot of stalking and ambushing, i'm not one to have to call in every bull I kill, I assess each situation, and find out the easiest way to kill the elk I find, and go from there.

calling solo can be very effective, but don't make it your only strategy, take advantage of being alone and sneaky. another nice thing about hunting solo is the patience you can have without worrying about your hunting partner. it seems most times i'm hunting with others, i'm not as patient....

don't look at it as a handicap, because to me it's the opposite. I hunt alone because it's more effective to me. some people want/need company, but i'm not one of them, I love solitude, and as well as being effective, it's really enjoying hanging out in the woods alone.

 

[reaperukon]

So I don’t think this has been mentioned, but one thing I found to be priceless in keeping the mental game sharp is to pack a pocket notebook. Wrote down successes and failures in addition to going through the things I wanted to remember for next year. It gave me a way to pep talk myself.


The Garmin inreach was priceless as well.


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