Solo Elk Tips

[Jacack]

Stay positive, have fun and always be ready don’t get caught with your bow down

So important but often overlooked. My first solo hunt I hiked up to the top of a ridge to check messages on my inreach at lunch and put my bow down and took off my pack sat down and 45 seconds later a beautiful 6x6 walks right up on me while I am looking down at my inreach. Never made a sound .Bet he was 7 yards when he realized I was there, nothing I could do bow on my wrong side and no arrow on it.

 

[Southforkguy]

Ouch

 

[Wrench]

Never ever ever ever ever call without being setup to shoot. Ever.

 

[camelcluch]

Learn to have quality conversations with yourself. I have had some great ideas that only the trees heard.

 

[smartweed]

Learn to have quality conversations with yourself. I have had some great ideas that only the trees heard.

That's the best part of it right there. ...

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[rayporter]

just go and don't sweat the small stuff.


but read post 20 again.

 

[ElkNut1]

Since you mention putting an elk down is at the top of your list outside of getting meat out & surviving the hunt! (grin) I'd look at the country to be hunted. Open country, Spot & Stalk! -- Dark timber is #-1 -- Treestand or ground blind at destination spots or trails leading to or from such as water sources or heavily used game trails! These are your best odds! -- #-2 -- Blind/Cold Calling setups if after Cow or Rag Bull!

Personally I wouldn't be too concerned about Run & Gunning bulls since you have no experience. Your call! Let us know & we can focus on your wants or strengths!

ElkNut/Paul

 

[Jqualls]

So important but often overlooked. My first solo hunt I hiked up to the top of a ridge to check messages on my inreach at lunch and put my bow down and took off my pack sat down and 45 seconds later a beautiful 6x6 walks right up on me while I am looking down at my inreach. Never made a sound .Bet he was 7 yards when he realized I was there, nothing I could do bow on my wrong side and no arrow on it.

I dont know a single hunter that does not have a similar story. I had 3 cows and a bull sneak behind me when I was sitting in the middle of a huge open hillside this season waiting to meet up with my brother. I see more elk when I dont expect to see a thing then when I think I should be all in them.

 

[xziang]

I would not let the opening day chaos make you not go out. Just have backup plan on backup plan if TH is packed. Or just go for it too and keep a positive attitude. If you are hunting CO the second week is usually during the 3 day holiday weekend so you have a BUNCH more non hunters out too.

InReach is a very nice safety blanket!

 

[wymtnpounder]

Make sure you can use a reed

 

[Whiskey_Fish]

Make sure you can use a reed

And make sure you keep it in your mouth! My buddy had to improvise to try to stop a bull moving down a trail because his reed was in his pocket. It did not sound anything like an elk.

I got a good laugh out of it. The bull left real fast.


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[Skyhigh]

Since you mention putting an elk down is at the top of your list outside of getting meat out & surviving the hunt! (grin) I'd look at the country to be hunted. Open country, Spot & Stalk! -- Dark timber is #-1 -- Treestand or ground blind at destination spots or trails leading to or from such as water sources or heavily used game trails! These are your best odds! -- #-2 -- Blind/Cold Calling setups if after Cow or Rag Bull!

Personally I wouldn't be too concerned about Run & Gunning bulls since you have no experience. Your call! Let us know & we can focus on your wants or strengths!

ElkNut/Paul

I would really really like to call one in if I could, but I will also do whatever I can to be successful.

My buddy in the area is the biologist for the area so I will likely have some decent information going into the hunt, plus my scouting in august. I think I will not have too many issues finding elk from what I have read on the unit, scouting, and information from my buddy.

I have been watching a lot of videos (any and all on youtube, both land of the free's, Corey Jacobsen's videos, plus any others I could find) and after each one I try and take away something I learned from that video. So hopefully that provides me with some pseudo experience. Obviously won't be as good as the real thing, but every little bit will hopefully help. The whole idea of calling in and elk and having it respond seems very cool and is definitely something I would like to attempt.

What would you recommend? The unit I will be in is fairly open, pretty steep, and doesn't have much in the way of thick brushy cover.

 

[notchfir3]

lungs shot are golden, you can get it then you can get any game you desire.

 

[ElkNut1]

Skyler, with that in mind you will be in Spot & Stalk mode! With little to no cover I would not recommend doing much calling. If you start calling to elk in the open even though you feel you are hidden they will most likely try to call you out into the open, when you do not show they can get nervous & drift away. This is noticeable on pressured elk on OTC elk hunts!

Calling in bulls is best suited with semi cover to heavy cover so you can get them to react to your calling by coming your way in search mode until they get to a spot they know they should see the source of the calls!

Is there areas of the unit they do have timber/cover where calling can be utilized?

ElkNut/Paul

 

[Skyhigh]

Skyler, with that in mind you will be in Spot & Stalk mode! With little to no cover I would not recommend doing much calling. If you start calling to elk in the open even though you feel you are hidden they will most likely try to call you out into the open, when you do not show they can get nervous & drift away. This is noticeable on pressured elk on OTC elk hunts!

Calling in bulls is best suited with semi cover to heavy cover so you can get them to react to your calling by coming your way in search mode until they get to a spot they know they should see the source of the calls!

Is there areas of the unit they do have timber/cover where calling can be utilized?

ElkNut/Paul

Yes there are a quite few areas where trees are present, the unit is central Idaho. A lot of it is sagey and open, but when you get to timber it appears to be fairly thick for that pocket of timber. The trees in the area are mostly Douglas Fir and Subalpine Fir, if that helps. My plans so far have revolved around hunting near the timber where I can find water as the unit is pretty dry as well.

 

[Sharpspur]

IMOP if you are going to hunt within a couple days of the opener, hunt the opener. Get in a couple days ahead, get set up acclimate, and do some non-intrusive scouting. If truck camping, use that time to maybe meet your neighbors. Most guys I have run into have been very nice and helpful. You might even offer to help for help if you or they get one down.

 

[ElkNut1]

Good deal, that changes things a bit! It's good too you have some local assistance, that will help the locating of elk out for sure! Glass the openings before they get into the timber & you'll know their aprox location. Make your way to them without being spotted or winded & now you call to them. Depending on their disposition will depend on the calling style needed for best results! -- When working the timber in search of elk use a location bugle as you cover tons of ground, you will eventually locate a player or you'll hear a bull sound off on his own.

Right now in the off season I'd work on building a solid foundation of techniques. Learn The Threat, there are 3 levels, very simple to get down pat. 2nd, learn the Slow Play Breeding Sequence, between those two tactics you will be heavily armed to work just about any situation & any bull with a solid setup. Once you learn both Tactics, it's easy to mix & match the two depending on the encounter & the emotion of the bull or elk you are working!

For those bulls that will bugle once or twice early morn you would go straight to the Slow Play. -- For those bulls showing more aggression because cows are showing signs of estrus you would go to levels of the Threat! Level - I being the mild form of cow calls & short bugles to Level III being the most aggressive. When in doubt of their mindset start low, you can easily add aggression as needed! You will find success with these tactics. Again, practice these tactics before you get into elk country so the kinks are worked out, You'll do awesome & have confidence in their use & not shy away when needed most by being well prepared!

p.s. finding elk is one thing, killing them is another!

ElkNut/Paul

 

[Skyhigh]

IMOP if you are going to hunt within a couple days of the opener, hunt the opener. Get in a couple days ahead, get set up acclimate, and do some non-intrusive scouting. If truck camping, use that time to maybe meet your neighbors. Most guys I have run into have been very nice and helpful. You might even offer to help for help if you or they get one down.

I will definitely keep it in mind. I will be missing school so I have to pick and choose when I can be out there. I think talking to others around and offering help is a very good idea. Thanks for the tip!

 

[Skyhigh]

Good deal, that changes things a bit! It's good too you have some local assistance, that will help the locating of elk out for sure! Glass the openings before they get into the timber & you'll know their aprox location. Make your way to them without being spotted or winded & now you call to them. Depending on their disposition will depend on the calling style needed for best results! -- When working the timber in search of elk use a location bugle as you cover tons of ground, you will eventually locate a player or you'll hear a bull sound off on his own.

Right now in the off season I'd work on building a solid foundation of techniques. Learn The Threat, there are 3 levels, very simple to get down pat. 2nd, learn the Slow Play Breeding Sequence, between those two tactics you will be heavily armed to work just about any situation & any bull with a solid setup. Once you learn both Tactics, it's easy to mix & match the two depending on the encounter & the emotion of the bull or elk you are working!

For those bulls that will bugle once or twice early morn you would go straight to the Slow Play. -- For those bulls showing more aggression because cows are showing signs of estrus you would go to levels of the Threat! Level - I being the mild form of cow calls & short bugles to Level III being the most aggressive. When in doubt of their mindset start low, you can easily add aggression as needed! You will find success with these tactics. Again, practice these tactics before you get into elk country so the kinks are worked out, You'll do awesome & have confidence in their use & not shy away when needed most by being well prepared!

p.s. finding elk is one thing, killing them is another!

ElkNut/Paul

Thanks for the tips! I definitely will be learning the calling techniques well ahead of time. I think with the pre-scouting and having my friend who lives there and knows the area, I should be able to find elk, I am worried about the killing though. I think with your and everyone else in this threads input I should be able to be as prepared as someone can be who has never hunted elk. Is it fairly easy to judge how aggressive a bull is when he bugles? Do they chuckle more if they are being aggressive? I have never heard a bugle in person so not sure how the "language" works.

 

[Ridge Ghost]

I dont know a single hunter that does not have a similar story. I had 3 cows and a bull sneak behind me when I was sitting in the middle of a huge open hillside this season waiting to meet up with my brother. I see more elk when I dont expect to see a thing then when I think I should be all in them.

Yep! EVERY time you sit down, take a break, eat lunch, etc- nock an arrow and keep your bow within reach. I had to learn this the hard way