The 1 Thing You Learned- ELK

[Oregon Hunter]

Sept 2021, day 6 into the archery season, solo that morning… few hrs of cat and mouse in a wide drainage and i finally let my mind slip and tried crossing an more open area while continuing to bugle back. A spike showed up 30yds off my right shoulder(which was great) but the 5pt also came out and strait at me looking directly at me(my bugle giving my location)… 16yds and couldnt draw.
On my 2nd run out west, sept 26th, a very similar game in the same drainage with a 6pt… kept my calling to good locations and was afforded anothr 16yd shot and all ended as I hoped.
I replayed the first trip over and over even up to the seconds before i released the arrow… that one correction made all the difference on that occassion and filled my tag. Lesson learned… always stayed in the game mentally. Which isnt always easy lol!!

Mentality is such an overlooked overlooked aspect is aspect, especially on tough hunts like that. When I used to bohunt I often found that learning when to draw my bow often made the difference. Wish I had the perfect answer on when to draw, but that just took time to learn how the elk in my area reacted

 

[Oregon Hunter]

One thing would be tough. There's been so much stuff I've learned while teaching myself how to kill elk.

Probably one big one for me for archery has been that just because you're not hearing the elk doesn't mean they're not actively rutting during daylight hours. You're probably just not close enough to hear them bugle and you need to keep searching.

Last year I spent a day hiking and cold calling. Nothing. I went a mile up the drainage and further up the slope and was in a rut fest!

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Good point, the elk seldom act like you see on the guided hunting shows with bugles every 2 minutes. On public land I've found that ripping off bugles usually scares them

 

[Oregon Hunter]

I'll add another to this thread that played out in a big way for me this last season (sorry if this is a repeat somewhere in all these pages of replies) but listen at night for the bugles if your not hearing a lot during hunting hours.

I sleep light at night so i wake up to the bugles anyway, and my brain is basically listening for me while im sleeping in the woods, but if you dont sleep light at night... spend a few hours to get up around 3- am and just sit and listen if you think their are elk in the area.... Yea i get it... its gonna suck cause your already exhausted from hunting all day... but it can give you a good lead on what direction to head in when you wake up in the morning

This year i woke up to a bugle across the valley from me, somewhere i never hunted, he ended up bugling once more while i was making breakfast and i went up after him, good sized bull for the unit! Never would have guessed he would be there though if he hadnt sounded off in the dark for me

That's a good idea. You're probably less likely to hear bugles that might be coming from other hunters too

 

[Oregon Hunter]

I learned this year that time in elk country is the most important "strategy". Like most of us on here, I spend a lot of time in the off season reading books and forums, watching hunts online, and e-scouting. It's all fun but for me its 90% entertainment that doesn't always translate when my boots hit the ground. If I want to have more encounters with elk, I need to spend more time in and around elk.

You've got a good point. The most successful elk hunters I know hunt elk every year. It's usually not in hard to draw units with monster bulls, but that experience makes them better hunters for when they draw those tags

 

[mh1]

Following

 

[Winnie]

Knowing what call to make is more important than making a perfect sounding call.

 

[Oregon Hunter]

When I get discouraged when elk hunting my wife always tells me "it only takes a second", meaning it only takes a second for something to happen. This is the truth, so always be ready. Also don't try shooting through small openings, they are never big enough, be patient and wait for a clear shot.

That's a great saying to remember for when we're tired and discouraged

 

[Oregon Hunter]

Knowing what call to make is more important than making a perfect sounding call.

Do you have any favorite types of calls you like to make in certain situations?

 

[Bigrog]

If you are hunting high elevation consider sighting in your gun once you get to camp if possible. I sighted in before I left Texas but missed the first shot on a 6x6 elk in Arizona. Luckily he waited for me to adjust and I made the 2nd shot count after adjusting.

 

[Oregon Hunter]

If you are hunting high elevation consider sighting in your gun once you get to camp if possible. I sighted in before I left Texas but missed the first shot on a 6x6 elk in Arizona. Luckily he waited for me to adjust and I made the 2nd shot count after adjusting.

Congratulations on a nice elk! Was your rifle off from traveling, or did the difference in elevation make that big of an impact?

 

[OregonSteeler]

Cannot stress enough to "always be hunting". Just last year during archery elk, I was walking out of a drainage mid afternoon, looking at the ground and contemplating what I was going to do for an afternoon hunt. A spike elk ran by me about 20yds away; full steam down the hill and out of sight. I have no idea if I would've killed that elk; but do know having my head in the clouds doomed my chance. Once you let your guard down and mind wander, inevitably this is when your chance will happen.

 

[Bigrog]

Congratulations on a nice elk! Was your rifle off from traveling, or did the difference in elevation make that big of an impact?

I assume it was from the elevation as I was able to get several deer and pigs here since. Also could have been elk fever

To be sure next time I plan to sight it in when I get there if I'm lucky enough to draw another tag.

 

[Read1t48]

2021 season for me in one word:
Persistence.

 

[IdahoElk]

No matter what you do you can't beat an Elks sense of smell.

 

[Super tag]

Hire a good outfitter

Let’s face it, it’s tough to find let alone kill a real monster, I’ve spent decades hunting elk, and I live in elk country, spent countless hours preparing, planning, scouting etc. there’s always something that gets in the way, I know I’m not alone.

I’m older now and wanted that experience once in my life, so I decided to bite the bullet and hire a really good outfitter, worth every penny.

 

[bozeman]

I learned: SLOW down……..if you think you are going slow, you aren’t…….go slower!

 

[dplumlee12]

Stay alert... as soon as you let your guard down you'll miss an opportunity.

 

[Oregon Hunter]

Cannot stress enough to "always be hunting". Just last year during archery elk, I was walking out of a drainage mid afternoon, looking at the ground and contemplating what I was going to do for an afternoon hunt. A spike elk ran by me about 20yds away; full steam down the hill and out of sight. I have no idea if I would've killed that elk; but do know having my head in the clouds doomed my chance. Once you let your guard down and mind wander, inevitably this is when your chance will happen.

So true! I almost didn't get the biggest buck of my life because I had put my rifle away on the way out to leave our hunting area. I was a quarter mile from the gate and saw him hiding in the creek 30' away

 

[Oregon Hunter]

I assume it was from the elevation as I was able to get several deer and pigs here since. Also could have been elk fever

To be sure next time I plan to sight it in when I get there if I'm lucky enough to draw another tag.

That's probably a good idea because it will get any worries out of your head about the rifle being off and give you confidence

 

[Oregon Hunter]

No matter what you do you can't beat an Elks sense of smell.

I'm surprised that Western hunters don't go to the lengths that Eastern whitetail hunters do to control our smell