The Current state of Elk Hunting

[Newtosavage]

Awesome, I'm going to have to start my Whitetail research soon, it sounds like I may be missing out! In drawing a general comparison of perceptions (mostly my own misguided ones) between Eastern and Western hunting I was trying to point out that maybe the West is seen as a land of opportunity within ever diminishing natural resources and public accessibility.

I could send you into some places in the midwest or east where your chances of getting lost are just as good - or even better - than they are in Colorado. No opportunity to climb a hill and look around and every tree looks the same, especially in some big river bottoms in the winter when you can't tell where the sun is. Pre-GPS, I used to always wear a small compass on the band of my wristwatch when I hunted some of those bottoms. Without drainages to follow, you can sure enough get turned around in the dark or on a very cloudy day!

 

[deerkiller]

Whitetails on public back east is real. Just not real productive. I see a handful of deer every outing. Don’t always see bucks. Age class in the eastern Mountain is good “lots” of 4-5 old animals available.


Hit it on a good moisture year on the second or 3rd year of ofmgood hard mast and even in ga or nc you can get a 130 out of the National forest. Which tells you a lot more about the relatively sterile and barren nature of mature hardwood forest than it does about the genetics of the herd. If these deer were eating corn and soybeans or alfalfa they’d be totally different animals. If you want. A challenging hunt- mountain whitetails in the eastern National forests is a good one

White tails in the PNW are a growing herd, by leaps and bounds in many areas - In the east you choose to sit in a treestand to hunt them which is much easier/safer/less theft on private lands/leases - you can sure do that out west but many (most?) like to still hunt them in river bottoms and such - point of fact: in NE Oregon we are seeing white tails in the Eagle Cap Wilderness as high up as 7000' (so far) , white tails will eventualy take over mule deer habitat and we know the end to that story ...

 

[deerkiller]

I could send you into some places in the midwest or east where your chances of getting lost are just as good - or even better - than they are in Colorado. No opportunity to climb a hill and look around and every tree looks the same, especially in some big river bottoms in the winter when you can't tell where the sun is. Pre-GPS, I used to always wear a small compass on the band of my wristwatch when I hunted some of those bottoms. Without drainages to follow, you can sure enough get turned around in the dark or on a very cloudy day!

Plenty of the country you describe in every "neck of the woods" you might find yourself in ….

 

[deerkiller]

So with so many more folks going after elk and all the info out there has it caused the success rates to go up or down in the states you hunt?

varies from area to area and hunter to hunter like it always had I'd guess

 

[Newtosavage]

Plenty of the country you describe in every "neck of the woods" you might find yourself in ….

I'm sure that's true but I find it far easier to navigate - especially in the dark - in places where there is some topographic relief and I have drains or ridges to walk. I think some folks not familiar with dense, flat eastern woods might be surprised what a challenge they can be to navigate at times.

 

[deerkiller]

OK, I'll be the jerk to bring it up ….. "long range hunters" this is NOT a diss on them in particular but the methodology of it MUST be factored into this discussion if we are talking "reality"

you get some guys sniping at elk at a 1000 yards, across a big canyon (I hunted Snake River unit in OR for many years, where you see elk at ultra long range all day) where 10 - 30 years ago you'd see guys hunting elk on either side simultaneously - the more this happens the less "territory" there is for individuals to hunt the more "traditional" way - I can remember many times watching (hearing) guys shooting way beyond the reasonable range at elk while we watched those elk move around, often oblivious to the fact that they were being shot at - Now there are people leaving camp with the sole intention of shooting at elk as far as they can see them with 20X optics, they have rangefinders, wind meters, spotters, rifles arguably capable and the end result is hunters who can "cover" many times the area they used to be able to cover - This part of it must be factored into this discussion IMO

 

[bz_711]

I got close to elk as a boy visiting RMNP...and knew I wanted to hunt them one day. Didn't get my first chance until 2010 (age 32 then) and it was everything and more than I'd hoped for. I've been every year since and will do everything in my power to get a week in Sept each year chasing elk. I've brought others from IL every year...some get the bug and others think it's too hard. This year I look to be the only one headed out from my hometown...unfortunately I think it's because in those 9 seasons, we have clearly seen more hunters and less elk...something many are not willing to fight. As long as I can get lost in the mountains for a few days and there's at least 1 elk around...I'm going to keep trying.
Most things run in cycles, and with such low success rates and tags getting harder to get...I'm sure this will run a full cycle as well.

Good luck to everyone hunting elk this fall - I understand!

 

[juan trueno]

White tails in the PNW are a growing herd, by leaps and bounds in many areas - In the east you choose to sit in a treestand to hunt them which is much easier/safer/less theft on private lands/leases - you can sure do that out west but many (most?) like to still hunt them in river bottoms and such - point of fact: in NE Oregon we are seeing white tails in the Eagle Cap Wilderness as high up as 7000' (so far) , white tails will eventualy take over mule deer habitat and we know the end to that story ...

Where are you getting leases and tree stands out of my post there??? I don’t lease anything I don’t pay treaspass fees I don’t hire guides and i sure as hell don’t climb any trees or have any food plots or feeders or bait stations.

As for how safe etc- I’m not even going to dignify that one. If you are anywhere in rural America dopefiends will steal your stuff. Methheads pulled all the Copper wire and even the AC lineset out of a rental house I used to own in north Georgia when it sat vacant for 2 months.


I got no clue where you have come up with your assessment of how I go about things but it ain’t from reading my post or looking at my pictures

 

[deerkiller]

Where are you getting leases and tree stands out of my post there??? I don’t lease anything I don’t pay treaspass fees I don’t hire guides and i sure as hell don’t climb any trees or have any food plots or feeders or bait stations.

As for how safe etc- I’m not even going to dignify that one. If you are anywhere in rural America dopefiends will steal your stuff. Methheads pulled all the Copper wire and even the AC lineset out of a rental house I used to own in north Georgia when it sat vacant for 2 months.


I got no clue where you have come up with your assessment of how I go about things but it ain’t from reading my post or looking at my pictures

WHOA THERE !! wasn't personally attacking you about nothin' ! I'm a lifelong 503/541'er so know nuttin' hands on about hunting back east nor Midwest, not at all - I read these articles all the time (read time, not much of that around here) but then I DO read and hear about the theft and it's rampant EVERYWHERE, that is for sure

My point had nothing to do whatsoever with criticisms, just commiserating about too many people and not enough territory to go around oftentimes

 

[juan trueno]

Roger that I thought you quoted my post and were calling me out. Hahaha

 

[deerkiller]

I'm sure that's true but I find it far easier to navigate - especially in the dark - in places where there is some topographic relief and I have drains or ridges to walk. I think some folks not familiar with dense, flat eastern woods might be surprised what a challenge they can be to navigate at times.

OH YA ! 2 quick references: there's a small drainage in Snake River Unit that I used to hunt every year we had tags that I've been screwed up in at least a 1/2 dozen times, probably more, I got turned around one year from a new camp and was standing under a deadfall as dark fell getting my fire starter stuff out when I decided to give it one more try, I was literally 250 yards from the water hole for camp and I'd been over that area dozens of times
Another day I was hunting morels in an area less than a mile from a cabin I used to have, in "pole pines" with a dirt road close by, YEP ! you guessed it, was "disoriented" for well over an hour before I walked right up to my truck
IT IS EASY to become turned around, I consider myself a fair woodsman but it timber I'll get twisted around at least 99% of the time without a compass (and looking at it once in a while)

 

[Newtosavage]

OH YA ! 2 quick references: there's a small drainage in Snake River Unit that I used to hunt every year we had tags that I've been screwed up in at least a 1/2 dozen times, probably more, I got turned around one year from a new camp and was standing under a deadfall as dark fell getting my fire starter stuff out when I decided to give it one more try, I was literally 250 yards from the water hole for camp and I'd been over that area dozens of times
Another day I was hunting morels in an area less than a mile from a cabin I used to have, in "pole pines" with a dirt road close by, YEP ! you guessed it, was "disoriented" for well over an hour before I walked right up to my truck
IT IS EASY to become turned around, I consider myself a fair woodsman but it timber I'll get twisted around at least 99% of the time without a compass (and looking at it once in a while)

I worked along the Mississippi River between S. Illinois and SE Missouri for several years. I would hunt those bottoms in the winter, and there were plenty of days when you had no idea where the sun was because of the heavy overcast. Those young cottonwood and willows all look the same because they are all the same age (after the '93 flood). If you were lucky, you could listen for a barge on the river and at least know what direction the river was. But spend a day chasing turkeys down there on a bend in the river, and the sound of barges could be coming from any one of three different directions. That will screw you up quick! LOL Growing up West of the Mississippi, I was actually pleasantly surprised at how "remote" some of those river bottom woodlots were. Miles from the nearest town of any size and in a few cases, miles from the nearest house!

 

[Beendare]

One factor no one has mentioned in 5 pages;

I have an elk tag in my pocket and I'm really looking forward to that!

Every time I sit down to a meal...to my scheduling workouts....my elk tag plays a part in that. I know I'm not the only one here that would prefer an elk hunt to a first class trip to Europe.....[which floors some of my non hunting friends]

..

 

[5MilesBack]

There may be a whole lot more guys in the woods attempting to chase elk, but that just means that there are a lot more guys going home empty handed in most cases.

About 30 years ago I taught my buddy how to fly fish. When we started, I told him to cast into this pool against the far bank. He did.......and nothing. He must have cast in that pool two dozen times and turned to me and said "there's nothing in that pool". So I took the rod and cast it and immediately caught a Brown.

Everybody gets lucky every now and then, but you have to know what you're doing to get on bulls consistently.

 

[dreamingbig]

I haven’t read every post here but two things are definitely impacting tag allocation.

1. Continued economic strength
2. Declining opportunities for residents in WA, CA and OR due to predator populations.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Nickofthewoods]

I could send you into some places in the midwest or east where your chances of getting lost are just as good - or even better - than they are in Colorado. No opportunity to climb a hill and look around and every tree looks the same, especially in some big river bottoms in the winter when you can't tell where the sun is. Pre-GPS, I used to always wear a small compass on the band of my wristwatch when I hunted some of those bottoms. Without drainages to follow, you can sure enough get turned around in the dark or on a very cloudy day!

This is exactly what I look for in hunting locales. It's not an adventure unless you can get lost. Yes, Colorado is too easy in that regard, just go downhill until you hit a Ranch, Backyard, Ski Area, Micro Brewery, etc.

 

[Newtosavage]

One factor no one has mentioned in 5 pages;

I have an elk tag in my pocket and I'm really looking forward to that!

Every time I sit down to a meal...to my scheduling workouts....my elk tag plays a part in that. I know I'm not the only one here that would prefer an elk hunt to a first class trip to Europe.....[which floors some of my non hunting friends]

..

Amen brother! I've called the cost of my elk tag my "gym membership fee" every year for years now. I can think of no better motivation, and the payoff is priceless.

 

[ElkNut1]

Yes sir, that's my year around motivation every year! I simply love OTC elk hunting & would choose it every year over some of the best draw tags! Give me OTC every year & there's a lot of good things that will happen. Having a confident positive attitude is the key to killing elk every year! I get out there each day & feel I will kill an elk every time I head out!

ElkNut/Paul

 

[Newtosavage]

Honestly, as someone who learned to hunt during the "deerless days" of the 70's in E. Texas, the prospect of hunting and hunting and hunting and not bagging anything is not enough to put me off. That's how I started my hunting career and I remember those days very well. It was a successful hunt if we just SAW a deer. Some days, finding a fresh track was enough to talk about in camp that evening!

I think part of the frustration with some folks is they never had to hunt in conditions like those. It was tough but we didn't know any better so we kept hunting. And looking back, that experience has made me a much more resilient and positive minded hunter throughout my life.

 

[deerkiller]

There may be a whole lot more guys in the woods attempting to chase elk, but that just means that there are a lot more guys going home empty handed in most cases.

About 30 years ago I taught my buddy how to fly fish. When we started, I told him to cast into this pool against the far bank. He did.......and nothing. He must have cast in that pool two dozen times and turned to me and said "there's nothing in that pool". So I took the rod and cast it and immediately caught a Brown.

Everybody gets lucky every now and then, but you have to know what you're doing to get on bulls consistently.

the "problem" with fly fishing is that hooking a fish interferes with the "fun" too often