The Current state of Elk Hunting

[maninthemaze]

The people who couldn't afford to pay $1000 for a tag certainly decreased.

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

 

[Dave_]

Me personally, it's cheaper for me to hunt elk for a week or two our of state than find private lease here in TX where I can bring my fam. I hunt some public here to put some does in the freezer, but not near as fun as chasing bugles.

Never had an issue getting into bulls on CO or NM public lands. I have always been about to spend a week or so in the backcountry since I was a kid fishing or grouse hunting. 6-7 years ago I finished grad school, got married, got a real job and stopped spending money on beer and women. So I can finally afford tags. Grouse hunting was really my gateway drug to elk. Found some sweet elk spots that way.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

 

[H2PVon]

30 years ago the amount of work one needed to do to 'go west' was substantial. Ordering maps, not really knowing if the roads were there or not. The unknown is a substantial barrier to most.
Now, I can buy a license and scout/know where I'm going to hunt in 20 minutes on the internet.
Transportation has gotten easier and more reliable.
Equipment has gotten better, and more accessible.

 

[Smokedhog]

I have yet to do any elk hunting but I'm looking into starting so here is my input for what it is worth. I come from an area where all we have is whitetail and ducks. If one wants to hunt either with much success you need either connections, a lot of money or an enormous amount of time for scouting. I also originally thought that all western hunting was priced out of my league as a teacher.

With the access to information online I'm beginning to discover that I could possibly afford it and if I'm willing to eat tag soup a couple years eventually might even be successful. In a couple of years my son will be old enough to start drawing youth tags and at that point I want to start making it something we do every couple of years.

 

[LostArra]

got married, got a real job and stopped spending money on beer and women. .

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

Ha! I got married 43 years ago, have 4 daughters. All I do is spend money on women.
Of course, the daughters are adults now, some hunt and fish but they all like game meat. So it's all worth it.

 

[Dexter Grayson]

I fully agree that the access the information is the major factor in popularization of elk hunting. But one thing that no one has mentioned is that most of the guys back east don't get to start hunting until October, early elk hunts give them an opportunity to get in the woods sooner.

Also, I'm going to add to the problem in the near future. I know that I'm not only going to want to elk hunt just once so I'm building points in some states, will probably buy a landowner tag in others, use an outfitter occasionally , and OTC DIY as well. I have no problem shelling out cash for hunting. I moved to AK to hunt big game, I've focused all my recent efforts on animals up here. That being said, elk are my next target. So keep an eye out for me at your local trailhead in the next few years.

 

[elkduds]

I have yet to do any elk hunting but I'm looking into starting so here is my input for what it is worth. I come from an area where all we have is whitetail and ducks. If one wants to hunt either with much success you need either connections, a lot of money or an enormous amount of time for scouting. I also originally thought that all western hunting was priced out of my league as a teacher.

With the access to information online I'm beginning to discover that I could possibly afford it and if I'm willing to eat tag soup a couple years eventually might even be successful. In a couple of years my son will be old enough to start drawing youth tags and at that point I want to start making it something we do every couple of years.

Welcome. Don't be shy about introducing yourself in the FNG forum. Going elk hunting is being successful to me and many others I love preseason scouting, but it loses luster if I don't get to hunt the same country in the fall. Bringing home an elk is pretty low on my list of best potential outcomes of a hunt, but the possibility of harvesting makes all the difference.

 

[ElkNut1]

Man, some of you really surprise me with your responses! How can not tagging an Elk not mean anything to you? Why do you bother? Why not save your money on tags & go camping & hiking so you can enjoy the outdoors in a leisure manner.

Don't get me wrong, I love being out there & enjoying any & all camaraderie, I enjoy all the things elk country offers but I'm pretty upset if a tag is not eventually filled, if it isn't I'd best have a hell of a good reason why not. I take elk hunting very serious, it isn't just a time to spend in the woods enjoying nature, I give it my all come Sept.

I know to each his own but Attitude can play a huge role in ones success!

ElkNut/Paul

 

[deerkiller]

Man, some of you really surprise me with your responses! How can not tagging an Elk not mean anything to you? Why do you bother? Why not save your money on tags & go camping & hiking so you can enjoy the outdoors in a leisure manner.

Don't get me wrong, I love being out there & enjoying any & all camaraderie, I enjoy all the things elk country offers but I'm pretty upset if a tag is not eventually filled, if it isn't I'd best have a hell of a good reason why not. I take elk hunting very serious, it isn't just a time to spend in the woods enjoying nature, I give it my all come Sept.

I know to each his own but Attitude can play a huge role in ones success!

ElkNut/Paul

that's all fine and good but you might want to do some quick math on elk populations vs. hunter populations - IF every elk hunter fills their tag every time they hunt elk some folks had best take up golf …. I am not saying an "elk hunter" should not do their "all" to harvest an elk but to be PISSED OFF when you don't pretty much ruins it for a bunch of others ….. there are no guarantees so if I see things like drones, trespassing, party hunting, etc … I'm droppin' a dime personally

 

[Beendare]

Man, some of you really surprise me with your responses! How can not tagging an Elk not mean anything to you? Why do you bother?

You know the answer to that Paul.....

Let me put it to you this way; Would you rather sit on a waterhole for 5 days straight that is almost guaranteed to kill an elk...or room the mtns calling? The country you are in...and the quality of the experience matters more to me [and most of us I'm sure] than killing.

Sure, I always want to get one...but then why have I let my hunting buddy shoot the last 3 bulls when I had them dead to rights before him? The experience was enriched seeing him succeed.

Above in the first paragraph is the exact quandary my buddy told me of his spot in Idaho. He sees plenty of elk...out in wide open sage. He likes that spot for many reasons...but its not conducive to calling elk and shooting them in close.

My other buddy that went with him a couple years back placed high in the RMEF elk calling championships [so no slouch caller] ...and he has been guiding for decades. He says you can't call them in that spot with the wide open sage flats......... I believe him. My buddies like the spot as they can ride their motorcycles, see some great country with lots of elk....and fling long range arrows....to each his own.

 

[zpotter]

It will cycle. The cycles may always be more populated as technology has made going much easier but there will still by cycles.

 

[Raghornkiller]

Man, some of you really surprise me with your responses! How can not tagging an Elk not mean anything to you? Why do you bother? Why not save your money on tags & go camping & hiking so you can enjoy the outdoors in a leisure manner.

Don't get me wrong, I love being out there & enjoying any & all camaraderie, I enjoy all the things elk country offers but I'm pretty upset if a tag is not eventually filled, if it isn't I'd best have a hell of a good reason why not. I take elk hunting very serious, it isn't just a time to spend in the woods enjoying nature, I give it my all come Sept.

I know to each his own but Attitude can play a huge role in ones success!

ElkNut/Paul

Attitude is huge,I hear a lot of guys talking about having reasonable expectations and they really don't expect to get an elk.i was 4 years into this before I realized that most people are unsuccessful and I'm glad I didn't get started by reading and listening to the content most guys do.you would think it's impossible and unusual to consistently kill elk.

 

[H2PVon]

Man, some of you really surprise me with your responses! How can not tagging an Elk not mean anything to you? Why do you bother? Why not save your money on tags & go camping & hiking so you can enjoy the outdoors in a leisure manner.

Don't get me wrong, I love being out there & enjoying any & all camaraderie, I enjoy all the things elk country offers but I'm pretty upset if a tag is not eventually filled, if it isn't I'd best have a hell of a good reason why not. I take elk hunting very serious, it isn't just a time to spend in the woods enjoying nature, I give it my all come Sept.

I know to each his own but Attitude can play a huge role in ones success!

ElkNut/Paul

I get where you are coming from but here's the thing.
I'm driving at a minimum of 22 hours to get where I'm going to actually hunt elk. I know what the odds are for me coming west with a bow in my hand having never set foot in the area I'm going. Am I going to bust my nuts to try to get an elk? You bet. BUT, if filling that tag is the only thing that is going to determine success or not, then I'm really setting myself for disappointment. I'm not spending the money, vacation time, time away from the family etc for a disappointment. I've got a week to 10 days to make the round trip. I can't afford to make 'tagging out' the only measure, I can't be in the truck for 24 hours on the way home thinking of how disappointed I am or how I just wasted time money and effort.
Therefore, what I do is make sure that I'm experiencing something different than my usual whitetail hunts. Enjoying every minute. I can put pressure on myself to get a good whitetail, I live there and can spend weekends and evenings chasing them.
When I come west for elk, hell yes I bust butt and try to fill that tag. But I can't let that tag being punched be the only measure of success. For us that are quite a bit from the Rockies, that experience, even if only for a week to 10 days, is worth it in and of itself. Waking up and looking out over those mountains is something that I don't get to do every day. There is value in the process, and every time I walk off that mountain I know I've put one step closer to filling a tag.

 

[Btaylor]

Man, some of you really surprise me with your responses! How can not tagging an Elk not mean anything to you? Why do you bother? Why not save your money on tags & go camping & hiking so you can enjoy the outdoors in a leisure manner.

Don't get me wrong, I love being out there & enjoying any & all camaraderie, I enjoy all the things elk country offers but I'm pretty upset if a tag is not eventually filled, if it isn't I'd best have a hell of a good reason why not. I take elk hunting very serious, it isn't just a time to spend in the woods enjoying nature, I give it my all come Sept.

I know to each his own but Attitude can play a huge role in ones success!

ElkNut/Paul

A lot of us that dont live in the west gain fulfillment from a mountain hunt whether a tag is filled or not because there is so much to experience. Make no mistake, for me a filled tag is the goal and I am going to be disappointed if I fail to fill it but that does not and will not diminish the experience which can not be found where I live. I get a half dozen deer tags with an archery season that runs from Oct-Feb here every year and while there is no doubt elk trumps deer on the table, my freezer seldom runs close to empty. If I only had 1 or 2 tags a year, my outlook would be much different I am sure.

 

[deerkiller]

A lot of us that dont live in the west gain fulfillment from a mountain hunt whether a tag is filled or not because there is so much to experience. Make no mistake, for me a filled tag is the goal and I am going to be disappointed if I fail to fill it but that does not and will not diminish the experience which can not be found where I live. I get a half dozen deer tags with an archery season that runs from Oct-Feb here every year and while there is no doubt elk trumps deer on the table, my freezer seldom runs close to empty. If I only had 1 or 2 tags a year, my outlook would be much different I am sure.

just a point: I live on elk for red meat about 90%, to the point of sometimes "almost" getting a little tired of it BUT the first white tail venison I put in my mouth was an eye opener, EXCELLENT table fare, I don't care WHO you are ...

 

[Btaylor]

just a point: I live on elk for red meat about 90%, to the point of sometimes "almost" getting a little tired of it BUT the first white tail venison I put in my mouth was an eye opener, EXCELLENT table fare, I don't care WHO you are ...

Didnt mean to imply whitetail isnt good, I just dont think it is nearly as good as CO elk.

 

[deerkiller]

Didnt mean to imply whitetail isnt good, I just dont think it is nearly as good as CO elk.

I get it, BOTH have their place

 

[Newtosavage]

just a point: I live on elk for red meat about 90%, to the point of sometimes "almost" getting a little tired of it BUT the first white tail venison I put in my mouth was an eye opener, EXCELLENT table fare, I don't care WHO you are ...

I've heard most of my life how much better elk meat is than deer. I grew up eating whitetail venison and it can be a little gamey for some folks, in some situations. But I heard so often "elk is better than beef... etc, etc. I had elk meat a few times when I lived in NM and thought it was okay. Last season, my buddy gave me some meat to take home from his bull and I was looking forward to cooking it up. So far, my wife and I aren't sure what we're doing wrong that makes elk meat taste so bland. I mean it's like eating tofu or something. Just no flavor at all. It's super tender alright, but just no flavor. Maybe we're just so used the whitetail now? I dunno. I need a larger sample size to be sure but if elk meat doesn't taste any better than whitetails do, that is gonna save me a lot of money on tags in the future. LOL

 

[bmf0713]

I've had elk a few times and i like it but I don't think you can beat Iowa/Illinois corn fed whitetail. Not gonna stop me from trying to kill an elk this fall though.

 

[dreamingbig]

Whitetail is good. Elk is good. Antelope is good. Mule deer can be good. Blacktail is... well let’s go hunt elk again!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk