What I learned from my first elk hunt.

[Meangreen02]

Surprised at how many are recommending staying with the 10x binos. I was looking at upgrading from Leupolds 10x42 to Vortex Razors 10x50 and leaning more to their 12x50's, but I have no experience with the 50's..
Sorry your trip ended like it did. I'm not sure how I'd handled the leaving early part among my friends. I'd been a pissy ole coot all the way back and probably friendless after.. Hope it all works out and you get to do a much better hunt in the near future!

Don't do it, I just sold my Vortex 12x50's and purchased a pair of Maven 10x42 (B-2 I believe) and I could not be more impressed. Still have my Vortex spotting scope but rarely need it.

 

[jmez]

The 10x42 is plenty of glass. The more you glass the more you will see. It's not as simple as just looking around through your binoculars.

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[Poser]

Read your story. I first came hunting out West several years ago from Tennessee as well and ended up moving out here to SW CO as a result.

You didn’t go into detail, but I’m curious why you guys pulled the plug and cut the trip in half. You really should be looking at any such trip as an adventure first and foremost. If there’s that much friction, I can understand tempers getting short, but spending 30 hours in a vehicle together isn’t going to really help that aspect. I’d say, split up for a night with a plan to meet back up and see if tempers cool off a bit. While not seeing sign cAn be an indication to move, it just doesn’t sound like you guys covered enough ground or spent enough time in the area to really draw any Conclusions. While the outfitters advice may have been worth something as a starting point, I’m sure you also drive past a lot of elk country during that 60 mile drive.

For extremely rough terrain:

- 1 elk tag for your party is ideal and economical. Rotate years as to has has the tag. You’re not packing Two elk out of the gnar, much less 3. The other guy or guys can do the calling. Who pulls the trigger is irrelevant. It’s an adventure and weapons are heavy to carry anyway. Since it’s a long trip maybe do 4 guys, 2 tags.

-show up in the best shape of your life. Unless there is a continuous cliff line that is taller than 5 feet, you figure out a way through it. Sometimes the pace is hours per mile. That’s just part of it.

-sounds like you should ditch those guys. If I was on a trip that ended up being cut in half due to friction as you describe, no way in hell I’d be on another trip with them. Recruit a new partner and set out a list of expectations.

-scouting. You really need to figure out a way to make that happen in some capacity. It’s the biggest advantage. A scouting trip + hunting trip is still cheaper than a outfitter.

-look into renting llamas. Around here, they are $125 a day each for a frame of reference.

-60# packs sound like hey are too heavy for you. You might try packing in food for 3 days at a time and cut that pack weight down below 50#. It makes a huge difference.

-your creek look anything like this one? We do actually climb this stuff. Straight up it.

 

[OneRingTrTa]

Half the fun is learning something new and getting better.

 

[Yellowhammer]

Read your story. I first came hunting out West several years ago from Tennessee as well and ended up moving out here to SW CO as a result.

You didn’t go into detail, but I’m curious why you guys pulled the plug and cut the trip in half. You really should be looking at any such trip as an adventure first and foremost. If there’s that much friction, I can understand tempers getting short, but spending 30 hours in a vehicle together isn’t going to really help that aspect. I’d say, split up for a night with a plan to meet back up and see if tempers cool off a bit. While not seeing sign cAn be an indication to move, it just doesn’t sound like you guys covered enough ground or spent enough time in the area to really draw any Conclusions. While the outfitters advice may have been worth something as a starting point, I’m sure you also drive past a lot of elk country during that 60 mile drive.

For extremely rough terrain:

- 1 elk tag for your party is ideal and economical. Rotate years as to has has the tag. You’re not packing Two elk out of the gnar, much less 3. The other guy or guys can do the calling. Who pulls the trigger is irrelevant. It’s an adventure and weapons are heavy to carry anyway. Since it’s a long trip maybe do 4 guys, 2 tags.

-show up in the best shape of your life. Unless there is a continuous cliff line that is taller than 5 feet, you figure out a way through it. Sometimes the pace is hours per mile. That’s just part of it.

-sounds like you should ditch those guys. If I was on a trip that ended up being cut in half due to friction as you describe, no way in hell I’d be on another trip with them. Recruit a new partner and set out a list of expectations.

-scouting. You really need to figure out a way to make that happen in some capacity. It’s the biggest advantage. A scouting trip + hunting trip is still cheaper than a outfitter.

-look into renting llamas. Around here, they are $125 a day each for a frame of reference.

-60# packs sound like hey are too heavy for you. You might try packing in food for 3 days at a time and cut that pack weight down below 50#. It makes a huge difference.

-your creek look anything like this one? We do actually climb this stuff. Straight up it.

Honestly we pulled the plug due to tempers on both sides. One member was ready to leave and nothing was going to be a good suggestion as to what to do next. One of those "this sucks and that's not gonna work" to every suggestion things and i got tired of hearing it. Asked him what he wanted to do and got nothing's going to work so why are we here response, other guy said he didn't care what we did so pointed truck south east and left. I will more than likely be alone or maybe with my daughter depending on how hard next hunt is. Yes the creek we were looking at was similar to what you pictured except dead fall looked bigger, stuff you had to climb over instead of stepping up on. Looking back I would've liked to have left some food and other items where we camped and spiked out up the creek. We made a lot of bad decisions, mostly due to inexperience, that could've led to a successful hunt had we made different ones but it was a good learning experience. Main reason i want to go back with a guide is to speed up the learning process hopefully. It was humbling to find out how little we knew.

 

[Yellowhammer]

The 10x42 is plenty of glass. The more you glass the more you will see. It's not as simple as just looking around through your binoculars.

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Maybe I need better glass or more time behind glass. I've never looked through alpha glass, we had vortex diamond backs and none of us could clearly see the spikes on an elk at about 900 yards, it had to turn just right and it was difficult for all of us to try ri pick through a mountain side at 5 to 800 yards due to so much in the field of view and lack of detail. Maybe good glass makes that much difference, don't have any experience with it.

 

[Dos Perros]

Bold statement for knowing all he has is Leupolds, no specific model mentioned.

I just think those Razors suck is all. He could spend the same amount and get better going another way.

 

[AaronMColeman]

Maybe I need better glass or more time behind glass. I've never looked through alpha glass, we had vortex diamond backs and none of us could clearly see the spikes on an elk at about 900 yards, it had to turn just right and it was difficult for all of us to try ri pick through a mountain side at 5 to 800 yards due to so much in the field of view and lack of detail. Maybe good glass makes that much difference, don't have any experience with it.

Good glass makes a difference. But what you have is good enough. Practice anywhere you can. Is there a state park or public land area near you that has deer or anything? Practice is top.

As for glass, what you have is great and a good eye will spot through them. I prefer the mavens at each price point to the vortex at same price point. But I wouldn’t say the binos are the limiting factor.


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[idahohikker]

Good glass makes a difference. But what you have is good enough. Practice anywhere you can. Is there a state park or public land area near you that has deer or anything? Practice is top.

As for glass, what you have is great and a good eye will spot through them. I prefer the mavens at each price point to the vortex at same price point. But I wouldn’t say the binos are the limiting factor.


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I’d say the difference between the lower end Mavens and Vortex is significant. I guess it’s the same at the higher end models also. Better glass always helps, at least until you get to a point of diminishing returns and sufficient quality.

Agreed on practicing. I spot game a lot faster than in years past. Guys starting out are well behind the curve in glassing big landscapes IME.

 

[Poser]

Honestly we pulled the plug due to tempers on both sides. One member was ready to leave and nothing was going to be a good suggestion as to what to do next. One of those "this sucks and that's not gonna work" to every suggestion things and i got tired of hearing it. Asked him what he wanted to do and got nothing's going to work so why are we here response, other guy said he didn't care what we did so pointed truck south east and left. I will more than likely be alone or maybe with my daughter depending on how hard next hunt is. Yes the creek we were looking at was similar to what you pictured except dead fall looked bigger, stuff you had to climb over instead of stepping up on. Looking back I would've liked to have left some food and other items where we camped and spiked out up the creek. We made a lot of bad decisions, mostly due to inexperience, that could've led to a successful hunt had we made different ones but it was a good learning experience. Main reason i want to go back with a guide is to speed up the learning process hopefully. It was humbling to find out how little we knew.

There’s different thoughts on using outfitters/guides. My thoughts are that for what you spend on an outfitter, say 5k, you could go on 5 DIY elk hunts. Another thought would be to find partner or group of hunters from your area that have been going elk hunting for awhile and partner up with them. There are certainly things to be learned from using a guide, but you’re paying to have a host in good elk country and amenities more than you are paying for a tutorial. When I think of the outfitted locations in my area, for example, I think that they set up shop in a historically good areas that often tend to be at least somewhat difficult to get to for most other hunters, they’ll handle your animal for you and pack it out on horses but, I’m not sure those attributes leave you so ready to DIY going forward In fact, it may just spoil you too much to DIY going forward, which is fine if that’s the route that you want to go. For me, I want the maximum possible adventure and an experience and outcome that is entirely determined by my own decisions. I’d rather fail on my own terms and could never conceive of using a outfitter for more than a drop camp but that’s just me.

Anyway, this guy with the shitty attitude, Have you spoken to him since you got back? What’s his perspective on the trip and his behavior now that he’s had some time to reflect? Looking back on your planning process, can you now see any red flags that this was going to happen? Is the guy really just that negative of a person overall? “Nothing we do is going to work” is difficult to reconcile with the fact that people most likely killed elk in both of the areas you explored. Does he wish that he had stuck it out? And, I wonder what his version of this story is like? ..... “man, we hunted hard and didn’t see nuthin’ “ while conveniently omits the fact that he only hunted for what amounts to 2 days. If your perspective and account of this story is accurate, I must admit that there is part of me that is glad that there are processes and experiences that still exists in the world (DIY elk hunting, for example) that can break these types of people down. *They deserve it*, but it also presents an opportunity for them. Hopefully he has the self awareness to reflect on his behavior and make some philosophical changes, but my experience in life says otherwise: people with those types of attitudes generally lack self awareness, which is why they have those attitudes to begin with. Most likely, This time next year, you’re going to have just gotten back from the same trip and feel on top of the world regardless of the outcome and he is going to absolutely despise you for that and probably blame you for his crappy experience because he’ll never be able to put it all in perspective. These types of adventures, no matter how crappy they bottom out, should serve to inspire you going forward.

 

[Yellowhammer]

Good glass makes a difference. But what you have is good enough. Practice anywhere you can. Is there a state park or public land area near you that has deer or anything? Practice is top.

As for glass, what you have is great and a good eye will spot through them. I prefer the mavens at each price point to the vortex at same price point. But I wouldn’t say the binos are the limiting factor.


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I haven't glassed much in Tennessee or Alabama where I'm used to hunting for sure, do look at some across fields just to see what they are but not much opportunity to see long distances around the house.

 

[justin84]

I’ve had the diamondbacks and the diamondback hd and I’m happy with them. Hd is a little crisper but to me it’s like the difference between 1080 and 4k, maybe you can tell but at some point it’s hard for the human eye to distinguish. You know clear glass when you look through it. Put them on a tripod and go slow.

Sucks to hear about those responses doesn’t sound like the kind of attitude a guy needs on a trip like that.

 

[OneRingTrTa]

As a kid, i hunted with my GrandPa and my Dad. it was so much fun back then. i picked up so many thing from my two heroes, my GrandPa could go into the woods and make herbal pain killer.

I have witness situations where a fellow hunter go bitten by a poisonous snake... so many memories. All you can do is learn, enjoy the hunt and take some pictures.

 

[honuswagner]

I’d say the difference between the lower end Mavens and Vortex is significant. I guess it’s the same at the higher end models also. Better glass always helps, at least until you get to a point of diminishing returns and sufficient quality.

Agreed on practicing. I spot game a lot faster than in years past. Guys starting out are well behind the curve in glassing big landscapes IME.

Great story OP, thanks for sharing. It's good to hear this stuff, any experienced hunter has had this happen to some degree.

10x glass can be very effective. Mount it on a tripod and you'll be amazed how much more detail and small movement you can see. I prefer to pack 10x42 with a good lightweight tripod rather than a spotter. The spotter stays in the truck for when I need to positively ID a spike several miles away!

Plus I can use the tripod as a shooting rest if needed.

 

[jolemons]

Maybe I need better glass or more time behind glass. I've never looked through alpha glass, we had vortex diamond backs and none of us could clearly see the spikes on an elk at about 900 yards, it had to turn just right and it was difficult for all of us to try ri pick through a mountain side at 5 to 800 yards due to so much in the field of view and lack of detail. Maybe good glass makes that much difference, don't have any experience with it.

Your issue is definitely quality of glass, not magnification.

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[Jardo]

Don’t feel to bad. Your not the first one to get spanked by the Frank.

Very tough place to backpack hunt.


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[Jardo]

We generally don't go straight to "the truck" so it really depends. We're generally hunting beyond camp, so if/when we kill something we pack it back to camp, hang it, and keep hunting. For the 3 of us on a big bull its usually 2 trips. The grind. So to the truck would equal 3 trips for a single bull including the gear haul. Yea a straight 12 mile haul would be brutal, especially doing it twice. You could also do it in legs? Go half way to the truck, hang the meat, then go back and get the rest etc. if you got a long way to go. But yea I'd give it at least a full day of hauling meat out. I'm definitely no expert on this stuff though, that's just how we tend to do it.

Good advice.

Also- most people try and pack out whole quarters with hide on to keep dirt out. Don’t do it. Bone it out. I even trim fat to keep the weight down and use lightweight game bags.

I always chuckle when I see hunters packing out bone in quarters with the hide still attached.




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