Why elk hunts fail?

[RCB]

I'll be doing my first elk hunt (first hunting of any kind, actually - starting with pronghorn and deer) this year. To focus my self-learning process, I want to get a better sense of why elk hunts "fail". (By "fail", I mean not get an elk. I realize of course that it's a loaded word, but that's the word I'll use.)

Think back to your last few elk hunts that failed (preferably rifle, but archery ok). At what point in the hunting process did things break down? Seems to me it could happen in a lot of ways. Here's a non-comprehensive list...
1. Failed to find an elk in the first place
2. Saw elk, but was always too far away or across too rugged of country to get to in reasonable amount of time
3. Too crowded - elk always bumped or being pursued by other hunters
4. Found elk, but failed to stalk to within shooting range (or failed to call them in, if archery)
5. Found elk of the right sex, but nothing good enough to shoot (e.g. if you're looking for a good trophy)
6. Got off a shot, but missed.
7. Worst of all, shot the elk but did not kill or recover

What's your experience?

 

[Pro953]

I cannot speak for Elk specifically, but I would say the reason the vast majority of hunts fail due is due to lack of mental preparation more than anything. At least this is one of my challenges every year.

You have just as much chance to harvest the last day as the first day. 2nd guessing the spots you spent all year scouting to check out the next spot etc.

Though I would say one of the hardest call is when to stick with plan A or pull stakes and move to plan B,C etc...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Ross]

Elk hunting can be a mental challenge along with physical and as the days grind your mind will ask you how bad do you want to fill your tag and keep working to try and do so. Add the mental game as it is not all roses. Equipment failure does occur. Along with not having multiple options or locations to hunt. If the elk are not there don’t keep going to the same place everyday cover ground until you find them or move to another location. Stay positive and remember we are there to have fun a positive attitude though not always easy will go a long way toward success.

 

[fishslap]

Gave up too early/lack of mental toughness/unable to persevere
Didn’t respect the wind
Rushed shooting

 

[cmbbulldog]

Time

 

[Poltax]

Lots of factors go into not being successful in harvesting. I have always felt I was successful in just being out ether by myself or with my hunting friends. You know the saying a bad day hunting is better then the best day at work!!

As has been stated above in other posts, so many things can happen:
Mental attitude, not being prepared to tough it out even when you feel lousy. A never quit attitude regardless of below items.
Physical shape, not prepared for the steep and deep. Did not train all year......
Weather leave it to mother nature to throw in her excitement. Especially wind direction.
Possible equipment failure, not testing & checking your stuff out before & after you get to your hunting area.
Other hunters, you cannot control this one.
Animals have moved due to pressure, & private land for the animals to go to.
Not trained on your rifle or bow enough to know what it does in most all conditions. Having confidence in your shot placement.
Having the right equipment for the right animal. Caliber, bullet weight, arrow weight to bow poundage, ect.
Making sure your camp equipment is suitable for your needs.

 

[Beendare]

Agree, mental toughness is a bigge......

Then add;

hunting old sign, not covering enough ground, Getting up late, back at camp early and not understanding elk behavior

 

[dirtytough]

I've been lucky and killed an elk on every hunt. But on those same hunts some of the people I was with did not. Some of the reasons were lack of being in shape mentally and physically.

 

[tracker12]

Biggest reason for failing in an elk hunt is hunting where there are no elk. Especially for guys coming from out east.

Not having a good mental game and sticking with it is the reason for failure for any big game hunt. Not specific to elk.

 

[RustyHazen]

Most guys don't find enough elk to have enough encounters to have enough opportunities to kill an elk.

 

[Mjprohoroff]

I was just listening to the elk talk podcast and was reminded of a very important thing when it comes to elk hunting. Everyone remembers Babe Ruth’s 714 home runs but most people forget he struck out over 3000 times. Perseverance is the key, make mistakes and learn from them! You will “fail”, but it’s really a win if you learn from it. Don’t be afraid of those fails, get better and you will eventually connect!


Hunting is conservation

 

[HookUp]

There is a lot of ways to fail and many ways to succeed. Everyone has a little different style and there is top 10%'s who get it done every year. Learn quick, dont try to hard, let the hunt come to you. I break a unit down like this. #1 find the animals, search the entire unit boarder to border. Elk leave plenty of sign and make a lot of noise. #2 Make a realistic plan. A primos hootchie mama and ridge top bugling is not always the best way to lure in an elk. Light calling, stalk and spot and still hunting are not used enough. #3 Essential Gear. My boots, pack, camp and weapon are all water tight. A break down in comfort or your weapon will end your hunt.

 

[HunterJoeMI]

Lack of confidence! But you can not be cocky!

 

[Wapiti66]

Most guys don't find enough elk to have enough encounters to have enough opportunities to kill an elk.[/QUOTE

This. The mountains are big, and most of the countryside does not hold elk. Ive made numerous 5-10 mile loops in my elk hunting career with 0 elk sightings and only finding old sign. After a week of doing this you loose motivation and run out of time. Until you find the elk, you aren't really hunting, just hiking. Most of my unpunched tags came from very few or 0 elk encounters. This is based off of archery OTC elk units.

 

[WV Mountaineer]

Putting it bluntly. Finding elk is the biggest reason elk hunting fails. Elk aren't especially hard to kill once you find them most times. Deer hunting fails are led by not finding them. I'm not sure about pronghorn. However, I'm guessing the most prevalent reason hunts fail is not finding the animal the hunter is seeking. When you live 1600 miles away from your hunting ground, its hard to know where to start. With time being a premium on any hunt, trying to find and kill something in 10 days including travel, has everything in the odds against you heavily.



Out west hunting is not nearly as difficult as the stigma says if you can scout the animals and know where to start and, where to go once pressure gets involved. It just isn't regardless of who says differently.

 

[tttoadman]

My issues:
knowing when to blow and go. Knowing when to be patient and slow vs humping along to the next spot. slowly chasing elk, or taking off after them. I think many failures occur because a single opportunity is missed due to impatience. Sometimes you only get one good opportunity on a hunt. It is important to make it count. I think this comes with experience. I can always see what I should have done when it goes bad. I think the guys that kill every year have that extra situational knowledge that makes just enough difference to make them the 90% while most of us are in the 50% at best.

 

[AdamW]

So far for me in my sample of 1 season thus far: not finding an elk to give me an opportunity to otherwise fail at. Finding elk and knowledge of behavior has to be #1 IMO.

 

[Lark Bunting]

Spent too much time in an "elky spot" and couldn't find elk.

No backup plan.

 

[CX5Ranch]

I was 4 for 4 archery when I started. Then the 5th year the elk weren't where I left them the previous years lol. Didnt find them that year or the next.

Now I have switched spots and looking again. I have no idea what happened to my honey hole but it's a gar hole now.

My success has come from not giving up. I was super tired on every elk I shot. I kept telling myself they're up there, you can see them, just have to get to them. I just didnt quit.

Don't Weaken

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[Karl86]

Most guys don't find enough elk to have enough encounters to have enough opportunities to kill an elk.

THIS!^^^
In 3 trips thus far(montana twice, colorado once) i have only seen elk once. And they were deep on private ground. Did i learn? Absolutely. Its tough to learn that way. I just try to control the variables that i can, while being 15 hours from the nearest otc unit.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk