i am very excited to go on my first elk hunt to Co. it will be 5 full days of hunting and we are packing everything in! would love to hear ANY advice you can give me and PLEASE post some pictures and tell your stories to fire me up!!!!
You're in for a treat. Soak in the mountains. As an easterner by birth I can tell you that there's something about the rocky mountains that is so incredibly different from anywhere else.
My first elk trip with archery gear was a solo trip into the Bob Marshall Wilderness with my Damon Howatt hunter. I spent the one night that I will never forget laying under tree on a small cliff overlooking the drainage I was hunting. Three bulls bugled back and forth all night long. I didnt sleep a minute.
Enjoy every minute of it no matter what. I've been two times and never saw an elk. I did hear a few bugles but no elk sightings. Non the less both were the most exciting hunting trips I have ever been on. It hard for me to imagine what it would have been like if the elk had attended. d;^)
Welcome to the Colorado Rockies. Enjoy it. Come early to get used to elevation. DRINK a lot water. Pay attention for signs of high altitude sickness. Where are you going to hunt? Wilderness areas?
If you can....make it longer than five days...and read Gills thread on elk hunting.
Get ready for the time of your life! The only thing better than the whitetail woods is elk country in the rockies. Hunt the north slopes in warm weather,find spots where you can see,let your binoculars save you some walking.Take some kind of water purifier. Get in the best shape you can those hills are steep.
(http://i.imgur.com/ivKvAt4.jpg)
You'll never be the same!!
Best tip I got
Squat alot when searching for elk in timber.
Good luck with the hunt and trip to the Rockies it can be addicting that is why I live here after all. Along with the other suggestions offered so far I would encourage once you know where you are going to google scout as much as you can and then buy the 7.5minute maps of your area so you can mark down places you want to hunt while you are here.
I have to agree with britt that one of the most important things that can completely ruin your hunt is altitude sickness. If you are not used to being at altitude then come a few days early to let your body adjust. Enjoy...Shawn
If your packing in, 2 liter bladder in your day pack, a water filter bag for camp, and electrolyte water flavoring becuase if you doi it right( always sip water every 20 min. never be thirsty) you will get sick of staight water. The other thing I would say is plan your energy bars n granola for the day and carry at least two days worth every day. Eat something several times a day while out. I take mostly bars. If you dont you may crash, once you experience a crash you will never let happen again. Happy hunting!
By the way, anyone can do this. Be yourself not somebodies idea of a mountain man. Clint Eastwood said it best, "a mans gotta know his own limitations".
Lou
Learn to use a mouth call for mews. I blind-called in a herd of cows/calves on opening day a couple years ago while taking a break hiking back to camp along a finger ridge. Two big cows stayed there for a while looking around, both with trees blocking the goodies. While this was going on I had others hanging around across a thick shallow draw with no shots. Most exciting time ever in the mountains other than another time I had a bull raking trees below me and grunting. Never did see him, but the next day I climbed down and saw the trees he tore up...
(http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l502/MrDwood/DSCN0984.jpg)
It's addicting to say the least. Here's a few pics to get ya pumped for the trip.
(http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l502/MrDwood/DSCN1076.jpg)
(http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l502/MrDwood/DSCN1045.jpg)
(http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l502/MrDwood/Image1-1.jpg)
(http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l502/MrDwood/DSCN1055.jpg)
(http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l502/MrDwood/DSCN0981.jpg)
Take your time to get used to the elevation and like others have said, drink A LOT of water.
Another thing, before making a fire be sure there's no fire ban in effect by the county OR Forest Service for where you hunt. Also, check out the Colorado COW website, it has maps and info to keep you entertained for a while.
Good luck! I can't wait to go back out there.
QuoteOriginally posted by adkmountainken:
i am very excited to go on my first elk hunt to Co. it will be 5 full days of hunting and we are packing everything in! would love to hear ANY advice you can give me and PLEASE post some pictures and tell your stories to fire me up!!!!
Advice... Start thinking about trip number two...after you get a taste of chasing elk you will not be able to let it go :wavey:
I would advise you to get all of your pack and supplies ready as early as you can and make sure you are comfortable with your setup. Don't over complicate things though you really only need the essentials, shelter, food, water and Stick bow. Your going to have a blast regardless of the outcome! Enjoy the experience and take time to let it all sink in when your out there.
There is a lot of great info at the CO website. Contact folks that live near where you are hunting. They can tell you a lot about what to expect in that region. As mentioned before, get used to your gear with practice camps. Most first-timers forget to bring a good lip balm. Once you arrive west practice shooting different ranges. The distances are very deceiving with higher altitude. Most of all, enjoy and respect the surroundings. You have just signed on to a very addicting event!
Elk are not in every drainage. Be prepared to move if they are not where you are at. Sometimes that could be one more drainage over sometimes several.
Good luck.
John
thank you all so much! i plan on doing a few weekend hunts around home to test all my gear. have already started to get in shape as i am an avid runner. need to learn A LOT about calling though.
(http://i429.photobucket.com/albums/qq19/fnshtr/TCWEH/WildernessNumbertwo158.jpg)
2010. You will be hooked... I guarantee it!!
(http://i429.photobucket.com/albums/qq19/fnshtr/P1040782.jpg)
Look closely... some food suggestions. I transfer my MH meals to a plastic boiling bag. Then I take a couple of the original mylar bags (that MH meals come in). That way I can drop the boiling bag into the mylar, add boiling water per instructions, eat and then burn the bag. This way my mylar bag doesn't get dirty and becomes my "bowl".
Have fun (believe me, you will).
(http://i429.photobucket.com/albums/qq19/fnshtr/TCWEH/WildernessNumbertwo059.jpg)
Everyone is different... but I liked a hot mid-morning breakfast. I would start the day before sunrise with a granola or breakfast bar. Then after hunting the first couple hours of daylight... sit down and have hot oats and cocoa.
we will be hunting in the San Juan National Forest. its a lot of fun just in the initial planning of this hunt!
I have only hunted Elk for 12 days, so that makes me a greenhorn elk hunter at best mate.
My tips ; 5 days will fly, so don't bother with heading back to camp during the day time...more so take your daypack with enough food and water to last the day and walk/hunt/stump shoot all day long...soak up the Rockies...it will change your life.
Have good boots AND socks as well as some sort of blister prevention kit.
Be as fit as you can. I was in good shape and still felt it when charging up mountains 13 000 ft high!
Take heaps and heaps of photos. I did, all day long and still look through them now. Camp shots, field shots, morning shots...hell even shots of walking in and out as well as the town we stayed in before hand.
Get upwelling before sun up and enjoy the lads in camp of an evening. Sleep when you dead I say. What's 5 days.
Finally... Don't come back with ANY regrets.....period.
Enjoy, life is short and not a dress rehearsal.
ak.
Your going to be overwhelmed at first, its just endless miles and miles of timber. Dont get complacent and have a gps it will save your rear.
Hunt high, past couple of years here have been extremely hot for colorado and those elk like it high 10-12000 feet and dark timber. But anyways welcome to a whole new addiction, me being originally from illinois I never thought anything got more addicting than whitetail in november but I was way wrong when I started elk hunting.
Good luck and breath slowly, your going to need a lot of oxygen at this altitude.
My advice on calling is:
1. learn to use a diaphragm cow call really well(everyone around you should want to kill you from the incessant practice)
2. There are several good resources on calling elk. One of them who is highly recommended is a guy who goes by Elknut on the internet. His website and elk calling playbook are pretty popular.
3. My personal advice though, when it comes to calling elk is really darn simple. DON'T TALK MORE THAN THE ELK DO.
4. Find elk with your eyes if at all possible before calling. The percentage of positive experiences with calling goes up exponentially when the wind is in your favor and you are under 100 yards from the elk.
As others have said, get in shape.
Final advice? Savor the 30 minutes before legal shooting light. Be in position and just listen to the mountains waking up.
P.S. take lots of pictures!
P.P.S. my advice on calling is based on my own experiences with public land elk hunting...elk in my area of the country tend to be very skittish most days and lots of calling yields poor results unless I happen to hit the one magical day when every creature around wants to praise the LORD at the same time.
I have been to C.O. 3 times after them, my only concern for you is only being able to hunt 5 days. The last time I went we hunted for 12 days and even that seemed like it was not enough time.I vowed if I went after them again it would be a minimum of 14 days of hunting. Being from N.Y. it takes me 2 solid days of driving just to get there,just my 2 cents worth, good luck .
5 days just for hunting, already have 4 days set aside for travel.
Have a plan to get an animal out. You are packing everything in? My advice is to find a guide with some pack horses that you can contact and hire to haul your animal out. Trust me on this.
You shoot a big bull and it will be 200# or more of boned meat! Forget the horns and hide!
Altitude is a beotch. You will already be physically challenged by the steep terrain. The altitude will make you PAY!
Good binoculars...
If you've never hunted out west before be prepared to do a LOT of moving, a lot of glassing, and a little hunting. Finding the animals and getting within a grid square of them will be the biggest challenge. Elk can move 30 miles in a day if the weather is pushing them.
This ain't your average whitetail hunt...
My advice is to double the hunting time. Five days isn't really very much, and elk aren't as common as deer. By the time you find them, it may be time to pack out. It will be an adventure, regardless, but the more time you can spend hunting, the better your odds. Good luck.
Another tip,
If you have ANY allergies?Find a local honey grower in the area you'll be hunting.Get their honey and enjoy it till you leave to hunt.
I would make sure you always carry food, water, fire, game bags, extra clothes, rain gear , a good knife, a frame pack , binocs ,,rope wherever you go. Try not to carry too much weight in your daily hunts but enough to butcher an animal immediately and carry the first load back with you.
Learning to call is handy but not necessary for a good hunt. Some of the best elk hunters out there never blow a call. Depending on where you hunt calls can really hurt you, especially if you aren't very good.
Raking trees, splashing in the mud, and breaking branches are often very effective calls to mix in.
Best advice is to enjoy the whole experience and keep on the move until you find ultra fresh sign. You will SMELL when you find a good spot.
Good luck and if you can stretch the hunt out if possible. Even in the best country 5 days and a stick bow will go quick!
As stated by Del Gue in Jeremiah Johnson, "The Rocky Mountains is the marrow of the world". Let's hope you get into elk, but even if you don't, the country is worth the trip. I moved to the Rockies in the 70s, and it was the smartest move I ever made. With the exception of Alaska, there is no place better on earth.
Lots of good advice above; just enjoy the experience and your hunt will be a success whether or not you score on an elk.
I'd say calling is way overrated. Get a copy of "Man Made of Elk" by David Peterson, maybe find a couple of other books as well. Get in shape, confident with your gear, and bring good binocs. And see if you can talk to locals or folks who have hunted the unit you will be hunting.
learn to call but keep it in your pocket till its needed and then use it very sparingly...use your ears and eyes more and move slow once fresh sign is found...
elk have become alot more like whitetails than most people think...once you find them hunt them much the same way...
ENJOY !!!
The biggest mistake people make is bugling their brains out expecting a bull to come running in. That will alert any elk and they will run from you. Some cow calling is fine. Just don't overdo it. Elk have become educated to calling unless you are somewhere that they don't get hammered.
If you find a wallow that is being used take a fir bough and slap the water with it several times making it sound like a bull has come into it. Then get ready. Sometimes the bull that is using it will be nearby and hear this. He may coming in wanting to see who is using "his wallow".
Also, elk will come in to someone taking a nap and snoring to see what it is..... ;)
When getting into an area with fresh sign move slowly and learn to listen. Elk moving from feeding areas to bedding areas make a lot of noise.
Regarding calling: Bugle to locate and that is it. If a bull starts coming to a bugle, use raking and ground pounding to coax them in closer. Cow & calf calls work very good to bring them in closer too. If you think you are calling too much, you are.
Boots: Get the very best you can afford and walk many miles in them before you go west. The same holds true for good socks. I prefer uninsulated boots for elk hunting.
Conditioning: Running is good only if you run the hills. This is what you will do when you are chasing bulls. Running up and down the mountainside. Biking is excellent too. The hardest thing I think for most folks is the constant climbing over fallen timbers and rocks combined with the steep terrain. Your knees and ankles get worked extremely hard.
Shooting: Aim at a very small spot. These guys are big and their size is deceiving. Too many folks forget to aim at a small spot and then follow-through until you see the arrow buried. The distances are also very deceiving so practice using a rangefinder once you get out there. Also remember that many shots could be taken at extreme angles (up or down). Remember to practice these shots as well.
Batteries, GPS, map & compass: Always get fresh batteries and SPARES just before the hunt. Carry the spares with you at all times. A GPS is great but DO NOT rely on it. Tree cover and other issues may prevent it from working. Carry two compasses at all times. You are likely to lose one, break it or whatever and could be without. Also when you are lost, it is a good practice to check your bearings with a second compass to confirm headings. If you do not know how to use a map and compass beforehand, you will have problems!
Trespassing: Border lines are clearly marked on current maps. Know them as the borders are not likely marked in the field. I know of instances where landowners will shoot first and ask questions later. If you are caught trespassing, be prepared to shell out lots of money! Every landowner I have ever met out there charges excessively for trespassing. If a wounded animal crosses a private border, call the landowner and the game warden BEFORE you proceed after it.
The Experience: The absolutely most memorable events for me hunting elk have been when a shot was never even taken. 1). Once I called a calf right up to me within 5 feet! She stayed there for a couple of minutes trying to figure out why I sounded like mom but looked different. 2). Three of us went up the mountain to retrieve a bull that was shot late in the day before. Once we got near the marks, there were two bulls up there, a satellite and the Monarch. The monarch was in front of us for almost 20 minutes and none of us could shoot. 3). It was my turn to call on a bull that was in our area. I called this guy to within 20 yards of my partner with cow calls and raking. That bull was broadside to my partner for almost 5 minutes and he never took a shot. He was frozen from bull fever at full-draw. It was a Pope & Young bull that we nick-named raspy due to his bugle.
I have yet to shoot an arrow at an elk in numerous seasons of archery elk hunting. I have been positively and forever changed just by the experience!
If you are an experienced backpacker, you should be fine with that part. If you are not, get that way over the coming months.
Test all of your gear including your diet.
Have redundant systems where they are needed like meds, orienteering, and water purification. Try to have everything else be multi-use.
Learn how to pack and live light so you can move around as needed. Tarp shelters are my choice.
5 days isn't long for an elk hunt unless it is guided. First step is to find the elk and it is big country and they move fast and far. You can't hunt them until you find them.
Get good binoculars. Get good boots. Get a good GPS. Print a custom map of your hunting area from any of the online topo sites. Get the waterproof kind.
Read Dwight Schuh's "Bugling for Elk".
Stay 2 days at 5000-8000' elevation before heading higher than 8000'.
Use Google Earth for scouting. Marks high probability areas on your topo. North facing, high bowls are awesome.
A few other things:
1). Use your sense of smell. The odor of elk will be very noticeable when they are around.
2). Elk can move almost totally silent when they want to and if you don't hear them, that doesn't mean that they are not around. On the other end of the spectrum, elk can also make a lot of sounds when they want to. Learn the sounds that they make and what the various sounds mean. There is some good recordings of various elk sounds on the web.
3). What John says about scouting is so very true. You need to concentrate on locating them first. Don't waste your time hunting in areas where the elk aren't. They move when they want and where they want and don't usually frequent the same area for more than a few days at the most depending upon the weather, water, food, their hormones and pressure from the bulls and/or hunters.
I'll give you some advice from an old man who wishes every day that he could go on one last elk hunt.Treasure every moment that you're in those mountains. You'll be making some of the fondest memories that life has to offer. Remember that you have chosen to do something that is very difficult to accomplish so don't be too disappointed if you don't get a bull. It took me five years but each hunt was well worth the time, effort, and money spent.
Plan your hunt around the rut and not the opening of the season.Five days is pretty short. If you can go longer, I would.
Carry a camera always. I didn't have one when I got my elk and really regret it.
Buy high quality meat bags. Take a lot of black pepper to repel flies from the meat and salt for the cape.
If you get one, gut it, peel it, and quarter it as quickly as possible. Keep it hanging it in the shade with good air circulation. Elk spoils from the bone out so the quicker you get this done the better.
Good luck wish I was going with you!
Don't think anyone touched on this.
Decoy: Get yourself a Montana Decoy of a cow elk. Especially if you are hunting by yourself. I tied a piece of parachute cord to front and back of mine and would just hang it on a tree branch in front and off to one side of me when I was by myself. It would move slightly in the wind and looked real natural. Had a monster 7x6 come in and stopped 35 yards away and just started eating. I know the decoy put him at ease.
If someone is calling for you they need one as well. I called in a big 6x6 for a buddy of mine while holding a Montana Decoy in front of me. When he got to the opposite end of the meadow, I moved that decoy a little, he saw that decoy and he came unglued! Bugled, pissed all over himself and if my buddy would not have shot I am not sure what he would have done. It was the most exciting occurance I have ever had in elk country.
Calling: Get a hyper cow call in case they are in the rut. It works well in the rut. Had a bull in Wyoming come 500 yards and thats no exaggeration.
In the 3 years I went we hit the rut once. I wish I would have had the decoy the other years. I think it would have helped me alot because the elk would not come to a call but I got close on a few occasions by just stalking in front of where they were going. Obviously you have to be around elk for a decoy to work.
I echo what the others have said about the country and the affect it has on you. Its high, no oxygen, etc. BUT it is the most beautiful land I have ever laid eyes on. Let it take your breath away. God was having a great day when he made the places where elk live!!
Soak it all in...5 days will go way too fast and soon you'll be longing to go back.
Oh...and with only 5 days to hunt...shoot the first leagal elk you get a crack at. You can be picky next time when you have more time to hunt.
Get a bear tag !!
I could have shot two bears when in CO but with no tag makes for regret.
ak.
Do not over call ! Get as far off the beaten path as possible then go in further. Start saving for your next trip as it get in your blood. Don't believe the taxidermist in Colorado when he says the freight bill on your mount " won't be that much " !
Go before the muzzleloader season. I hunted CO in 2011 for 12 days in the latter part of the archery season hoping to catch the rut. My hunt started on he last weekend of the muzzleloader season and the elk were buggered up. They will get pushed onto the private lands where accessible and be very difficult to reach. Hunt FRESH sign only. I mean steamy green poo and cloudy wallows. If you aren't finding that, you aren't in the elk. Keep moving because they have. I hunted 9 days before we saw our first elk. Five days is a heartbeat on an elk hunt so if you have the opportunity to extend it, do so. Especially if this is going to be a once in a great while or lifetime trip. Heed the advice on calling sparsely. I had the good fortune to meet a fellow recurve hunter in the woods one day who called an elk in for me. Another hunter below us was trying to home in on the action and totally overcalled. I got to witness the elks response to good calling and bad calling simultaneously. Very educational.
It's an amazing time Ken. You will love it and begin planning your next trip back on day 2!!
1) At least some of the San Juan is brutally rugged. Maybe some CO residents can steer you to a more gentler place.
2) Shoot the first legal elk you see!!!!!!
3) Soak it in and enjoy. The Rockies is a special place.
4) Be prepared for any weather and go before ML season if possible.
5) Let your binocs do as much walking for you as possible.
6) Even though they are large animals, AIM SMALL
Now I probably have no place here, but I've always wanted to go, just cant come up with the funding. But from what i have been told by my father who has gone, and several friends who have gone...And this is what i have been told.
Hunt high, be prepared to move if there are no elk around.
Shoot the first legal animal you get a chance at, don't be picky, my father and his hunting partner had two chances, once they got right into the whole herd and had three cows at 5 yards, they held off because the tags they were holding were good for a cow/bull, they had gotten greedy and had dreams of 300+ inch bulls in their heads. After that hunt, dad stopped going but but his partner returned for the next 10 consecutive years!! And guess what on the tenth year... he finally got another shot and downed a beautiful 6x6.
Every one also said to purchase a mule deer tag if you can as well, they said every time they went, they all had chances at a mule deer. But no one had a tag.
I know a lot of people have been encouraging you with calling but be careful with this since if you bugle for the first time in a morning most herds will know you are fake and move so bugle only the night before to locate the herd and be prepared that they will be about 200-400 yards near where you heard them from. Also on calls stay away from the popular brands, I have been hunting enough now I can tell a real cow elk from a primos hoochie mama and last year the guy using it did it at the wrong time and drove off the herd I had below me.
As far as them being quiet that is pretty rare if you get a group of cows moving you can even hear their footsteps on pine needles or at least I can.
Depending on where you are in the San Juans they may have a lot of water so be waterhole hunting may not be super productive. The elk will be on north slopes in the day for bedding down. but they will move around to the other side towards evening for food and water. Sometime there are valleys hat you would think would not hold elk but those are the ones to give a quick check on since they can surprise you.
Have fun and good luck
Elk hunting advice is plentiful. You have got some good advice here.
My input would be If your going to call learn it well. Lear when it is appropriate. If you call move forward and down-wind.
Be in the best shape you can be in. Elk hunting will test you. Especially after you get one on the ground.
I saw you mentioned testing your gear. dont forget to weight it down. Make sure it will hold up. The mountian is not the time to break in new boots. I have seen this way to many times.
Check out Elknut's play book there is some great information in there.
Some of the lessons I've learned the hard (but fun) way. None of these tips are original or unique, but I still had to mess it up firsthand to get it figured out:
If you call and get a response bugle from a bull that is somewhat close (a couple hundred yards), immediately start "running" towards that bull. Don't just sit there calling and hoping he will come to you like they do on those silly TV shows- if the elk does head your way, odds are he will hang up at 100 yds or circle downwind anyway. Cut the distance as much as you think you can get away with and then start stalking really slowly from there as there will be lots of eyes and ears in the area. Two of my best shot opportunities on big bulls came by intercepting them in this way.
That hyper estrus style call does seem to generate an almost automatic bugle response from rutting bulls in my experience. Don't over use it, but it is a good tool to have in your pocket.
Elk are big, stinky herd animals that usually leave lots of sign when they are frequenting an area. Cover lots of ground until you find such an area, then slow way down.
Hunt early and late and take a mid day siesta high up on the mountain- the elk are bedded at that time too.
again THANK YOU for all the info! as far as calling i will practice but i have it in my head to call like i would with turkeys or coyotes. less is more and it all about position. i will rely on woodsmanship over my calling for sure. many things suggested on here that i did not know and i'm taking it all in please keep it coming!
I got 300grs VPAs 2 blades for elk.
Those heads look somewhat small to me (I am used to the Big Jim 3 blades 300grs), but they are built super tough.
What broadheads are the experts using?
My wife and I just got back from Thornton, CO. yesterday.. She has a 1st cousin out there and we were just visiting for a few days. It was my first time seeing the Rocky Mountains. They are simply breathtaking- We rode along the road to Estes Park and saw Mule deer and several elk feeding just off the side of the road! I was just amazed at it all. Best of luck, Ken!
the 300 grain VPA's shoot so good i believe i will stick to them.
That's EXCELLENT elk medicine adk
That's awesome Ken, good luck!!!
i will be using a gift bow from my bro Manny. a Mississippi Lake long bow #62 and my draw and 300 grain GT carbons with a 100 grains up front for total arrow weight of 690 grains, sound ok?
Ken listen to Randy :thumbsup: oh and have fun :)
Keep in mind that when Tracks says a bull wants to get "downwind" of you, that often means "uphill" of you as the wind is moving uphill during the day. The urge to "run in" to a bugling elk can quickly put you dowhill and downwind of that bull.
To misquote an old hunting addage, "white man call too much, look too little."
homebru
A few things I have learned over the last few years:
Always "set up" before calling, walking and calling seems like a good idea but often results in a thrilling encounter without any chance at a shot.
Sitting down, taking a knee etc. feels like the right thing to do when setting up and calling but leaves you with a lack of flexibility to get a good shot, my best setup is usually standing with my back against a big evergreen.
Bugling at a bull with cows often results in him herding his harem away from you.
Keep hunting till at least 11am before you stop for your siesta
If you are day hunting, go as light as you can, took me about five years to figure outh that a 25 lb daypack is unneccesary
Do a lot of map scouting before the season, an excellent resource for places tostart looking is the CO hunting atlas there are pretty good maps and game data overlay on it, look for the summer concentration areas and you will usually be in the ballpark.
http://ndis.nrel.colostate.edu/huntingatlas/
Good luck!
Dewane
QuoteOriginally posted by adkmountainken:
i will be using a gift bow from my bro Manny. a Mississippi Lake long bow #62 and my draw and 300 grain GT carbons with a 100 grains up front for total arrow weight of 690 grains, sound ok?
Can't think of better wapiti medicine. Practice out to 40 yards or so. It will make a 25 yard shot feel like a chip shot
QuoteOriginally posted by Cedar&Flint:
Treasure every moment that you're in those mountains. You'll be making some of the fondest memories that life has to offer. Remember that you have chosen to do something that is very difficult to accomplish so don't be too disappointed if you don't get a bull.
There is a lot of excellent advice in this entire thread, but none truer than the words above. You will be living the dream of many, and walking trails in places that very few ever see. Savor it all, and burn it deep into your memory banks!
Aim small. I shot a 4 by 5 bull in the rear 18yrs. ago and I haven't took a shoot since then at a elk. It made me soooooo sick after 1.5 days looking for him I packed up camp and went home. Enjoy the process.
there is nothing like hearing a bull elk bugle! You are going to love. They are big be sure you have a plan on how to get one out. I do like the non-gutting boneless way best.
enjoy.... Joe
The suggestion of using a tree as a background is excellent advice for many reasons. Some of of the reasons that aren't real obvious are: 1). you can then use the tree to make raking sounds. 2). it is a perfect place to have a montana decoy hanging from a limb and to cow call from 3). if the tree is a pine or cedar, breaking off a branch and rubbing the scent on you will help mask your odor and the sound of breaking the branch is like an animal raking or moving.
The tree thing got me thinking a little.
Likely the most common mistake made in elk hunting is skylining.
The common thing many people do is run up to a tree and stand behind it and think they can move all over. In Fact you are much better off to sit in front of the tree. Idealy if you can have front cover and a background do it. If you have to make a choice choose background.
I highly recommend trying to network with people who actually hunt the area you are considering. Elk act differently from area to area and time of the season. I really like the Bull Hooker for locating and bringing them from a distance. Then use a diaphragm. Learn a hyperhot with the Bull Hooker and diaphragm, learn a lost calf, learn general cow calls. Practice with a CD while you are driving. If you are in their kitchen while calling for a herd bull you will definitely have satellite bulls come in, so have your head on a swivel. A very important note is that when you see an elk you better immediately look for more elk all around you. Do not get fixated on the first elk you see because there will always be others in the area and they are the ones who blow first, and they might be within bow range. Don't just focus on calling in bulls, but call the cows too.
So adding on to the tree thing one thing I like to carry is a piece of camo netting that I can use to help make a temporary blind if I find a place I want to do a setup on. Regarding the herd thing I like to look for the places the cows are after all the bulls join the herd as they go in to rut so if I can find the herds of cows then I can use that to my advantage to have a shot on either a cow or bull, but it also increases the odds of being busted.
1. Get in shape
2. Get in shape
3. Get in shape
DIY elk hunts are great fun and a lot of work. The better your conditioning the more fun it is and the greater your chance of success..
Did I mention get in shape :biglaugh: :biglaugh: And no matter what happens, soak it all in and enjoy yourself because it is a great experience.
1. Get in shape
2. Get in shape
3. Get in shape
DIY elk hunts are great fun and a lot of work. The better your conditioning the more fun it is and the greater your chance of success..
Did I mention get in shape :biglaugh: :biglaugh: And no matter what happens, soak it all in and enjoy yourself because it is a great experience.
The first season I hunted wapiti I approached the elk woods as if I was hunting whitetails- After a while I realized that was a big mistake.
Eventually, and after a LOT of miles and long days, I found myself 45 yards away from a 6x6 herd bull. I was caught out in the open, next to a lone ponderosa pine.
For almost 30 mintues I watched this stud rake a tree while he kept (I swear!) one eye on this new tree stub (me).
My left leg started to shake, my bow hand cramped. I wanted to shift weight onto my other foot so badly I would have given almost anything to be able to do that.
I also wanted to take this bull, but knew that with his eye on me and the distance, it just was not ethical. Considering my skill at that distance and how far he could move while the arrow was in the air, I just could not do it.
Finally he broke away fron the tree he had pretty much destroyed, and laying his rack back along his flank, turned the cows back into the timber.
Last I saw of him, Mr Everything was a mile away on a south slope, tending his girls.
On the long hike out, this short sentence kept popping into my head: That was great! That was Great! That was great!
I got the elk bug that day, big time...
Have fun!
Joshua
You'll love the mountains, here's a view of the South San Jean Wilderness. Have a Great time and Good Luck !!
(http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg135/donnyjack/photo1.jpg)
I'm not an expert but heres my 2 cents.
1. Enjoy yourself. Too many people I see put too much pressure on themself.
2. Keep the wind in your advantage at all times.
3. Cover ground until you find fresh sign.
4. Find the style of hunting that works for you, not for someone else. I do better still hunting and ambushing (wallows/water or between bedding areas/feeding areas) but thats me.
5. Have enough the time to do it right.
6. Enjoy yourself!
When it gets hot and you are working hard, you can/will consume a lot of water, so never cross a source without topping up if you are down a half or more. You may not cross another source again that day and may regret not taking the time. This is where a good fast purifier is important. We want to hunt, not stop and take 15 minutes to filter.
Ken, you may already have your water purification figured out, but if not, consider the Steripen. Its fast and its proven.
In Colorado the water sources are almost always clear (or easy to find) and perfect for the "pen".
I have used one for the last 3 years. Way better than carrying more that 32oz of water.
The first year I carried water and many times ran out. Or was lugging 62oz or more all day "just in case" when the day stayed cool.
A filter or Steripen solves that issue.
Joshua
QuoteOriginally posted by skilonbw:
...be careful with this since if you bugle for the first time in a morning most herds will know you are fake and move so bugle only the night before to locate the herd...
I agree with this 100% I have heard guys "bugle" first light and having been in the area a lot myself already and tuned in, it sounds way way un-natural.
Try a Bugle at around 2pm. Just once or twice. Like a bull locating after the nap, telling his cows or other elk he is there.
TAKE AT LEAST ONE TREESTAND. It is better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. FIND A SECLUDED WATER SOURCE. Preferably a well used spring emanating from the ground--you will know it when you see it the smell alone will give it away. Another Idahoan stated earlier in this thread, "elk are a lot more like whitetails than people know". I am an Alabama whitetail hunter who first climbed a tree in 1972. I moved to Idaho to hunt elk. The resemblance in behavior is remarkable. I have far more trail cam pics of bulls at night than daylight. The days of simply walking out there and blowing a bugle and then killing a bull are long gone. GET IN SHAPE cannot be stressed enough. Kill yourself cross training and then shoot a round or two of arrows if you want to see how good a shape you are in. No matter what happens TAKE TIME TO REMIND YOURSELF THAT YOU ARE ELK HUNTING--one of the great gifts that the gods have to offer! ENJOY YOURSELF!!! COME BACK ANYTIME.
Five pages of good advice, but I'm going to give you some great advice: Do not come to Colorado without a HUNTER SAFETY CARD!!
I work for DOW and it's pretty hard to tell a hunter whose driven all the way out from Virginia and is trying to buy a license that without a Hunter Safety Course and Card that he can't hunt in Colorado.