Friendly advice for a new hunter

[nateysmith]

LAST EDITED ON Jan-09-13 AT 07:02AM (MST)[p]I have been following the forums since about August or so last year. I went on my very first Elk hunt with a friend, but unfortunately he is new to elk hunting as well. We did some scouting, but I was skunked, and my friend was skunked for the 3rd year in a row. What I was wondering is if you have any advice that can help me prepare for this coming 2013 year. I am hoping to be able to get my first one. I will be doing plenty more scouting, getting some trail cams, and the like. Are there any good books, or dvds that I should watch? Anyone willing to teach me the basics of tracking the elk? Any advice? I know you are all busy and I really appreciate you taking the time to respond. Happy hunting in 2013!

 

[kzkammo]

Pm sent

 

[nateysmith]

Thanks, I will check. I am open to all help. I know I am probably just not doing something right.

 

[hossblur]

I have a few.

Hunt the same place every year. You will learn more during the hunt than you ever will scouting a new place every year. All the scouting is over after that first rifle shot rings out.

The rougher the better. I hunt the north slope, there are camps every 50 yrds. Interestingly enough, after about a 1/2 mile hike I never see anyone other than my guys. suprisingly, thats where the elk are also. Seems like all we ever do is hike up hill in thick timber, but our camp has killed at least one bull(8 guys)for the last decade so we must do something right.

THose are probably my two best, elk aren't stupid animals, they generally are in bad country, so getting skunked for a year or two is normal.




"The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun"

 

[nateysmith]

Thank you. I think that this is great advice. I appreciate you taking the time to respond.

 

[Zeke]

I agree with hoss. Everything in his post rings true with what I've experience over 45 years of elk hunting.

Dry spells are nothing new when it comes to OTC bull tags. A good average is a bull elk every other year but the actual odds are closer to 1 bull every 5+ years.

Hunt early and late in the day. Don't ever sleep in and don't ever leave the deep hunting country until dark! We usually are the first into the country and always the last to come out.

Hunt as many days in the season as possible. A guy who hunts a couple weekends cannot compete with a guy who is willing to bust ass for 10 days straight.

Don't get discouraged! Elk hunting is tough if you do it right!

Zeke

 

[flatdead]

You may think about changing season. I hunted with a rifle for 12 years. I now hunt with a bow or smoke pole. A lot less people and longer season (bow), and you cann have success with a call. The smoke hunt hardly anyone hunts and the elk are not near as spooky and the snow helps. You can look for tracks and know if you are in the right area. I also agree with hunting the same area year after year. It took me five years to kill an elk on public land and have been doing well sence.

 

[nateysmith]

This is why I love MM. You guys are super helpful to a new hunter like myself. These are all things that I am filing away. Do you guys think it is worth it to get trail cams? Scouting all year? Those are some things I have heard I should be doing as well.

 

[Zeke]

no and no.


But that's just my opinion

Zeke

 

[woody622]

Trail cams are a lot of fun, they make scouting an area a little more exciting. Pre season scouting is really important. Don't start scouting until the first part of july, animals will move around a lot once the hunting starts. Thats why its really nice to have trail cams to know if they are in there or not. Get away from the roads, hike where no one else wants to go. Depending on what season you are hunting scout a few days in a row right before the opener to find them and know their patterns

 

[woody622]

LAST EDITED ON Jan-10-13 AT 04:38PM (MST)[p]Another thing, get some hunting dvds, eastmans does a good job, mossback has some good ones, tines up has some great ones.. dvds can be deceiving though, it doesn't show how hard they are working to get into the animals. Another important thing is to check the internet and blogs just like MM a lot, ask questions about the area you are hunting, there are a ton of top notch guys on here that would love to help a new hunter! Welcome aboard!

 

[hossblur]

Where I hunt elk, there are no elk until septemberish. We have spent a lot of time in the summer and never see any. We usually see sign around labor day, and our base camp is 9200ft, so I don't think its a elevation thing. I personally believe its more a sheep thing, but thats my opinion. Plus, on a public unit, its one shot, elk scatter. I have never shot an elk at more than 75 yards. I got really lucky this year and caught my 5x5 in the open, but even then it was a small meadow, and it was 5 days in so trail cams might not be useful unless you find a waller. In short, I agree with everyone else, you spend a lot of time, your rewarded, either with a kill or some knowledge you can use next year. I love hunting elk in the deep dark timber.


"The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun"

 

[nateysmith]

I will take all of your words of wisdom and put it to good use for this year. Thanks for all the responses so far!

 

[Foxskinner]

This is what I did. I had to teach myself to elk hunt too cause my parents didn't know how too and I had no one else to go with. I spent my first 3-4 years hunting the open bull units thinking it would be easier cause I could kill any bull I saw. Well I never saw a bull and had no idea what I was doing. I had seen so many more elk on LE units that I switched to a spike tag and hunted where I knew I would at least see elk. It made a world of difference! I was in elk. I saw elk sign. I saw and heard big bulls. I looked to see where other hunters were hunting and then I explored those areas during the week. I learned tons and finally killed a spike in the middle of the week. Pure excitement except for the fact that I had no one to share my experience with. Then I found out what cleaning an elk by yourself entails. The next year I did the same thing and killed a spike opening day 300 yards from the one the year before. My knowledge and experience increased 1000 times in those two years.

One other thought is to do cow hunts. It gives you a chance to experience and learn more about them and their behavior and where they live and move around to. My first cow hunt was in October and we played with a bugling bull all day an finally got him to push his herd into range for me to take my first cow. Late cow hunts are tough but interesting as you can learn where the elk migrate to and from each year.

Don't be discouraged! I have not killed a bull on an open bull unit yet as I have switched back to open bull since my second spike was taken. I've been close and hunted tons but that's what gets me going each year to do better. With experience comes knowledge and I feel like 2013 is my year for a bull!

I've hunted elk for less than 10 years so it is possible to learn quickly if you put in the effort. I've got some more tips for ya but we are going after a herd of cows again in the morning so I need to get to bed. Hopefully it isn't -23 degrees again in the morning!


www.biggamedrawodds.com

 

[Stonefly]

LAST EDITED ON Jan-12-13 AT 11:49PM (MST)[p]I used to hunt Elk every year with my Dad, We hunted the same places and usually saw a few. I started when I was 16 and didnt kill an Elk until I was 20. I killed Elk every year after for 3 years. All 4 were spikes and they were killed within 300 yards of each other. It was a low saddle in the ridge in between a huge valley that was hunted hard, and another valley that was tough to access. Just had to figure out that the Elk took the easiest and fastest way out of the pressure zone, And I had to be there early enough to be set up when they came through. Got my Elk there a few more times over the years. Now I bow hunt for Elk ( My Knees wont let me hike to my spot in the saddle anymore) But, I still "Stick" a cow every once in a while, even a spike once in a greater while. I sit here and think about it smiling I'v been on over 34 Elk hunts now. I wish you luck and hope you have as many great memories when you have had your 34 seasions

 

[nateysmith]

>This is what I did. I
>had to teach myself to
>elk hunt too cause my
>parents didn't know how too
>and I had no one
>else to go with. I
>spent my first 3-4 years
>hunting the open bull units
>thinking it would be easier
>cause I could kill any
>bull I saw. Well I
>never saw a bull and
>had no idea what I
>was doing. I had seen
>so many more elk on
>LE units that I switched
>to a spike tag and
>hunted where I knew I
>would at least see elk.
>It made a world of
>difference! I was in elk.
>I saw elk sign. I
>saw and heard big bulls.
>I looked to see where
>other hunters were hunting and
>then I explored those areas
>during the week. I learned
>tons and finally killed a
>spike in the middle of
>the week. Pure excitement except
>for the fact that I
>had no one to share
>my experience with. Then I
>found out what cleaning an
>elk by yourself entails. The
>next year I did the
>same thing and killed a
>spike opening day 300 yards
>from the one the year
>before. My knowledge and experience
>increased 1000 times in those
>two years.
>
>One other thought is to do
>cow hunts. It gives you
>a chance to experience and
>learn more about them and
>their behavior and where they
>live and move around to.
>My first cow hunt was
>in October and we played
>with a bugling bull all
>day an finally got him
>to push his herd into
>range for me to take
>my first cow. Late cow
>hunts are tough but interesting
>as you can learn where
>the elk migrate to and
>from each year.
>
>Don't be discouraged! I have not
>killed a bull on an
>open bull unit yet as
>I have switched back to
>open bull since my second
>spike was taken. I've been
>close and hunted tons but
>that's what gets me going
>each year to do better.
>With experience comes knowledge and
>I feel like 2013 is
>my year for a bull!
>
>
>I've hunted elk for less than
>10 years so it is
>possible to learn quickly if
>you put in the effort.
>I've got some more tips
>for ya but we are
>going after a herd of
>cows again in the morning
>so I need to get
>to bed. Hopefully it isn't
>-23 degrees again in the
>morning!
>
>
>www.biggamedrawodds.com

Thanks Foxskinner. This is kind of where I am at as well. My parents weren't much for hunting, so I am teaching myself. I was kind of thinking that I would go for spike this year as well instead of any bull. Once I get one, then I will start working towards going to the any bull units. Thanks everyone for their great responses!