Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting do it yourself elk hunts

rg74...check your PM's and let me know if you are interested

No, I have not. That is a good idea.

I hunted one year Meeker and didnt really care for it....too many other hunters.

I passed an opportunity on a 290-300" bull (terrible shot offered)

If I were to do it again I would do many things different.

I was like you. I always wanted to go and when I finished grad school I made it my goal. Live in Oklahoma so our drive wasn't as far as yours. I loaded up my piece of crap suburban with our usual camping gear and bows. My brother and I drove to Carbondale Colorado and found an archery store. We we went in and shot our bows and chewed the fat with the owner. We just bluntly said we didn't have the foggiest what we were doing though we were very experienced whitetail and turkey hunters. He gave us some idea on tactics and pointed out some good drainages to hunt above both Aspen and Carbondale. Went to the ski shop and bought some topo maps. That combined with our Colorado topo book let us know what forestry roads to use to get back in to the areas.

Bought over the counter either sex bow tags and off we went. We moved around a bunch, hunting 2-3 days at each spot. Neither one of us got one that year, but we both got to stalk cows in dark timber before getting busted, had one decent bull come to calls before spooking, and saw a black bear at 15 yards while sitting and calling at a beaver pond. Even though we didn't score it was a fantastic time and a great bonding experience with my brother. Now, we both have over a 50% success average 12 years later. It's the highlight of our year.

And that advice about tire chains is critical. When it rains up there and you truck is sliding and drifting on the muck on a mountain road with 300 foot drops it's kind of freaky.

I hunt deer and coyotes here, which doesn't mean I am an expert. But, that is sorta what I was going to do. Try to find aplace and go there . I do not expect to have great luck the first time. But, I think the experience would be great whether I get one or not.

Just do it. After you hump a trail at 4am and get to a ridge, put your snivel gear on and watch the sunrise come up over the rockies while you sip your well earned gatoraide and munch on jerky, you will be back every year come hell or high water.

Yeah, Your right. Sounds good already.

I have gone on 4 different 4 day elk hunts by myself. I stayed at least a mile away from any roads. I went to areas that were recommmended by others who had seen and taken elk there.

I never saw an elk.

But I had a good time and enjoyed hunting them. Now there is no way I could go alone becasue I couldn't get one out by myself.

Good luck.

Me and my buddies started elk hunting in Co the year we graduated highschool. We were broke as hell and nad junk for trucks and gear, but our rifles were top notch. It took us a season or 2 before we started killing elk, but I was hooked for life the first season. If we had known then what we know now we would have all 3 killed bulls the first year.

Now we try to draw tags in several other states. NM has been better to me over the years than any other.

I still shoot any legal bull I can. I love the meat too much to be a selective hunter. I consider any bull I kill a trophy. Just do it, you will never regret it.

Joseph

I hunted around Meeker once back around 1983. My father got a mulie. We had to carry it a few miles back out to the road. In 1990 I hunted around Craig and got a nice 4-pt mulie. Tried a guided elk hunt in Montana a few years ago. It was interesting but I never got a shot at anything. Don't know if I would do it again. I'm a bit more independent than that kind of hunting allows.

We see plenty of first timers here kill elk on DIY hunts out west. It's totally within reason, but you also have to understand that the odds are not in your favor.

x2........Best advice ever!

Oh, and you don't need a magnum. A good .270 or 30-06 will fill your tag

I am with you rg74. I am doing my first DIY elk (first elk for that matter) this year as well. I have hunted my whole life, but elk is completely foreign to me. I am going with a buddy who has gone twice before but he has never shot anything either. I am trying to read everything I can and learn so I am not a total idiot once I get out there. Fortunately we are both in good shape so we plan to pack in and try to stay off the roads. Not to hijack, but could anyone give any more detailed advice on how to scout areas via maps, google earth, etc? What exactly should I be looking for? Thanks guys.

Make a call out to the state Game biologists and they will give you some ideas.
Get good topos and find areas that hold elk. Elk will be in different areas due to hunting pressure, time of season, snow, fires, altitude. There is no one answer.

Be prepared to be mobile.If you're not seeing fresh sign move. Now I scout a lot so not seeing fresh sign is not a concern for me because when hunters start arriving I know where the elk will head. Scouting is very important. IMO
Ideally you should get out and do some scouting before season.

Start with a phone call, get some input and pick out an area. Narrow it down and start looking at maps. Get into really good back packing shape.

I highly suggest shooting first legal animal whether it be bull or cow. You will learn a lot just doing this.

Figure out how you will get an elk out even before you leave home.

Yeah, I ordered a book myself. I do not want to look stupid, which I have no trouble doing. But I did want an insider as to what to do. I hate to stumble around the woods not really knowing what I am doing.

Currently I have 4 books and am halfway through one. I definitely have a long ways to go. This forum definitely seems like a step in the right direction though.

Yes, There are alot of peope on here who are very helpful

I live in Eagle, CO, in the heart of elk country (in my opinion). I'm happy to provide any information I can about the area, campsites, access, people to call, etc. Shoot me a PM if you are interested. Just don't ask me where I hunt!

rg74:

I guess it all depends on your expectations. If you expect to come to Colorado, Wyoming or any other western state and go home with a 6x6 bull on your first hunt, and that's the only thing that will make it worth the effort, then don't bother, because it will probably be a "waste of time". However, if you expect to enjoy yourself camping, hunting, hiking, and enjoying eye popping wilderness beauty while learning to hunt elk, and you expect to do it several times, then it will not be a waste of time. In Colorado only 25% of elk hunters are successful and that includes hunters who have killed cow elk. I've often heard it said that 25% of the hunters kill 75% of the elk and I believe that it's true. The experienced elk hunters are most often successful in killing animals. But everyone who hunts elk with the right attitude will be successful if they enjoy themselves and Mother Nature.

I live in elk country and thirty-three years ago I started hunting elk. For the first few years all I managed to do was carry a rifle while hiking and camping. But eventually I figured out a few basic hunting skills, I picked a hunting area and hunted it year after year until I knew it like my back yard, and that's when I started being successful at bringing home meat and antlers.

Here's an article that I wrote to respond to questions like yours. It's been a while since I posted it and I keep adding to it. Hope it's not getting too long.



ELK HUNTING SUCCESS

I get an elk almost every year. Sometimes I get both a cow and a bull. My hunting buddies rarely get an elk and one guy asked me why. I replied that there are no secrets to hunting elk. You already know what you have to do to be successful. But most people won't or can't do what it takes to be successful.

Inside our 1993 elk hunting base camp wall tent.


You have to hunt throughout the entire year. You should be engaged in something relating to hunting all the time; reading, studying, gear maintenance, shooting, scouting, etc.

You have to hunt every day of the entire season. You should arrive at camp no later than the day before opening day and don't leave until the day after the last day of the season. You can't expect to be successful if you hunt on just the weekend or if you hunt for just part of the season.

You have to hunt all day. The most productive times to hunt are just after dawn and just before sunset. So if you want to hunt during those times you have to do most of your hiking to and from the truck, in the dark. Stay in the field for the entire day. Don't go back to camp for lunch. The first hour after sunrise is worth all of the rest of them right up to the last half hour before the sun sets, which is worth all the rest of them combined.

You have to learn to think like an elk. Pretend that you are an elk and you know that hunters are trying to kill you. Then go to the places and do the things that you need to do to avoid getting killed. That's how you find elk.

You have to hunt the places that others won't or can't. Get away from the roads and hunt in the mean nasty hollows, where it's hard to get into and hard to get out of.

Hunt where the elk are. 75% of the elk live in 25% of the available suitable habitat. You need to find out where that 25% area is and spend your time there.

It�s valuable when learning to hunt elk to go with the attitude that killing a cow would be great. The big bulls will come in time, after you�ve educated yourself.

Once you've committed to do all that, you can employ the following strategies.

ELK HUNTING STRATEGIES

#1: Be safe with your rifle. Assume that any firearm is loaded unless the breech is open and you can see that it's empty. Always point the muzzle in a safe direction and never point your rifle at anything unless you intend to shoot it. Don't rely on the safety. Carry your rifle with the chamber empty and the safety on. Don't chamber a round until you spot a target. Never shoot at a target unless you are sure what it is, sure you can hit it and sure of what's behind it.

#2: Be proficient with your rifle. Always make a clean, quick, humane kill. In order to do this you must be proficient with your rifle. No matter how good you have been in the past, you need to practice several times each summer to ensure that you are current. Don't just sight in your rifle. You must practice to ensure that your rhythm is smooth and habitual and you can hit what you aim at. Practice at 200 yards and 300 yards so that you can determine in the field, if you should take that shot. Also, get off the bench and practice in the prone position resting your rifle on a daypack and also in the sitting position. There never seems to be a bench rest in the field just where you want it.

#3: Be in good shape. Altitude sickness is a real concern in the mountains. You need to be in good cardio/vascular condition to deal with it. Also, everyone must do their share and you can't do that if you can't hike the hills, and haul out your share of the game, collect firewood, carry water, setup & break down camp, etc. If you are in bad physical condition, then you will be miserable and you will not enjoy the adventure. It's really endurance breathing that you need to develop before you arrive at high elevation. Bicycling, climbing stairs, swimming and high altitude hiking are excellent exercises for this purpose. Also drink lots of liquids in order to minimize the effects of dehydration and Acute Mountain Sickness.

#4: Scout, Scout, Scout. You need to know your hunting area like your back yard. Don�t expect to travel to Colorado and be successful the first year. Pick an area and hunt that same area year after year. That�s how to get to know your hunting grounds. Take camping/hiking trips and backpack trips into your hunting area in the summer. Know where their winter range is, where their summer range is and where the migration routes are that connect the two. Know where the game trails are concentrated crossing saddles on ridges, where the bedding areas are, where the water holes are, where the hideouts are, where there are gentle terraces on north-facing slopes.

This photo was taken summer 2010 scouting trip.

We won�t find them here during hunting season. They will be hiding in the dark timber.

Buy US Forest Service maps, USGS maps, county maps and BLM maps of your area. These maps contain different information. Copy this information onto the USGS maps. You can only reasonably hunt the area on one USGS 7.5' map. But as luck would have it, the best hunting area is usually where several maps come together. Tape the maps together. Memorize your map. Update it with field data from your scouting trips. You now have a map containing information in a way that no one else has.

In the off-season, I spend time on Google Earth and I like to switch back and forth between that site and a USGS map site. All this helps me get a better feel for the country.

#5: Hunt where the elk are: Seventy-five percent (75%) of the elk live in twenty-five percent (25%) of the available habitat. You can waste a lot of time hunting unproductively in an area where there is always some thin sign but never enough sign to indicate the presence of a large herd. Sure there�s the off chance that by pure dumb luck you might encounter a lonesome elk and every year someone gets lucky and fills their tag that way. But your best probability of success will be in the vicinity of the large herds. You scouting goal is to discover where that 25% hotbed is located. When you find that area it�s hard to miss. It will stink with elk musk and urine, there will be heavily used game trails in every direction, the grass will be cropped short, there will be lots fresh elk droppings and you can hear elk scurrying away just beyond in the trees.

#6: Hunt the right elevation for the migration: Elk accomplish an annual migration, spending the summer at higher elevation and spending the winter in some sheltered place, usually at lower elevation. In mid-summer I can hike into several high basins that will always hold elk casually lounging in the tundra. But by Colorado's 1st and 2nd rifle season, most elk will have moved into subalpine and montaine regions. They can travel a long way for water. Look for them to start moving down their migration routes in the 3rd season.

Elk will wait as long as they can before being forced to migrate by bad weather. They will go back up if it warms. So if weather in the 3rd season is warm and dry, then look for them up high. Mule deer will migrate sooner and faster than elk. One day of really bad weather and deep snow, will result in lots of deer in the sage where the day before there wasn't an animal to be found. Deer usually stay down once they have migrated. In the late seasons elk can often be found in rancher�s pastures.

When the weather is warm, there will always be a few elk spread out throughout their entire range. So the population density (elk/square mile) is less dense and your chance of bumping into an elk is low. I hunt the 3rd rifle season and hope for heavy snow and bad weather to drive them out of the high country. They will concentrate in the foothills, at the bottom of the snow line. Since they are concentrated, the population density is higher and your chance of seeing an elk is improved.

#7: Use hunting pressure to your advantage. I hunt an area on opening morning where there is good vehicle access and lots of other hunters. I hunt in the places where I think the animals will run to avoid the opening day hunters. Most hunters will stay within a mile or so of a road. A few others will horse pack in five miles, usually more. So it's good to get back in 2 or 3 miles before the sun comes up and hunt the in-between areas.

By late October the rut will be over and elk will be responding to hunting pressure more than anything else. They hide in sanctuaries, usually very remote wilderness or on private property. Learn where the sanctuaries are located and which routes they will use when they begin to filter out of the sanctuaries and back onto huntable land. Then setup an ambush on the exit routes.

I have a friend whose strategy is to "go in half a mile further than anyone else". He's very successful so there must be something to it.

#8: Hunt bedding areas at dawn. Elk like to bed down in isolated, gently sloping groves of mixed aspen/evergreens with lots of grass and forbs for food. They can travel a long way for water. Isolated means someplace where it�s difficult for people to access. Find several places like this when you go scouting. Hike in the dark to arrive at an overlook before the sun comes up and wait to see what comes out of the grove.

This photo was taken a long time ago. I�m now a genuine gray beard.

This small 6x6 bull is about as big as we can expect to see in the area where I hunt.

#9: Hunt the ridges at midday. Setup overlooking a saddle on a ridge where game trails are concentrated and wait to see what walks by. This takes lots of patience and works best if you have somebody stealth hunting through the dark timber to get the animals moving.

#10: Hunt the water holes in the afternoon. Find some isolated water source, maybe the highest place where a creek first starts coming out of the ground. Setup concealed from view, with a good field of fire a couple hundred yards away, at least 3 hours before sunset, and wait to see what comes to drink. Wait until the very last shooting light is gone before going back to camp. I have field dressed a lot of animals in the dark using a flashlight. This works best in dry locations like Utah�s LaSalle Mountains but I have also had good luck watching springs on warm Colorado afternoons.

#11: Hunt the hideouts late in the season. Elk know that someone is trying to kill them as soon as the first shot is fired. So they run and hide in the most inaccessible terrain around. Find some cozy little pocket surrounded by the meanest, nastiest country around; a place where it looks like there's no way that an elk could get in there; a place where you would hate to get an animal down because you would hate to have to haul him out. That's where the elk will be and that's where you should be (and where I will be) late in the season. I know a veteran hunter who goes in at least � mile further than anyone else and he�s very successful.

I like to hunt the dark timber. I walk quietly and slowly looking for something that's out of place. I spend more time standing, listening and watching than walking. It�s easier to walk quietly if you walk on a game trail. That also improves your chances of bumping into game. Sometimes it's very difficult to be quiet. Walking on dry aspen leaves is like walking on potato chips and walking on hard crusty snow is also noisy. In those situations you can't be quiet, so walk quickly to get to a spot that you already know from your scouting will be good, find a comfortable position then sit there and don't move. It will take only fifteen or twenty minutes for things to be like you never walked there. Get a cheap cow elk call and carry it on a string around your neck. Also get a recording of what the call should sound like and practice. When you see and animal, let out a squeak and that animal may think that you are another elk. I have called in bulls with just a couple of squeaks. It may be more productive to sit on a point and wait for the animals but you will live more in one day of stalking through the dark timber than in a week of sitting point. When hunting in thick cover look for horizontal lines. Most everything except game animals grows straight up.

#12: Be persistent. You can't catch fish unless you have your bait in the water and you can't find an elk unless you are in the field looking for them. They're not going to walk up and surrender themselves to you. You have to find them. That's why they call it hunting and not killing. Many hunters give up after a couple of unsuccessful days and go home. Be prepared to stay the entire length of the season and to endure whatever fatigue and weather, you may encounter. Hunt an area for several days and if you don't find anything promising, then try a different strategy or different area, but don't give up.

#13: Be patient. Human beings are noisy, stinky creatures. Our dominant sense is our vision. The elk's best senses are their smell and hearing. Their vision is motion sensitive and they can't see colors. Many young hunters spend lots of time hiking and covering a lot of ground and wonder why they never see any animals. You should spend most of your time sitting quietly and watching. You should hike slowly and quietly and most of your hiking should be in the dark.

Rifle Caliber: I hunt elk with a 30-06 but most middle caliber rifles (7mm mag, .308, 30-06, .300 mag, etc.) will kill an elk with proper bullet placement. In my opinion a .270 will work but it�s a little light for elk and using anything smaller than that is irresponsible. It�s also my opinion that anything bigger than a .300WM is more gun that necessary and I don�t enjoy the recoil of those big calibers. But there are lots of experienced elk hunters who advocate for bigger calibers and some use smaller calibers. Don�t scrimp on your scope.

Binoculars: I do very little spot and stalk hunting for elk. It�s mostly at distances less than 300 yards. When hunting in the dark timber, it�s usually closer than that and I try to look through intermediate foliage by adjusting the focus and looking for and ear or a butt or leg. This doesn�t require great glass and a pair of 8x35 is OK in that situation and just about any manufacturer will do. I own a pair of old Bushnell 8x35 binos that I like because they are not very heavy. I carry them with a chest harness to make sure that they are available to use when I need them.

Hiking in The Dark: Get use to it. The first hour after sunrise is worth all the rest of the day right up to the last half hour before sunset, which is worth all the rest combined. Tonight drive away from lights of your home town and take a short walk into the woods. Sit down and wait for your eyes to become accustomed to the darkness. You might be surprised by how well you can see in the dark. It's rarely pitch-black at night. Starlight, moonlight and light pollution from cities/towns all make it easier to see. I carry a flashlight and a head lamp but I try to avoid using them except in an emergency because every time you turn the light on, you ruin your night vision. I don�t buy into the red lens theory. I think elk can see a point of light that's brighter than everything else no matter what color it is. After leaving the truck, I don't start hiking immediately. I sit and wait for my eyes to become accustomed to the dim light. Then if I can, I walk without any supplementary light. When there's snow on the ground and a little moonlight, things are pretty bright. But if there's no snow and it's overcast, then the hiking can be very slow. I like to hike a route in the day time so that I can become familiar with it, then I know what I will encounter when I hike it in the dark. It's also easier to hike in the dark if you pick a route with some kind of reference like a fence line, trail, ridge line, creek bed or old logging road. It�s also a good idea to use a small straight stick, like a blind man�s cane, to feel the ground in front of you when you can�t see it. I like to sit and listen to the sounds of the night because my ears pickup so much life that I don't see in the day time.

Finding your way back to the truck in the dark can be tricky if you have followed your nose looking for game. I have used a USGS map and compass for fifty years and I am very comfortable with that system. But several years ago, I bought a GPS and used it on an Alaska hunting trip. You can set your truck as a way point in the GPS and never have to worry about finding your way back to the truck. You should also carry minimum survival gear in your day pack. Not necessarily enough to be comfortable, but enough that you have the option of staying put once the sun goes down. I have spent many unplanned nights out in the woods either because I wasn't comfortable trying to get back to the truck or because I had found a good spot and I wanted to be there when the sun came up the next morning.

Predators: Very few people get the privilege of seeing a predator. There's a 99% chance that you won't see a bear and if you do it will be running away. Cats are even more secretive. The best place to see a predator is in your back yard where they may be raiding trash cans or stealing dog food. The only situation where a bear might bother you is if you leave stinky food out for the bears to smell. Then they might trash your camp looking for food. This is especially true in places like US Forest Service campgrounds where ignorant tourists keep untidy camps and thus habituate the bears to the idea that they can find food there. If you are lucky enough to see a predator don't worry because you should be carrying a hunting rifle. Anything more than that is extra weight and bulk that you don't need to bother with. I have been on maybe 300 wilderness backpack trips over the last fifty years and the predators that I have seen I can count on one hand and I have never been threatened. One time a young hunter wrote me to say that a couple of guys had mentioned to him that they had been stalked by cougars in the area where he intended to hunt and he asked me what I would do in that situation. I responded that I would buy a cougar license.

Packing out Your Kill: Before you go elk hunting you need to think about and prepare yourself to pack out an elk on your back. Don�t expect the elk to drop dead at a convenient location and don�t kill an elk and then think �What do I do now?� You need to be able to dress out an 800# animal in the field, skin it and if you have to carry it very far, de-bone it. Then get it back to your vehicle. When I�m hunting, I�m using an ultra-light backpack with a capacity of 4,000 cu.in. When I kill an elk, I carry out the first load of loose meat in that pack and then I switch to a bigger pack (about 6,400 cu.in.) capable of carrying 80#. I carry out the big quarters in that pack. Then I switch back to the smaller pack to go back in and get my camp. Now that I�m getting older, I rent a horse to pack out an elk.

Camping: You need to be proficient at camping. Lots of people try to hunt elk from a motel or some similar type of lodging and some are successful but I don�t know how they do it unless it�s just pure dumb luck. The biggest problem with that kind of lodging is that it�s not located in prime elk habitat and you have to spend time in the morning and evening traveling from where you are staying to where you are hunting. So you either have to spend less time hunting or less time sleeping. You need to be proficient at camping so that you can sleep near where you hunt. I�m not going to try to educate you on how to camp. That�s another article all by itself.

PICKING A HUNTING AREA

Most Western hunters are not going to tell you where their honey holes are. You're going to have to find your own spot. But there's lots of info available and if you do your home work, you might be able to find a good place to start. If you want to hunt in Colorado, here's how to locate an area.

Get a copy of a road map of Colorado that indicates which land is public. Compare that to the map of game management units in the Colorado Big Game Hunting brochure. Look for units with lots of public land.

Next, look on the CO DOW big game web page for the recap of preference points required to get a license in limited draw units. http://wildlife.state.co.us/Hunting/BigGame/Statistics/ There are more licenses offered than there are applicants in those units that require zero points. Those are places where game populations are at or above management objectives. Look for units which require zero points and have lots of public land.

Then, go to the interactive game management unit maps. http://wildlife.state.co.us/Hunting/GMUnitMaps.htm They contain maps of winter ranges, calving areas and summer ranges in each GMU. Finally get a copy of the USGS map(s) for the area and memorize it. With all that info, you ought to be able to pick an area where there are lots of elk and lots of public land. And then you should be able to determine where they are in summer, where their winter range is located, the most likely routes that they use to get from one area to the other, and therefore where they are most likely to be during hunting season. You can buy this info in a CD that�s a little more user-friendly. http://wildlife.state.co.us/wildlifestore

If you want to put in for the computer draw, here's a link that gives draw expectations. http://huntodds.monstermuleys.com/

I�m not familiar with the resources available in other western states, but I would wager that there�s similar info available in all of them.

I hope this helps. Good luck and safe hunting.

KC Keen