Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting How many here hunt Elk by themselves?

+1 I go with a group. And I enjoy the dickens out of the comraderie around the cabin. But at 4:30am We all split up. We have radios, if needed for emergencies, or, to pack out an animal.

Last year was my first time hunting in Colorado. I spent the first two days by myself, parked under a pine tree at 9,500 ft, watching the snow, the wildlife, and the world go by... Never saw another person. Thoroughly enjoyed it... Going back again this year...

I do. I do however camp in an RV park where I have company and support services for things like gas, propane, tire repairs, etc. Heck, even have restaurant nearby that features great homemade pie.
I'm in my elk camp now as a matter of fact. Anybody who stops by space #5 in the Mtn View Motel and RV Park, Lima, Montana will get treated to a cup of coffee and a piece of said pie by saying the magic words, "Hi E, I'm from 24hourcampfire !" E

well, I do but I guess I've gotten to the point I will only shoot a monster. Not going this year, tired of camping a week by myself at 10,300. In fact, it's getting tiring to camp at ten three if I'm with someone, and hunting higher in archery season, of course.

I prefer hunting pretty much all big game alone. That way I only have to argue with myself about where I should go.

I think I would like to hunt solo unless my future kid come along.

I run with a party of 3 to 5, but we each hunt on our own. No issues with any in our group being lazy or late. It one is late, he knows he will be left behind. We wait for no one.

I enjoy the camaraderie around the camp at night too. But this year it will be just me in camp.

Have hunted alone a lot. Prefer to have a partner because I promised my bride I wouldn't do anything stupid when I was by myself. Left to my own devices I would go into places I shouldn't by myself. Did that a few years back when I was chasing some elk through the snow into a drainage in hip deep snow. Right on the edge of stupid!! (Tracking a big bull I chased out of a deep hole.)

This year I have a couple of younger guys (young fathers) going. Hard workers and great guys. Should be a great time.

Solo. Has worked best for a long time. No interpersonal hassles, no clock or location issues, all responsibility centered, successes and failures focused, but getting the game out can be unbelievably enervating. Always has been a huge worry for wife and daughters due to the remoteness, and now rather advanced age, but they seem to add it up and understand. This is a blessing to be treasured, especially with numbered days.

Daypacker - I live in Gunnison and might be able to help you out if you get in a jam. What unit are you hunting?

Todd
9709012921

I usually hunt by myself, though my wife is getting more nervous about it as I get older. (59 isn't old, is it?)

Once in a while I hunt elk with somebody else, including my wife, but we generally split up to cover more country.

59 isn't old unless you have a family history of health problems at that age. If that was totally rhetorical, never mind.
Genetics are still the biggest factor in life being "unfair."

When I'm not hunting with my two daughter's (13 and 16) or Dad, I always hunt alone.

I just prefer to not have to worry about what someone else is doing or who has first shot or worry about someone making noise.

The daughter's always come first. If they want to go, I'm taking them. They grow up too fast and I want to hunt with them every chance I get because I doubt that'll be high on their priority list at some point.

I cherish every minute I get to spend with them because I know it probably won't be cool to hang out with Dad some point soon.

My oldest is already well on her way to that.

I prefer to hunt alone. I'll camp with others though.

But for me, hunting season is short, and when I want to camp, I do that by camping and relaxing and enjoying everyones company. Hunting season is NOT that time at all.

Often my wife will hunt with me, but it hampers me, she gets grumpy when we go further, higher etc... mostly because she is scared if something happens to me... but we are getting better at those issues now.

But as mentioned, when alone, I get up earlier, hunt later, go harder, further, longer usually....

Last time we hunted, the inlaws road hunted by "camp" and we backpacked in. Good by me in case I kill I can get them to hike in and we can carry it all out in one trip after I get it ready to pack...

I helped solve that issue by buying a SPOT for a friend... more so for his wifes feelings than his. I think a lot of us are like that though, if we died out there, what better place. But then again if solo and you break a leg... epirb, spot or sat phone could make life better that it could be... and keep the folks at home calm and or alerted that S/R was on teh way...

I always hunt by myself. As others have said I like hunting my way, which usually means a fair amount of walking. This way the only whinning I have to listen to is my own.

About 50/50, some years by myself, some years w/ my buddy Mike. Just depends on how timing and tags work out.

Tom

I guess it depends a good deal on your definition of ALONE
I usually camp with 4-6 guys and we all sit up each night and look over the topo maps and decide how, best to hunt an area, each guy usually select a section or a large canyon or a similar area to hunk knowing that If hes successful he has help packing out the elk, but we don,t normally hunt so we are in sight of each other much of the time, but each member is effectively covering movement of game the others might cause.
a canyon could easily be 5-7 miles long and a mile or more across so its not like we control it or can control others from hunting it at the same time

toltegriz,

Not totally rhetorical, since my father died at 44, partly because he got diabetes as 11--but also because doctors back then told him he wouldn't live very long. So he ate anything he wanted and smoked 3-4 packs of cigarettes a day! (He lost 60 pounds and quit smoking after he had his first heart attack at 40, but it was a little too late.)

I don't have any indications of diabetes so far, except a minor tendency toward hypoglycemia (often a precursor), was an athlete in high school and started working out again in my 20's and have continued ever since. In the past year I realized that I couldn't drink beer and eat like I did at 50, so lost the 20 pounds that has accumulated because of the normal metabolic changes of aging men. Now weigh about what I did when in my 40's, but could lose another 6-8 pounds, and probably will during the next couple of months, hunting.

Nevertheless 59 ain't young! It ain't old, but it ain't young.

The last couple of years I got a chance to hunt elk I did it solo. Took a nice bull with my bow that way too. It can be done. It's less work if you have help but that's just nice to have.