Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Once in a lifetime Elk hunt, suggestions???

Horse lake has some great bulls if your into high fence hunts. IMO a person could do much better than a Jic' elk hunt.

Now deer hunts I'm all in.

Contact Cameron or Lonnie Mayo at Absaroka Beartooth Outfitters, Big Timber MT. They could help you with a horse pack hunt east of Bozeman MT.

You can buy a big elk. You can buy a classic elk hunt. But the former is never guaranteed on the latter.

I'm one who votes for northern British Columbia. They have a minimum 6-point law (at least 6 on one antler) so more bulls live to be at least somewhat mature. The rifle season starts September 1st and runs through the rut, so you'll be hunting bugling elk in some of the most beautiful country in North America, and it's normally a horseback hunt, which is the best way to see real wilderness.

Apparently you're willing to consider all sorts of options. One is Prophet-Muskwa outfitters, which offers 7- or 10-day hunts in your budget range, and there are options to add other animals, such as moose (there are a lot of them), mountain goat, black bear, etc. The tags are over-the-counter so there's no draw to deal with.

Ditto BC.

For me, were I wanting a paid elk hunt, it'd be a dyed-in-the-wool Northern Rockies horse-pack hunt in pristine wilderness.

The hell with Boone and Crockett.

The hiss of the gas lantern, smell of campfire, horses feeding near camp,
Bells tinkling in the night, bulls bugling on the mountains......

The how is just as important as the how big....

As a BC resident who has hunted the Prophet-Muskwa area a few times, I can concur with Brad and John. The experience alone is second-to-none. To ride through pristine valleys, seeing elk on the hillsides, Stone Sheep on the slopes above them, and moose in the lower reaches (and the occasional grizzly) is an experience you'll never forget. Add to that the ability to hunt truly wild elk during the rut (first few weeks of Sept.), and you're in heaven. The success ratio for 6x6 bulls and better is probably in the 90% range, so you're not likely to come home empty-handed.

The only caveat is that if you want to bring the meat home, I'd suggest driving up, as many of the airlines now won't take the meat. Bring some coolers in the back of your truck, or in a utility trailer. They'll cut and pack the meat for you, and you can buy some dry ice in Fort Nelson for the trip home. The meat will stay frozen for 4 days, easily. As someone earlier said, you already have the equipment.

I guarantee that, for the rest of your life, you'll fall asleep at home, reliving the experience.

I did an elk and moose hunt with Prophet-Muskwa in 2002, and drove up from southwestern Montana to Ft. St. John, where P-M flies you into their main camp, just to be able to take the meat back easily. Got both a good bull moose and a 6x6 elk, and gave half of each to a friend who was up there visiting but not hunting.

Put the broken-down (but unbutchered) quarters in coolers with some ice and drove home over two days. The meat was fine even in warm mid-September. It might take another day to get back to Minnesota, but the same technique would sure work even without getting the meat butchered and frozen.

Had a caribou tag too, but didn't see one I wanted to shoot. It was still probably the best North American hunt I've ever been on except for a couple of special ones here in Montana with family and friends. Killed the 13th bull moose I saw on the second day of the hunt, and probably saw at least that many legal 6-point bulls, but didn't close the deal on one until the 9th day. In between covered 150-200 miles on horseback, seeing a number of grizzlies, Stone sheep and even a couple of mule deer, one a good buck. We hunted right in the area where the famous Chadwick Stone ram was taken, and where both Elmer Keith and Jack O'Connor hunted in the days before Alaska Highway and light planes made getting there a lot quicker. Once you get back in there, though, it's still real wilderness.

I did my Alberta hunt several years before MD did his BC hunt, and it was close to Thanksgiving,( much colder).The quarters had frozen sold so I had no problem driving back three days to Colorado.
I was hunting on the edge of Banniff NP as the elk were migrating out. Easily saw 300 elk per day 30-40 6x bulls.

Looking at the mentioned BC hunts has me wanting to go.

It does make a compelling case.

I think these guys will work within your budget depending on the unit. It will be public land, no pay by the inch crap.you could do it on the cheap if you get lucky and draw a tag. http://wlhunting.com/hunt-the-west/elk/

Rebby,

There are quite a few opportunities in the west to hunt quality units DIY on public land and whack a 280-320" 6 x 6 bull. I hate outfitters and guides and booking agents, believe that you are at risk and at their mercy for a OIL hunt, and if your reasonably competent as a hunter you can get this done yourself plus have muuuuuch more personal satisfaction.....and control your own destiny. Don't get freaked out and hesitant because you doubt your skills with elk. Many of these hunts are easy, VERY easy.....are in open country and elk are easy to hear and to spot.

Many of these are EXCITING rut hunts, with lots of great elk vocalizations, LOTS of animals, and a good portion of 6-point bulls. Plus......only a few hunters. These hunts don't require you to be an elk expert to succeed. They are easy and fun hunts.........many in desert sagebrush/juniper country.

Wyoming has 56 Commissioner's tags that are auctioned by WY based conservation groups. They allow you to pick any unit as long as you conform to the season framework. They have been going for $8-$9,000ish. Suggest units 30 or 31 in SW Wyoming to meet your goals. These are great rut hunts Oct 1-15.

Colorado has unit-wide landowner tags, but not too many available in the good units where you can whack a bull as described. I see an occasional unit 10 and unit 2 tag, a few more unit 61 tags........but you need 2 for both you and yer buddy so this may be difficult. 61 may be yer best bet in CO. 61 tags are cheaper $5-$7,000 for the later seasons (not rut hunts). 10 tags are $10kish and the very rare 2 tags are $12kish. 10 and 2 early rifle hunts are Oct 1-10 and are FANTASTIC OIL hunts!!

Nevada tags for unit 076-081 late hunt are $8-$10k. Many bulls but most will be broken as this is a late season (Nov) hunt. I drew this tag in 2010 but never shot a bull as the biggest were badly broken. Best unbroken one was 320".

Utah is the greatest opportunity for using yer checkbook to get a great tag and have a great quality hunt. They have both unit-wide LO tags (still have to conform to the season framework same as if you drew the tag)........and conservation tags that are auctioned by the wildlife conservation orgs. The bull I posted is from the Bookcliffs roaded unit, and I paid $6k for the LO tag in 2004. Those same tags are now $10kish.

New Mexico does have LO tags, but their 5-day seasons are sooooo short I cannot recommend NM.

Much as I don't care for The Huntin Fool.........in the interest of helping you I suggest you subscribe right now for next years research. All of this info is right there.

I would suggest that you contact John Porter at this address.
www.wyominghunts.com

I have known him for a lot of years and can tell you that he has an excellent reputation and is well equipped.

Once in a lifetime on a short time schedule, British Columbia or Alberta.
Once in a lifetime with time to wait for the chance to draw, one of the back country pack in hunts in northwestern Wyoming, or one of the Whittington Center elk hunts.

John, I built myself a large cooler out of plywood and lined it with 2" construction styrofoam. It'll hold at least two elk or moose, quartered. I put it in the bed of the truck when I go up north (a two-day drive from the Fraser Valley). I put the quartered animals in there and top it off with 4-6 bags of party ice, placed in garbage bags to prevent leakage. It'll easily keep the meat cool - just a few degrees above freezing - for two or three days.

For longer trips, though, I'd recommend dry ice. I met a doctor from Wisconsin up there a few years ago who hunts every other year with Barry Tompkins (High and Wild Safaris). He has his meat cut, packed, and frozen at Barry's Base Camp and uses the dry ice method to take his meat home in a utility trailer full of coolers. He says that it's still frozen solid after the long drive back home.

A lot of other fellows from the Lower Mainland, will use a small freezer and a generator in the back of the truck. They'll just run the generator enough to keep the meat cool.