Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting never hunted elk,need lil advice

im moving from the south,where we hunt deer and hogs either going to or from or directly over year long grown food plots from treestands. dog hunting is alo done but I do not partake in this. I find the deer tracks in the dirt, figure out why theyre there,put up a treestand,and its usually shotgun distance although you can use whatever you want.

how do western elk hunts differ?i am moving to, not visiting,a northwestern state. and I am not a lifelong southern resident,i only moved here several years ago for personal reasons. please tell me abou pac nw elk hunting.

Number 1


Get in shape!!!

The most horrifying moment of you life will be when you look at that huge pile of dead meat, then look at how far you are from a road and ask 'what have I done?'

How do they differ from whitetails? They move. Today they're here. Tomorrow they can be several miles away. They're very difficult, if not impossible, to pattern so treestands have very limited value. You have to be in good enough shape to go find them. After the rut they'll be more bunched up but there will still be a lot of singles, particularly bulls. The worse the weather gets, the bigger the bunches will be.

Hunting black timber gets all the press because that's where they bed during the day. However, if you jump one in his bedroom you'd darn well better kill him because if you don't, you won't see him for a month. He won't be back for a long time.

I've had my best luck hunting open areas around black timber as they move out in the open late in the evening. If you find them moving out but too late to pursue, be there at 1st light and there's a good chance they'll still be there.

If they're in timber on a steep hillside, more likely than not they'll be 1/4 to 1/2 way down from the top and that's where they'll make their 1st appearance late afternoon.

i'm 6'2" 250 and can jog 8 miles nonstop if I have to. exercise is a part of my life,but it seems I need to bump up the cardio.

THANK YOU so much for the enlightening information. it seems food plays little part and I need to concentrate more on their movements.

The elk hunting areas I have tromped will most likely set you back physically.

Steep and big with high altitude.....less oxygen

Glassing.....climbing......more glassing.....move over one mountain.....more glassing

Spot and stalk has been the way I've lived my elk hunting days

Good advice so far. I would also add to get out towards the end of summer and find where some are at, they will leave a lot of tracks. Actual sightings are good too. Hike around, get to know the area. Spend time in the area, hike around some more. I also, if I can, hunt the same general areas year after year. It helps a lot to get to know the land, and where the elk move to and from.

Depending on where you are moving too, the type of hunting can differ a lot. Some areas may be more prone to glassing, spot and stalk, or creeping along a few feet at a time. My last bull was killed at 30 feet, i've also had to pass on shots that were just to far.

The main thing is get in shape and get out there and start learning.

thank you all

What part of PNW?

I also depends on what type of hunting and the dates (bow, muzzy, gun) Sept, Oct, Nov? I am addicted to hunting them in the rut, so I generally hunt muzzleloading season (Colorado) which is in the middle of the rut. Once I retire though I will be hunting bow season which starts in late August and runs for a month. So it depends on what your state allows and when you hunt

realitycheck:

I sent you a PM.

KC

Realitycheck, I live in OK and, like you, I have hunted deer and hogs for most of my life. Three years ago, my hunting buddy and I decided we needed to try our hand at elk hunting in CO (we are both in our early 60's and it was on our bucket list). So, I am probably better equipped to tell you what NOT to do when hunting elk. Almost everyone says that you need to be cardio prepared for altitude and they are correct. I will add, work hard on your lower body as well. Your legs will give out quickly when climbing at altitude. I do 8 work out sessions each week (weak) and have done so for the past 14 years and the mountains still kick my butt.

We have done a backpack hunt, did a drop camp hunt and even did a guided cabin/drop camp hunt (greenhorns; our first year). To date, we have NOT been successful in taking an elk so, take this for what it is worth. (1) Spend more time glassing from higher points, and calling from dark timber in drainage areas. (2) Spend less time walking around, climbing and just plain hiking.

This year, we will be going in by horseback much further from the trailhead and roads. The reason, is that we will using our own camping equipment. So, we will not be tied to a specific drop camp. After last years hunt, this was important. Last year we competed with 8 other hunters confined to a 3 or 4 square mile area. You know there are too many hunter in an area when you address each other by first names each day of your hunt.

I'll let you know in late October if this new strategy works or, if we will to go back to the drawing board.

Think of them more like a four legged turkey that can smell instead of like a whitetail... A four legged turkey that likes the cool, north slopes vs. the sunny, south slopes.

Think about locating them first with a cow call or young bull bugle and then move in and cut the distance, similar to turkeys. Don't think you will call them to you quite like a turkey though or that you can find a nice spot, sit down and just expect one to come by. I learned the hard way about that.

It's already been mentioned about getting in shape. You'll swear that in the mountains there are too many rocks that want to break your ankle and not enough air.

Finally, if they're not where you're looking, they're somewhere else. Don't be afraid to move to try a different mountain or drainage.

There is a lot of truth in what Rockchuck has stated, but a lot more depends on how much hunting pressure the elk see.

If there is a lot,the elk don't leave the thick timber. They can find all they need right in there. They will do with a little less feed or less palatable feed in order to stay alive and can find water in small springs and seeps. They will become more and more nocturnal as pressure increases. With much pressure, you won't see them in those open areas near thick timber as they come out to it after shooting hours and leave before first light.

I quit hunting open country years ago. I go into thick nasty blow down when I start to hunt although my age and physical condition has limited me these last few years.

If you watch the wind, move ultra slow, and don't make a bunch of noise, you can walk up to elk. They usually won't leave from noise, and may or may not leave the country if they see you, but will definitely leave if they smell you.

I have hunted one small patch of timber for 3-4 days after a bull and finally got them on the last days.

If there is a lot of hunters, the hunters are going to get into that timber as soon as they get smart enough to figure they are not going to shoot a bull in the meadow. It's best if you get in there first. However, you had best know what you are doing if you want to hunt that piece more than one day. Also if you can let it soak for a few days before each try, that helps, but other hunter scan screw that up.

Now days with a lot of hunting pressure, you hunt elk successfully by figuring out what they are going to do because of the other hunters.

There are no hard and fast rules to elk hunting and if you try to follow any, the elk will out smart you ( They don't read the rules ).

About the only almost sure thing is elk don't like people and go where there aren't any so you have to do the same thing.

Send a PM to Sans Souci, he's never hunted elk either.

They ain't turkeys.........

realitycheck, I recommend good boots. I like Lowas, but that's just personal preference.

As has been said, it doesn't matter how good a shape you think you're in. The elk and mountains humble me every time I go out.

I walk too much and I don't glass enough. I need to glass more, and you might consider some good binos.

Otherwise just spend a bunch of time out there at all times of year. You'll learn a lot. And enjoy yourself! Elk country is beautiful.

JoelKDouglas beat me to it.

If you do not already own a good, weatherproof binocular, buy one. Let your binocular do a lot of walking for you, plus one with prime clear lens will allow you to see into lots of those heavy shadows in the dark timber.

Best of luck on your hunt.

L.W.

This is something that many hunters miss - using binocs in brush. You can see an amazing distance through heavy brush with them. Your naked eye focuses on the closest brush and you can't see beyond it. Binocs can be focused beyond the nearest brush, clarifying what's back there and blurring out the close stuff. You can see clearly way back in there.

This is good advice. Plus, forget how you hunt whitetails. Keep moving until you find elk, not just elk sign. Always pay attention to the wind. Have a plan for how you're going to cut it up, hang it where it falls, and haul it out. The time to figure that out is not after it's laying on the ground at your feet.

Er, well, sometimes that doesn't work out well.