Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting 2017 Expectations

What's everyone's expectations for this year's elk hunt?

Out of three hunters who put in the for the draw, we got one tag. This is in a unit we've never not gotten a tag in the last five years. The left over draw turned out to be a bust. And last year's hunt was epically awful due to the unprecedented and excessive amount of hunters. We still have some left over muzzle loader and archery options, but none of my hunting partners dig traditional. Might be the year they learn to like it. Trying to keep hopes up, but the excitement level isn't like it has been in years past. The only good news is that if we didn't get tags, maybe other hunters didn't either and the DOW realized they needed to reduce the hunting pressure. Obviously we still have OTC options, but once you go draw only it's hard to go back to an even more crowded OTC season.

I'm bowhunting this year with a friend from back east and another local friend. Bowhunting can be tough on public land, but my expectations are, we'll have a great time and my friend from back east will marvel at the jaw-dropping scenery and hopefully a few elk. Maybe even some within bow range. He wants a shot at a bull but the first cow that gets within my range will hear my string silencers.

We'll be spending a week in the mountains with no cell phone or email coverage. We'll do a lot of walking in steep country and undoubtedly mutter a few "I'm getting too old for this schits," hopefully coming down the mountain with a backpack full of meat. Offset by the sunsets from the ridgetop and maybe a few cutthroats for the frying pan and a stray bear or two.

And my other expectation is, when I get home I'll want to go right back out and do it again. Never fails.

Seems like it is getting hard to draw tags for elk.

Our tags are OTC.

I predict that on the afternoon before I leave for my hunt everyone I work with will bring me all of the problems and issues they have been stockpiling and need them fixed ASAP.

I expect that since I won't have a deer tag this year during my elk hunt I will see a monster buck.

That made me laugh out loud. So true.

Has anyone heard any rumors about conditions and the numbers in Montana? Especially in the Plains to Kalispell area and Thompson Falls area.

I predict that I will eat a lot of good food, drink some good tequila and shoot a nice bull the first or second day.

FWIW, I am a lousy prognosticator, but in this case, I am guaranteed to score no worse than two out of three.

Same as every year..... great anticipation and packing, perfect camp, great friends, and a week in the woods with my 5 year old son. It has been theee years since I killed my last elk, if I get one this year even better.

I have ML cow tag for a serious hunt. Think I'll just do an OTC bull tag for 2nd rifle and go with a friend just for the heck of it .Don't expect to see an elk, let alone shoot one

You mean, on the second hunt, right? I'm thinking when you go out with a cow tag during ML season, you're expecting to see at least one that's willing to come home with you....

Right.I seem to have knack for finding really stupid ones in ML season because I'm really not that good a hunter.

Great topic!

A friend and I are camping out the first week and a half of November. We have either sex tags for Elk and Deer. I won't apologize for it, but we will be meat hunting mainly. We are just hoping for decent weather!

Unit 55A, New Mexico...I'm about to die to get out there. Hearing from the ranch that they are receiving a ton of rain, antlers are growing like never before....its gonna be great. I'll be there for opening day of rifle season.

I'm predicting that since I DO have a buck tag, I won't see a monster buck like we did last year when I did not have a tag.

I also predict that if the weather is hot we'll have to go places we have never hunted before. Hoping for cold and snow for a couple days after we arrive in camp to get the migration going.

I'm predicting no close encounters with bears. If I wanted to see bears, I wouldn't have bought a bear tag.

Right. You're not a very good hunter, but get your elk every year on public land, DIY, it must be just dumb luck. There's lots of guys who'd like to be not very good, just lucky like you.

Ain't that the truth...........


Casey

Going to be a tough year but will still score.

Good luck to you all! Personally, I'm looking forward to your stories and photos. I will not be able to make it this year. I'm really going to Miss the mountains and he obligatory post hunt fishing! Mebbe next year!

Also always enjoyed hitting one of the Kokanee egg harvests. Pick up a few Kokanee!!

If the smoke stays this heavy I think I'll be able to hear elk wheeze by November!

DLallder--------- It be a good Idea to check on the fire situation this year before you leave on your hunt---You may have to adjust. It's starting out to be a bad fire season in NW MT
Good Hunting

The grandson, my oldest son, and myself all pulled late season cow tags for the month of December in the Craig area - those tags will all be filled unless we have a year like last year with no snow. The wife and I are also sitting on two cow tags for 4th rifle season, also in the Craig area - I'll fill my second tag for sure, and hoping the wife finally gets to tag her elk this year, but with her bad back I'm afraid she'll have to rely on picking a good spot to sit. Knowing where I'll put her, I give her about a 50/50 chance of filling but either way, if we have snow, we'll still have two elk in the freezer and my son will be able to feed himself and his college roommates this year.

I am predicting that opening day I will see more blaze than at a broncos game, that I will see more hunters on horseback than on foot, and that the elk will be smiling from across the fence on private land. The "hunters" on the private land will once again fail to leave their ATV's and trucks so the elk will be above them in the timber by about 200-300 yards. Everyone else will be asking where the elk are...when I know that they are "in the woods."

I will have a front seat view on the antics, and still after all of that--- I will be beyond thankful that I'm not at work.

Likely I will see a few elk trying to escape everyone else. Hopefully they filter my way and I put a freezer filler on the ground. It's usually a matter of time and effort before I find that lucky elk. I won't complain if it happens earlier rather than later.

Sure is nice to wake up late, eat a great breakfast and look at that filled tag.

If all else fails I will guarantee good company, bad jokes, lots of laughter, and a smile crossing my face as I'm in the happiest place I can think of in the fall.

Was trying to remember this morning how long it had been since I elk
hunted. Must be eight years or so. Last time was near steam boat springs colo.
Shot a rag horn 5x5.
I have kinda lost interest in elk hunting. Unless you go with the mobs on public land it's gotten quite expensive.
I have gone on several safaris that cost about the same as a high end guided elk hunt. And I arrowhead several animals.
Nothing wrong at all with elk hunting, beautiful animal, and often beautiful country, I just lost interest.

We have cow tags. The IDFG doubled the length of the season in our unit this year from 3 to 6 weeks, clear to the end of Nov. That'll get the elk moving down where we can get at them easier. Normally we'll have snow by Nov 1. They also increased the tags from 150 to 250 so there'll be a lot more hunters but there are a lot of elk to hunt.

I picked up tags for an area within 10 minutes of my house, so I plan to spend many, many evenings and weekends out scouting. I'm pumped.

The area I am hunting opens Sept. 1 for archery, with that being the Friday before Labor Day, I am taking that day off work and hope to go back to work the Tuesday after Labor day with a filled tag and some butchering to be done. The area I hunt is an any elk area and I am not a trophy hunter. I am gonna make an effort to arrow a nice Mule Deer buck this year, but I will not make that a priority over the elk tag. Unless one wanders in way to close before any elk show up.....................

Going to far western Texas for cow elk, a hunt booked through Mulie Mike. Technically not 2017, early January 2018. I'll have my .30-06 shooting 150 gr TTSX's. It's a new location for my every other year cow elk hunt. It takes almost 2 years for the wife and I to eat all of the meat. I've always been successful, so hopefully my luck will hold.

First 370" bull I see, I'm shooting it.

Got a nice area bull tag with a couple of friends for all of November. Coming off two back surgeries last year and 10 pounds gained. Going to take it slow and easy!

Me too. I'm a meat hunter, gotta fill the freezer. Hunting on public land, you take what you get.

I expect the Leukotape to stick as well as it did last year.......three weeks from Friday.

I have lots of opportunities to hunt this year. I might not bag any animals but I expect that I will have a lot of fun trying.

Sometime in September, I will hunt turkey in the Wet Mountain Valley.

I drew a premium pronghorn tag in Northpark. I used 16 points. So I'll be hunting there during the first week of October.

I didn't get a cow elk tag in the draw so I picked up a leftover cow elk tag and an OTC bull tag. Both are for second season, also in Northpark. Yep, I expect to see some orange there also. I now have 20 points for elk.

I drew a Coues Deer tag in southern Arizona for the season before Thanksgiving. I've done this backpack hunt several times before and enjoyed it every time.

I drew a late plains doe deer tag as my second choice. I know a landowner there and I know where some public land is located. I now have one point for deer.

I didn't draw a mountain goat tag. I now have 3+15 points.

KC

I expect to stick an arrow through this guy in 22 more days!

I drew a cow tag, my only other tag was 2008.
I have never seen an elk in the region.

I know a number of ranchers and I am willing to pay whatever they want, if they have elk.

I bought a camper a year ago. I have not slept in it yet. I am going to the eclipse in Oregon next month. I will practice sleeping there.

I think there is going to be a lot of sleeping in the camper to get an elk.

I'm gearing up too. I've been practicing my sleeping every evening.

I find the sleeping to be very easy, but the getting up can be a bitch.

No elk tag or hunting for me this year...😢But! I will be trying out moose hunting for the first time and have plenty of time to hunt deer in PA and WV- I'm planning and hoping that this is my best hunting year, yet!