Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Solo elk hunters on foot

Are you kidding, that guy looks ecstatic.

Brad is consistent and does it right, no doubt.

On this one, 5ish miles from the trailhead, I ran out of water coming off a north facing jungle. When I got to water I had to lay down awhile and recharge. I forget how much weight I lost on that three days due to dehydration, it was either 10 or 12 lbs. Didn't lose an ounce of meat though.

Really good story. Thanks for posting!
I really liked what you wrote about the mental aspects of the hunt. When you don't have a crew back at a basecamp it really forces that mental risk management evaluation.
Every time that I drop gear to move a short distance for a shot I always end up at least a mile away from whatever I left behind.
Running with a rifle in ice climbing boots with a broken toe paints a vivid picture.
Did you short change that bull by calling him a 6x6? That extra non-typical point makes him look like a legitimate 6x7 to me.

To me he is a modestly sized 6x6 with a kicker. About 270" is all if I recall.

Maybe I am a glutton for punishment, but when it comes time to fill a cow tag I'd just as soon get it done rather than wait till the bitter end and hope for something close to the car. This one was a good number of miles by the time it was said and done.

fun post (s), 3 years ago, my 5x5 bull was brought down 1/2 at a time, 4.5 miles about 2000' dropped, with the head/rack and rifle on board it about killed me. Last year same spot, although a bigger bull, there was snow so I brought the otter sled up for the 2nd load, also had help and even though it took 4 1/2 hours to get down it was much easier on the body. I'm slowly learning.

All but two of my elk have been on solo hunts. I prefer it that way. I get to go where I want to, at my own pace.

No real big stories to tell, though this bull took 3 days to get out. He wasn't real far, but there were some real nasty spots that got half dangerous. I fell on my butt several times.

Moving elk downhill in snow is a piece of cake. Hauling them uphill is a bear. Fortunately, I've only had one up hill experience (Hells Canyon). Pack frames are God send, but moose are an even bigger problem.

I mentioned this on another thread but several years ago, 3 hunters in WA went down into a real hell hole in the Cascades and shot a big bull. As they were dressing it, one dropped dead from a heart attack. It took a rescue team 3 days to pack his body out of there. I wonder how long it would take to pack out the elk. Granted, they likely didn't bone out the hunter.
That's the kind of place where I'd never go solo.

Wanted to know if I could still hang with the big dogs (mid-life crisis) at 51 years. 4000 feet down in 4.5 miles then with animals 12 more to truck up 2000' The next year I went back and when a 320 bull was broadside at 75 yards I could not bring myself to pull the trigger, my knees ached just remembering

IMG_4588 by .com/photos/66556275N05/]squirrel2012, on [bleep]

I've been doing DIY solo elk hunts since the early '70s. I carried a few out on my back and hauled a dozen or more out on my horses. Also used them to pack out a solo DIY Shiras moose that I shot about 5 miles back in a wilderness in SW Montana. Here's a fairly recent bull from a solo hunt not far from home...


Not an elk, but a mountain goat that I shot many years ago on a solo DIY hunt. It was -5* F and knee deep snow when I started up the mountain. I skinned him out, put his head and hide in my backpack, and rug his body out over the snow.


One of my DIY solo rams from one of Montana's unlimited tag areas. I packed the quarters on my back down to where I could get my horses, and they carried him out the rest of the way.

I'm fortunate that I have a capable crew to hunt with each year. I have the luxury of being pretty bold on those hunts and can climb high, press deep into terrain, or hunt late into the day. I know I have support somewhere below.

I always try to get a 2nd hunt on a leftover tag and that is a whole different deal. No one is available to go with me.
If it is, for instance, a September muzzle loader tag the weather is warm and I can still press pretty hard alone with not too much risk. In September it's pretty easy to do a spike camp or a bivy without an excessive amount of gear.
By November at higher altitude in Colorado there is always this feeling that weather is ready to happen at any moment. I've gotten those tags a few times. My hunting pack becomes heavier because I carry extra everything. I don't have the ability to hump a cold weather camp up to 10K or 11K, but I see some guys that do. Hat's off to them.
I've never filled one of those late season tags solo but if I did it would be a lot of carries. I'd be OK with it.

Nice! Those are some pretty nice DIY solo trophies.

My DIY solo hunts have been in September with a bow to take advantage of, ahem, milder weather. I was in my middle twenties and full of piss and vinegar on my first when I hiked back in to an area I thought would avoid other hunters. Bivouac overnight and found the next morning that I was not alone. Through dumb luck, hunting pressure put some elk in my wheelhouse. Packing out to the trail head I met a pilgrim coming up the mountain. We visited for awhile and he took a picture of my load.



Here is another solo hunt when I bivouacked two nights and got an elk the third morning.

beautiful bulls there RO

Damn, I thought I was tough and a glutton for punishment, but you guys have me smoked. Solo, 5 miles back, double black skiable mountain slopes, and BIG bulls. Impressive to the say the least.

I’ve been packing a locator beacon for several years knowing the possibility of taking a header down a mountain under load is inevitable, but I never wanted to be that guy who had to drag himself out of a canyon 5 miles from any road with a bone sticking out of my leg. 😎

Why? You don’t have friends or just prefer the alone time? 😎

Hunting in the mountains alone, for me, is more rewarding. Other hunts are more communal. Highcountry elk hunting is not one of them... to find out what I mean, you should strap on a pack, and live out of a tent on your own. There’s no hunting like it.