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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 10,913
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 10,913 |
If you do hunt Colorado, be sure to follow some best practices; best if you don't want stand out as an out-of-state newbie. Make sure you pickup is lifted and has oversized 22" rims with low profile tires. Bring at least one ATV per person, might be good to pack an extra too. Absolutely be sure to have a big box store generator, one of those 8000watt ones on wheels. Elk are totally used to hearing it and you need a way to charge your onxmaps gps at the end of the day. Consider 10,000w just to be sure. Carry and use repeatedly the Hoochie Mama and four different bull calls - can't be using the same voice when talking to them. Make sure to carry shooting sticks and spotting scope - elk can only be found on far far away hillsides. Some guys report having luck with climbing tree stands, so throw one of those in the trailer too. Don't worry about elevation and being fit, a 6.5 Needmore 13lb sniper rifle and ATV can make up for any lack of athleticism. When hunting with your buddies, line up at the edge of the woods and stand guard, just like watching a midwest corn field, elk are just big deer. If you hear a real elk in the woods, chase it and call incessantly. You can sneak up on them, pretty easily actually, and if they spook they won't go far, hunt the same spot the next day. Most importantly, don't be drinking Pabst, Shine, Whiskey, Gin, at the end of the day. Real elk hunters prefer heart-healthy red wine and it's OK if you and your friends can't finish a bottle, just re-cork it. Wow…….beautifully done! 👍 memtb
You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong." -Bob Hagel
“I’d like to be a good rifleman…..but, I prefer to be a good hunter”! memtb 2024
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Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 9,172
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Oct 2006
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The OP was asking about advice concerning resources geared more towards getting a tag and gadgets to electronically scout, not necessarily advice on what to do once a tag is in hand, but I will still throw this out there:
You can't be afraid of the dark... Odd that you bring that up. I’m real comfortable in the dark in familiar types of terrain and navigate easily at night. Still, I recall a certain creepy feeling at night alone elk hunting in the West. I went on anyway but I do recall the strangeness of big country at night. Grizzly country in Western Wyoming will give you the heebe jeebies, especially after a kill with blood in the air and especially at night...
Proud NRA Life Member
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 10,913
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 10,913 |
The OP was asking about advice concerning resources geared more towards getting a tag and gadgets to electronically scout, not necessarily advice on what to do once a tag is in hand, but I will still throw this out there:
You can't be afraid of the dark... Odd that you bring that up. I’m real comfortable in the dark in familiar types of terrain and navigate easily at night. Still, I recall a certain creepy feeling at night alone elk hunting in the West. I went on anyway but I do recall the strangeness of big country at night. Grizzly country in Western Wyoming will give you the heebe jeebies, especially after a kill with blood in the air and especially at night... Add to that, it’s after dark, a gentle snow falling, near zero wind, you’re breathing hard bringing the elk (or pieces of it out)…….each breath produces a dense fog temporarily eliminating all vision! You absolutely know with all certainty….that’s when the grizzly will rush out and bite you in the azz! 😂 memtb
Last edited by memtb; 01/27/23.
You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong." -Bob Hagel
“I’d like to be a good rifleman…..but, I prefer to be a good hunter”! memtb 2024
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 12,471
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 12,471 |
I hunted Elk for the first time this past October, after deer hunting for almost 50 years. My guide was great and he told me to treat every day we hunted as if it were the first day and never let defeat take over your thoughts. After multiple encounters but no shot, he just moved on to find the next opportunity. He was determined for me to get a nice bull. On the evening of the 4th day of a 5 day hunt I shot a nice 339” bull. He never skipped a beat and it gave me a lot of confidence. I am obviously not in a position to give Elk hunting advice, but he sure as hell is. ![[Linked Image]](https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/gallery/80/full/203655.jpg)
Faith and love of others knows no mileage nor bounds. That's simply the way it is.
dogzapper
After the game is over, the king and the pawn go into the same box.
Italian Proverb
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 10,913
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jan 2001
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Nice bull, you and your guide done good…..real good!
The photo is a nice “teaser”! How about “the rest of the story”….. where at, cartridge used,bullet used, range the Bull was shot, and a few words about the hunt! Also, Congratulations to you sir! memtb
Last edited by memtb; 01/28/23.
You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong." -Bob Hagel
“I’d like to be a good rifleman…..but, I prefer to be a good hunter”! memtb 2024
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 12,471
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 12,471 |
Faith and love of others knows no mileage nor bounds. That's simply the way it is.
dogzapper
After the game is over, the king and the pawn go into the same box.
Italian Proverb
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 10,913
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 10,913 |
Thank You for the link! 👍 memtb
You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong." -Bob Hagel
“I’d like to be a good rifleman…..but, I prefer to be a good hunter”! memtb 2024
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Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 3,491
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Mar 2008
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Whenever I walk up to a dead elk my first thought is “who got who”.
“Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away”.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery. Posted by Brad.
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Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 4,038
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Feb 2001
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Your Euro mount turned out great too!!!
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 3,278
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
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Sorry for your loss, I can’t image it.
10 rules for elk hunting:
1. Hunt where the elk are.
2. Hunt your ass off.
3-10. See rule #2.
Hunt where the elk are sounds silly but it’s the first critical choice. Do your homework and spend the money. They’re harder to find than they are to kill.
P This^^^ I never got a NM elk when I didn't cover a lot of country pre-season, preferably on foot, with glass and a good map to mark. Always had to do it DIY and that ain't changed.
Haul ass, haul ass! - Pappy
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Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 2,214
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 2,214 |
Well I've been sitting on the side lines for 3 years now just building points while my beloved fought cancer, she lost the battle about a month ago. Im ready to get back to big game hunting in 2023, all over the west. Whats some of you guys best resources for information now. I used to get huntin fool, eastmans, top rut, on-X, gohunt. Are there others out there better or more accutate? Thanks Wayne no elk advice here, just my condolences on the lost of your wife. i lost my beloved wife Oct 4 2021 to cancer. i'm just starting to except and adjust.
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 69,306
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 69,306 |
You can't be afraid of the dark... True. And you can't be afraid of being alone. There's nothing wrong with being with a partner, but separating can often put one or both in a better position for a shot. Elk country can be huge and very lonely, miles from a road. Some guys just get nervous when there's no one else in sight. The best part of the day is that 30 min between 1st light and sunup. I just love being out then.
“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”
― George Orwell
It's not over when you lose. It's over when you quit.
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Joined: Jan 2019
Posts: 761
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Jan 2019
Posts: 761 |
You can't be afraid of the dark... True. And you can't be afraid of being alone. There's nothing wrong with being with a partner, but separating can often put one or both in a better position for a shot. Elk country can be huge and very lonely, miles from a road. Some guys just get nervous when there's no one else in sight. The best part of the day is that 30 min between 1st light and sunup. I just love being out then. Best part of the day, when the mountains are waking up. The dark makes you feel alive, especially when you walk up on deer or elk bedded on a ridge, walk up to a pothole in the sage flats you didn't know was there and have some puddle ducks explode in your face or look to your right and there is a white faced cow staring at you from eight feet away..
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Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 4,373
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 4,373 |
You can't be afraid of the dark... True. And you can't be afraid of being alone. There's nothing wrong with being with a partner, but separating can often put one or both in a better position for a shot. Elk country can be huge and very lonely, miles from a road. Some guys just get nervous when there's no one else in sight. The best part of the day is that 30 min between 1st light and sunup. I just love being out then. Best part of the day, when the mountains are waking up. The dark makes you feel alive, especially when you walk up on deer or elk bedded on a ridge, walk up to a pothole in the sage flats you didn't know was there and have some puddle ducks explode in your face or look to your right and there is a white faced cow staring at you from eight feet away.. Thats a form of poetry right there....
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 69,306
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 69,306 |
I remember early one morning when I was bowhunting elk. There were quite a few angus cattle grazing in the area. As it was getting light, I was sneaking through some quakies when I spotted a black angus cow about 20 yds ahead of me, lying behind a lot. I didn't want to spook her so I slowly moved to one side...and got a good look at her ears. They were round. It was a bear. I had a tag but no shot. It put it's head down and it disappeared. I have no idea how it sneaked away from me like that.
“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”
― George Orwell
It's not over when you lose. It's over when you quit.
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Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 3,747
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 3,747 |
You can't be afraid of the dark... True. And you can't be afraid of being alone. There's nothing wrong with being with a partner, but separating can often put one or both in a better position for a shot. Elk country can be huge and very lonely, miles from a road. Some guys just get nervous when there's no one else in sight. The best part of the day is that 30 min between 1st light and sunup. I just love being out then. I've taken the majority of my elk at this time, and many at very first shooting light. Always in the spot I want be at then. Yes you have to get there in the dark. A great time to be hunting.
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Posts: 4,906
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 4,906 |
I’ve bumped various critters in the dark. One time I was hunting with the guy who own the land we hunt and he left camp a couple of minutes before I did. We were parking at the same spot and walking in a ways to our hunting spots. I could see his light go out in the pickup when I was about a quarter mile from him. I pulled up behind his truck and got my gear and headed up the steep trail knowing he was only a few minutes ahead of me. About 200 yards in, I heard a cow call just ahead of me and figured it was him messing with me until there was another to my left and another to the right! Then there was the thunder of hooves then back to silence. Damn! I walked through a small herd of elk in the dark. When I told him about it later, he said he smelled them as he passed by, too. We got a good laugh about it. The following day, I got a bull just after daylight and he got one just before dark. Happy Trails
Life Member NRA, RMEF, American Legion, MAGA. Not necessarily in that order.
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 69,306
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 69,306 |
My advice is Believe your compass! This event was pre-GPS units. Believe your GPS. Carry a compass, GPS, and a map if you venture out on your own at all. It’s a good idea anyway. I use OnX on my phone. Before you go, be sure to download the area map in case you lose cell service. Plus, using it offline will save the battery. You might need it later. A GPS needs to backed up with a compass and map...and know how to read it.
“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”
― George Orwell
It's not over when you lose. It's over when you quit.
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Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 92
Campfire Greenhorn
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Campfire Greenhorn
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 92 |
As I'm no longer young, I have only two rules: (1) Hunt uphill. (2) Never shoot anything after 1 p.m. unless it's within 100 yards of camp. 
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Posts: 60
Campfire Greenhorn
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Campfire Greenhorn
Joined: Feb 2022
Posts: 60 |
Get in shape and I don't mean bench pressing, I mean hiking up and down mountains all day long with 50 pounds on your back.
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