Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting first time "hunt of a life time" elk hunt

Looking for ideas on where to look for a first time, one time only, once of a lifetime elk hunt-My brother and I are early/mid 50's and getting older every day-Would like to do this once in the next 2-4 years, but don't know where to start. What should we budget for? Where should we look?

id be looking at idaho, if yer a disabled vet they have discounts. orgon pretty much sux unless yer an out of stater

Wish you the best of luck. I had my once in a lifetime elk hunt in 1998 at 41. Hooked me big time. I tell everyone it’s my “cocaine” because I head west every year. Don’t let age be a hindrance to you….thats just between your ears. My 2021 elk hunt, we had a gentleman hunting with us that was 86 years old. He wasn’t the most nimble man in camp, but he was there, and hiking up and down hills as best he could. He exemplified “never give up”.

New Mexico, landowner tags can be a route you can pursue.

Just hunt some place in west Texas, out by Alpine. No draw, rifle hunt in the rut if you want.

The "good" guides elk hunts with guaranteed tags are going to start around 10k. The type of hunt that I'd consider a "once in a lifetime" would be in the 18-20k range.

What's tour budget Dave what kind of a hunt are you wanting and with what weapon?

rifle hunt, fair chase beyond that pretty open to what ever-

Found a guy around sonora, TX $13500 guided/meals/lodging...

There are plenty of options for different types of hunting but it depends on what you consider a “once in a lifetime hunt”….for me it’d be a horseback hunt in the mountains of Montana, Wyoming or Idaho. Arizona and New Mexico have some serious monsters and I’d be looking at outfitters that have guaranteed tags since drawing a tag can take a lifetime or two before being drawn. I’m not familiar with the tag situation in Arizona or New Mexico but I recall reading that the guides on the Indian reservations there have tags that don’t require drawing, only a thick wallet. Any great guides in all the great locations are going to require a thick wallet but for a true once in a lifetime guided elk hunt the one guarantee is that it ain’t gonna be cheap. 😉

I assume that a once in a lifetime elk hunt, at least for me, would be for FREE RANGE elk that are NOT behind a high fence. I don’t think there are any real elk hunters who are looking for a once in a lifetime elk hunt that would consider Texas for a true once in a lifetime elk hunt but everyone has their own ideas about what their dream hunt looks like.

I did a great (meat trip) cow elk hunt outside of Roosevelt Utah on the Ute Indian reservation years ago and I was truly amazed at the number of elk we saw and even more amazed/impressed at the number and SIZE of the bulls we encountered in that area!

There are some awesome FREE RANGE elk hunts in West Texas. Not all of the state is high fenced.
The mountains out there are very rugged too.
Wyoming would take some PPs to draw a license.

West Texas has a lot of elk these days, less than most western states, but fair chase is west of Sonora by a couple of hundred miles at least. Very skeptical of a true elk hunt there. Elk in Sonora are high fence or escaped pasture elk....

For 7k a hunter you can find a true elk hunt in the west, but as always what means more, antlers or experience? Experience is what you'll cherish and it's usually way cheaper....

I must be a dick. I know where I'd go but I'll be damned if I'm gunna advertise it on the internet!

LOL

I'd opine that you need to decide how you want this once in a lifetime hunt to happen, then what the goal is. These 2 decisions will lead you to the answer - assuming money isn't much of an issue.

The "how" boils down to: you want a ranch hunt (not the fenced varity)? Pack in with horse hunt? Pack into a Wilderness Area hunt? You simply want an elk and a fenced operation will do?

As had been mentioned, if you simply want the experience of waking up elk country with a good chance of killing any elk, that can be had way easier and cheaper. I'd advise for the 2 of you to go on several elk hunts before the once in a lifetime hunt. Simply do a ranch cow hunt (again not the fenced variety) in a western state.

Once you have the hang of elk hunting, hunting in the mountains, and have a bit of experience, go on your once in a lifetime hunt. A DIY drop camp is very affordable. This option will: A. Put you in elk country, B. Let you get the feel of elk country, C. Give you the whole experience.

I'd be leery of spending a pile of cash on a once on a lifetime elk hunt if you've never done it before. I say this because the biggest single factor in enjoying your experience will be how good shape you are in. Elk mountains are big, steep, and high. And you'll likely need to cover alot of ground. You'll feel like a bag of smashed buttholes if you're not in shape. Spending your time in camp because you are sore/worn out/tired wont lead to a good experience. And I've yet to take someone on their first elk hunt who thought they were too fit/in shape. Alot of us chiming in train all year long.

As to the goal, ANY elk in a wild setting is a worthy accomplishment, esp if you DIY. If you have "a number" in mind for rack score, you're setting yourself up for disappointment, unless you have a pile of money. Places exist where you can stay in a ranch/cabin, horse back/4 wheeler in and look over numerous 300+ inch bulls. If that's the goal, cool, it just takes more greenbacks. I'd opine a 300 inch public land bull is possible with good guides and places. People have visions of 350 inch bulls because "they paid alot of money". It don't work that way.......

Hey dumbfùck, that's why I suggested far west Texas out by Alpine, because there is plenty of FREE RANGE elk out there. Know what you're talking about before running your suck hole.

for me a once in a lifetime hunt is pack in wilderness on horseback............in your shoes Id be looking at the Gila in NM as I think you can buy land owner tags for that area


the northern Rockies may have more of that sort of opportunity but you might get too old before you draw the tags

I did a once in a life time guided hunt in Alberta. It was a 6 point required area.It was NW of Calgary in the Red Deer River area. East side of Baniff NP.
Plan on at least $10K.

Guided Wilderness Elk Hunt in western Wyoming would be a nice way to go. Anywhere from $8,500-$12,000. Ride 20-30 miles of back mountain country on horseback to camp. Nice camps in the middle of wildlife with all the scenery and ruggedness one could imagine. The elk in these areas are mostly uninhibited by humans and can have some impressive bulls. Outfitters can typically get tags for hunters as Wilderness Hunt Areas require a Wilderness Outfitter for all non resident hunters. There are several listed on the internet.

A lot of wisdom and experience in this post. The only thing I will add is I would pick the “setting” in which you want to hunt first. Do you want the full mountain experience of the Rockies? Or does it matter to you? For me, it’s as much about the experience and the surroundings as it is in the actual elk.

8 or 9 days of Red Stag hunting in Patagonia in Argentina is $8000 - $9000 right now. With flights and tips, it is still cheaper than most guided hunts for Elk in the U.S.

For a once in a lifetime hunt I'd be buying a Wyoming commissioners tag.