DIY drop camp

[Sparks1]

So I got the bug for an elk hunt after my older brother suggested we cross this off our bucket list. It's been on mine for a long time.
Never hunted the west, lifelong white tail hunter in Minnesota. My older brother suggested this, as he isn't getting younger and I am a cancer survivor. (Lost 30lbs since last year...now at a trim 140lbs) I exercise my two pointing dogs 3 to 4 miles each day along with plenty of public land prairies walked.
Anyway...we are just not up for a back country type walk in hunt and find the drop camp the most feasible way to experience the type of hunt we imagine. The problem is my brother hunted elk last year and will not do a 6 hour horseback ride again. ( Says his back suffered for weeks)
He is stuck on a Montana hunt in lower elevations, I am open for Colorado or Montana as non-resident hunters in 2019.

Looking for input from you people who may know more than the average person.

Thank you.

 

[Addicting]

I’m not sure you are going to get a low country elk hunt in Montana unless you go fully guided on a private ranch. Most of the low country is private and the high country is public. A Wyoming cow tag be more up your alley for a DIY lower country hunt. Congrats on beating cancer!

 

[Sparks1]

Price point on a fully guided may be steeper than we can do, but thank you for the input. When I say lower elevation...less than 8k ft.

 

[Chuckchapman1]

I'm in about the same spot except I'm the older brother and there hasn't been a fight with cancer. congratulations on beating that crap. I have been trying to convince my younger brother to go out west for our first hunt. We are looking into a antelope hunt for our first go at it. Little cheaper tags and access might be more accessible and the lower elevation is slightly appealing for the first go. Keep us posted as to how your plans go I'd be interested as to what you come up with.

 

[brymoore]

There are plenty of good elk day hunts. Do some research and pick an area you can hunt from the road. You can sleep in a tent by the road or a hotel/motel room.

I backpack hunt a lot but I sleep in my bed to elk hunt, most of the time. However, I’ll be two or three miles from the road at daylight. I even hunt a few Wilderness areas this way.

 

[PrairieHunter]

From what I have seen most people are not really built for sleeping in the woods. Between working hard hunting the first day, not sleeping good, and not having the comforts of home like a shower many guys fall apart quickly and by the second or third day are useless.

As mentioned elk hunting can be done as a day hunt. For example I hunted 3 afternoons in the snowies to get my Bull this year. I dont' have time to take off work but I can sneak out for the afternoon and give 100% effort for a short period, then come back home for food, showers, sleep, etc... You could do the same from a motel and not worry about bringing a bunch of camping crap with you.

If you are looking at options to spend your way to a better hunt try paying an access fee for private land or to cross private land, renting 4 wheelers, or options with cow tags like landowner tags which will grant you access to private with minimal cost or units in Wyoming that have lots of private access through walk in for cow hunting.

Just depends if you like cooking at camp or would prefer to have someone else cook or eat out?
Sleeping in a tent or a lodge or a motel?
Locating your own game or doing that yourself?
Shower every day or not?
Pack your own elk out or have that taken care of?\


It's all about making the hunt what you want.

 

[Jim/Wa]

Anyway...we are just not up for a back country type walk in hunt...

You didn't indicate your reason for this but if backpacking in/out is the problem I'd suggest looking at Llama's. I've used them twice and prefer them to horses. They're really easy to manage and can pretty much go anywhere you can and possibly more.

 

[Sparks1]

Trying to accomodate all in the party is the reason for not hiking in all the gear, plus we don't have all the gear. Brother is 71, I am 66 and the others are much younger. I can't speak to what level of fitness the others will be in come next year.
Llamas are a good idea though if we were walking in.

 

[Gerald Martin]

The vast majority of elk hunting is done by hunters camping at the parking spot and day hunting from the road. You do not need to be able to backpack in 3-4 miles before starting your hunt to be successful. In fact, if you don't know the area well it pays to be flexible with changing up hunting areas until you find the elk.

 

[Addicting]

Trying to accomodate all in the party is the reason for not hiking in all the gear, plus we don't have all the gear. Brother is 71, I am 66 and the others are much younger. I can't speak to what level of fitness the others will be in come next year.
Llamas are a good idea though if we were walking in.

Are all of your group going to be able to break a elk down and haul it back to camp on your backs? Just being real, at 71 and 66 putting a 60lb hind quarter on a GOOD pack and hiking a mile is no small feat, let alone multiple trips. Montana has some steep country that will have you taking Ibuprofen after the first day. You may want to look at the type 2 BMAs available and plan your hunt in that general area. Otherwise Wyoming has some great late season hunts that will be way more friendly and you can do it with no Grizz.

 

[LWC55]

Are all of your group going to be able to break a elk down and haul it back to camp on your backs? Just being real, at 71 and 66 putting a 60lb hind quarter on a GOOD pack and hiking a mile is no small feat, let alone multiple trips. Montana has some steep country that will have you taking Ibuprofen after the first day. You may want to look at the type 2 BMAs available and plan your hunt in that general area. Otherwise Wyoming has some great late season hunts that will be way more friendly and you can do it with no Grizz.

I think this may be the main reason he's looking at a drop camp. You don't have to haul the elk back to camp. You just break it down and the packer will go to your elk, load it up, and pack it back down to your vehicle.

 

[dididraw]

A couple of questions that might help others to give you advice:

What type of elk do you want to hunt - bull, cow, trophy bull?
Do you have bonus/preference points accumulated for elk?
Why do you want a drop camp (more secluded, someone to pack the elk out, someone to give specific advice on an area, etc.)?
Are you open to other lodging/camping scenarios?
Does your budget allow for paid access (trespass fee, paid guide, etc.), if so how much can you spend?
What is your preferred weapon for this hunt?
What kind of weather are you willing/able to deal with?

There are lots of possibilities for hunting elk, knowing a little more about your parameters will help to narrow it down.

Hunting elk is a really cool experience and certainly worth having on your bucket list.