Elk Knowledge: Books for Beginners

[psinclair]

Watch a few Randy vid's and you will get a lesson on elk hunting. In different country.

Elk Country by V. Geist is a favorite of mine on elk. Not a hunting book, an elk book.

Anything written by Val Geist is worth a read....

 

[SharkDog]

One book I like that I forgot to mention in my last post is "Radical Elk Hunting Strategies." That book has a little bit of outdated info, but there is some good information in it.

Amazon.com

Radical!! The blurb on amazon makes it sound like it is primarily for hunting during the rut, you think it would still be useful to a rifle hunter at the end of October?

 

[SharkDog]

Watch a few Randy vid's and you will get a lesson on elk hunting. In different country.

Elk Country by V. Geist is a favorite of mine on elk. Not a hunting book, an elk book.

Anything written by Val Geist is worth a read....

Thanks. Two votes for Valerius.

 

[MNElkNut]

I definately agree with what @brymoore posted. I mean you can probably get more grouse if you walk slowly, but that's about it.

A few other things I would add to this conversation is if you're coming from the eastern part of the country is to not expect to hunt the day after you arrive. You'll probably be altitude sick and the landscape will be shocking. You can see more than 100 yards which can be very overwhelming. Think sections not individual acres. You have to put miles on your boots. But exploring and not moving half the speed of smell is fun!

Another thing that may or may not have been mentioned is that if you start to smell something delightfully putrid and musky when hiking around then it may be time to slow down for a few minutes and put those still hunting skills to use. Elk reek. Somebody may have mentioned that but it probably is worth repeating. I'm not sure if any of this applies to you, but I'm sure somebody is lurking on this thread and it may help them.

That is a good way to put it, but for the newbies, don't get hung up on the word "putrid". Pure putrid could be a dead animal and if in griz country that could mean an encounter you don't want. It is not a bad smell. Kinda like a cow? horse? I can't explain it very good, but if it really STINKS it probably isnt an elk. It is pungent though. Others can probably describe it better than me.

 

[brymoore]

Radical!! The blurb on amazon makes it sound like it is primarily for hunting during the rut, you think it would still be useful to a rifle hunter at the end of October?

Yes. It’s one of elk the books in my pic. His mind set on how to hunt elk will help you.

 

[R.K.]

Another thing that may or may not have been mentioned is that if you start to smell something delightfully putrid and musky when hiking around then it may be time to slow down for a few minutes and put those still hunting skills to use. Elk reek. Somebody may have mentioned that but it probably is worth repeating. I'm not sure if any of this applies to you, but I'm sure somebody is lurking on this thread and it may help them.

Closest thing I can compare it to is slightly stale horse urine- and it’s strong. It’s distinctive in its own right, and I thought I was smelling horses the first few times I was around elk. For a neophyte, it took my guard down because I was trying to look for other hunters instead of elk. Mistake.

And I’ve walked up on fresh urine puddles that fooled me into thinking I was stalking the animals based on smell.

Simply put- elk stink. The smell is all over them, and you’ll get it on your hands- so don’t let that funk touch the meat.

 

[buckbull]

Why isn't the RMEF giving this as a membership perk? https://www.amazon.com/Hunting-Secrets-Rocky-Mountain-Foundation/dp/1560449381/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1R29LB9QCK5KB&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.kbK7F_jxtcQ0KyJOlKsHkw-Ma55hteAtPa_QgTItlkljRBg6yzFQhzk5eTXUtr20AgSpaMPtmG9NE2TflY-LE6Fqr46RhbnWYUnjHSV9CdUDtG5dbrMx5bgxfs10L8FLs0EIKJJcQO1PHhuCHtn-tyngqEnkyymGYPe8CGXfHK2wPgSWg3v6nA2sl75oPZSkmq_YALqu04HAOwD2lsovOWBanTHXjb72JQ2OeZ6R6oE2qj4JRaMWek6-H6rwXL9Xgxkga86_FAP3uUuT0NbBouYe9k8oEuFHnf4aapLfjOI.kG1Qhaxzo8gRm8SddhQbdfd9RnbamPL-r2JnQDkgfCw&dib_tag=se&keywords=elk+tactics&qid=1720848015&s=books&sprefix=elk+tactics,stripbooks,138&sr=1-2

I clicked on this thread to make this recommendation. Highly recommend.

 

[MattyJ]

Following this thread for sure.

 

[CTELK83]

Elk nut His app has a ton of info

 

[Laney]

That is a good way to put it, but for the newbies, don't get hung up on the word "putrid". Pure putrid could be a dead animal and if in griz country that could mean an encounter you don't want. It is not a bad smell. Kinda like a cow? horse? I can't explain it very good, but if it really STINKS it probably isnt an elk. It is pungent though. Others can probably describe it better than me.

It always smells like a cross between a horse stable and dirty balls to me

 

[Dave N]

It always smells like a cross between a horse stable and dirty balls to me

 

[Creedance91]

Second the endorsement of anything by V. Geist. Feels like there's 1000x more stuff available on video/audio in 2024 than anyone writing formal books or even digital written content. Lots of articles, but sounds like you want something a little more dense and lengthy.