First time elk hunting, Archery or rifle?

[2rocky]

As an addition to my suggestion that you use your EXISTING bow setup rather than buy a whole new rifle setup and learn it...

You can just add more distance to your practicing as well as shooting on uneven terrain uphill downhill and judging distance on the 3D course. Make it so making the shot is not even close to a question but a forgone conclusion once you have a bull in range at full draw with vitals visible. You will have your hands full with calling setting up, moving your setup, moving again, losing the bull and having him surprise you in a totally different position than you thought he was in.

Not to mention most of your effort will be simply FINDING ELK.

 

[Mrjaycam]

I've had the same debate with myself but I'm going to go rifle simply because my shooting is much better. Just hoping the weather cooperates.

 

[WestrnHunter270]

I find it much easier to find elk in archery season whether they're vocal or not.

 

[Ladykiller]

Also, try to plan to arrive 3-5 days early to get your body used to the elevation

^^^ THIS^^^ … getting in shape will not prevent you from getting altitude sickness. Acclimating to the elevation over a weeks period will though however. At high elevation, your body needs that week to increase red blood cell count to a higher amount to deal with the lower oxygen levels. This is why climber spend a week at a base camp to acclimate prior to climbing the peak at Everest and other high mountains.

Or you can just do blood doping like some athletes do

 

[dgc1963]

Getting in shape for any western hunt is the key it will be so much tougher than you think Im 59 and training now for sept.
weights and steps with loaded pack and treadmill
You dont need to be able to run the fastest to the top of a ridge just need to get their

 

[SC Living Outdoors]

I would say rifle, but I'm not an archery guy. A rifle just increases my odds of success. Public land hunting for mature animals is tough enough. I don't need to make it harder, lol. I'm also on the same boat as some of the others have said and I would look at limited first season tags whether that's in the draw or leftover. I'm not a CO otc fan. I know many people are and I know guys who have success doing it, but its not my thing. I like knowing how many tags/hunters are in an area (how much competition I have). I'd rather see fewer animals and fewer hunters then a lot of animals and a lot of hunters. Most of the tags I draw are in "bad areas" and I still do alright. I've seen multiple good bulls while deer hunting in units that can be drawn every year.

Get in shape. Climb a lot of stairs. Have good boots and a good pack. Practice as much as you can with whatever weapon you decide to use. Have a good e-scouting plan in place. If you can find a way to get out to your area early to learn and scout that would be ideal whether its a couple months early or 3-5 days before your hunt opens. Scouting before the season is super beneficial. Even if you don't find any animals you'll learn the area, roads and trails. Just finding good glassing knobs is worth a scouting trip so you aren't wasting time when the season opens. When I'm scouting my goal is to find a big bull or buck, but if I don't I don't get discouraged. That's why I go early to scout. Xing off areas that don't hold animals is really important in a successful hunt.

If you find a unit that has what your after and its easy to draw or easy to pick up left over tags then you can hunt it year after year, just keep your mouth shut about which unit it is, lol.

Have fun.

 

[squirrel]

Look at your reasons for going hunting, do you want the meat in the freezer and the bragging rights to that whopper 4pt, or do you want to learn about elk and hunt elk? Bow is harder, the Indians lost for a reason. But spending a month on a mountain learning all about those big guys is fun, and when you make one hit the ground the earth will tremble, even if it is a cow, as mine was. No feeling like it on earth. With a bow you can hear them breathe, with a rifle you watch them bugle and wait for the sound to reach you, not exactly the same thing.

Young fella showed top in the dark to rent llamas and had never hunted elk before, knew not where he was going to park or anything (like how to hook onto the trailer). What could go wrong? 3-4 days later he was back with a load of meat to toss into my freezer from a 6x7 bull explains how this elk stuff is not all that difficult after all, until the bull is down, then its hard work. I told him he should write a book, after his second bull... Its been almost 8 years now and he's still not eligible to write that book! But he was hooked after that first hunt. Ive explained it is because he quit using llamas.