Gear advice from experienced elk hunters

[Wheaty17]

Really like my Tight Spot I purchased last year. I migrated to that quiver because I went to Easton FMJ's that have a small dia. I practice with it on and I load it with the amount of arrows I take to the woods.

As for bear spray, I haven't carried it in NW CO. There have been a few instances where I had a bull down overnight and was leery to walk up on a bear at the kill site. But, there wasn't a bear on the carcass either time. If it makes you feel more secure, purchase spray and keep it in the truck/at camp and if you have to return to a kill site that's gone overnight, bring it in with you. Personally, I don't worry about black bears much.

 

[Brad NSW]

I practice with quiver on. Shoot 3Ds with quiver on. Hunt with quiver on. May take it off sitting a water hole.

Solo hunt ID, always carry bear spray in right leg pocket with trigger hanging outside for easy extraction. Did a pistol and bear spray once but pistol was just a pain and heavy compared to the spray alone.

 

[esracerx]

"I disagree with this one. I think the caller should behind the shooter. This makes the elk look past the shooter, looking for the cow. From behind, the caller can also relocate to draw the elk past the shooter. IMO

Hit the nail on the head with it's not like Whitetail. Get ready to walk! Do your research; where people are....elk aren't."



I disagree with it too. It was essentially a solo hunt because my partner wasn't comfortable taking lead. Occasionally they'll circle around and come from behind. But when the other guy isn't comfortable calling or taking that lead point what do you do? I hate hunting like that.

 

[SoTex]

I've never worried about bears while hunting in Colorado but when I hunted Northwest Wyoming I had bear spray and a pistol. A guy was killed by a grizzly less than 50 miles from my spike camp 2 weeks before my 2015 hunt.

My advise would be to put in the miles and hunt as far from the trailhead as you can get and plan on spending first and last light deep in the mountains. Carry as little weight as possible because on my 2nd DIY hunt I backpacked into the La Garrita Wilderness with an 80 lb pack and it was brutal. Took the fun out of the hunt. Also, for me, when I changed my mindset of enjoying the experience rather than judging the hunt based upon a bull on the ground it took a lot of pressure off. Every hunt I've spent in mountains has been magical and bull is just icing on the cake.

 

[805Bowhunter]

Like a few have said, I shoot with my quiver on 99.99% of the time. I live out west and just what I am used to. As mentioned, having it attached at all times provides tremendous value...much more than the imbalance. Many offset the weight of the quiver/arrows with a small rear stabilizers. I shoot a tight spot (5 arrow) which I cover potential contact points with moleskin to keep it silent if I am crawling. When you are hunting in the west, just too much can happen if youre putting your quiver on and off. Its just another thing to fumble with when s*** gets real. Keep it simple. Just shoot with it on for a few months and you wont even remember its there. I was on a friends elk hunt in NM and he put a beautiful stalk on a large 6x6. Got to 24 yards, took his quiver off and put it on the rockpile he was crouching next to...the elk turned broadside...he went to draw back, his elbow hit his quiver off the rockpile...it made a bunch of noise and the bull dipped out in the confusion.

I have a friend who absolutely mashes elk and he uses a quivalizer from Option Archery. Ive never used it in a hunting situation but have shot his bow in camp. It keeps the bow extremely balanced and is lightweight. Might be something to look into if your local shop has one in stock and will let you shoot it in the range.

Depending on where you go, bear spray is a necessity. Ive had one grizzly run in in WYO and while I never had to use it, it felt much more comforting than a handgun to have. Its not that heavy and stays out of the way. You'll be glad its there if you have a run in.