How many miles?

[MITCHMO]

I think we need a new unit to “measure” an elk hunt.

Lb*ft per mile. Weight, elevation, and distance. We can call it a Dsnow.

As in….most humans can hunt .25 Dsnow’s per day.

 

[Dsnow9]

I was feeling feisty yesterday. I’ll admit it.

In all seriousness every hunt and unit and weather is different. The real answer like most of these questions is everyone does it different and there really is no golden rule to killing an elk. Get out there and get after it! Hunt the hunt you want to hunt. I like the 6-10 per day range. I may never be more than a couple miles from my truck though. My pack outs this year were 10 miles, 2.5, 1.5, 1, and 50 yards

 

[rjthehunter]

My goal for 2024 is a cow 1.6 million cm deep, no glassing, 34,000g pack weight before meat. Y'all can watch me shoot it through your glass!

How many mm is the objective on the glass we can watch through?

 

[kwyeewyk]

How many mm is the objective on the glass we can watch through?

This is what I use

 

[westbranch]

 

[Irrelevant]

Man, I'm a weenie. The times I hike the most are usefully the least successful, a long day is maybe 12-14 miles, but most are only 5 ish, of squirrely meanders, sometimes less. Only a couple of times have I ever killed or been a part of an elk kill over 3 miles from the truck. Heck a lot of places just a mile in on a trail or road and you're already into elk, at least if you pick a good spot, at that point there's not need to go marching all over the mountain.

now deer... deer in a whole 'nother beast, I walk a LOT for them because I never have to worry about packing one out!

 

[Aerosith]

You pack out elk 16+ miles each way back to the truck?

Yes, have you heard of the High Uintas? Some good elk areas can be 20 miles away from the trailhead, of course in that situation you would use horses to pack the meat out.

 

[tjones]

I'm betting 8+ miles a day elk hunting is much like the internet scoring of mule deer.

The score tape gets the first 5" broke off and the On-x tracker gets started at 4 miles when leaving the truck.

 

[TOGIE]

now deer... deer in a who 'nother beast, I walk a LOT for them because I never have to worry about packing one out!

see i'm the opposite. i'm willing to go to depths of hell to kill a deer, but generally being a shoot the first legal one i see type of hunter on the zero point/leftover rifle tags, i've rarely, maybe only once made it more than 2 miles.

 

[Irrelevant]

see i'm the opposite. i'm willing to go to depths of hell to kill a deer, but generally being a shoot the first legal one i see type of hunter on the zero point/leftover rifle tags, i've rarely, maybe only once made it more than 2 miles.

Sure, CO actually has deer, WA doesn't

 

[TOGIE]

Sure, CO actually has deer, WA doesn't

not for long! better hurry up and come get yerself one.

 

[barefoothick69]

5-10

 

[Talk2elk]

Daily average for me is 3 to 5 but I know my areas well and that helps. I never hunt any farther than I can pack an Elk out and that distance is getting shorter the older I get.

 

[Westelker]

Looks like most of my days last September were 6-8 miles, not much opportunity to sit and glass stuff like thisView attachment 312261

Good point! No one will be walking 4 mph either like some have claimed.

 

[BigHornRam]

Yes, have you heard of the High Uintas? Some good elk areas can be 20 miles away from the trailhead, of course in that situation you would use horses to pack the meat out.

Yep. This was a legit 20 mile day with 3,000 + up and down in Montana. It was worth the effort.

 

[Gr8bawana]

Yep. This was a legit 20 mile day with 3,000 + up and down in Montana. It was worth the effort.

View attachment 312303

20 miles for you or the horses?

 

[BigHornRam]

20 miles for you or the horses?

Both. We walked them out. The horses did real work that day for sure.

It was also a shuttle pack out. Went in one trailhead and came out another due to Park rules.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

I ever killed or been a part of an elk kill over 3 miles from the truck.

commie

 

[BigHornRam]

Good point! No one will be walking 4 mph either like some have claimed.

Well, you have never seen @AvidIndoorsman jacked up on Lacroix. Personally, I think he can do it!

 

[SAJ-99]

Average person hikes 3-4 miles an hour, so 10 miles a day is 2-3hours of walking a day. That leaves a lot of time for glassing.

BTW that 10,000 steps everyone is going for every day is 5 miles… if Janice in accounting is getting 5 miles every day walking around the cubes to find out the hot gos I can walk 9-10 for a boool

We all agree that Janice in accounting is a beast!

I average about 6-7 miles. A little more on the front end of a trip when I am looking and a little less on the back end when my plan is a little more firm. Max is probably 12-15 and I really have to be seeing and hearing nothing to move that far and fast.

I will add to your calc that I typically average less than 2mph. I guess If I'm walking a road or trail I can get to 4mph, but going up hill makes it hard, and the gear, and wanting to stop and listen and look. Going in the dark slows me down too. Nothing worse than a stick in the face.

You can certainly tell rifle hunters from bow hunters in this debate.