Newbie Elk

[colinstewart]

An outfitter could craft a trip towards you and your abilities. Might make it more fun for your first time out. I say go for it!

 

[Flatbrimmer]

First off I'm not a new hunter, I've just never hunted elk. We have tule elk, deer and piggies running all over our place but not allowed to hunt the elk per CA. laws.
I was invited last year for an Idaho hunt for 7-10 days. It dwindled to 2-3 days but was told that they were going 2-3 days early because they could usually get animals before the season opens. I bailed out on that one. I had another possible invite for Oregon this year with a private group on leased land but it filled up with the regular group.
Question is,,, should I look for an outfitter willing to take on a 70 year old newbie Elk hunter, try and mooch my way in with another group or just forget trying to hunt elk?

I’d go out with ya in SW Montana if you drew the BGC and give it our best!!

 

[Jigginjakescharters]

Good deal, What state will you be hunting in? I assume it will be a archery hunt?

Heading to Idaho actually a rifle hunt but in some rough terrain with limited animals from what I’ve ready middle fork frank church wilderness

 

[Roughwater]

Right now I have no plans nor direction. I'm open to almost anything within reason!

i can help with direction for sure, maybe more depending one what I end up doing this season but your will need to ultimately decide what works best for you.
For this season if you plan to go without a guide your options are more limited due to several states having completed their draw already. I have sought to go to Washington or Oregon to hunt Elk so I know nothing about options for those states. Right now I know Utah still offers Elk hunting hunting options. I don't know of you do any Archery hunting but Utah has a Archery, a Rifle and they offer a spike bull hunt. Elevations are better doable there for us older folks. That's one reason I hunt Montana instead of Colorado. I can't do really high elevations any more but maybe you can? Still any Elk hunt is very physically challenging. "You need to get into the very best shape you can prior to the hunt. You need to learn all you can about bugling and calling in Elk. Watch every youtube video you can on the "ELK Nut". It might sound a little crazy but Elk have a language of sorts. You learn the language and then you know how to respond back.

Getting back to Utah. I suspect you would prefer the Rifle season. They call it the Any Bull, any weapon season. I think it starts 1 Oct first this year which is the first Saturday of the month of Oct. If I can't go I can guide you to a place, a specific place to start looking for Elk where I previously hunted and found Elk.
If I do go you would be welcome to come along and Hunt with me. Though we on days we probably wouldn't always hunt together we can still look out for each other at times if we aren't hunting side by side. More later.

 

[Roughwater]

Heading to Idaho actually a rifle hunt but in some rough terrain with limited animals from what I’ve ready middle fork frank church wilderness

The Frank Church is a pretty famous area to hunt. I hunted Idaho once. It was North of there. I heard a couple bugles, saw a few tracks, but never did see one Elk. Lots of fires that year though near by in Montana. Smoke was always in the air. It was the only place I ever hunted that I never saw an Elk.
I was in the lower panhandle though that year, unit 10, they called the Lolo.

 

[diggler55]

im not your age, but go out and enjoy it while you can. theres more elk seasons in your rear view than the windshield

 

[Redmt]

Wow. Lots of info to process
I sat down last night after dinner to relax, watch a little tube and catch up here. It was not to be. A herd of piggies decided to cross out on a ridge a couple hundred yards out. The rest is history.

 

[diggler55]

Nice, im glad we dont have them to deal with.

 

[Redmt]

They are tasty! I have summer sausage, breakfast links and Italian sausage made. We also mix it with venison for pepper sticks. Good stuff,, free meat, and good target practice. A running piggy at 200 yds. will keep your skills up.

 

[Roughwater]

I saw your pics, very impressive. I had mentioned that I thought the Utah Any Bull hunt would start 1 Oct but instead it will start 8 Oct, the second Saturday in Oct. The picture below is the only pig I have shot. My friend who's lease I hunted on in SC is a Archer so a lot of his stands are placed close to feeders so was a very easy shot.

 

[Roughwater]

Nice, im glad we dont have them to deal with.

I wish we had some to deal with nearby. I could use the extra practice, sausage and bacon. I have to go out of state to find them.

 

[Redmt]

Bacon is pretty hard to find on a wild hog. A 200 pouo hog will get you 60-80# of whatever you want to make out of it! The cuts and roasts are tender enough if slow cooked. Very flavorful meat.

 

[Roughwater]

I took my pig to K&S Meats in VA. I think I had most of it processed into breakfast Sausage. I've ate a few lbs but still have plenty to last us for a while. It doesn't produce much grease when cooked. I hadn't thought about the fact that these hogs probably don't have as much fat so maybe not a lot of bacon. As a matter of fact I don't recall even seeing it on K&S list of products they process. They are a Amish business.

 

[Roughwater]

My pig was a sow. The folks having the lease said Sow's tasted better than a Boar.

 

[Flatbrimmer]

I was told any of them but the babies taste just like they smell…? Not true? I’ll find out one day, I’m sure.

 

[Roughwater]

I was told any of them but the babies taste just like they smell…? Not true? I’ll find out one day, I’m sure.

I don't recall the one pig I shot smelling bad. Now I have driven by some big animal farms in the south and that fresh country air not smelling especially tasty.

The pig (sow) I shot tasted like good sausage and very little grease cooked out of it. But that's my very limited experience with wild pig. But again, the lease owner hinted that sow's taste better. But I do know that domestic pigs are often fitted with a ring around their testicles at a young age probably for several reasons, maybe one of the reasons is Taste?

 

[Redmt]

I don't recall the one pig I shot smelling bad. Now I have driven by some big animal farms in the south and that fresh country air not smelling especially tasty.

The pig (sow) I shot tasted like good sausage and very little grease cooked out of it. But that's my very limited experience with wild pig. But again, the lease owner hinted that sow's taste better. But I do know that domestic pigs are often fitted with a ring around their testicles at a young age probably for several reasons, maybe one of the reasons is Taste?

There's a big difference between a 400# old wild boar and a 150# sow! The old guy has survived on whatever it took to find food and fight off predators and other big boars. I have 2 that I see occasionally. I call them Big Pig and Battle Pig. Big Pig is fairly roundish and stands about pocket high to the shoulder. Battle Pig is scared up, shredded ears etc. Neither one would be any good except for trophy mount and sausage.
The ring your referring to is called banding. It's a super heavy duty "rubber" band. It's stretched around the board nuts and crushes the plumbing. They swell up causing them to turn black, die and fall off. It's pretty inhumane in my opinion opposed to a quick slice and dice with a sharp knife. It does make them fatter faster therefore better flavor.

 

[Flatbrimmer]

Yeah I’ve seen the rings to castrate cattle, I didn’t know if it was the same ring..

 

[Flatbrimmer]

Thank you for the responses can’t wait to get out and try it for myself!

 

[Redmt]

Thank you for the responses can’t wait to get out and try it for myself!

It's probably going to be the worst pain you've felt in a while!;