Heff
New member
Hey there everyone! First and foremost, I wanted to give a huge thanks to everyone who has offered some advice for this newbie! The three top contributors of information specific to my hunt were: Big Fin, Baerman, and Idahoarcheryhunter. Thank you all very much. This is my initial post for my hunt which officially opens in 28 days.
About me: I am a brand new big game hunter. I am very green when it comes to hunting, especially elk hunting. To make things more interesting, I shot my first bow about 4-5 months ago. This is where my archery bull elk hunt begins. I put in for one of 10 elk tags in the area, and with 1% draw odds, I got lucky. I am finishing up my final semester of nursing school and have to make hunting fit in around all of my prior obligations.
Equipment: Due to being a college student (which means I'm poor), I don't have the fanciest anything for equipment. I picked up what I could.
Bow: Bear Cruzer
Release: TruFire
Arrow: .340 Beman ICS Hunter w/ yellow wrap and pink/black fletchings
Broadheads: Muzzy MX-3 100gr.
Pack: Horn Hunter Full Curl
Bino Harness: Horn Hunter
Binos: Nikon Prostaff 3
Rangefinder: Nikon Aculon
Elk Calls: ummm... yellow and brown ones
Camo: RealTree from Walmart
Scouting: I spent a good amount of time eScouting and (with the help of the aforementioned people) marked down some good starting locations. After I got my bearings with onX maps I decided to hit the road. I have been getting to spend 2-3 days a week in the area familiarizing myself with the area, roads, water, and etc. I have narrowed down a pretty big, and I hope awesome area. I decided to go and climb a hill and glass first light yesterday. Saw 10 bulls roaming around and eventually bedding in the trees surrounding the many meadows. I plan to work those meadows over during the opener weekend. Half of the elk were smaller (spike to 3x3) and the other half had at least 5 on each side. There was one big boy who had these rad drop tines on the last horn. Id love to have a meet and greet when I get out there.
Hunt: The season officially begins on Aug. 30th and its the middle of the week. I have class that day and hope to be able to run out there for an evening hunt on the opener. Regardless of what happens then, I will be out there starting Friday morning and be there til Monday evening. I think it will give me a good start to the season. I am dedicated to learn all I can about elk hunting and the elk itself. I plan to give weekly updates of my week, including pictures, by Wednesday.
Tune in here for updates. Say hello if you wish. Im still open to ideas and any knowledge of elk or elk hunting that I may have overlooked. I am becoming a student of elk and hope to find success on top of a great time in the mountains. If you are wondering, I still haven't found cows. My original plan only allowed me to hunt the final 4 days of the season (which would be during rut) so I have been looking for cows like crazy. I have since expanded my hunting trip to earlier so I am happy I have seen many bulls.
Thanks for stopping by! Hope you enjoy my story, pictures, and hunting adventure! -Heff
About me: I am a brand new big game hunter. I am very green when it comes to hunting, especially elk hunting. To make things more interesting, I shot my first bow about 4-5 months ago. This is where my archery bull elk hunt begins. I put in for one of 10 elk tags in the area, and with 1% draw odds, I got lucky. I am finishing up my final semester of nursing school and have to make hunting fit in around all of my prior obligations.
Equipment: Due to being a college student (which means I'm poor), I don't have the fanciest anything for equipment. I picked up what I could.
Bow: Bear Cruzer
Release: TruFire
Arrow: .340 Beman ICS Hunter w/ yellow wrap and pink/black fletchings
Broadheads: Muzzy MX-3 100gr.
Pack: Horn Hunter Full Curl
Bino Harness: Horn Hunter
Binos: Nikon Prostaff 3
Rangefinder: Nikon Aculon
Elk Calls: ummm... yellow and brown ones
Camo: RealTree from Walmart
Scouting: I spent a good amount of time eScouting and (with the help of the aforementioned people) marked down some good starting locations. After I got my bearings with onX maps I decided to hit the road. I have been getting to spend 2-3 days a week in the area familiarizing myself with the area, roads, water, and etc. I have narrowed down a pretty big, and I hope awesome area. I decided to go and climb a hill and glass first light yesterday. Saw 10 bulls roaming around and eventually bedding in the trees surrounding the many meadows. I plan to work those meadows over during the opener weekend. Half of the elk were smaller (spike to 3x3) and the other half had at least 5 on each side. There was one big boy who had these rad drop tines on the last horn. Id love to have a meet and greet when I get out there.
Hunt: The season officially begins on Aug. 30th and its the middle of the week. I have class that day and hope to be able to run out there for an evening hunt on the opener. Regardless of what happens then, I will be out there starting Friday morning and be there til Monday evening. I think it will give me a good start to the season. I am dedicated to learn all I can about elk hunting and the elk itself. I plan to give weekly updates of my week, including pictures, by Wednesday.
Tune in here for updates. Say hello if you wish. Im still open to ideas and any knowledge of elk or elk hunting that I may have overlooked. I am becoming a student of elk and hope to find success on top of a great time in the mountains. If you are wondering, I still haven't found cows. My original plan only allowed me to hunt the final 4 days of the season (which would be during rut) so I have been looking for cows like crazy. I have since expanded my hunting trip to earlier so I am happy I have seen many bulls.
Thanks for stopping by! Hope you enjoy my story, pictures, and hunting adventure! -Heff
