What did you learn elk hunting this year?

[MTbowhunter84]

I didn't get to learn much this year as I shot a cow in the first few minutes, but I guess I can say I learned that filling the freezer and spending time with family makes life that much more amazing. I have learned a lot in the past few years and it finally paid off so here's to learning more next fall.

 

[lbirch]

Very sweet, topped with a Vortex Viper 6.5x20-50 w/ turrets, I got a antelope in Wyoming at 480 yards... Thing is super accurate w/ 28" fluted barrel...
Matt

Nice! I have the same scope on mine with turrets from Kenton Industries. Great setup!

 

[JLS]

1st.) you quarter em up and go get friends with pack frames or horses. Most old timers dont waste meat, including him.

2nd.) ive eaten snow since before ive known, im still alive, were not talking winter survival here were talking day hunts in familiar areas.

3rd.) I dont smoke and dont plan on it, just stating what I saw.

Finally, my point in making that post was people hunted that way for a VERY VERY long time up until lately. People have forgotten how to be proficient woodsman with out all of the gear and gadgets they can stuff in a day pack. Getting back to the basics is what helped got me my first shot at a bull and ill continually hunt that way. I always carry a lighter and fire starter along with some snack sticks and I where wool. I dont need much more to survive, maybe you do.

Some friendly, and hopefully constructive thoughts for you:

1) After a couple of times of walking back to the truck in order to get a frame or pack, then back to your kill you will probably rethink this. Why make four trips into five every time? I don't waste meat either, and I eventually realized the inefficiency of wearing a fanny pack to hunt in only to have to hike back to the truck for frames.

2) Eating snow is a horribly inefficient way of hydrating. Water is a critical component of performance any time of the year. Hot, dehydration = heat stroke. Cold, dehydration = increased risk of hypothermia. Both = a very bad situation. I don't go out hunting without a container of water and some means of purifying more. There are oodles of studies that detail the effects of dehydration on physiological performance. I am not going to go into all of them, but suffice to say that your "day hunt" can quickly turn into your worst nightmare on any given day under unexpected circumstances.

3) Keep wearing the wool.

4) A handful of candy bars? See #3. You don't have to be uber scientific with your food, but do a little reading on the importance of protein and complex carbs for endurance athletes.

5) Your cowboy friend is an exception to the rule with the smokes. Not all of us are.

6) I am a firm proponent of woodsman skills over technology. Which is why I cannot fathom how your pack does not include a space blanket, 550 cord, a map, and a compass. What about a headlamp? There is a fine line between being a minimalist and being a fool.

7) Tracking in the snow is an excellent way to kill elk, and under the right conditions is one of the most enjoyable ways there is to hunt.

8) Keep an open mind and question what you are told.

 

[fishantler]

Here's my two cents for Jon Boy... Do what works for you. Who cares about what everybody else thinks. I don't think you need to carry a 40 pound backpack filled with $10,000 worth of gear for a day hunt. If you're killing elk doing it your way, good for you.

 

[b.brew]

Follow your primal instincts.

What does that mean?

 

[Paul in Idaho]

1. Don't give up even when it is really bad
2. Don't get so focused on the elk you can see that you forget about the elk that might be out of sight downwind of you
3. If conditions are very dry, walking in a thick pair of socks is much quieter than boots.

 

[kmf]

I enjoyed Jonboys story. Let it go fellas. Insert Sitka gear joke here___.

 

[sprig86]

I learned to never assume that a bugle is man made rather than a real bull. Got in the middle of 4 bugling bulls and my hunting partner convinced me that 2 of them were humans. Turned out all 4 were bulls.

Great thread, and taking notes, thanks.

 

[Magicman]

Don't shoot the obvious bull. I waited from 4:00 until 5:30 PM for "my" bull to stand and offer a shot, and then the one that I actually shot walked in with his nose high in the air.

 

[JLS]

I learned to never assume that a bugle is man made rather than a real bull. Got in the middle of 4 bugling bulls and my hunting partner convinced me that 2 of them were humans. Turned out all 4 were bulls.

Great thread, and taking notes, thanks.

Some of the "worst" bugles I've ever heard came from real elk.

 

[tsswitchback]

Dont get in a rut by sticking with the same spot.Be willing to move to a different area after hunting and not finding elk in your honey hole after 2 or 3 days,especially when there is snow on the ground and no tracks.
Did this same thing this season in an area we had killed elk on several hunts before.This year we were to hard headed to move around like we should have.

 

[ElkNut1]

There's no such thing as being in too good of shape. I want to be in even better shape this year.

ElkNut1

 

[twintierstracker]

Green Horn and Hem, If you want a GREAT read about the wolverine this winter, check out "The Wolverine Way" by Douglas H. Chadwick. Very entertaining account of a study conducted at Glacier National Park. A lot of fun to read, very informative. Makes your jaw drop about every fifth paragraph.

 

[gcan]

Dont take the day off to go fishing in September when you could/should be chasing bulls... You can go fishing anytime. Damn those trail cams!

 

[Hof]

No matter how bleak it looks always stick it out until dark. And bring extra water or a purifier. Packing out an elk five miles in the dark with 1/2 bottle of water left between two of you is crappy.

 

[AZ Ron]

As on every hunt, I learned and re-learned several things this year...

1. When this bull (see below) walks within spitting distance, don't expect him to let you draw your bow...

2. Don't pass up a shot at a 5 pt 300 yards from a road, only to take a shot at a 5 pt 3 miles from the road... I passed up a small 5 pt one evening and I wasn't probably 300 yards from the road. This bull was downwind of me bloodhounding the cow in heat scent that I had sprayed on my sneaky feet. The next day I wanted to show a buddy a wallow I'd found that might be good for his hunt the next month, so we hiked up the biggest mountain in the area and were 3 miles up the trail when we were walking up to the wallow and heard a bugle. A 5 point was coming down off the wallow and due to a range error I ended up shooting right over him. It all happened so fast I almost didn't realize what the heck I did until it was over. While bummed I missed, I was kind of glad too because it would have been a tough packout for that caliber of bull and I'd passed up many much bigger than him.

3. Elk will still hit a wallow with the carcass of a dead bull laying nearby. After I missed the bull in #2, we continued up to the wallow and discovered someone had shot a bull there in the last couple of days. Had I not seen that 5 point leaving the wallow all covered in mud and had just walked up on the dead bull, I probably would have thought the wallow was tainted. It didn't appear to be though...

4. Trust your scouting. Later in the season, after it SEEMED like all the big bulls I was hunting had either been run out of the country or killed, I went to a place that I had seen some elk pre-season and I really doubted anyone would look there, or hunt them where they were. I found the elk still up on the mountain, but proceeded to run them off the mountain and about 2 miles away. However, when I went to hunt them again that afternoon in the draw they bedded down in, I re-learned lesson #5.

5. Don't judge a bull by his bugle. When I was moving in towards the bugles of a bull I'd bumped earlier in the day, I passed by a small cut and heard a puny, whiny bugle. It made me stop and put my binos up to see if I could see anything. Sure enough, I was able to see the 5x6 I ended up shooting that evening. He wasn't as small as he sounded. While no giant, he met my criteria. Had I not seen him, I probably would have passed him up to continue after the 6x6 in the next draw who had about 6-7 cows (and wasn't much bigger than this bull). Here is the bull I shot that evening...

Ron

 

[acc163]

ararnge shots with your hunting buddy before you go out

Talked a friend into hunting (first time ever) this year with a late seson cow tag, forgot to tell him if we got a chance he needs to take the first shot if it presents itself. Well we found 200 head and they were on the move. drove to the edge of public land, booked it down the fence line trying to catch up to the few slacker cows. popped up over the hill and there was one cow left on our side of the fence. the cow was so nervous and just couldnt get the gumption to jump the fence. i barreled down and had her in the sights at 75 yards and waited to take the kill shot if I had to, that is if my friend only wounded it or missed. well no shot rang out. I turned and looked at him and realized he didnt have his rifle on target. I looked back and right as I got it on target, the cow jumped the fence onto private. SHOT WAS GONE. Found out, he thought that since I got to top of the hill first, I get the first shot. Well had the opportunity but missed out. Oh well gives me more reason to head back up. My wife didnt like that analagy very much though

 

[fishantler]

Here's something i wish every hunter would learn... If you find a good hunting spot don't tell anybody about it. Because if you tell someone then they'll tell somebody else and it will eventually just snowball. Then the next thing you know they'll be 18 horse trailers at the trail head...

 

[Much2hunt]

The days of setting up a hunting camp in my favorite area and hunting the elk herd that lives in that specific area are gone.With all the wolves in Idaho and a ton of them in my area, I find I have to be mobile and be prepared to move miles and miles during the hunt. I changed my hunting camp up a bit and now hunt with a mobile spike camp setup. Moving with the elk has proved to be very successful. I have seen a herd of 40 or 50 elk in a drainage and when the wolves show up they move a half dozen miles in one day. The Elk have learned to shut up and keep moving.I have had to learn to do the same.