First Elk hunt, Guided vs. DIY ?

Joined
Feb 11, 2016
Messages
368
The above is right. Pick what you want and go with it. Don't let all the complaining about over crowding and such you read deter you. I hunt central PA public ground so I know about overcrowding. Went to Colorado DIY 2016 in the Flat Tops (highest # tags available) l. We definitely saw guys and we went in 5 miles. We also saw elk everyday but couldn't close the deal on the 2 legal bulls we saw.

Crowding out west is not the same as what you are used to but if you think you will be alone anywhere on public land you are probably mistake. You can find places to hunt even with other guys around and you might get lucky and be by yourself woth or without a guide.

Whatever you choose get in shape learn as much as you can shoot as much as you can and just go have fun. Don't overthink it
 
Joined
Oct 10, 2017
Messages
79
Location
Texas
My first Elk hunt was guided. I learned a lot from that trip. Got my first Elk too. I think it's a good idea. Good luck and have fun.
 

bz_711

WKR
Joined
May 7, 2012
Messages
661
No wrong decision except to sit home and not go...so good on you for making it happen.

Have fun - share your story and pics regardless if tag is filled or not. Good Luck!
 
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PAhunter58

PAhunter58

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Mar 27, 2018
Messages
166
Location
PA
Thanks BZ711, Thanks for your input and everyone else's opinion for that matter. While I've made the decision to go Guided vs. DIY for my first Elk hunt, I respect anyone to jumped right in the game and started doing DIY hunts from the beginning. Being a western PA guy and not knowing how many opportunities I may have to head west in the future, I choose Guided. With limited time and a long way to travel, my decision just basically came down to, I want to learn how to hunt Elk first and then learn how to do-it-myself second. Right or wrong. I'll study the area, be in shape, sleep with my .06 if I have to. I respect the hell out of anyone that does it all themselves. Down the road, that's my ultimate goal too.
 
Joined
Feb 17, 2017
Messages
649
Have fun on your hunt! Use your guided hunt to gain as much experience as possible.

I guided for a while and would just do things without explaining every little detail...unless a guy asked questions.
I just got caught up in the "if he isn't asking he doesn't want to be bothered with explanations"...
I would suggest talking through the process with your guide...ask questions like a 3 year old.
Make sure he is good with it though...some guys get annoyed by this approach.
But most guides think of themselves as teachers and really love to share knowledge!

In the future try DIY hunting though...way more fun failing/struggling on your own and your successful hunts will be way sweeter!
DO NOT go back and hunt that area on your own! This is an unwritten rule but should be common sense.
 

Alaskan

FNG
Joined
Jun 1, 2015
Messages
17
With regard to the subject of getting an outfitter, in my experience with guides, you have to make sure you have a written contract at the very very least. Also, make sure the pictures they have on their website are actually kill photos from that particular outfit. Doing a simple reverse picture look-up on google, will show you if that particular photo has been posted on other websites. Sometimes the 5 star reviews can be totally fake as well.

There are a few of them out there that are really bad and give the outfitting world a very bad name. Do not pay in cash, pay with check or credit card so you have a paper trail. Do your homework and also check the Better Business Bureau website for complaints. I have used guides in certain states that I was not familiar with or the draw odds were better like New Mexico. I would say 50 percent of the guides I used were amazing! However, the other 50% I encountered issues. I have been left on the mountain by a guide, had a guide steal optics, watched a customer get in a fist fight with a guide, had a guide that didn’t have a license to hunt in that particular state!

In the end, do your homework and find out as much as possible about the guide you may be interested in.

PM me for more info. I can give you tons of information regarding this subject.
 

Btaylor

WKR
Joined
Jun 3, 2017
Messages
2,441
Location
Arkansas
I kinda split the difference and went with a friend. Where we hunted was was a mix of private and public. I learned a fair bit on that hunt most notably the gap between where I thought my fitness was and where it really needed to be to hunt the way I like to hunt. Last year I went back and hunted some in the same wilderness but well removed from the area those guys I first went with hunt. And I also explored some other areas. I learned more about actually hunting elk on this trip even though I didn't fill a tag. Also further identified how I needed to prepare to hunt this area both physically and gear wise. That second trip was day hunting into those areas which was grossly inefficient. This year I am geared up to pack in and stay with 'em.

Be observant, ask questions and enjoy the mountains and the process of learning to hunt a new critter. Above all else embrace the suck cause it comes in a variety of flavors.
 

IdahoElk

WKR
Joined
Oct 30, 2014
Messages
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Hailey,ID
What type of personality do you have? doing things the hard way,all about the journey? or are you more about results?
If you have the money and want to shortcut the learning process I would hire a guide and have a blast.I spent about 3yrs learning about Elk,their habitat and how to call them in before I connected and that's living in the middle of prime Elk country,wouldn't have wanted it any other way.
It's all about what you want, having a guide/mentor show you the ropes from the start is invaluable and money well spent.
Good luck
 

Ghost

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Dec 28, 2014
Messages
206
Location
Pine Grove, PA
This year will be my 8th DIY elk hunt. Started in 2002, been successful once, should have tagged out a few other times. One of the biggest hurdles I had and I think most back east hunters have is just the shear size of it all. The mountains are huge to this day if Im hunting a new area, it never ceases to amaze me how google earth doesnt do it justice, the distances between game can be great. Im gathering by your posts that your over 50. If I were in your shoes, Id at a minimum do a drop camp, hunting years are at a premium, spend them wisely.

Now if you do in the future decide to go DIY, I think youll find that reliable hunting partners to be super rare. Most guys will talk the talk but when it comes down putting up the money to apply, they vanish.
 

Grunt-N-Gobble

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Sep 19, 2013
Messages
105
Id go guided at least once if i had the money, but i dont so its diy for me. Having a young family does that to a guy.
This sept. Will be my 3rd elk hunt all diy. Ive come close to twice, with a cow the first time and a bull the second, so hopefully third times a charm! Ive been hunting the same area so this has helped greatly so i fully expect to get into the elk much faster this year than before.

Go guided and have a great time. Hopefully the outfitter you choose is good and you get a few opportunities.
 
Joined
May 10, 2017
Messages
2,160
+1 what Molon said. Make sure you find a guide who's cool with teaching you about elk hunting as you go and not just doing their thing and putting you in position to shoot one. Tell them that from the start. Ask lots of questions. That will be really valuable to you to overcome the steep learning curve.
 

weatherbow21

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Sep 10, 2014
Messages
225
I've done a few guided hunts for several different species, I think a lot of them its a bit of a waste of money for me to pay a guide and I really get more personal enjoyment out of doing it myself. That said, elk do not come easy. If you're successful, they usually don't come out easy either. I would point you in the direction of guided with a majority of that based off the logistics, and most elk outfitters use horses from my experience.
 
Joined
Feb 18, 2017
Messages
494
Location
New Mexico
I think it comes down to what you value. Is it more important that you are successful quick even if the success isn’t truly yours? Or is it more important that you figure it out and get it done on your own?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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PAhunter58

PAhunter58

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Mar 27, 2018
Messages
166
Location
PA
Again guys, I do appreciate all the advice and opinions. Long term it will be DIY if I get to do this again. I am going guided for my first elk hunt. I'll be in shape, I'll study the area, I'll have a contract, I've already checked many references. I'll ask questions. And most of all, I'll be a sponge. Like I said in a earlier reply, I want to learn how to hunt elk before I learn how to hunt DIY. Right or wrong I feel this is the way to go , for me, since I don't know how many times I'll get to do this. This is a big step for me as I'm heading out west from PA on my own. One of you guys said, just making the decision to do either was the right decision than not going at all. So I'm all in and where it's leads is just the beginning of the journey. Thanks again to everybody.
 

LaHunter

WKR
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Mar 9, 2013
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N.E. LA
MallardSX2, Believe me, I completely understand why you would say that. I consider myself a way above average whitetail guy. Bow, Muzzy, Rifle, I hunted them all over my home state of PA and as far west as the Dakota's. But keep in mind for the sake of my original thread, this is my first elk hunt which means I've never hunted above 2500ft. I would be a novice regarding thermals, sanctuaries, travel routes and on an on. If I'm gonna travel 3000 miles round trip, by myself, I would feel better leaning on a good guide to help me learn those elk fundamentals that you experts all ready know. I don't want to stumble around for 5 days in futile just to tell everybody I went elk hunting. Most things you only have to show me once. Not that I expect to kill an elk on my first trip, but in terms trying to DIY it my first try, well I'm not that good. No offence to your thinking but I'd like to walk before I run.

Nothing wrong with going guided if that is the direction you want to go. The quality of your hunt will depend on the quality of the outfitter/guide along with your expectations of the hunt and your 'participation / effort level' in the hunt and willingness to learn and work. Reading your posts I think you will be just fine and have a good experience.
 

davsco

WKR
Joined
Jan 30, 2018
Messages
738
Location
VA
good luck! not a bad call. some of these GMU's are over a thousand square miles. i will be diy'ing my first elk hunt this fall (entered draw for first rifle), but it's going to be pretty daunting just trying to figure out where to park.
 

bozeman

WKR
Joined
Dec 5, 2016
Messages
2,639
Location
Alabama
PA, I went guided on my first hunt. Coming from AL, just taking the step to head out west was a big one. When I arrived, the vastness truly was striking and I'm glad I had an outfitter. I hike, camp and hunt (watefowl, deer, turkey), but I was not ready to be on my own. I trained as if I was going alone and at a camp of 6 I was by far in the best shape and had packed properly (others were cold). Had a blast, learned a LOT, and shot my first elk...?...rode a horse over 5 miles on the way in and helped clean and qtr the elk. WAY different than a whitetail! Anywho, best of luck PA!
 

2peterhunter

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Apr 18, 2015
Messages
174
I would suggest either a guide or a private land trespass style hunt. The toughest part about elk hunting is finding elk. If you can afford to break the learning curve and access property that it is easier to find and stay in elk you will have a blast. Once you learn how to glass and where to start looking to find elk you can try diy!
 

Whip

WKR
Joined
Nov 28, 2015
Messages
566
I've done a few guided hunts but have pretty much sworn off on them. But if that's the way you are going one thing I would insist on is that you are able to talk directly to the actual guide you will be hunting with.

Most times you are talking to the outfitter, and he may be all well and good, but from my experience he isn't going to be the person hunting with you. The relationship with the guide is so important to whether or not you have a good time on the hunt and often will make or break your success.

Most outfitters don't seem to want to commit on who exactly you will be with. They wait until they have a camp full of hunters and the pair you up with a guide. You might get lucky acme pull a good one, or it might be a bust. What good does it do to make sure your expectations mesh with the outfitter if he isn't the one you will be with?

As an example, I've been assigned guides that have never bowhunted themselves. I had one who was so out of shape he couldn't keep up with me, and I'm no physical specimen. I will NEVER make that mistake again, and actually will probably not do another guided hunt.
 
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