best advice to give a newbie

[antlers21]

This year will be my first elk hunt and will be with a guy who has hunted a lot of elk when he lived and grew up in mt. Whats the best advice you got for me going on my first archery elk hunt. I am not worried about making the shot I almost sleep with my bow year round. Just looking for good advice/tips.

 

[Beastmode]

Get in the best shape you can possibly be in. Stay positive. Get a set of the best boots that fit you good and break them in. Get a set of nice binos. Not sure if you are packing in but all that would be a good start.

 

[CW_12]

Have fun no matter what. Often times unless you have a blue chip tag a bow elk hunt can be very tough physically and mentally. Stay focused and have a good time. The fellowship with another great hunter often times is half the battle. In the past I would put too much pressure on myself to kill. This took away from my overall experience. Now my goal is just to be elk hunting every year somewhere somehow. Any thing after that is a bonus.

A serious elk hunter these days will also start performing contless hours of research and networking to put together a plan to elk hunt each year. It is getting harder and harder to do so. Those that work the hardest will reap the most rewards. Think outside the box and be willing to travel.

Elk hunting is the ultimate so enjoy every second of it.

 

[Umpqua Hunter]

Don't be overly cautious to not make noise when moving on on elk. Elk are noisy critters, and the only things that sneak in on them are trying to kill them. In general, you can usually cover more ground and be more effective just sounding "elky".

 

[KMT]

You already have my number one recommendation covered: hunting with someone who has done it before. It's even better if you are hunting with someone who has historically been successful. After that, as beastmode said, get in the best shape you can. Don't give up and have an " I can do this attitude." It's tough to get an elk. An then the work begins.

 

[CrzyTrekker]

what Beastmode said about fitness and boots.

 

[SHTF]

Other then whats already been covered..... Seperate your meals per day. Helps you keep yourself energized and know your taking enough food. Know the area your hunting in really well. You dont have the liberty of coming and scouting so Study your maps. About the best I could add on top of what has already been said.

 

[Bonedalien]

read some books between now and the hunt to build a decent foundation of elk knowledge. there have been a couple threads on here very recently with lots of good suggestions

 

[bz_711]

Get in the best shape you can possibly be in. Stay positive. Get a set of the best boots that fit you good and break them in. Get a set of nice binos. Not sure if you are packing in but all that would be a good start.

Solid advice.

Top 3 items to have:
-comfy, all day boots with plenty of support
-good pack to carry days supplies, able to shoot with it on, and can handle first load of meat out
-GPS to find camp or truck at end of day

Cover as many miles as possible until you get into Elk...and stay positive until the last minute.

 

[tttoadman]

I will second what UH hit on. I will toot on cow call every so often while I am on the move. You can get right up on elk before they realize you aren't one of them.

Don't get caught up in bugeling. Unless they are hot on it, you can push the elk out faster bugeling at them.

 

[Bonedalien]

I will second what UH hit on. I will toot on cow call every so often while I am on the move. You can get right up on elk before they realize you aren't one of them

great advice, also think of your cow call as your "get out of jail card". use it when you think you may have blown it moving. snag your pack on a branch and snap it, cow call. ect.. as was said,elk are loud. be one.

 

[TEmbry]

Keep it coming guys. Still soaking it all in over here...

 

[fulldraw1972]

If your partner is calling and your the shooter. Don't set up behind a tree. Set up infront, have faith in your Camo and the tree breaking up your outline.

 

[Solitude]

You said its your first elk hunt and your partner has hunted them a ton growing up.....given this I feel its important to talk with him prior and furring the trip in the hunting tactics he has used successfully and wants to use in the trip. If it's your first elk hunt, think if yourself as support staff, listen, learn, soak it all in and someday hopefully you will be able to pass in the addiction/tradition.

 

[Coloradoboy]

Man, It honestly hard to give pointers/advice when it comes to elk hunting. Other than the obvious things such as; get in shape, do your research, shoot your bow as much possible in as difficult situations as possible, good boots, good optics etc, etc.. Honestly elk hunting is something you have to gain receptive experience at to become good/successful at, unless you are granted with some serious beginners luck. Especially archery hunting. Reading books, articles, and listening to guys like us blow smoke on internet forums can't truly prepare you for archery elk hunting. Its something you have to truly experience first hand in order to gain an understanding of. The best advice I can give is prepare yourself mentally. Expect it to be tough. Expect to get frustrated. Expect to be physically challenged. Expect it to not go the way you planned and to be let down, because it never honestly does. But also expect to be successful. In the end it is your mental toughness that gets you out of that sleeping bag every morning. Makes you climb that mountain in the dark. Makes you sit on that ridge and glass for hours on ends. And allows you to keep pushing on when others give up and head home. Like others said before me; stay positive, never give up, don't make the entire trip about killing and enjoy the hunt and the process of the hunt, successful or not. Archery elk hunting is like no other hunt on this earth as far as Im concerned. Its a breed of its own. I wish you all the best of luck this September and welcome to the brotherhood.

Coloradoboy

 

[Ross]

I second what Colorado noted. Lots of highs and lows but when it is high it is incredible! Find calls that work for you and be proficient, be ready to cover lots of ground, not running through the woods, but covering ground that is void of elk, have multiple locations to hunt, learn elk anatomy, have a plan to get one out of the mountains, focus on a spot when the shot opp arises, stay positive and give yourself ample time to be successful. Good luck. A couple more be aggressive more often than not and be sure to attempt to pick a shot location that will provide a shot opp for you and don't get lazy the opp can come at any time. Do whatever it takes to keep the wind in your favor and when setting up clear around you feet to remove any sticks or such that could snap and give away your location,

 

[trophyhill]

when I started elk hunting in '08 I had no idea what to expect and was a "passive" elk Bowhunter. in other words I wanted and expected the elk to come to me. I hunted like this for the first couple of years. sure I had lots of responses and a fair amount of up close and personal encounters (even killed a couple cows) but I went back to camp and or home with a lot of "what could have been" or "if only I would have done this" moments. in 2011 I made a conscious effort to get aggressive and stay aggressive once I found elk. it's paying off and helping me unlock the "elk code". Aggressive calling is just one aspect. I think equally or more importantly are aggressive actions. so coming from someone with limited elk experience, I would tell the new guys (and gals) to be aggressive. if you want to see how a bull reacts try this, when you get that first response from a bull and know where he is, just run in on him and see what happens. you may or may not get a shot opportunity but it will open up an avenue to you that may take years to learn if you are a passive hunter. you will have more opportunities so don't let it get to you if you don't kill that elk. and too, don't be afraid to make mistakes. that is how we learn 1 encounter at a time. stay focused and aggressive. and above all, Never Give Up......Ever!

 

[westrnwild]

A lot of good advice. Get great boots a good pack and camp gear, learn to pack light, if your going OTC public land....be aggressive, they might talk but they might expect you to come to them. Remember water and fitness! And something I'm learning to be better at.....stay positive...

 

[mt100gr.]

Like trophyhill said, don't hesitate to be aggressive. If you think you can tip the odds by taking a chance go for it. Also, try not to fall into the trap of "good looking" elk country. Let elk actually being there dictate that. If you aren't finding them, go where you'd least expect to find them, etc. Imagine the pressure they get when they stay in optimal "good looking" country. Go where you'd hide from people hunting you and go farther than you think you should have to. I spent way to much time in what I thought was good elk country when I really started chasing them...the elk didn't agree

 

[tipsntails7]

When your 20 yards from a screaming bull you will piss yourself and probably hyperventilate.. I know I did on my first big bull. A 5x6 stepped out infront and I couldn't even get the pin float to calm down to a point where I could shoot. I finally had to let down, he looked at me almost smirking and disappeared into the bush. My dad who was calling 20 yards behind me came up and said he's never seen a bigger shit eating grin on my face in his life. From that moment on I was hooked, 10 years later and I still get that feeling, just no nearly as bad. Just try to control it as best you can, and enjoy the animal infront of you, they really are amazing creatures when your that close.