Bow Hunting for Elk

[roosiebull]

How long did it take y'all to shoot and retrieve your first elk with a bow? Started hunting elk last year, killed a nice 5x5 with a muzzelloader, switched to a bow, plenty of encounters, one low flung arrow and I'm without elk meat this year. Definitely harder with a bow, but I feel like I should give myself some credit for getting close.....or am I just BAH?

there is a learning curve to everything... hang in there, this year you know what you are in for.

it took me 4yrs to kill my first elk, but I started from scratch at 16 with nobody to show me the ropes... I had a steep learning curve.. nobody in my family as far back as I know about hunted, though I do have some Native American blood, so I do assume I had some hunting ancestors, haha.

a little more perspective, and more relatable probably.....

after I killed my first elk, I ended up killing 15 in a row, and last year I switched weapons, I hunted with a recurve after 11 months of shooting every day... I had a great season, had a ton of bulls in compound range, and ended up missing 4 bulls inside 20yds, a couple were bad luck (hitting my bottom limb on a branch when I shot, and a deflection off an elderberry branch I didn't see, and I just crapped my pants on the other 2, just flat out rushed the shots for no reason.

I did NOT anticipate having a problem shooting one. in my head, the difficulty would be getting close enough and timing my draw to get a shot, that all came naturally, but the shooting was my issue. I shoot my recurve well, especially in the range i'm willing to shoot critters, but I hadn't built a process to handle pressure... went hunting without a plan when I got a shot, I assumed it would be like shooting one with a compound.

unfortunately I went "all in" and sold my rx-1, so I didn't have a compound at all.... that was over zealous, but I thought nothing of it at the time. i'm kinda glad I didn't have the compound option, I think the humility hits home a little better, to make it sting so i'm not unprepared for anything in Sept.

I will have a compound though, haha.... i'm not a purest, and if I get to the point of no confidence in my weapon, I have no issue picking up my compound.... I just don't want to stick one bad, that's my main thing.

last year was the transition year, you will go into Sept well equipped mentally, you are way better off than you were last year.... shoot as much as you can, don't try to shoot through slumps... if you are having a bad day shooting, put the damn bow down and come back later. confidence in your shooting is an asset.

good luck!

 

[WIarrow]

Archery elk success percentage is typically under 10% ... so, it’s a difficult game. I’ve chased those critters for a bunch of years ... if I could find a way to control the wind/thermals I would have a bunch more animals on the ground ... familiar story for all elk hunters.

 

[Elk97]

Two years of bow hunting to get my first elk. Had hunted rifle season three years before that without getting one. It takes time to figure out an area.

 

[rokclmb]

With ZERO elk to my name, this past season was my fourth trek to CO in pursuit of the elusive wapiti. Each of the previous three seasons offered A LOT opportunities that I managed to blunder due to inexperience and the overwhelming pressure to succeed. The pressure was all ME. Being a successful whitetail hunter in the mountains of WV and VA I felt like I could and should be a 10%er like everyone else on the social media outlets and forums. I was determined that this past season was going to be different and that I was going to find success. And success I found, but in the form of a great Muley Buck that I was fortunate enough to finally draw a tag for. The previous three seasons allowed me to chase elk but to also scout and find a great place to hunt mule deer. Thanks to my deer kill I didn't have much time to chase elk this past season, so I don't really count it as another year of no success. I still saw and had encounters with elk. I'm looking forward to giving it another go and no longer feel the pressure to tag an elk as I have in the past. Maybe I'm just a deer hunter, and if so I'm okay with that. My week in the CO wilderness is my cake and anything extra is just the icing.

 

[MajorAR]

I must be lucky....last year was my first year hunting Elk with anything....I shot my 5 x 5 at 56 yards with my compound bow.

 

[bstronger]

Looking forward to getting on the board this year in ID. Well see if its a 1:1 or and 0:1

 

[Elkdreamer]

I will let you know when I finally connect. Lol

 

[ScreamingPotato]

CO's ML season is right in the middle of archery season, so shooting one with a ML isn't any different than shooting one with a bow during the rut IMO. My daughter shot her bull with a ML after I called him into 30 yards for her, and any bowhunter could have just as easily shot him at that distance too so not much difference IMO.

You're missing one very important X factor, the motion it takes to draw a bow often spooks the quarry.