My DIY vs Guided results from last year

PAhunter58

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Mar 27, 2018
Messages
166
Location
PA
Last year I posted one of my first threads about going DIY vs. Guided on my first Elk hunt. Got tons of responses and great advice from many of you veterans. Allot of guys said they have not and would never go Guided and others said it would not be a bad option for a first time Elk hunt.
I thought I'd follow up with my results. I choose Guided because I was driving out alone from PA. I used my PP to draw a 3rd season tag in a SW Co unit. All I can say it was the time of my life and I did not kill an Elk. There were 6 hunters in camp. 3 Elk were killed, 2 6 X 6's and 1 5 X 6. The biggest probably went around 300-310. It was a horseback hunt and I learned right from the first morning why. The camp I hunted out of was right on the edge of a designated Wilderness. After arriving to camp the day before, it was an hour and a half ride to camp in my 4 X 4. It was a narly ride but I made it. There was about 8 inches of snow at camp (9600FT). After getting fitted with my horse and sizing up the rest off the camp, I spent the rest off the day preparing for the first day. Sleep was a little tough because of my excitement and also because it was snowing most of the night. Got on my horse at 4:00 AM the next morning and almost 8 more inches of snow. I did some horse riding before I left PA to get used to it since it had been years since I was on a horse. Little did I know what I was in for. For the next 2 1/4 hours my guide, another hunter and myself rode up the mountain in a pitch black darkness, I probably wasn't mentally prepared for. Physically I was OK as I had worked out 4-5 times a week for over 6 months preparing myself. How the guide and horses knew where they were going was beyond me. Sliding down and back up those hills was an eye opener. Maneuvering through trees that seemed barely wide enough kept it quite an intense experience. Dodging low snow covered branches kept your focus. I learned quickly you had to trust your horse. 4 legs on rocky frozen ice and snow was way better than my 2 legs. As I stated earlier, I learned quickly why this hunt had to be via horseback. Imagine driving 1 -2 miles to the local gas station but gaining 1000-1500 vertical feet. Now I kinda now what the first week of Navy Seal Training must be like. After I booked this hunt I spent hours upon hours scouring this unit on Google Earth. GUYS, GOOGLE EARTH LIES! I was awestruck not only by the scenery but also by the elevation changes. It was awesome. Anyways after our 2+ hour horse ride, we arrived at the open park we were going to set up on. Oh my lookie here, now there's 2 feet of snow and my GPS said 11,400 ft. Again I was having a blast. What I did learn quickly was this area I was in was not your typical "Randy Newberg, hey lets go find a high glassing point". That area I was hunting was either huge areas of dark timber or open parks. It wasn't an area where you could effectively glass other than the parks you were in. Still hunting wasn't an option as the snow was noisy and the timber was so thick it was almost impossible to glass and stock. So it turned into an early morning ride to a park or an evening sit, hoping they would filter out to feed. Like I said earlier, 3 Elk were taken, 1 the first day and two the second. Some guys in the group hunted way lower than my guide took us. 2 of the Elk were taken between 9700-9900ft. The other hunter in my group took his gorgeous 6 X 6 at about 10,800 ft on the second day right before a big snow storm blew in. My guide was awesome, born and raised in CO and had been guiding in this area for 8-9 years. His knowledge of the area was unbelievable and how he knew how to navigate around those mountains was beyond me. Some hunters saw 30-40 Elk in the 5 days we hunted. Unfortunately, I saw only 2 Bulls on the fourth day moving on the mountain side in the dark timber about 350 yards out. Both bulls were legal, the second one having big ivory tips with his head leaning back like it bothered him his rack was so big. I had no chance at a shot. Either way my first Elk hunt ended without me having a chance. It was really cold the entire time usually in the single digits at night and low twenty's in the day. Saw tons of sign and rode probably close to 30 miles in 5 days according to the guide. I did learn that horses scare Elk as easily as people do. I can't even count how many times we rode up on really fresh tracks that must have been pushed out ahead of us by our horses. Would I do it again, in a heartbeat. My first mountain experience was Rambo like in its intensity but also one of the most fulfilling times in the woods, I have ever spent. The outfitter and wranglers that ran the camp were awesome. They did everything they could to make it a great experience. My guide worked his ass off and I tipped him very well for his efforts. As I said earlier, you could possibly back pack in and set up a camp, but I think the chances of success would be much smaller. The area was just too big and without horses you would be limited in the areas where you could hunt effectively. As for the ride out of camp, it required chains, it was that bad. And I will not mention the unit, but after seeing the size of the Mule Deer on the hunt and driving out, I know why it takes years and years of PP to hunt deer in this unit. I saw at least 6 deer that would score 180+ and up. It was amazing. So thanks again for all the input when I first talked about my decision. Like many others on here, I am hooked and already planning my next trip west. It was certainly an eye opener in terms of the effort it took to spend so many hours on a horse. Being in shape helped allot, but it was the mental side of it that was the toughest part. I'm a better hunter for it. Thanks Guys!
 

ElkNut1

WKR
Joined
Feb 25, 2012
Messages
2,395
Location
Idaho
Awesome! Now it's time for a DIY archery elk hunt, it's not near as cold & snowy & a lot more action can be had!

ElkNut/Paul
 

sika64

FNG
Joined
Nov 12, 2018
Messages
29
Location
Maryland
Would you mind PMing me the outfitter, I'm in Maryland and in the process of looking for a hunt. Thanks
 

sika64

FNG
Joined
Nov 12, 2018
Messages
29
Location
Maryland
Awesome story by the way. Hunted Montana 2 years ago and found a new, and even higher respect for horse's
 
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