Thinking OTC Archery Elk Hunt this year?

[sjcavy]

I am thinking about trying to do a DIY Archery Elk hunt this year, or next. Undecided. I have always wanted to hunt elk. Any tips? Locations? Anyone want to team up?

 

[Doc Holliday]

Here is a Tip: If you are not trolling.....Your level of commitment needs to be about 99.9% more than it sounds like it is.

 

[sjcavy]

Thanks. Anything else?

 

[Gerbdog]

Get into shape, get good boots, and use resources to figure out whats going on (this forum has loads of information, do some searching).

 

[Elktaco]

Idaho. Stay downwind of them or they will run away.

 

[Smada962]

Another thing, do not ask people for specific drainages, ranges, units, or in some cases even states. Do you own research and do not rely on others. Elk is a super competitive game and guys aren't going to bust their asses for years to just give that away and get overrun by pressure. You have to remember, whatever someone posts about a specific spot is going to be out there on the internet forever.

I think the post above about commitment needing to be up by 99.9% is spot on. I research daily for many months in a row before I even put in for a tag, let alone all the scouting, shooting, and working out to prep for the actual hunt. It's not like walking out on the back 40 for whitetails.

 

[philson208]

expect struggle & disappointment if your new to the elk game, stay down wind and keep after it 110%. The best knowledge is gained from years of close calls and failure. best tip for elk location.... you will find elk right where you find them.

 

[FLAK]

I've found it best to not ask questions on hunting forums.
Just research what is already on here.
Then go kill something and post pics for all the chest pounding Macho Jack Wads.
Just my .02

 

[sjcavy]

Yeah I am noticing this....

 

[Gerbdog]

OP,
You asked some broad questions:

You want to go elk hunt: Good, you absolutely should, dont let naysayers or anyone get in your way and thats the mentality you will need. It can be done and people hit homeruns every year, about 85% of them strike out and of those that strike out i (hope) all have a good time.

Any tips? Loads, some are in this thread, others are scattered throughout the forum in different threads and there are some real diamonds in that information, i'd go digging if i were you.

Anyone want to team up? There are several threads going with gentlemen (or women) such as yourself looking for partners to come out west and hunt elk, i'd reach out in some of those threads for sure, maybe some of those folks will see this thread and reach out to you! fingers crossed. Dont be afraid to go solo compadre, you'll learn a ton about yourself and the elk woods

Locations? Not a chance, haha, as mentioned here, hard earned, the better way to approach this question is do a bunch of research, footwork on your end, and then come in here with questions regarding some specific locations in the unit your eyeballing, but dont post up ANY information about the specific unit. States are ok, mentioning its OTC or not is great, but aim for questions like "hey there is this burn spot ive been eyeballing, its at about 10000 ft and has a couple wallows on the fringes, whats a good way to hunt this during (insert season here)."

Sorry we can come off as curmudgeonly, its just that these threads crop up on here starting about 3 weeks ago and basically going to season open. A lot of them start with "anyone got a good spot? not looking for anyone's sweet spot". Every single location i know that holds elk is a sweet spot is the issue, gotta have several up your sleeve and be prepared to use them all.

I think everyone should get out and elk hunt if they have the itch, and my starting advice and tips remain the same as i mentioned above: Get in shape and get good boots. Those two things will help get you to where you stand a chance of getting lucky

 

[nphunter]

Not much OTC opportunity left this year for a bull. Archery in CO and OR are the only two I know of that you could still get a tag. Oregon will be going to a draw next year more than likely so if your wanting to come out here this will be the last year to go OTC. Pretty much throw a dart at a map in NEO and there will be elk there, lots of elk and plenty of county. If you decide to actually come out I'd be happy to point you in the right direction.
A good positive attitude and perseverance will get you further than anything else in the elk woods. If you decide to go download the elknut app and get on any podcast app and search Paul Medel (elknut) and listen to everything he says. Elk hunting is way easier than most people try to make it out to be, no other animal will scream at you telling exactly where they are during the period you can hunt them.

 

[mtnlomo]

Asking on internet forums is the wrong way to go about it with general questions. Do your research, I’d suggest checking out other websites and YouTube channels geared towards teaching, such as Elk 101 or the Elk Nut app, Gohunt, OnX etc. etc. there are plenty of resources available today that weren’t available even ten years ago. It’s easier now than ever to get into it and learn on your own.

It’s not that people here are mean, they just have sweat and bled to get to where they are and acquire the knowledge they have, and they have loved every second of it (in hindsight they claim to love it, I know I for one haven’t loved it at times, but looking back I have nothing but good memories), and want you to have the same experiences.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[sjcavy]

Yeah, to clarify....

I WAS NOT LOOKING FOR YOUR LOCATIONS. Jeez. I have been hunting long enough to know people get psycho about it. See above.

I should have been more clear. What states do you think might be good for a DIY OTC hunt. That was the question I had in mind. I was thinking Utah.

Nphunter's post above was EXACTLY the information I was looking for.

I understand: get in shape and good boots. Got it.

Nphunter and Gerbdog, thank you for your detailed responses.



The posts about commitment are silly, you can't tell my commitment by a feeler post. So please, in the future, try to refrain.... unless it is something like "for elk hunting you really need to commit" or something along those lines. Otherwise you just come off looking like an ass. I put this post out (granted maybe not very verbose) because I wanted to start getting involved in this community and start a conversation. My apologies if I ruffled your feathers.


For getting in shape..... would my Ruck endurance prep work from the Corps? Using sandbags, build up to 100+ lbs while rucking up to 20 miles? Do you all suggest certain works outs? HITT? Again, I should have been more specific, however I feel the need to point out "get in shape" isn't super helpful.



Again, sorry to ruffle feathers. My goal is to develop my own spots, not steal yours.

 

[sjcavy]

Mtnlomo, again not trying to skimp out of the work.

Thank you for the referrals of Elk 101 and elk nut app.

 

[Gerbdog]

Yeah, to clarify....

I WAS NOT LOOKING FOR YOUR LOCATIONS. Jeez. I have been hunting long enough to know people get psycho about it. See above.

I should have been more clear. What states do you think might be good for a DIY OTC hunt. That was the question I had in mind. I was thinking Utah.

Nphunter's post above was EXACTLY the information I was looking for.

I understand: get in shape and good boots. Got it.

Nphunter and Gerbdog, thank you for your detailed responses.



The posts about commitment are silly, you can't tell my commitment by a feeler post. So please, in the future, try to refrain.... unless it is something like "for elk hunting you really need to commit" or something along those lines. Otherwise you just come off looking like an ass. I put this post out (granted maybe not very verbose) because I wanted to start getting involved in this community and start a conversation. My apologies if I ruffled your feathers.


For getting in shape..... would my Ruck endurance prep work from the Corps? Using sandbags, build up to 100+ lbs while rucking up to 20 miles? Do you all suggest certain works outs? HITT? Again, I should have been more specific, however I feel the need to point out "get in shape" isn't super helpful.



Again, sorry to ruffle feathers. My goal is to develop my own spots, not steal yours.

I ruck with weight for my exercise all year round, so yea, i think thats a great way to get your body used to carrying out an elk. Cardio being the other big one but i feel rucking check a lot of the boxes. If your packing 100+ lbs over 20 miles your a stud. Unsure on the OTC rules in Utah but i dont think they offer much of an OTC experience. As Nphunter posted up above... CO and OR may be all thats left this year. CO has the biggest herd of elk in the country and the biggest herd of hunters in the country. Your hunting in ANY OTC unit should be dictated by the hunting pressure (hey theres another tip ).

 

[sjcavy]

Awesome. 100+ over 20 miles does take a lot out of you....

but with good boots you can do it. Also ALOT of practice.

 

[WI Shedhead]

Is this going to be your only trip elk hunting ever? Or are you looking to get in on the fun ground level multi year type time/ money/equip investment

 

[sjcavy]

Get in on the fun, start from the ground up. I've been hunting since I was a kid, and I invest in my lifestyles/hobbies. However, I am not from the West, definitely from the Northwoods. Currently living in the South. Not a lot of public land near me, and lease prices are so high that everyone is priced out of the game right now. So I have been looking to travel, like I always wanted to. I figured, "why not?"

 

[George Hamrick]

If you are looking to do an OTC trip for this year, I would say you’re a little behind at this point. Still doable, but you would need to get a lot of gear between now and September, along with all of the map scouting and planning. Are you trying to do a backcountry camp on back trip, or a hunt from basecamp type or hunt? Are you going bow or trying rifle? A lot of questions that you would need to answer yourself to decide on what is best for you. If you can, best to go with someone who has been a successful elk hunter, and learn as much as you can.

 

[sjcavy]

Probably archery. Backcountry camp.

I don't mind waiting a year. Still looking into Oregon.