What am I not thinking of? (OTC Dark timber, mountain elk)

Joined
Feb 17, 2013
Messages
2,254
You’ll need to do the impossible and hunt every day like it’s the first day. Why in the world would you spend precious days of your life hunting a place like that??? Elk hunting is hard enough and THE number one thing you can do is pick an area with care. You just described a place I’d only hunt in a bad dream. To each his own. Good luck!
 
OP
KennethDeemer
Joined
Feb 23, 2021
Messages
74
You’ll need to do the impossible and hunt every day like it’s the first day. Why in the world would you spend precious days of your life hunting a place like that??? Elk hunting is hard enough and THE number one thing you can do is pick an area with care. You just described a place I’d only hunt in a bad dream. To each his own. Good luck!
Haha - I was in there last year and got the bug! I value low pressure over more opportunities, but maybe that’s inexperience speaking haha. Thanks for the advice!
 
OP
KennethDeemer
Joined
Feb 23, 2021
Messages
74
Sorry, maybe bad wording, not so much see in the dark but they help break down and see through... i dunno... layers of the forest? Haha Either way the binos are helpful even in the thick timber!
Haha I was just messing around. I never really used them till this year and their low light capabilities shocked me! I’ll definitely be using them and moving slow. Thank you!
 
Joined
Jan 19, 2022
Messages
17
2021 was my first archery elk hunt and I spent a year training, watching youtube pack dumps, listening to pod casts, and reading as I had no idea what to expect on a solo hunt. That being said the biggest things I took away were "WIND WIND WIND" it has to be right. Come at one at the same elevation if you can not above or below with reference to thermals so that they are either up or down. Meat care... get it hanging and cooling as fast as possible. Be Ready... my whole hunt lasted 5 minutes. I literally climbed up the mountain from camp sat down to rest after a 5.5 hour climb , threw out 3 terrible cow calls, and had a 6x6 stomp in to 43 yards. He couldn't have been more that 100 yards away and I had no idea.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_5633.JPG
    IMG_5633.JPG
    607.1 KB · Views: 82

Jwknutson17

WKR
Rokslide Sponsor
Joined
Jun 3, 2019
Messages
700
Location
Colorado
2021 was my first archery elk hunt and I spent a year training, watching youtube pack dumps, listening to pod casts, and reading as I had no idea what to expect on a solo hunt. That being said the biggest things I took away were "WIND WIND WIND" it has to be right. Come at one at the same elevation if you can not above or below with reference to thermals so that they are either up or down. Meat care... get it hanging and cooling as fast as possible. Be Ready... my whole hunt lasted 5 minutes. I literally climbed up the mountain from camp sat down to rest after a 5.5 hour climb , threw out 3 terrible cow calls, and had a 6x6 stomp in to 43 yards. He couldn't have been more that 100 yards away and I had no idea.
Nice work. Saw the other bull you posted in the meat pole thread in CO. What state you kill this one in? Great bulls.
 
Joined
Jul 30, 2015
Messages
5,614
Location
Lenexa, KS
I'm not sold that low densities are a problem. Assuming you can find them. I hunted a low density spot once and we called in the first two bulls we came across. Shot one at 8 yards, my partner put another arrow in it, and then I put a third, all broadside double lung, while the second bull was out at 55 yards raking a tree.

We met some other dudes at a hotel the next day, they found a bedded bull, made one bugle, and that bull got up and walked a half mile straight to this guy and he killed it.

I sort of surmise elk in places like that are lonely and trusting creatures.
 
OP
KennethDeemer
Joined
Feb 23, 2021
Messages
74
I'm not sold that low densities are a problem. Assuming you can find them. I hunted a low density spot once and we called in the first two bulls we came across. Shot one at 8 yards, my partner put another arrow in it, and then I put a third, all broadside double lung, while the second bull was out at 55 yards raking a tree.

We met some other dudes at a hotel the next day, they found a bedded bull, made one bugle, and that bull got up and walked a half mile straight to this guy and he killed it.

I sort of surmise elk in places like that are lonely and trusting creatures.
Shhhhh ;)

I feel the same way, the encounters we did have were high quality.
 
OP
KennethDeemer
Joined
Feb 23, 2021
Messages
74
2021 was my first archery elk hunt and I spent a year training, watching youtube pack dumps, listening to pod casts, and reading as I had no idea what to expect on a solo hunt. That being said the biggest things I took away were "WIND WIND WIND" it has to be right. Come at one at the same elevation if you can not above or below with reference to thermals so that they are either up or down. Meat care... get it hanging and cooling as fast as possible. Be Ready... my whole hunt lasted 5 minutes. I literally climbed up the mountain from camp sat down to rest after a 5.5 hour climb , threw out 3 terrible cow calls, and had a 6x6 stomp in to 43 yards. He couldn't have been more that 100 yards away and I had no idea.
Awesome feedback! We had a bear come right up on us during lunch last year and that was painful because we had no opportunity and 4 bear tags in our pockets haha. Bows and guns were 5 yards from the closest person.
 

Gapmaster

WKR
Joined
Dec 22, 2019
Messages
366
Location
MERICA!!
If I could pinpoint the root cause of all my bone headed screw ups over the years, I’d say it was being impatient. When you know you’re on them, slow way down. Be smart, sometimes you just gotta back out and wait. That’s probably the hardest part for me. Sit there and listen to one screaming but not go after him if the conditions aren’t good. Wind. Wind. Wind. And did I mention the Wind?
 

43.6N

FNG
Joined
Jan 1, 2021
Messages
74
I know it’s popular to “be aggressive” and to storm into the elks “bedroom” asking for a fight…
But to be completely honest I have been surprised at how many quality encounters materialized when I stopped calling and stopped moving.
YMMV
 
OP
KennethDeemer
Joined
Feb 23, 2021
Messages
74
If I could pinpoint the root cause of all my bone headed screw ups over the years, I’d say it was being impatient. When you know you’re on them, slow way down. Be smart, sometimes you just gotta back out and wait. That’s probably the hardest part for me. Sit there and listen to one screaming but not go after him if the conditions aren’t good. Wind. Wind. Wind. And did I mention the Wind?
Golly, I wish I had seen this before last year - haha. Made a play on a bull (literally first bugle I had heard in my life) and blew an incredible opportunity vs. just waiting for the thermals to switch.
 
OP
KennethDeemer
Joined
Feb 23, 2021
Messages
74
I know it’s popular to “be aggressive” and to storm into the elks “bedroom” asking for a fight…
But to be completely honest I have been surprised at how many quality encounters materialized when I stopped calling and stopped moving.
YMMV
Great feedback, thanks!
 

fatlander

WKR
Joined
Feb 11, 2016
Messages
1,883
Golly, I wish I had seen this before last year - haha. Made a play on a bull (literally first bugle I had heard in my life) and blew an incredible opportunity vs. just waiting for the thermals to switch.

There’s a fine line between aggressive and reckless.

Aggressive to me is deciding to take yourself to a bull that’s mostly lethargic and using a planned sequence to work him up.

Reckless is charging in with a bad wind.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Bighorner

WKR
Joined
Nov 15, 2017
Messages
562
When I think of dark timber i think of mature trees with really sparse to no vegetation in the under story. If that's what you are hunting it dosen't have enough vegetation generally to support many/any elk and you may want to think about hunting closer to the edges where the habitats changes. The area may hold elk, but they have to eat somewhere else.
 

Gerbdog

WKR
Joined
Jun 8, 2020
Messages
816
Location
CO Springs
When I think of dark timber i think of mature trees with really sparse to no vegetation in the under story. If that's what you are hunting it dosen't have enough vegetation generally to support many/any elk and you may want to think about hunting closer to the edges where the habitats changes. The area may hold elk, but they have to eat somewhere else.
That's a good point.... maybe dark / deep timber should be used differently... i consider where i hunt "deep" timber but the truth of it is... used to be dark timber but beetle kill has wrecked that. There is vegetation growing abundantly under the canopy now. I dont think those elk need to move at all for water, feed, or bedding.
 

Gapmaster

WKR
Joined
Dec 22, 2019
Messages
366
Location
MERICA!!
That's a good point.... maybe dark / deep timber should be used differently... i consider where i hunt "deep" timber but the truth of it is... used to be dark timber but beetle kill has wrecked that. There is vegetation growing abundantly under the canopy now. I dont think those elk need to move at all for water, feed, or bedding.
That can definitely be a blessing and a curse all by itself. If they don’t move, they don’t leave as big a footprint of sign and they seem to be more weary in my experience. Maybe they’re too familiar with everything around them?
 
Top