2014 Lessons Learned
- Thread starter cnelk
- Start date
1. Find an area with more elk and less hunters!
2. Be in better shape and not wear cotton pants.
3. I learned that elk are hard to find, there always seemed to be a little sign everywhere but nothing concentrated.
4. I too think I will try to hunt later in the season when bulls are more vocal.
5. I learned that packing out an elk takes awhile and a good pack is critical!
6. I also learned I have a lot of will power! I\'ve never had huge bucks just stand and stare at me from 40 yards and less.
2. Be in better shape and not wear cotton pants.
3. I learned that elk are hard to find, there always seemed to be a little sign everywhere but nothing concentrated.
4. I too think I will try to hunt later in the season when bulls are more vocal.
5. I learned that packing out an elk takes awhile and a good pack is critical!
6. I also learned I have a lot of will power! I\'ve never had huge bucks just stand and stare at me from 40 yards and less.
Lark Bunting
New member
- Sep 14, 2016
- 710
Oh man...I will be adding to this list as the season goes on I\'m sure but I feel like I\'ve learned some valuable things.
Hunting is hard. The mental focus I put into it gives me a headache every time. I am so mentally aware of my surroundings and trying to plan the next step I endure bad headaches...reminds me of studying for big tests in college years ago. Advil is my friend.
I will not hunt opening week either next year. I will hunt the opening weekend but will put in more time during the week later in the season.
I will probably put in for the group draw with my buddies next year. I wanted my son to be with me so badly for my first kill but between him being sick, school, and a baby tooth extraction scheduled for this Friday, which I just found out about, and which could prevent him from going out with me again this weekend, I think I may be better suited to hunt with adults next season. He and I can still do the local unit hunting but I will dedicate a week later in the season to hunt with adults.
Camping alone SUCKS! The hunting part of it has been fine as I believe a couple encounters with deer would have been blown with two of us stalking. The camping part of it is not fun. I try to keep busy by gathering firewood, prepping food for the next day but I like company when camping.
Finding elk is HARD! I saw more fresh elk poop the first week I was hunting but just could not find the elk to be able to HUNT them.
I will be buying a quieter quiver this year.
My rangefinder is NOT waterproof and fogged up badly from being out in the rain. Need new rangefinder.
My GPS is a POS. The electronic compass would not work unless I was moving. Several times, I\'d tell my son to stay put because I\'d have to walk a circle to figure out where the hell we were. Got old!
I will practice shooting uphill and downhill more. I still can\'t believe I put an arrow over that deer\'s back. :clap: This goes back to my fogged up rangefinder though.
To Be Continued...
Hunting is hard. The mental focus I put into it gives me a headache every time. I am so mentally aware of my surroundings and trying to plan the next step I endure bad headaches...reminds me of studying for big tests in college years ago. Advil is my friend.
I will not hunt opening week either next year. I will hunt the opening weekend but will put in more time during the week later in the season.
I will probably put in for the group draw with my buddies next year. I wanted my son to be with me so badly for my first kill but between him being sick, school, and a baby tooth extraction scheduled for this Friday, which I just found out about, and which could prevent him from going out with me again this weekend, I think I may be better suited to hunt with adults next season. He and I can still do the local unit hunting but I will dedicate a week later in the season to hunt with adults.
Camping alone SUCKS! The hunting part of it has been fine as I believe a couple encounters with deer would have been blown with two of us stalking. The camping part of it is not fun. I try to keep busy by gathering firewood, prepping food for the next day but I like company when camping.
Finding elk is HARD! I saw more fresh elk poop the first week I was hunting but just could not find the elk to be able to HUNT them.
I will be buying a quieter quiver this year.
My rangefinder is NOT waterproof and fogged up badly from being out in the rain. Need new rangefinder.
My GPS is a POS. The electronic compass would not work unless I was moving. Several times, I\'d tell my son to stay put because I\'d have to walk a circle to figure out where the hell we were. Got old!
I will practice shooting uphill and downhill more. I still can\'t believe I put an arrow over that deer\'s back. :clap: This goes back to my fogged up rangefinder though.
To Be Continued...
I have already tweaked my workout. I wanted to get right back into working out for next year. I have found that an elipitcal machine with the restistance maxed out will burn the same muscles used for mountain climbing. I wished I would have known that prior to this year\'s hunt, I used a treadmill and just hiking with a pack. I am also incorporating some weight training. I want to build up muscles in my back more should I have to pack more elk.
Billy Goat
Member
- Sep 5, 2017
- 332
Lark,
the best thing for a compass is a cheap \"ball\" pin on compass. you can get them anywhere for ~$3. just pin it to your jacket or backpack, and you can just glance down and see where north is. this keeps me from messing with my GPS all the time. I\'m perpetually checking to see where north is. (some sort of paranoia, I guess.....)
also very helpful at end of day and you\'re ready to head to camp/truck.... \"GPS says I need to go ~1.2 miles NE\". I\'ll typically just follow that compass most of the way to the truck.
shane
the best thing for a compass is a cheap \"ball\" pin on compass. you can get them anywhere for ~$3. just pin it to your jacket or backpack, and you can just glance down and see where north is. this keeps me from messing with my GPS all the time. I\'m perpetually checking to see where north is. (some sort of paranoia, I guess.....)
also very helpful at end of day and you\'re ready to head to camp/truck.... \"GPS says I need to go ~1.2 miles NE\". I\'ll typically just follow that compass most of the way to the truck.
shane
Lark Bunting
New member
- Sep 14, 2016
- 710
Not to derail the thread but I just googled Electronic Compass and my model and it came up with directions on how to turn it on. Duh! I did a factory reset when I bought this unit used and it defaulted back to being off. I\'m a moron.\"Billy Goat\" said:
Billy Goat
Member
- Sep 5, 2017
- 332
My GPS is great, and I know how to calibrate it, but that pin on compass needs no battery and easier to read at a glance. I have one permanently pinned to every backpack I own. 
Hmm ... quite a bit.
1. I was a \"lone hunter\" and accepted the drawbacks. I think I\'ll gradually start to widen my circle, and accept others into camp.
2. Have defined what you will shoot prior to shooting -- so important. Decide and live with the decision before you go afield.
3. You\'re not elk hunting unless you are in close. You\'re just elk talking, elk listening, and, really, just annoying the elk if you\'re more than 100 yards away from them.
4. You can\'t force things. And, if you\'ve done your homework (which may take YEARS), you shouldn\'t need to.
5. I need to practice shooting more, but overall, I\'m pretty happy with how that part of the hunt went.
6. Treestand hunting with calls is a huge untapped potential. (Sorry, Swede!) (BTW, shouldn\'t Swede be back someday soon?)
7. I need to find elk when they are huntable. Elk on their way to bed may be vocal, but that doesn\'t make them easily huntable. Sometimes, I wonder if it might be easier to hunt for bulls late morning, after they have arrived at \"their spot\", and are territorial.
8. Animated cow calls sometimes work better than simple mews ... and vice versa ... I want to learn more about that. But there were definitely times when a bull wouldn\'t answer a \"Mew\" but a \"Mew, chirp, Mewwww, chirp, mew, mew, mewwwwwwwww\" would get him fired-up. I think it has to do with understanding the situation from the bull\'s perspective.
9. I keep wanting to find other, better places ... but I found more elk in and near camp than I did anywhere else. Sometimes, what you are looking for is right under your nose. Knowing an area well is a giant piece of the puzzle. Not the only one, but I can\'t imagine how guys do it when hunting different states each year, or even different camp spots.
10. The early part of the hunt is for feeling things out ... how vocal are things? ... how is the rut progressing? ... how aggressive are the bulls hitting location bugles and cow calls? ... But I need to not be afraid to ramp things up quickly. There\'s only a week to get things done for me.
1. I was a \"lone hunter\" and accepted the drawbacks. I think I\'ll gradually start to widen my circle, and accept others into camp.
2. Have defined what you will shoot prior to shooting -- so important. Decide and live with the decision before you go afield.
3. You\'re not elk hunting unless you are in close. You\'re just elk talking, elk listening, and, really, just annoying the elk if you\'re more than 100 yards away from them.
4. You can\'t force things. And, if you\'ve done your homework (which may take YEARS), you shouldn\'t need to.
5. I need to practice shooting more, but overall, I\'m pretty happy with how that part of the hunt went.
6. Treestand hunting with calls is a huge untapped potential. (Sorry, Swede!) (BTW, shouldn\'t Swede be back someday soon?)
7. I need to find elk when they are huntable. Elk on their way to bed may be vocal, but that doesn\'t make them easily huntable. Sometimes, I wonder if it might be easier to hunt for bulls late morning, after they have arrived at \"their spot\", and are territorial.
8. Animated cow calls sometimes work better than simple mews ... and vice versa ... I want to learn more about that. But there were definitely times when a bull wouldn\'t answer a \"Mew\" but a \"Mew, chirp, Mewwww, chirp, mew, mew, mewwwwwwwww\" would get him fired-up. I think it has to do with understanding the situation from the bull\'s perspective.
9. I keep wanting to find other, better places ... but I found more elk in and near camp than I did anywhere else. Sometimes, what you are looking for is right under your nose. Knowing an area well is a giant piece of the puzzle. Not the only one, but I can\'t imagine how guys do it when hunting different states each year, or even different camp spots.
10. The early part of the hunt is for feeling things out ... how vocal are things? ... how is the rut progressing? ... how aggressive are the bulls hitting location bugles and cow calls? ... But I need to not be afraid to ramp things up quickly. There\'s only a week to get things done for me.
cohunter14
Administrator
- Jul 10, 2017
- 5,431
\"Billy Goat\" said:
x2...they are so cheap and light. Much easier to access them than to pull out the GPS and make sure it has a clear view of the sky, etc.
1. Tree stands are excellent: Originally, I thought stand hunting sounded worse than watching paint dry, but this past season I saw and heard more in just 8 days in the stand than I have in the previous couple of years elk and deer hunting. And although I was still careful about scent and movement, I was amazed that game couldn\'t see or smell that I was a mere 15 feet above them.
2. Once you choose to hunt from a stand, commit to it and be patient. And mind the wind going into and coming out of your stand(s).
3. Ditto on the shots: Decide which ones you can live with taking, and which shots you can\'t. It will relieve a lot of stress and second-guessing out in the field.
4. In the future, I want to be more prepared to document poachers. During the opening days of archery season, rifle hunters managed to poach several cow elk very close to where we were hunting. We could have stalked close to the vehicles in two instances, but were worried about our own safety: bows against firearms does not make for good odds. It was disheartening to know this kind of poaching is so common, but on the bright side, we know the herd later returned for the orphaned calves.
2. Once you choose to hunt from a stand, commit to it and be patient. And mind the wind going into and coming out of your stand(s).
3. Ditto on the shots: Decide which ones you can live with taking, and which shots you can\'t. It will relieve a lot of stress and second-guessing out in the field.
4. In the future, I want to be more prepared to document poachers. During the opening days of archery season, rifle hunters managed to poach several cow elk very close to where we were hunting. We could have stalked close to the vehicles in two instances, but were worried about our own safety: bows against firearms does not make for good odds. It was disheartening to know this kind of poaching is so common, but on the bright side, we know the herd later returned for the orphaned calves.
cohunter14
Administrator
- Jul 10, 2017
- 5,431
\"Still Hunter\" said:
Well, if you start chasing after elk in the middle of the hunt...then yeah! :lol:
Bob Frapples
Member
- Mar 10, 2014
- 367
Things I learned on my first ever elk hunt.
1. Elk are easy to find, gather your gear, take a good drink of water, squeeze your puffer wind detector, vocal or not, which ever way the smoke drifts, odds are that\'s the direction elk are.
2. You will step on thousands of rocks while elk hunting, but the only one that will break loose and roll 300 yrds downhill picking up others on the way is while your Finally in that last 100 yrds of the bull you\'ve been stalking for hours.
3. Wet feet really sux after a couple days
4. When stalking a vocal bull: If you move slow enough not to bee seen; your moving too slow, when moving fast enough to catch up with him; your moving too fast.
4. It is a b;$&ch to accurately range a vocal bull on sound alone.
5. Range finders are near worthless in heavy fog/drizzle.
6. In New Mexico if the wind forecast is SE, the wind will blow from every single direction EXECPT from SE.
7. Elk sound like quarter horses on concrete when they run away from you.
8. NM elk come in two sizes; big and HO LE crap
9. Don\'t forget to mark your start location and Always keep your gps on; it\'s a lot easier to backtrack to find the gear you set down while taking a break.
10. An incline trainer is money well spent
11. Your bow release, quiver, rangefinder head-net/mask and bugle/calls are attached to your bow or they are attached to you, there are no exceptions, see -#9
12. Especially if your hunting solo, a decoy of some type is something I\'ll never go without again.
13. If your a nubie flat lander, consider external reeds for primary calls, not sure if was dry climate or altitude but I had trouble getting my first call out correctly with mouth calls. Case and point- When you find yourself dead in the middle of the herd early one drizzling am nothing ruins your day when your first call sounds more like a Canadian goose than any elk.
14. Elk can and do laugh at you.
15. I found Elk hunting is 60% physical 30% mental and 20% luck.
16. No stores in south central NM know what boot driers are
17. Its no fun tenting on un level ground
18. Yes thats 110
19. Don\'t forget your bugle in the truck.
20. It\'s hard to course a vocal distant bull in flat country.
21. It takes a few days back home before you quit hearing bugling in the distance.
22. I now need an OTC back up plan for next year.
1. Elk are easy to find, gather your gear, take a good drink of water, squeeze your puffer wind detector, vocal or not, which ever way the smoke drifts, odds are that\'s the direction elk are.
2. You will step on thousands of rocks while elk hunting, but the only one that will break loose and roll 300 yrds downhill picking up others on the way is while your Finally in that last 100 yrds of the bull you\'ve been stalking for hours.
3. Wet feet really sux after a couple days
4. When stalking a vocal bull: If you move slow enough not to bee seen; your moving too slow, when moving fast enough to catch up with him; your moving too fast.
4. It is a b;$&ch to accurately range a vocal bull on sound alone.
5. Range finders are near worthless in heavy fog/drizzle.
6. In New Mexico if the wind forecast is SE, the wind will blow from every single direction EXECPT from SE.
7. Elk sound like quarter horses on concrete when they run away from you.
8. NM elk come in two sizes; big and HO LE crap
9. Don\'t forget to mark your start location and Always keep your gps on; it\'s a lot easier to backtrack to find the gear you set down while taking a break.
10. An incline trainer is money well spent
11. Your bow release, quiver, rangefinder head-net/mask and bugle/calls are attached to your bow or they are attached to you, there are no exceptions, see -#9
12. Especially if your hunting solo, a decoy of some type is something I\'ll never go without again.
13. If your a nubie flat lander, consider external reeds for primary calls, not sure if was dry climate or altitude but I had trouble getting my first call out correctly with mouth calls. Case and point- When you find yourself dead in the middle of the herd early one drizzling am nothing ruins your day when your first call sounds more like a Canadian goose than any elk.
14. Elk can and do laugh at you.
15. I found Elk hunting is 60% physical 30% mental and 20% luck.
16. No stores in south central NM know what boot driers are
17. Its no fun tenting on un level ground
18. Yes thats 110
19. Don\'t forget your bugle in the truck.
20. It\'s hard to course a vocal distant bull in flat country.
21. It takes a few days back home before you quit hearing bugling in the distance.
22. I now need an OTC back up plan for next year.
