Elk Fables

S

Swede

New member
Mar 4, 2014
1,722
We have all heard some whopper stories about elk behavior and how to hunt. A few that come to mind that, I have read or have been told include:
Elk are terrified of the scent of human urine. The truth is I don\'t get any reaction from them or other big game. As many of you have read, I have had bears come very close to my tree where I relieve myself from my stand. No I am not packing a jug to contain the scent. I just stay in my stand. I have had animals come munch on the bushes I just wet down. No problem.
Another tale is that \"there is the scent of death in the air\" after you kill and butcher an animal. Nonsense.
Elk water 2/3rds up the side of the mountain during the day. That has some validity to it, but they also will get a drink at the bottom or top.
\"You are safe in a tree stand as elk don\'t look up.\" Like the tale above, this has some validity, but there are some serious limits on what you can get away with, as far as movement is concerned, when up even 25 or more feet.

What are some old hunter tales you have heard, and either know to be false, only partially true or have caused you to wonder?
 
\"Don\'t light a campfire ... It scares elk.\"

\"Can\'t hunt them mid-day without blowing them out of the area.\"
 
Arky, coming from an area where hunting is a integral part of so many people\'s life, you must have heard many fables and gross exaggerations. Come on and share some here. The South is into hunting big time.
 
I mentioned this one in another thread, but people talk a lot about not going into the woods before opening day for fear of \'scaring\' the elk out of there. The full moon thing has always seemed false to me. I also disagree that you need to be miles and miles off of a road to see elk. I think a 1/2 mile is plenty to escape most crowds. It cracks me up how every new elk hunter wants to go to a wilderness area to \'get away from people\' when in all reality, they are going where there are a ton of other folks with the exact same mindset. If I were to hunt a wilderness area, I would find a trail head and hunt right off the first mile of the trail. You\'d probably never see anyone in there and I would be willing to bet you could find elk ;)
 
+1 cohunter the wilderness areas seem to get the most attention and people wanting to be 10 miles from a trail head. most if they do kill cant get meat out in time and it spoils or they find the outfitters or others with horses and not any better elk hunting than if they would stay in easy walking distance of a truck. or should I say walking distance not necessarily easy.
 
Having heard about CO\'s reputation for having crowded wilderness areas, has anyone tried to hunt the edges of wilderness? I would think that with all the pressure I hear about, hunting a downstream drainage on the wilderness border might be a good strategy.
 
\"Swede\" said:
Arky, coming from an area where hunting is a integral part of so many people\'s life, you must have heard many fables and gross exaggerations. Come on and share some here. The South is into hunting big time.
Click to expand...


Ya talkin\' about the 40# coon or 40# duck... They like to uses 40\'s around here.... :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

The one I here the most is killin\' 400 ducks per day but that ones most likely true durin\' the time of market huntin\'.... :( :(
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Members online

No members online now.
Total: 24 (members: 0, guests: 24)

Latest posts

Share this page

Back
Top