Elk Harvest Statistic

[lcgordon711]

Hi guys I have been thinking about this. The elk harvest percentage is about 10% right depending on year and place. Do you really think its that low for people who really put in the work, the research, learn how to call and who are on these sites?


I know its hard but 10 percent seems really really low.

 

[yooper89]

I'd say the stats are pretty accurate, but the same 10% of people are making 100% of the kills. Seems like a lot of hunters in Colorado tend to stay on the roads and won't put in the work. If you're willing to grind it out and burn some rubber, you're going to be rewarded. In elk hunting, you get out what you put in.

 

[lcgordon711]

Yeah Im sure the statistic is right. I was wondering what the statistic would be of elk hunters that actually "put in the work" is.

 

[MT_mulies]

I agree with yooper. I say 10% of the same people kill 90% of the elk.

 

[backcountry_hunter]

Yeah Im sure the statistic is right. I was wondering what the statistic would be of elk hunters that actually "put in the work" is.

unfortunately that's not a quantifiable measurement and tough to say what putting in the work is and what isn't..... All I know is that I increase my odds the further back I get. I know on years I've struck out, that there's elk all over the west being shot out of trucks, off ATV's, etc... and because I go deep into wilderness's I do somewhat handicap myself by not having horses or being in zone's I can be really mobile. I've been in Gunnison the Friday before 2nd rifle opens and driven through Ntl' forests during OTC gun seasons..... I would say the 10% might even be high. There's alot of people that elk hunt.... that don't really elk hunt if you get my drift. I'm not a purist and am not in any position to discount someone else's experience but the way many many elk die every year isn't they way I prefer to hunt.

 

[lcgordon711]

I get what your saying. Me being my first year im sure I dont have very high odds. I just mean 5 years down the road if I hunt like the corey teaches in the class and do everything your "supposed to" I would hope it would be higher than 10%. The 10% averages advanced hunters that maybe kill an elk every year and people that are going on glorified camping trips to drink beer and drive around. Im wondering what the statistic would be if you eliminated those people.

 

[backcountry_hunter]

I wouldn't discount yourself or have a luke-warm approach just because you're on year 1.... My 1st year I killed a bull. Since then I've become a better elk hunter and have worked harder on hunts and have at times been unsuccessful. My point is I work hard to be the best elk hunter I can be. I run, lift, read books/articles, constantly improve gear, etc... do everything I can to put myself in the best position I can to shoot a bull. But sometimes there are hunts where the elk win and I know somewhere in the same unit elk are being shot off an ATV, drug back to a lodge by a 6x6, etc...


Your highest success rates will be found with guide services.

 

[lcgordon711]

Yeah I get your point. Sometimes its better to be lucky than good. But good wins more over luck in the long run.


Not sure if its just me or if other people feel the same but I have no desire to have a guide.

 

[MT_mulies]

Here are my statistics over the last 10 years, maybe someone else will brag or not brag about their success haha. I've killed 8 elk in 10 years. So 80% success for me. Some where flukes where an elk walked across the road, or where I was stalking a deer in a wheat field and an elk walked out of the trees. Things like that over the course of my 20 years of hunting have helped the success rate. This was archery and rifle hunting. Before that I was strictly a rifle hunter and killed 4 elk in 10 years so a 40% success. So my average is 60% in my life time of hunting. In the first 10 years I was hunting with my dad and how he taught me. In the last ten years I have taken those experiences and added my own thoughts/ideas/experiences into the mix and become a lot more successful.
I have one brother that is probably about 50% successful. And 2 more brothers that have hunted a total of 15 years and never killed an elk, but they don't put in more than 2-3 days of hunting and don't hunt hard.
All my kills but 1 have been on public land. Choose your spots wise, hunt hard, and don't be afraid of making mistakes.

 

[lcgordon711]

For me on my first year I would call it a success if we made it back alive haha. But really if I got an elk called in at all I would be super happy.

 

[Ramaeker]

I'm 9-12 on elk with a rifle and 0-10 with a bow.

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[Fishforfun]

I'm 9-12 on elk with a rifle and 0-10 with a bow.

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Those last 60 yards are tough to close. I would be 100% if I was hunting rifle, but I'm archery only and I'm 0%.

 

[Ramaeker]

I'm glad I don't have to choose a weapon in Montana it's nice to pick up a rifle after the bow season.

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[ribo451]

I shot one the first 15 minutes I ever elk hunted. It was a spike with a rifle. That was in 2003. I rifle hunted a few more years without getting a shot at another elk. I started archery hunting in 2006 and went exclusively to archery in 2007. Mostly to avoid people but I also enjoy it more. I prefer the time of year and the fact that you can hunt during the rut. The success rates for archery where I hunt are around 7%. I have shot bulls with my bow in 2008, 2012, and 2016. I have also missed 3 bulls during the years I didn't get an elk.

Our areawent to bulls only to address declining elk herds due to wolf predation 4 years ago. (I think it was 4 years ago) During the past 4 years I could have shot at 30+ cows.

So my personal success rate is 4 to 5 times higher than average for my area. I think my rate is higher because I go so much. I am fortunate enough to live where I hunt and I usually hunt around 20 days in September. Other than the first spike that someone else jumped and ran right to me I have called the other three elk into archery range. Calling isn't actually my preferred method though. If the elk are talking I prefer to let them talk and I try to move in on them. It seems like a more effective way to get into archery range on really mature bulls for me but I haven't shot one yet going that approach. I have missed a couple (bull fever) and blown a lot more close opportunities.

If you are looking to kill elk as often as possible I guess I would hunt whatever areas have the highest harvest numbers. I prefer to hunt the areas I live (north Idaho) because I know the area, have access to it, and I am OK with not getting an elk. I would rather enjoy my hunt and not get one than hunt with a bunch of other people and shoot one every year.

Last year was probably one of the best years for elk hunting I have ever had and I didn't kill one. This year was one of the worst and I shot my biggest bull.

I try to pay more attention to what I find important and for me the hunt itself is what I like. To be honest I love everything about elk hunting except actually killing them. If I could find a way to have all the experiences of the hunt and still end up with meat in the freezer and antlers on the wall without killing one I would opt for that route. I always feel a little depressed after I have shot one. But everyone is different. I would focus on what parts of your elk hunting you think need work and what parts you enjoy the most and if you do those things and keep at it success will find you. In whatever form you quantify it.