Elk hunting newbie mistakes

[americanbwana]

Let\'s hear your stories about your or someone you saw (or looks like you) newbie elk hunting mistakes.

Here is ONE of mine (I could write a book on some of mistakes I\'ve made). If I did it would be called \'ElkRSafe\'s playbook. Written by the BL. Elk\'

Anyway, this is a continuation from another post.

And the story continues. The \'bull\' started working down wind of us inside the trees on the opposite side of the park. My buddy and I decide we\'d cut him off at the pass (There was actually a pass there). We kept working down our side of the park, occasionally calling to make sure the \'elk\' was still there. Eventually we moved far enough down the park to spot a few tents set up where we had heard our elk. Dang it was a two legged elk.

That night we received about 4 inches of wet snow. The next morning I went back over toward that camp, and discovered they were vacant. No people foot prints. Double dag nab it.

Later that afternoon, an old timer setup camp next to us. Being good neighbors we invited him over. He brought his map over and showed us where they had taken elk up there over the last decade. When asked about the ridge where we heard our \'elk\' he said it one of the early season hot spots, and they\'ve a few elk over there.

Moral of the story. Make sure your elk isn\'t the two legged kind before giving up.

 

[cohunter14]

I think the biggest mistakes I have made had to do with hunting in areas that would more than likely not hold elk. It is easy, as a newbie, to see a bunch of old elk sign while scouting and think it is a great spot to hunt. But if that sign is on a winter range, you probably aren\'t going to see them there until very late in the year. This also goes for some hunting areas that appear \'elky\'. They might have some scattered sign through them, but in all reality an elk or two might have passed through there at some point, but they are not frequenting the area.

I am amazed at how many hours/days/seasons I wasted in my earlier years by hunting places that I literally had no chance at seeing an elk (or a very minimal chance). I would say for a beginner, understanding elk behavior and where they typically hang out and why they hang there is extremely important. This is even more important for rifle hunters than archery I believe, simply because you don\'t have the benefit of hearing a bugle that could give away a bulls location. You have to put yourself in the right positions or you will never see an elk.

 

[cnelk]

My post count is really gonna go up when I contribute to this thread with all of my mistakes...

 

[cnelk]

Mistake #1
Not getting to the hunting spot early enough.

There is a fine line of getting there too early and too late.
I like to be in my spot 30 minutes before shooting light.
That way if a hear a bugle in the distance, I still have time to move in that direction before he moves.
Too late and I will never catch up to him

 

[cohunter14]

I see Brad already starting to number his, so I guess I can add more than one

1) Not being ready to take a shot. I have missed out on a couple of elk over the years by either waiting to long to take a shot or not being ready to take a shot when I have had the opportunity. This is in regards to rifle hunting, but I am sure it can apply to archery as well.
2) Giving up. This kind of goes with what Brad said about not waking up early enough. It is easy to get down after a few days in the woods and not seeing anything. But you HAVE to force yourself to stay positive and to get out of bed in the morning. You only get so many days to hunt, you have to take advantage of all of them. You also have to remember that every day that goes by without seeing elk, you are getting that much closer to finding the elk by eliminating areas that they are not in.
3) Kind of goes with #2, but hunt the first daylight of the morning and hunt the last minutes of daylight in the evening. These are the best times to hunt and while it is easy to sleep in or head back to camp early, you need to take advantage of these times.
4) Not being confident in compass and map work. If you are worried about getting lost, you will always be held back.
5) Not having good, comfortable and WATERPROOF boots. That can ruin a hunt really quick.

I am sure I will come up with more...

 

[cnelk]

Mistake #2

Setting up BEHIND a bush or tree.

I got that T-shirt!
The first instinct is to be concealed. But all it does is hamper your movements and shot.
Sit in front or beside the cover. Just be still.
The elk will not pay any attention to you, when they are moving in.

 

[cnelk]

Mistake #3

Not knowing when to be ready.

Example:
Last fall my son went to sit in one of our treestands early evening.
He got up and all settled in, waiting intently for an elk.
After about an hour or so, his focus waned so he layed his bow across the limb and started not paying attention.
He gave a cow call every once in awhile.
Not 15 min later, a big fat cow comes trotting in to him and she trotted right on by at 15yds looking for the elk she heard.

He wasnt ready. He watched her slip away.

I told him that when you first get to your stand [or spot] thats the time to set your bow/gun down, and get comfortable, enjoy nature. Let the woods calm down after you walk in.
After time passes, and evening nears, that is the time to pick up your bow and concentrate your energy to hunting

 

[Deertick]

I\'m with coelkhunter14 ... I can\'t believe the years I hunted areas with no elk.

 

[americanbwana]

Not taking the time to look around before moving to get up after a calling session or break. Break out the bino\'s and look into the tree\'s to see if anything is hung up out there.

+1 on setting up behind a tree. Just one of the t-shirts I have.

 

[Colorado_Lew]

Take the time to look behind you once in awhile.
Also listen for the sound of a hoof hitting the ground.
I called in a bull one night for a newbie that came running in from behind him.
It stood about 6 yards away from him and when I finally got the guys attention to turn around the bull busted him.
The guy told me he had heard the bull running in but didn\'t think it was an elk!

 

[bowhunter]

My first mystakes were hunting where elk were not. I also didn\'t find them because I hunted them like whitetail. Still Hunter can probably relate to my speed. I have followed whitetail through the woods 20-30 yds behind them and they didn\'t know I was there. I have still hunted to 20yds of many deer and a few other animals in plain view and not been spotted. 30 Minutes to go 30yds sometimes. I did not find elk because I didn\'t cover enough ground. Elk make noise traveling through the timber. You don\'t have to be as quiet as a mouse.

You have to find them to hunt them.

 

[Jaquomo]

Getting to where the elk (were) too late in the morning, leaving to head back to camp too early in the evening

Stillhunting bedding areas during mid-day. I never realized how far scent carries, how many eyes there are with a herd of bedded elk, and how they can vacate an area without my even knowing it so I kept hunting an area with \"warm\" sign after I\'d unwittingly blown them into the next unit.

Not setting up the shooting opportunity before it occurred. Too many times I realized I should have shot after the opportunity passed.

 

[OldMan]

I forgot toilet paper once.

Big mistake.

 

[timberland]

Forced the situation on a six pt I think I could have killed last year. Cold called and waited about a half hour. When I moved up the drainage a hundred yards I stumbled upon him raking. I was within 80 yds so I dove behind abush and cow called. He pegged me and wouldn\'t move an inch. I was so close and so surprise d that I was sure he saw me. Had I waited and watched for a minute or two i could have made a stalk or set up better and assessed the situation.