elk success

[bnsafe]

what is success you to you guys.
my first year out here i wanted to hear a bugle, see wild places, be in the mnts in the morning, camp in the mnts, an hopefully SEE an elk. killing woulda been a huge bonus. didnt happen the first year, but the hunt was a wild success because it wasnt about the kill. last year it, honestly, was more about killing an elk to be successful. i got lucky an have been \"successful\" two years in a row. this year its about helping my cousin an friend to have a good time an hopefully one of them taking there first elk. but ultimately for me its about seeing new territory an building memories. killing is a distant second.
what about you guys.

 

[bowhunter]

I guess success for me would be harvesting an elk. I plan to enjoy myself and the mountains and hunt for elk. I hope to learn a little more each year to make myself successful. I will have fun regardless of if I tag an animal or not.

 

[Swede]

Cut and wrapped meat in the freezer. The bonuses to me are new experiences, new discoveries and even antlers for the wall.

 

[Lark Bunting]

If I don\'t kill an elk this year the classified section will be full of all my crap i\'ve bought for hunting.

Just kidding. I wasted last year wandering the woods aimlessly. This year an animal down will be the only acceptable outcome for me to be successful.

 

[OldMan]

A smile on my face everyday of the hunt will mean a successful hunt. Killing will have nothing to do with the smiles.


LB....I think you\'ve put too much pressure on yourself to have a good time.

 

[Billy Goat]

for my dad (now 60) to take his first bull.

he got a cow our first year with a bow, but he\'s not yet hauled a bull home.

I\'m pairing up with him this year. should be a great memory for the both of us.

 

[Bob Frapples]

If I don\'t kill an elk this year the classified section will be full of all my crap i\'ve bought

Lol,

Tom just keep in what mind cnelk posts, \" nothing ruins an elk hunt like killing an elk\". I hope you do get to live that this year, I know what it does to a deer hunt so, I\'m looking forward to ruining my first elk hunt as well. A successful deer hunt on steroids

 

[Lark Bunting]

A smile on my face everyday of the hunt will mean a successful hunt. Killing will have nothing to do with the smiles.


LB....I think you\'ve put too much pressure on yourself to have a good time.

Good time? Huh...I have so many hours into research since walking away last year that if I don\'t get an animal I will be disappointed in myself. I am certainly my own worst critic. I am having an absolute blast doing the research but it is a bit stressful at the same time.

If I don\'t kill an elk this year the classified section will be full of all my crap i\'ve bought

Lol,

Tom just keep in what mind cnelk posts, \" nothing ruins an elk hunt like killing an elk\". I hope you do get to live that this year, I know what it does to a deer hunt so, I\'m looking forward to ruining my first elk hunt as well. A successful deer hunt on steroids

Again, I put so much pressure on myself at pretty much everything I do that being ~okay~ at something is NOT acceptable. I will be into an elk this fall. :!:

 

[bnsafe]

lark, dont get so focused on killing that you miss the fun. trust me it will ruin hunting for you

 

[ORelksniper]

A successful hunt is simply being there. Of course, I love to punch my tag and have meat in the freezer, but if I don\'t it doesn\'t ruin my hunt. In my opinion, there is nothing betterthan being in the mountains.

 

[Swede]

Lark and anyone else for that matter: If you really want an elk. have a plan that you can rely on. Just going hunting and being out in the forest is no way to advance beyond the average 10% success rate of all hunters.

 

[Lark Bunting]

Lark and anyone else for that matter: If you really want an elk. have a plan that you can rely on. Just going hunting and being out in the forest is no way to advance beyond the average 10% success rate of all hunters.

That was last year, my first year ever, and I only found out about OTC elk tags in August of last year. I really had no clue what I was doing, but we had fun!

This year I have researched something every day since the season ended. I practice my calls, read maps, forums, read books, shoot, go through packs, buy necessities, watch videos...something every day. I will be very prepared this year and will scout the area I plan to hunt at least twice before the hunt to be as prepared as possible. This year one of us will be successful.

 

[OldMan]

If you\'re not?

 

[Swede]

Still Hunter asks an interesting and thought provoking question. What if we are not successful? I think Lark and I have entirely different situations so to speak. I have a background where I have had many successes. I will rethink a few things, maybe change areas and move on. I know what success feels like, and what is necessary to get there. What does Lark do? It is easy to say, have a plan and work it, but is your plan a good one. What makes you thinks so? A man told me many years ago the first elk is the hardest to get. That first bull was a lot more luck than anything else, but I could build from there. Lark, if your plan does not work, make some changes. I know you may have a good plan, but if it doesn\'t work, try something else the next time until you get success. After that make minor adjustments and play around with your plans until you have a good idea that you have a good plan and the remainder is mostly luck.

 

[bnsafe]

lark, also, just think of it this way. i whitetail deer hunted in mo for 5 years before i killed my first big game animal. its alot easier than elk, trust me. i love your enthusiasm an would never try to dampen in, its what will keep you in the game. but dont put all your eggs in one basket, enjoy the process. or you will burn out. i know, ive been there. i quit bowhunting for about ten years cause it wasnt any fun anymore. so, keep the passion, hunt harder than you think you can, but dont use the kill as a measure of success, at least thats my opinion. best of luck to you.

 

[mainebrdr]

I bow hunt because I love doing it, not because I love killing animals, although meat in the freezer does make the experience sweeter.

Success on our elk hunt this year would include many things. My son being successful at shooting an elk would of course be at the top but would never be the only measure!

Success this year would be to have a great time with my son, learn all I can learn, get closer to a kill than last year, and come away from it all looking forward to \'15 even more than this year!

 

[rudyc]

Lark,

Just my opinion, however, I\'m thinking you are turning the wonderful adventure of elk hunting and hunting in general into a bunch of work!

Some time back on another forum you mentioned that you are very new to all hunting, not just elk hunting. I believe you are going to be missing the most important aspects of the hunt.

Please don\'t take me wrong, I\'m not just out there to \"smell the roses and watch a nice sunrise\", I like to kill and eat an animal just as much as the next guy, but going out with just the kill in mind is a great way to sour on hunting.

I ended up smacking a dandy Aspen this past season, missed the biggest bull of my life and still came away feeling I had the best elk hunt of my life.

Success is measured in many ways by many folks and if the kill is so almighty important to you, as much as I hate the idea of them and all they stand for, maybe you should just go to a flipping game farm and whack one.

 

[cohunter14]

There are two things that I look for when considering success. The first is having a safe hunt and making sure everyone in camp makes it home safely. The second is filling a tag. Like Lark, I expect myself to find a way to get it done and I am willing to outwork anyone in my camp or in my area to make sure that happens. But, if the first happens without the second and I go home empty handed, sure I will be disappointed, but it isn\'t the end of the world either. I know that no matter how hard I work and how much time and effort I put in, sometimes it just might not happen.

My advice to you, Lark, would be to keep that passion you have and that fire burning to be successful. It will help you continue to wake up in the pitch black every morning eager to get back in the woods and it will push you to keep going once you are out there. However, don\'t forget what this is truly all about: getting an opportunity to spend some time in the woods with your son away from the craziness of everyday life. You don\'t want to put the pressure of filling a tag on you and, especially, your son. That could drive him away from the sport very quickly. Instead, look to have a good time regardless of what happens and be willing to work as hard as possible to try to fill your tag. Sometimes determination and hard work just isn\'t enough to get the job done though, and you need to be aware of that. There are no guarantees when it comes to elk hunting.

Enjoy the little things like watching the sun rise, the smell of the fresh air, the beauty of the surroundings, and enjoy the time spent with your son. If you do it right, that will be something that you will get to enjoy for a very long time :upthumb:

 

[cnelk]

I took my son on his first rifle elk hunt when he was 12.
We didnt get anything, but we had a great time.
We took the time to build a fire to warm our hands, and I watched a trail while he took a nap.
There are times when you have to reflect WHY you are hunting...
When the reason of WHY are determined, the successes are obvious

 

[mtnmutt]

Excellent question, especially for those of us who have not put elk meat in the freezer yet.

Success for me is having more bow range elk encounters than the year before. Quite frankly, that is a natural high for me and why I am still doing this despite having an empty freezer.

Last year, I was fortunate that someone gave me elk and venison meat. Therefore, the bad taste of tag soup wasn\'t so bad.

Also, any day in the woods is far better than sitting at work. That is real success...vacation time in the CO mountains. If you get to share it with someone you care about, all the better.