Free Gear Friday (3/1/19)

I have quickly learned to be aggressive. I think it is extremely important to not be so concerned about blowing opportunity and more concerned about creating an opportunity. This heavily applies to the type  elk hunting I do. (10 day trips)

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Get into better shape physically. The mountains won?t take it easy on you. I would say start getting prepared as soon as possible and work all the way up to the day your hunt starts. You won?t regret it.
 
Do lots of scouting in multiple spots even if it?s just e-scouting and keep up to date with weather and fires. You don?t want to get to your spot and find that it?s engulfed in flames or the only road to get there has been washed out. Have spots a-z in your game plan.
 
Do not give up and when frustrated, do not make dumb mistakes like believing no elk are in the area. Soon as you believe no elk are around, you bump a nice bull or a heard while tromping back to camp or truck.
 
My tip is to just go and do it.  You cant be successful if you don't go.  I just hit the big 40 and last year was my first year hunting elk.  I really wish I would have started earlier. But I am where I am and now I don't want to miss out another year. 
 
Wind, wind, wind. Every elk I have been a part in harvesting was done while knowing wind direction due to frequent checking. Most have been still hunting, others spot and stalk, and 1 a successful planned wind bump.
 
Know your nutritional requirements before heading into the backcountry. The last thing you want to do is run out of food and have to cut a hunt short. Also the better your nutrition is the better your body will perform.
 
Anytime you are going to let out a location bugle make sure you are properly concealed. One time during a morning walk I stopped to take a break and let out a location bugle. I had dropped my pack and set my bow on top of it. As I listened for a response to my bugle I looked up and a bull was 60 yards away broadside looking in my direction. I couldn't do anything. At a minimum I should have had an arrow knocked and put myself next to a tree or some brush before bugling. Lesson learned!
 
Okay, so I'm far from an elk pro here, but her is tip from a midwestern hunter on a budget. I want to hunt elk every fall, but NR Tag prices don't allow it for me when you factor in gas, gear, and food budget. My buddy and I have started alternating years with a tag. One year I get a tag and he calls and hauls for me, and the next year he gets a tag and I call and haul for him. We found that if we both have a tag and one gets a bull midweek our hunt was basically over anyway by the time we packed it out and got it on ice.


Probably not the tip or tactic that was expected here but for those that have to travel to hunt elk, want to do it every year, and are on a budget, find a good hunting buddy that will work as hard to get you a bull as you will for him, and go enjoy the mountains every year!👍
 
If you feel like its a bad set up then adjust it or back out completely. No sense in going forward on a bad set up and seeing two bulls come in at once and bust you before you had an opportunity. In this situation I knew the wind was wrong, but I thought the elk would be within range before he busted me, I was wrong.
 
Don't worry if you let out the perfect mallard call when trying to bring in a bull.  Elk have different pitches/sounds just like humans so if you don't sound like the bull on the video think of him as the opera singer with the perfect voice.  Not all elk make the cut to be on the video - watch youtube videos of large groups and listen to their varied vocalization.
 
Always play the wind. Know the thermals in the area your hunting and plan your strategy accordingly. Sometimes you might need to take a chance and let the elk think he has the wind in his favor, but in reality your scent is just on the edge of where the elk will be and will hopefully present a shot opportunity before he winds you.
 
Get a tag before heading out. Can?t kill one without that.


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This is not necessarily an elk hunting tip, but a safety precaution. We need to be careful how we utilize our masking scents. We need to be sure that while trying to give ourselves an advantage on elk that we are not putting ourselves at risk. One time when I was in southern Colorado I put some elk urine on my boot. While walking I stumbled onto a sleeping bear. The bear wouldn't back off and I could see him sniffing hard trying to figure out what I was. It was at that point I realized I had elk urine on my boots. The confrontation ended fine for both of us but I often wonder how close I was to something really bad happening. It was a careless mistake and ill never do that again.
 
Constantly be checking your equipment when in the field and make sure nothing is broken or happend to it while walking through brush. If possible have an extra string for your bow that?s already set up so you can change it out if you are capable and have a portable bow press in the truck.
 
Statistics leading you to an area/unit/season are a great tool - but don't overlook fringe areas.  It has been my experience that time spent with boots on the ground in areas with lower densities leads to less hunting pressure and an increased amount of time hunting can overcome the relatively fewer amount of arrows.
 
Even as a neewbie, if you call be ready for elk to respond.  Even if you do t hear a thing, be ready.  I learned as a new guy that elk would respond to my calls and they can be dead silent.  Didn?t fill a tag but am taking this course and ready to try again getting after the rosies.
 
In order to be successful hunting you have to go hunting. Don?t worry about having the best equipment or the latest clothing. It doesn?t matter if your camo doesn?t match, or your bow is 10 yrs old. The elk don?t care. Just go hunt and that is success in its self. Good luck to everyone this year!!
 
  Trust your instincts. If you?re seeing fresh sign and it feels ?elky?, slow down and consider how elk might use the terrain to their advantage. Use technology or paper maps to your advantage in the moment (but be careful of glare). An aerial on OnX can be a great way to anticipate a bull?s approach in the moment.
 
  Hunt your way off the mountain and avoid switching over to ?hiking mode? and shutting off your hunting brain or you just might blow a great opportunity. On this note, elk are not always as far as possible from every road and human access. Sometimes they?re just holed up in overlooked spots (that are usually overlooked for good reason, because they suck to get into.) My buddy missed a nice bull 100 yards from the truck in 2014, the bull was chasing cows.
 
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