I\'d like to know.....

[iccyman001]

Before we had all these new day advances like tree stands, calls, and slip systems, men were still killing elk.

If all of these advantages disappeared today; what is one skill, mindset, rule of thumb, or hunting strategy would you go to immediately.

Food sources? Bedding areas? Hunt rubs? Hunt scrapes? Look for does and wait for the bulls?


If you were all raised in a hunting family or you plan to pass something on down to your kids, what is that one key thing that you would use or pass on to get the job done.



I am a firm believer on building a solid foundation as a hunter and it\'s the basics that make us grow.
You wouldn\'t tell a new elk hunter to buy a call set if they have never even heard an elk in the field. You also wouldn\'t tell someone to just spot and stalk an elk if they have never set foot in the woods.


So again... What is your one thing.



I am a newbie, your son, or you 20 years ago listening to your dad and grampa....

What am I learning right now.

 

[JohnFitzgerald]

I was raised to be a still hunter. The first memories are hunting with my dad, quietly walking through the woods stopping every 10 steps to look and listen. So, the first day of season this year I taught my son the same thing. This produced a bear sighting at 100 yards. Then day 2 was cold calling tactics.

Not every elk can be called in or fooled by ambush. Best tactic for newbies to learning is how to silently move through the woods and key into natures clues.

 

[F M]

Dan when I started hunting whitetails 37 years ago everyone told me they have to eat. They can get water from allot of things so hunt the food.
I am teaching my girls how to figure out travel routes to feeding and bedding areas and how to hunt them. Where I elk hunt now I hunt the same way.

 

[iccyman001]

John, that is one of the first things I was taught too. It has been very effective throughout the years, I still use it to this day!
I like to still hunt while exploring or scouting new areas during a season.

My fianc? and I did it this weekend and got within 27 yards of two does...
I just was too busy looking at her instead of for deer :crazy:

Does 1... Dan 0..

 

[iccyman001]

Francis, I learned the hard way about how many different ways they can get water.
I used to hunt just near small ponds and creeks and would never see deer.

Then I learned how simple it is for them to get water from stuff like dew on grass or other items like that.


I think teaching travel routes and understanding them is VERY important.

 

[cnelk]

I learned tracking and sign.
Event tho tracks and sign are \'past tense\', they are quite valuable when you learn to read them for freshness and amount.

I don\'t go anywhere in the woods or drive down the trails without looking for tracks or sign.
And that is what I\'m teaching my kids

 

[Swede]

The biggest advantage I believe I have is persistence. I would say you will not learn to hunt well or get game if you are not out there.

 

[Zpd307]

dan, i am a believer in woodsmanship. ie, still hunting, reading sign and being able to find bedding travel routes and feeding areas. i am not a great caller and havent used it to get me into elk encounters, but i have been able to get into them. so, first of all, being able to quietly navigate the woods is the key. stomp around and you will never see anything....

 

[otcWill]

dan, i am a believer in woodsmanship.\"

This. If you know the animals and know the mountains well, add persistence and you\'ll be successful on most elk hunts.

 

[OldMan]

Sure are a lot of still hunters here.


John......10 steps?? I stop every step.

 

[Zpd307]

2-3 steps is all i take at a time, especially when those pine needles are so dang crunchy. i was able to get within 20 yards off a bull that i was stalking before he got up. long story, i was going after what i saw was a patch of fur through the brush, he wasnt it. he was off to the right.... even then i heard him slowly get up, he didnt run off. unfortunately it was thick enough that he had plenty of cover so that i never saw him leave. i tried calling but i only heard one twig break and never saw him then either.
i was talking to my neighbor last night. he took his middle daughter out to colorado for rifle elk. he stated they only saw a doe, and that was because she had started running away. i couldnt help thinking that the reason they didnt see anything was because they were making so much noise and not truly paying attention, that everything left before they could see or hear it.....

 

[iccyman001]

I usually take 1-2 steps, stop, then look. I am in no rush, so I just take my time. It\'s very peaceful.

 

[F M]

Lots of good answers. Put them together and you have a great plan for your hunt. There are many different strategies for hunting that work for different hunters.

 

[AndyJ]

Like a lot of you I would say the most important skill that is probably the oldest skill in hunting is how to develop a woods sense. I don\'t know what else to call it. After 26 years of hunting I feel like I am finally able to move through terrain like a predator and effectively spot animals before they spot me. I took some total bowhunting newbies this year for a couple days and it was then that I realized what a difficult skill this is. Moving quietly and maintaining sharp focus when hours or days have passed without action is really tough and even tougher to teach. When I catch myself getting sloppy and losing focus I always tell myself ,\"It can all change in a second\". I think you need to get caught by surprise or bump a few animals a couple times before you realize the action really can happen any second. Developing a \"spidey sense\" goes along with this. Just having that feeling that something is about to happen or having the feeling that animals are in a certain area seems almost impossible to teach, but IMO is one of the most important skills a hunter can have.

I wholeheartedly agree with all those who have said persistence. I\'ll expand on that and say a hard work ethic. I\'m a good elk hunter, not great, there are a lot of guys who are much better than I am. I know at least a few of them are on this site. But as a farm kid and a self employed carpenter I have an exceptional work ethic. It may sound bad but when I am hunting I treat it like I treat a job. I work my butt into the ground and it always pays off. Because of my hard work ethic, I always find elk and I have found a lot of big bulls in areas where people said they didn\'t exist.

 

[iccyman001]

Great response Andy.

I agree that it\'s so tough to teach \"green feet\" new guys that skill. It\'s rough because you want to show them how important it is, but at the same time a lot of them need to learn on their on. Add that up with the fact that you are trying to show them a good time and its just difficult!

Some people just get it and others don\'t.


I think your work ethic play a big part with who you are. The people who I have met that are hard workers are hard hunters and vice versa.
Then the people who I have noticed may be a little lazier tend to road hunt or sit over a feeder.

The biggest thing I always tell myself is I will get what I put in. If I give it my all, I will have a good time.
If I dog my hunt, the results will most likely follow and then I\'d probably dwell on it for not giving it my all.


SO that\'s why it\'s 110% every time...

 

[Zpd307]

yep, walk around in the woods with a couple of green foots and you will real quick how much of a skill it is to still hunt... it can be real frustrating.

 

[JohnFitzgerald]

Sure are a lot of still hunters here.


John......10 steps?? I stop every step.

Still - Do you enter this 1 step mode as soon as you enter the woods or only when you get into an elky area?

 

[Zpd307]

i will admit, that until i get into elky areas, i am a 10 step guy, maybe more of a 5-6.

 

[Glacier Country]

I learned tracking and sign.
Event tho tracks and sign are \'past tense\', they are quite valuable when you learn to read them for freshness and amount.

I don\'t go anywhere in the woods or drive down the trails without looking for tracks or sign.
And that is what I\'m teaching my kids

I think that pretty much sums up what I do. Then,I apply the little bit of stealth that I possess.

 

[razorback]

Just read this post. No wonder I didn\'t see but one elk. I\'m not that stealthy in the woods. Never have been. For WTs always been a treestand hunter. For turkeys run and gun and relied on calling. Kind of thought elk would be like turkeys. I did walk up on a lot mule deer that I could have put arrows in and tried to be stealthy with the wind in my face at all times.