What you wish you knew...

R

rcb46

New member
Mar 4, 2019
24
Fellas/Gals,

I just got registered and this is my first post. I have the same story of most guys from the Midwest, gonna grab a tent and a bow and have some fun in Colorado. Prob in the last week of Sept.

Would be willing to share what they wished they knew before their first time heading out after Elk? I imagine there are a lot of fine details I haven't thought about at all. Anything to make the trip more enjoyable would be appreciated.

Thanks

 
Welcome to the site rcb46 :welcome:

Great first post! I'm sure there will be a ton of folks chiming in on this one, so I'll just go with the first thing that comes to mind and that is to hunt where the elk are. Or another way of saying it is don't hunt where the elk aren't. Seems simple in theory, but what I mean by that is don't continue to spin your wheels and hunt the same area day in and day out expecting elk to all of a sudden show up. I can't tell you how many times I've done that over the years, especially early on in my elk hunting days.

My advice would be to learn as much as you can about elk and elk habitat, commit to an area as soon as you can, and start studying the area. Find as many good looking spots as you can, list them A to Z (probably not that many spots, but you get the point), and when you get there, start covering ground. You will quickly be able to mark spots off your list due to lack of sign, etc. By doing this, you are going to learn a lot about what makes a spot 'elky' and what doesn't.

To do this, know that you need to be in decent shape. I would expect to put on 6-8 miles or more a day, if possible. Do what you can to make sure you can do that continually throughout the trip.

One final piece of advice since you are hunting archery is to learn to call and be proficient enough that you are confident to make a call whenever it's necessary. That can certainly help in finding elk.

We also just had a 'Free Gear Friday' this last week where the topic was to give one elk hunting tip. It might be worth scrolling through all of those pages as well! Here's a link to that: https://www.elk101.com/forums/index.php/topic,8768.0.html
 
#1 for me?




Sloooooowwwww down!


Once I figured out to slow down in the woods, the elk just started to appear.


Resist the urge to cover as many miles as you can, but it is also a balance to find the elk in a short amount of time.



 
cnelk said:
#1 for me?




Sloooooowwwww down!


Once I figured out to slow down in the woods, the elk just started to appear.


Resist the urge to cover as many miles as you can, but it is also a balance to find the elk in a short amount of time.
Click to expand...

Fits nicely with what I was saying. Cover ground, but you don't have to be running to do it. I'm guilty of this one for sure!
 
Slowing down makes some sense. If I only knew how many whitetails I spooked walking in. plus I imagine that helps out with having a little left in the tank towards then end of a long trip.

Thanks fellas
 
Learn thermals.

As a whitetail hunter I generally focused on the prevailing winds.
Fast forward to my first elk hunt and I didn't focus as much as I should have on the thermals.

Being able to understand thermals and their patterns can help you put together game plans for your hunt.

I.E: It's 845 AM and there are 2 bedded elk 500 yards away. Thermals are doing X, but here soon they may switch and do Y.
So it's good to know these things before you try to approach.
 
DTP

What did you find was the key to the thermal switch? A specific time, temp or sun hitting a mountain side?
 
Some info about 'thermals'




Thermals should not be confused with Wind.
Thermals are driven mostly by the heating/cooling of the earth surface.
Thermals are very gentle movements of the air, sometimes almost imperceptible. Cold air sinking below the rising thermal causes a downdraft. That's why you can feel thermals in your face in one spot, then feel it on your neck in another.
Typically the thermals move DOWNSLOPE in the mornings until the air heats. When the air heats up, it mixes. After the air heats up and stabilizes, the thermals will be UPSLOPE during the day. Later in the day, as the air starts to cool, the thermals will mix again and then just before dark, they will be predominately DOWNSLOPE again
Thermals are weather dependent. You wont have any consistent thermals if a weather front is moving thru. Slope direction definitely has an impact. The sun or prevailing wind will warm one side or mix it before the other. Here's some more info regarding thermals...
Downslope wind?
1. A wind directed down a slope, often used to describe winds produced by processes larger in scale than the slope. Because this flow produces subsidence, downslope winds experience warming, drying, increasing stability, and clearing if clouds are present.
2. Flow directed down a mountain slope and driven by cooling at the earth's surface: a component of the mountain?valley or mountain?plains wind systems; same as katabatic wind. The many synonyms for downslope flow are sometimes used interchangeably, and this gives rise to ambiguity and confusion. Downslope can be used generically to denote any wind flow blowing down a slope, or it is used specifically for katabatic flows on any scale, such as the nocturnal slope-wind component of mountain?valley wind systems or mountain?plains wind systems.
 
Learn what Elk NEED during the time you are hunting.  Are they focusing primarily on food/water, security, or rutting activity?  Use that knowledge to think like an Elk and narrow down your search window.  Once you find them, use that knowledge to predict their next move, or call them in (if they are primarily focused on rutting).
 
If you?re from the Midwest, get in the best cardio shape you can.
Get a good pair of boots, your Mucks won?t work.
Practice, practice and practice with your pack on.
Listen to Brad.
What part of the Midwest are you from?
 
I have played thermals a bit hunting some hill country but nothing like what I am heading into. Kinda overwhelming.
 
I wish I knew how hard the dirt was going to be and how little the roll up thermarest was going to help on my first few hunts!


Playing on the key words "more enjoyable", to me that means getting a good nights rest. I'm a real b*&#$ without sleep!



I'd strongly suggest a good air mattress or cot(if possible).  If packing in, there are some really good options that weren't there 25 years ago.  Don't overlook the basics for the time spent in camp too.


A good balanced meal and sleep always helped me stay focused on the hunt

What Brad says.
 
More of a mountain tip than an elk hunting tip.. but here goes. Speak with your doctor about Diamox. It is a prescription drug that can help with acclimatization/acute mountain sickness which is a likely obstacle if you are coming from low elevation. It is however not a substitute for physical conditioning between now and your hunt. Good luck!
 
Be sure to include a good set of binoculars in your gear and expect to use them a whole bunch. Seems the most popular size for elk hunting the west is 10x42.

Don't put all your eggs into the elk calling basket. Remember, the good callers know what call to use, how to use it, when to use it, and how to present it or sell it to the elk. Until you get proficient at it, keep it simple. A location bugle, cow mews, and a nervous bark will probably do the trick. Don't over do it! Leave the technical stuff to the guys that know what they are doing.

Make sure your boots fit well and are broke in. Don't get hung up on brand names. Comfort and a good gripping sole are a must. I've hunted in just about everything from running shoes to leather boots to Mucks.

Your first time in the mountains can be over whelming for a flat lander. It would be nice to have a buddy for your first time or two.

Get a GOOD compass, GPS, and maps of the area you intend to hunt. And know how to use all three of them!
 
I was out for my first time last year.  My #1 would be onx maps.  I had a gps with me but I never turned it on. Download the areas your gonna hunt onto the app on you phone go into airplane mode and go after them.
 
Get in great shape, spend money on a pack and boots, learn to call, use GPS mapping system on your phone, and don't fall in love with one spot on google earth.  The key to success is being mobile and changing locations frequently.  I would also purchase the University of Elk Hunting here at this site if you haven't already done it.
Good luck!
 
Thanks a lot. Looks like I am doing everything I can for now. I am having a hard time deciding on boots for my big flat feet. I don't want to get out there and regret a decision...
 
rcb46, if you've got a comfortable pair of tennis shoes, take them.  Not advocating for them to be your hunting 'boots' but I got horrible blisters trying to figure out which boot fit my long, skinny foot with enough arch support. 


In order to truly test them out, you need to be in the same environment for the same amount of time.  My tests were hikes around town and short ones in the mountains...thinking they fit just fine.  Ended up missing some of a hunt due to not being able to walk for the blisters but my sneakers let me at least get out of camp.


That said, take some mole skin too - a little piece in your backpack could really help.
 
For me it would be to take the first good shot opportunity you get. I called in a big 6x6 the first year I was elk hunting. He came in to 10 yards and stood behind a tree with his vitals covered. I held at full draw with my old martin lynx bow with 50% let off till I couldn't hold it any longer and he saw me let down and ran off. I had several opportunities to shoot broadside as he walked in and then above me at ranges of anywhere from 40 to 10 yards but I was waiting for him to walk out past one last tree which is the tree he stopped behind. He was wide open for a long time before he got to that tree but I was sure he would just keep walking.
 
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