Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Best Elk hunting advice?

OnX to reply to the original point; Avenza is another good one. There are all kinds of places in the West to go elk hunting. You can't hunt them all and none is an "obvious" or "perfect pick." So pick a state that has a season and license structure that works for you (Montana works for us--relatively close by so we could go back if it worked out, later in the year but not too late--but YMMV)

but the point about the dark is a great one. I was uncomfortable in the woods in the dark until an afternoon chasing a herd of elk around became an exhilarating evening walk in the snowy cold to get back to a road and picked up. Now I don't even think about it anymore.

Condolences for your loss. Bringing peace to mind and soul comes from within, but IMO getting your body out into the woods sure can give that process a head start. My only advice - keep the breeze in your face and enjoy!

Enough but most bulls take to private after rifle starts then later they move to wintering ground.
I would pick any area other than 7 personally, well not 6 either.

Reduced price cow tag might be obtainable in Wyoming, no PPs needed.

Sorry for your loss friend.
Have you looked up Elk101?
I don’t know where you have been applying last 3 years to build points or where you’re willing to go.

But The best advice I can give you is make few plans. just in case plan A or B don’t work out.
Also just go out there and do it. Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good. Try to hunt OTC areas that are close or similar area/terrain That you are applying for. This way you get to go out and put miles on the boots and Learn the area, elk behavior and what not.
Sorry wish I could help more

If a guy's really serious about hunting elk, he needs to move to a good elk state. The non-res tag situation in many states is getting out of hand.

This.

The other suggestions have all been valid, but not if you don't have a tag....

hahaha

1st sorry about your loss Elkmaster may She rest in Peace, and be with Jesus and her family and friends that have passed.

Nice to see where you are going in the dark, and it's really nice to have two free hands when you are skinning out big game in the pitch dark. I always have one of these when I am out in the bush.

There are opportunities to be successful on public land. You most likely wont connect on a big bull but you will get to elk hunt.

Decide your state to hunt.

Take the entire season off

Buy good gear

Use googleearth, onx, call local game and fish office

Practice shooting

Get an atv or sxs if you dont have one

Archery season is way easier to find them, i didn't say to shoot them

Advice. I can add this. Hunting in Montana this year early one morning I was winded by two bulls at a staggering distance.
You cannot give their noses nor the wind enough respect.

Osky

When I was young and wanted to learn about Elk Hunting an Old fellow told me to "carry a big screen to sift thru all the Bull [bleep]".

As stated above, hunt where the elk are.

Or where they are heading once everyone shows up. [bow hunting]

Just go and you learn as you go. Be in good shape and understand what you need to be safe in the backcountry and just get after it

Very true. I started elk hunting with a friend in ‘87, and took the last of 12 or 13 in ‘2018. So,~ 30 years, while probably hunting 20 of those. Between time constraints, drawing tags as a NR, etc., one is really limited. Especially when you are younger and working.

I’m grateful for the opportunities I’ve had, but never got my fill of what I think is one of the greatest game animals there is. The country is also usually grand, and the hunting so suits rifle and cartridge nuts.

Tough to beat.

Very true. I moved to Colorado in 74 because I could not get an elk tag every year in New Mexico. I missed very few seasons while living here.Probably less than 3-4. I killed a lot of elk, but now I am pretty much done with it. Age and health caught with me, but it's been a hell of a run. 45 elk hunts isn't bad, not counting NM hunts and one in Alberta

I would just add to the above to be in absolutely the best physical condition you can possibly be in.

You'll get more out of your hunt & have a much better chance of killing a decent elk.

Never been fortunate enough to have an easy elk hunt.

MM

I would NOT waste your money with OnX. GoHunt now has mapping, so you can get your draw stats and GPS in one.

All my schit is saved in OnX, though, so…..

Best advice beyond getting in good physical condition and knowing your equipment (rifles, pack, boots - have all your 'stuff' dialed before you go): NEVER QUIT.

I see guys hunt hard for 2-3 days, get tired, discouraged from not seeing elk and start sleeping in, hunting close to camp, go into town - everything but hunt hard. I've killed more elk later in the week than I have early in the week.

Case in point: I didn't get drawn for a bull tag last year. We decided to do a cow hunt. Easy right? Cows, hell they're behind every aspen right?

I was preaching all week to a newbie to never give up. We simply weren't seeing elk, lots sign but limited sightings. I knew if we kept at it, our "luck" would change. It did Thurs at 2:00 in the afternoon. I literally went to a high spot at 1:00 and sent a text to the guys in camp that animals seemed to be moving and I was going to X to spend the rest of the day. On the way I ran into 6-7-8 cows. One came back to TN. These were the first elk I laid eyes on in 6 days. It seems the harder, I try the luckier I get.......

Don’t let failure get you down.

Statistically speaking, the % of elk hunting success is around 17%. Out of that 17%, probably 80% of those guys are regular hunters that kill elk every year.

20% of 17% is 3.4%.

So you can see that odds of going to a state that has elk and getting one is not as probable as the outdoor magazines might lead you to believe.

That’s about the best distilled down and straight forward advice I’ve seen in print. We have killed more towards the end than ever on the front end.

If you can afford it, hire a proven outfitter.
IME success rates near 100%.

Yup.

If you're not playing the wind, you're not hunting elk; you're just out walking around with your gun.