Hunting Forum

So what?  That's the end of the savvy?  No one got anything to add to hunt'n the elusive Wapiti?

Dean
H2O

Hunting Elk in a rainforest; ya haven't experienced it till ya had rain running down the crack of your *** 30 minutes out of camp. Formerly a Roosevelt Elk hunter on the Washington coast, now hunting them Rocky Mtn. ones, in Wyoming.

I want to thank everyone that added his savvy to the thread.  I also know that there is lots more info savvy elk hunters could add.  Each of us has observed there regular habits, many have detailed minor habits.  Each observation relayed here, I believe, has helped someone 'new' to hunting the elusive Wapiti, and benefited those of us 'savvy' and still learning Elk hunters.

Thank you all for your post and answers.  And thanks to 'ALL' for your questions.  Truly do hope the info here has/will help someone!!!

Dean
H2O

Hunting Elk in a rainforest; ya haven't experienced it till ya had rain running down the crack of your *** 30 minutes out of camp. Formerly a Roosevelt Elk hunter on the Washington coast, now hunting them Rocky Mtn. ones, in Wyoming.

I,ve gotten a few ideas from here and I've been chasin em a while now. One thing I know that I didn't see here but may have missed is the fact that they respond to calls differently than they used to. Conditioning I guess. I notice the same thing with any other critter that hears calls all the time.
I Trap

I went out looking yesterday. I found one waterhole that appears to have about 6-8 elk watering at it and one maybe two mulies. The size of the mulie tracks appear to be bucks as I had to look twice to make sure they were not calf elk.. It appeared 4-5 elk come into the tank from one way and two come in from a different way. I think the two are bulls and the 4-6 are a band of cows/calfs.

I think that is where I am going to hunt if I don't find a better place as the road is a pain to get down. The tank is five miles from pavement with a forest service dead end road sign at the beginning. and with that little sign, both elk and dead end, I might not have company. There is also the perfect ambush place to watch the tank, 100 yard shot maximum with a deep saddle 50 yards to the west. If  I hunt there I will post a picture of it.

The wife is also getting upset with the elk calls in the house so I took them with me and got a response to a bugle at 1 pm and it is just the beginning of August, not even close to rut time. The only difference here are all the east slopes are open and the west slopes have the trees on them..

Once known as 3does,1buck pre-"upgrade" : It is better to rule than to serve.

Sounds like you found the perfect honeyhole Todd!  It sounds like a great spot, especially for your muzzleloader.  I hope we can find a couple spots like that over in the Gila for the 2010 hunt, especially for your daughter!

 

Topgun----30-06 NAHC LM NWTF NRA US Army Vet Corp SP5 68-71

WOW Thank you guys for this post. I eventually want to go on a DIY elk hunt, so it was time to start the learning. This is a great place to start. My first of probably many questions is what state would you recommend for a first time rookie looking to go elk hunting?

Hi there Don,.. first off welcome to the wonderful world of Wapiti huntin',... and YES this thread that good ol' Dean started up is a great start to the learning process. There are plenty of years combined hunting encased withing just this one thread.

Now,.. let me suggest something to you. Just about every year now for the last 6 there has been an organized elk hunt and get together (GT) held in the great state of Idaho.  It has been started by a fellow life member who resides in the state and would be PERFECT for you to attend. This year Brother Ray won't be having it due to some unforeseen circumstances but I'd be willing to bet that next year (October 2010) he will resume the tradition. This is a DIY style hunt BUT,.. there are normally enough regulars that attend that can pass on info, share hunting styles and  techniques, and some are even willing to take a newcomer under their wing. AND,.. the tags are over the counter, first come first served so you won't have to wonder IF you get a tag or not like in a draw style.

If you go to the life members thread and look for the sub-thread called "6th Annual Idaho Elk Hunt and GT" and read through it,... and then use the website's "search" engine for the 5th annual one and read through that, you will get an idea of what I'm talking about.  Once you get there if you go, Ray takes all of the new people (and some of the repeats go as well) out to the areas that elk are normally found and give you a point in the right direction.


After all of the different areas are shown and discussed to some length the rest is up to you.

Have yourself a good read, the 5th GT thread is quite lengthy! If interested you will have a whole year to get yourself ready for the hunt of your lifetime.

Good Luck to you!



. There's room for all Gods creatures,.. right next to the taters' an' gravy! ,.........
. Shoot Straight & Stay Safe ! ,..........
. Terry Webster,...
. NAHC Life Member,.
. NAFC Life Member,
. RMEF Sponsoring Member,..
. SCI Member,..
. Michigan Sportsman's Assoc.,
. NRA Life Member,..
. US Army - Nam' Veteran SGT E-5 1970-72 1st/327th /101st AB

That is awesome. Just the thing I was hoping for. There's nothing like having experienced people helping you out. It beats the way I learned to hunt deer almost all trial and error, mostly error, but then that is the way we learn....and half the fun. It always helps to have someone point you in the right direction. Hopefully it'll be on for next year. Thanks again to everyone sharing their knowledge and expertise.

This thread will probably get longer shortly as right now everybody is probably hunting or getting close to their elk hunts. Hopefully one day I can get up to that get together as it sounds like it is awesome. Right now with school age children it is hard to get away for any length of time, especially out of state. I have been pouring over maps and getting out to the area I plan on hunting as much as time and money will allow.  Seems like I have one or the other but not both at the same time. Welcome aboard dondon 1!

Once known as 3does,1buck pre-"upgrade" : It is better to rule than to serve.

I would like to thank all who have posted here. As a new elk hunter. once in Mt. and this year in Ky. I have found this thread to be very interesting and helpfull> Thank you all!! Rick

Well, I'm back.  Awesome season!  I was into Elk every weekend (that's a first, in long while.)  They where bugling early, first weekend.  Think it peaked here last weekend?  Got rifle season yet to fill my tag, but truly awesome just being out there with them this time of year!!!!!!!

Made some mistakes this season, thought I'd pass em along.

1. Moving to fast thru a bedding area: Twice this season I busted right into em in an area I knew was a good bedding area, though I'd never been there before.  definition: Bedding area, thicker timber, relativly flat, tipacally on north or east facing slopes or ridge tops.  I intentionally circled around the areas so I could come in down wind, and after a couple of hours found myself just walking, instead of hunting.  Busted into both bunches at less than 40 yards.
2. Chased the wrong bull: 10 minutes before shooting light, I wasn't 30 yards from the truck when I heard a bull bugle.  I answered, and a second bugled back, first one sounded off again.  I called again, and a third one answered in the direction I planned to hunt.  I went after the third one.  First two where at a quartering wind, #3 was up wind and in the direction I planned on hunting.  Never found him or any other Elk that morning.  That evening I circled around to where I had heard the first two.  Elk tracks and droppings everywhere, worked my way to the ridge line, they where screaming just below me, seven or eight bulls.  End of day light ended that hunt.  (Lesson: I had headed off after a satellite bull, first two were close together and more likely closer to the main herd.  Though more work and distance to cover, I should have circled around to get the wind in my favor and pursued the first two.
3. Don't know what I did wrong? (maybe some of you Elk savvy hunters can help me out?)  I was hunting a series of small ponds, with bedding ares in between.  Jumped a bunch at about 40 yards.  They went left, with sage brush below I expected them to turn and move up.  Had the wind in my favor so I moved up and side hill to the next pond.  No sign, so I continued side hill to the next water source.  Ton of track both into and out of the watering hole, on four different trails.  I was above and left of where I'd last seen the Elk.  Decided to set up. Put up a small, light weight blind I carry in my pack and hunkered down.  After a couple of hours, I stood up to stretch....Elk, Elk to my left.....  Dropped back down behind the blind and got ready.  They were coming right at me, about 40 yards out they turned and took the trail headed up.  I just knew they were coming to water, so I held tight. (and watched em all go by, just out of range.)  After it was quiet, I tried cow calling, and then bugling.  A couple of bulls answered the bugle, but they where way up the hill by now and it was getting dark.  So I packed up and headed back to the truck.  On the way down I followed their tracks coming up.  They had followed the water source up.  No need to water were I was sitting.  Only thing I can think of I did wrong was setting up on the trail to the water, should have maybe set up where the four trails came together?  Guess that's Elk hunting!

Dean
H2O

Hunting Elk in a rainforest; ya haven't experienced it till ya had rain running down the crack of your *** 30 minutes out of camp. Formerly a Roosevelt Elk hunter on the Washington coast, now hunting them Rocky Mtn. ones, in Wyoming.

Well, back again.  Was into Elk about every other day during the rifle season.  Passed on shots at small bulls an cows.  Helped pack out a couple, and just enjoyed the hunt.  Come on 2010!!!  Can't wait to get out there again!!!

Dean
H2O

Hunting Elk in a rainforest; ya haven't experienced it till ya had rain running down the crack of your *** 30 minutes out of camp. Formerly a Roosevelt Elk hunter on the Washington coast, now hunting them Rocky Mtn. ones, in Wyoming.

Morning all,..

I had a GREAT time hunting the hills of Wyoming with Dean, saw plenty of elk and elk sign while out there. The areas we were in were alive with mulies, and speed goats as well. Life was abundant everywhere.

We were also greeted with a surprise amount of snow the day we headed out to put up camp and had to backtrack to a different area that we weren't counting on for the first day in until the snow had melted a bit so we could reset in our original planned area. I over did it the very 1st day of the hunt and pulled a groin muscle (ouch!) and had to lay low for a few days to mend up plus the altitudes we were hunting in played havoc with me in those uphill climbs but I still enjoyed my time out in the hills,.. Wyoming is BEAUTIFUL country !

We got to hook up with "Skud" and some of his gang while out there,... a great bunch of guys (and gals) we all got the chance to pass some hunting information with each other, and even got to hear the story about "Miss Kitty and her cubs".

As always,.. this elk hunt for me was yet another learning experience in the many ways of the Wapiti. I'd again like to thank Dean and his wife for all the Western hospitality, and Tom and his gang for sharing their campfire a couple nights with us,....

I'LL BE BACK !

. There's room for all Gods creatures,.. right next to the taters' an' gravy! ,.........
. Shoot Straight & Stay Safe ! ,..........
. Terry Webster,...
. NAHC Life Member,.
. NAFC Life Member,
. RMEF Sponsoring Member,..
. SCI Member,..
. Michigan Sportsman's Assoc.,
. NRA Life Member,..
. US Army - Nam' Veteran SGT E-5 1970-72 1st/327th /101st AB

Finally finished this long & wonderful thread... a ton of great information and I hope to use some of what I remember next week for 4th Season here in Colorado to try & fill my cow tag this year.

 

Thanks to all who provided & shared your knowledge with those of us that haven't been doing it nearly as long...  This is amazingly-good information that just can't be found anywhere else!

 

Thanks again - good luck and safe hunting to all!

 

P.S. I'll try to get back on here and share what I remembered, what worked, or didn't... and share the result of my hunt too.

“Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself! They are the... people’s Liberty Teeth... under Independence." - George Washington // NAHC Life Member / NRA Member / U.S. Army Vet

So - I have another item to share.

Not something I learned this season, but something that I experienced again this season.

Know the territory that you are hunting as intimately as you can. Know each stand of trees. Forest Service Maps, and especially Google Earth are extremely valuable.

I killed a cow this year, and here is how.

Another Hunter and I got a late start leaving camp in the morning. And as we were driving to the area we wanted to hunt in the truck, a Cow and Calf jumped from the stream bottom up onto the road in front of us and crossed the road not 50ft ahead of the truck. We did exit the vehicle and quickly climb the hill to try and get the elk.

Well we didn't get a clear shot and the elk really just disappeared.

I told my hunting buddy to not be upset about it, that those elk could only go a few places - and we had a good chance in running into them again, and the place they most likely could end up is where we were planning to hunt.

We went on with our original plan, and we were doing what I call an unorthodox hunt, we were hunting areas that were mostly pockets of trees in mostly open areas. We hunted two miles from the truck hitting every stand of trees, some of the pockets of trees you could see around, some you could see through. Some were as few as 30 trees on a sage brush hill. We hit nine of these pockets and had traveled 2.7 miles total before we were coming to the last stand of trees. How we hit eah stand was one person used terrain to get above and in view of the opposite side of the stand of trees and one would either still hunt through or near the other side of the edge of the trees - not driving the woods but hunting them.

Well on the last stand - I worked to get to the stand of trees using terrain. Then I approached the trees just above the lower edge - I did give my buddy time to get above this stand. As I was entering the stand I heard some animals take off - I assumed they were deer. I did my best to find an opening to get a look at the animals through the stand to the other side, but could not see anything. I did not hear shots from my partner and again I thought they sounded like deer.

I then heard something below me and there was the Cow and Calf cruising away and below me, then she stopped - and I shot her and down she went.

It appears that she must have seen my hunting partner pass the trees on the other side, and instead of heading up and away towards him, she went down and away - an alternate escape route.

I looked at my watch and I had shot the same elk I had seen five hours earlier - because I knew each pocket of timber on this ridge. She was actually within 700 yards (as the crow flies) of where I had seen her in the morning. Be pesistant and know the areas and the habits of the elk. If we had shot at these elk in the morning - I would believe that these elk would not have stopped where they did.

 

Tom

This will actually be the 2nd time hunting this area here in Colorado - and since it's further from home than our usual camping or my deer hunting area, I've been working to "learn & search" the area heavily on GoogleEarth and topo maps... great resources to utilize with the "areas to check" noted in this thread.

 

I'll be heading to a different part of the area this year as we hunted up high last year (near the Continental Divide) and saw nothing but sign & track (full-moon & 60-degrees at 10,000-feet daily didn't help...).  I've already had two buddies note they saw deer only up high this year (2 weeks ago...), and the other one took his cow about half way between the way-high-ground & where the "Winter Activity" is noted for Elk at this location...

 

I've seen several references to some calling here in this thread (though to be fair I read it over a few days here at work, so I might have missed it) - but does anyone have a recommended method to learn to call them?  I have a Woodwise HyperHot Cow call now, but am learning (as noted in one thread here...) that it's more of an art form than anything.  Anyone have any tips for learning or listening to elk "chirping"?  The instructions with this call are adequate, but no substitute for the real deal & now I think of this just in time to head out hunting of course too!

 

For example - one chirp or several?  Vary it?  Any difference between chirping & mewing?  And so on...

 

I know the "Hoochie Mama" has been noted a few times too - but I guess I'm "old school" (or want to be...) and don't like the idea of just pushing/squeezing a "button" when I hunt - even if it is simple & works.  (And yes, I'm just a cheap bastard at this point too...)

 

~Jason // "A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have." ~Thomas Jefferson // NAHC Life Member / NRA Member / U.S. Army Vet

Jason, I have a woodwise and a sceery call that are always with me. I rarely use them. I watch elk videos and listen. With season after season in the woods I listen. The elk where I hunt during rifle season rarely chirp or mew during the day when the hunting pressure is on. I hear more in the Morning and Evening. If I remember I might mew or chirp if an elk  or what I believe was an elk busts away from me in the timber, so far I can't say that doing this has been successful for me. I have had hunting partners Chirp in a spike or lone cow, also calfs will come.

To me one day, I will be able to say that the cow call helps. I do believe that on occassional mew acts like a cover scent for me. Sometimes when I feel that elk may be near and I just did something like step on a limb and made a too loud noise, I will mew. It makes me feel a little better.

I have chirped and mewed and have been answered by elk. So it definitely does work as a locator.

One year I shot a calf that was with a cow and another calf and the cow and calf remaining trotted up the hill and stopped, we chirpped and mewed back and forth for many minutes - I could see the cow and calf the whole time. I mimicked the cow and it was a great learning experience.

I would say beware of replicating what you hear on a video of a huge herd of elk where many elk are talking. Try and be one or two elk at the most. The more you watch and listen in the woods and on video you will hear that calfs and cows and the age of the elk do sound different, also the quickness and sharpness of the call means different things. I am sure that one of the Chirps means "run and run fast" try to figure out which one that is and don't use it. A video of a herd of elk relaxed and they are calling would be best to pick out one mew and replicate that mew. This in my opinion would be the best way to start. 

The one you don't want to make is a short, sharp, loud chirp or barking sound.  Do that and they'll bunch up, line out, and headed for the hills as soon as the first cow heads out.  Elk are like people, no one has the same voice.  They all sound a bit different, but they speak the same language.  It's not so much what ya sound like, as much as what you're saying.  Most Elk videos and tapes are recordings of Elk undisturbed when they are mewing an squealing and just keeping in touch with each other.  All these sounds are good ones, even if you mess up once in awhile and don't sound quit like em.  Most are soft and tranquil.  Cows in heat will often get a bit louder, and the mew is a bit longer; but it's still soft and not sharp.

Keep it soft and mew a few times, and wait.  Often multiple Elk will mew at the same time, so it's ok to sound like more than one and overlap the calls.  Check the area around you thoroughly, and move before you call again unless you know Elk are close.  Elk are almost constantly moving.  Even when bedded, there's almost always one or two up moving around.  Thus, the only time I have ever heard elk mewing a lot from the same place was when it was another hunter that didn't know what he was doing.  Elk move, and so should you when calling.  Don't move when they are close, unless you're sure there are no eyes on ya.   And don't call when they can see you, it's to late unless you have someone set up behind you doing the calling.

Good luck!

Dean
H2O

Hunting Elk in a rainforest; ya haven't experienced it till ya had rain running down the crack of your *** 30 minutes out of camp. Formerly a Roosevelt Elk hunter on the Washington coast, now hunting them Rocky Mtn. ones, in Wyoming.

Great info and thanks for those details...

 

Well I covered a lot of ground in four days and then had my season cut short by a day thanks to old Mother Nature... started snowing Friday night and then got progressively stronger through Saturday and if we didn't break camp (just under 10,000-feet!) when we did on Saturday afternoon - I think we'd still be up there trying to get out.

 

I did see three cows on the opening evening, but they were about 150-yards below me and in some deep timber - and I mean DEEP!  One very large cow, one yearling calf, and then one in between near as I could tell.  When I started down the hill the wind was in my favor, but about the time I found these cows it started to swirl & then change.  As I glassed the big cow looked in my direction & I knew that wasn't good... so I started to put the binos down & get the rifle up and that's when they appeared to wind me and bolted back the way the came.  That was my best chance overall.

 

I think I read in this thread that someone noted they will haul @$$ after them - not to even remotely catch them of course but to see which way they headed, so that's what I attempted to do... until I realized that not only was the timber thick, but there was deadfall EVERYWHERE and in all directions where they were too!  (Not that I would have been heartbroken working my tail off to get one dressed, quartered, and out of there though...)

 

One thing I noticed big time as I walked back up the hill & past exactly where they were standing when I spotted them - the "elk smell" is very unique and, at least in season, a bit intoxicating too (maybe it was the tag burning a hole in my pocket still too - NAH!).  I don't suspect it happens much you can wind them before they wind you, but it's been a couple of years since I stood over a downed elk and it was interesting how that lingered... it must have been about 20-30 minutes after I ran after them that I got back to that spot (in the dark...) and it was still pungently strong as I paused and reflected on this missed opportunity.

 

Thanks again for all the great knowledge & information on this thread - now to hopefully draw again next year and get another chance to learn and experience this wonderful privilege we call hunting.

 

Be safe out there!

~Jason // "A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have." ~Thomas Jefferson // NAHC Life Member / NRA Member / U.S. Army Vet

You can often smell Elk before ya see em.  The Elk smell is most pungent where they bed.  They will lay down an chew their cud for awhile, then get up and move around for a bit, sometimes bedding back down somewhere close to where they first bedded (within a hundred yards or so).  Just about every time they get up, they relieve themselves.  And they may bed back down in the droppings and urine or a flat place where another animal dumped.  Elk bedding areas are loaded with droppings and urine.  And the odor smells a lot like a barnyard and sticks with them to a minor degree even when not in a bedding area.  Also, often when Elk are spooked and just before they bolt, they unload.  If you're down wind (like ya otta be), you'll smell them before ya see em.  If you can see them and they start unloading, you better be ready to shoot, cause they're about to be out of there.

Better luck next time, Elk huntin can be addictive!

Dean
H2O

Hunting Elk in a rainforest; ya haven't experienced it till ya had rain running down the crack of your *** 30 minutes out of camp. Formerly a Roosevelt Elk hunter on the Washington coast, now hunting them Rocky Mtn. ones, in Wyoming.