My girlfriend drew her first elk tag this year, I was not so lucky! She got a general tag since we live in the panhandle of Nebraska so it will open more options for us. Due to us both having new jobs we will pry be doing several weekend hunts rather than the originally planned week to ten day hunt. We are not picky as to a cow or bull we just want the experience for our first time. I would like any suggestions I can get, where to go, calling, and other just tricks of the trade any of you experienced guys can give me. Thank you in advance for all of your advice!
General Wy elk hunt for complete beginner
- Thread starter Loomie
- Start date
SFC B
Well-known member
Welcome to the site. You need to do some "whittlin" down of your wants/needs before you will really be able to get some input. A good place to start is talking to the WY hunt planners/Game and Fish. http://wgfd.wyo.gov/wtest/hunting-1001185.aspx Narrow down to an area of the state you are interested in and look at maps, harvest data, etc to give a starting point. Once to that point, the first question I would ask would be how much outdoor experience do you have in the mountains/big woods and how are you planning to hunt? Safety and having adequate equipment should be the first concern in my mind. Look forward to hearing where you go with this.
Well I was thinking down in the Medicine Bow NF area has a fairly high success rate but I was worried that due to the area the pressure might be pretty heavy? We will be on foot doing a spot and stock, I am a mule deer guide here in Nebraska and we do spot and stalks. I have hiked and backpacked in the mountains but no hunting experience in the mountains.
D
Deleted member 18333
Guest
Pressure will be heavy, but the elk are there. Since the gen rifle opens on Oct 15 in those areas by the 20th of Oct most people will be gone. I would bet that by the following weekend, if you step more than 50 feet from a road you will see almost no-one. Further if you are worried about people check the Wilderness areas. You have 3 to work with in that area.
If you are not bow hunting and this is your first elk hunt I suggest leaving the calls at home. Find a good vantage point in the morning and glass. Small pockets in the timber. When you find elk go get them. If they make it to the timber before you can get on them, leave them alone. More often than not they will be back that evening. Get closer for an evening hunt and go get yourself an elk.
If you are not bow hunting and this is your first elk hunt I suggest leaving the calls at home. Find a good vantage point in the morning and glass. Small pockets in the timber. When you find elk go get them. If they make it to the timber before you can get on them, leave them alone. More often than not they will be back that evening. Get closer for an evening hunt and go get yourself an elk.
HighDesertSage
Well-known member
NR's cannot hunt wilderness areas.
sbhooper
Well-known member
Nice to see another Nebraskan on board.
Wilderness is good if you are resident, but NRs have to have a guide.
The main thing with hunting elk is that they have to be there. If you can do some pre-season scouting, every bit will help. Make sure that there is plenty of fresh sign in the area that you decide to hunt. If you start hunting and see no sign, then move immediately. Do not beat the area to death hoping that they will show up.
Get in shape and be willing to work HARD. Jim Zumbo once said that if you are not covering five+ miles a day, you are not hunting elk. My experience has shown the same and he may have been a bit conservative with that statement. I have had some fairly quick hunts, but many more that were a marathon. Good binocs will always help save your legs, too.
Stay positive. A hunt can totally change in seconds no matter how bad it seems to be.
Make sure that she is shooting a bullet that is up to the task and is familiar with the gun.
Do as much homework as you can using BLM/Forest Service maps, Google Earth etc. Elk live in big country and going in cold can leave you scratching your head. It would be a good idea to take a GPS with you. It is great knowing that you can find your truck in any weather even in unfamiliar country. Also, it helps go back to a downed animal.
Have a good frame pack and bone out the elk if you get one. There is no legitimate reason to haul heavy bone out of tough country. A cow elk will come out in two heavy loads and big bull will be an extra trip or two.
Good luck.
Wilderness is good if you are resident, but NRs have to have a guide.
The main thing with hunting elk is that they have to be there. If you can do some pre-season scouting, every bit will help. Make sure that there is plenty of fresh sign in the area that you decide to hunt. If you start hunting and see no sign, then move immediately. Do not beat the area to death hoping that they will show up.
Get in shape and be willing to work HARD. Jim Zumbo once said that if you are not covering five+ miles a day, you are not hunting elk. My experience has shown the same and he may have been a bit conservative with that statement. I have had some fairly quick hunts, but many more that were a marathon. Good binocs will always help save your legs, too.
Stay positive. A hunt can totally change in seconds no matter how bad it seems to be.
Make sure that she is shooting a bullet that is up to the task and is familiar with the gun.
Do as much homework as you can using BLM/Forest Service maps, Google Earth etc. Elk live in big country and going in cold can leave you scratching your head. It would be a good idea to take a GPS with you. It is great knowing that you can find your truck in any weather even in unfamiliar country. Also, it helps go back to a downed animal.
Have a good frame pack and bone out the elk if you get one. There is no legitimate reason to haul heavy bone out of tough country. A cow elk will come out in two heavy loads and big bull will be an extra trip or two.
Good luck.
Actually she is a resident, will be her last year as such so I guess we could hunt the wilderness area as well. I will have a GPS and my ruck to haul a bones out elk in...hopefully! I have a Howa 308 that she is using and getting pretty darn good with. Right now we are practicing out to 300 yards, how far would you suggest? As far as maps where would you suggest getting one? I have seen some websites advertising area specific maps, would you recommend going this route? I am pretty good with maps and reading one from my military training.
WapitiBob
Well-known member
Look this over. Some areas should stick out.
http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/recreation/...708/hi-speed map/wyoming-hi-speed-index.shtml
http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/recreation/...708/hi-speed map/wyoming-hi-speed-index.shtml
Bob, I will look that over when I'm at home and not on my phone.
As far as wilderness area I would have to go over to at least 110, is it worth it? The success rates there don't look to be any higher than 6, actually quite a bit lower? Looks like I would be better off heading to area 21?
As far as wilderness area I would have to go over to at least 110, is it worth it? The success rates there don't look to be any higher than 6, actually quite a bit lower? Looks like I would be better off heading to area 21?
sbhooper
Well-known member
I would say 300 yards is a reasonable limit for the .308. I would stay with 165 or 180-grain bullets of good construction.
WapitiBob
Well-known member
Everybody goes to 21.
Loomis, I too am from the panhandle of Husker country. Last year, I did the exact same thing your GF is doing this year. My first ever elk hunt, on public, DIY.
I scouted a bunch, and had a little inside information from a buddy who lives up there. I spent a week archery hunting, and was in elk every day. I found a 5x5 that I went after, but he never offered a shot, so I tried to take a cow he was with. I missed the cow...( I was a little nervous). I went back for rifle and connected with a 4x5 bull on the second day of my rifle hunt. All things happen for a reason...keep at it. And good luck.
I agree with WapitiBob, everyone goes to 21, but I also know a lot of elk come out of 21. 21 was going to be my next choice with a friend of mine a week later...needless to say, I did not make it to 21.
I scouted a bunch, and had a little inside information from a buddy who lives up there. I spent a week archery hunting, and was in elk every day. I found a 5x5 that I went after, but he never offered a shot, so I tried to take a cow he was with. I missed the cow...( I was a little nervous). I went back for rifle and connected with a 4x5 bull on the second day of my rifle hunt. All things happen for a reason...keep at it. And good luck.
I agree with WapitiBob, everyone goes to 21, but I also know a lot of elk come out of 21. 21 was going to be my next choice with a friend of mine a week later...needless to say, I did not make it to 21.
