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What did you learn elk hunting this year?

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fishantler

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Oct 9, 2009
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Great Falls, Mt
As an elk hunter I believe it is so important to try and learn from each elk encounter. Every time I see an elk I go through a long list of questions starting with, Why was that elk there? Then analyze everything from there. So to keep this short i'll start...

I came away with from my elk hunting season with to major problems that I need to fix. First when I'm closing the distance on a bull in the timber, particularly a large bull, i get tunnel vision and I lose track of all the other elk in the area. This cost me opportunities on to big bulls last season. My next problem that I need to address is when I'm stopping an elk with that stupid little noise that everybody on tv makes (it works though) I need to not rush my shot after making that noise. I missed the bull that I ended up getting the first shot because I rushed my shot. Looking back i messed up on other opportunities due to the same problem.

*I've been following this forum for a few years now but I've never contributed until now. This is hands down the best hunting forum with the best hunters on the internet.
 
I need to be more persistent in an area. With such poor feed on the ground it kept the elk always on the move and never in the same spot two days in a row. I knew the elk were in there but got discouraged with so many days with no fresh sign being found. In the end I did finally find that 1 big cow during rifle season that wasn't paying attention at nap time. But all through bow season I felt like every elk had vacated the area. I just needed to be more patient and cover more ground and did I mention be more patient.
 
Don't go to camp in the middle of the day. Got into bulls for three days at about 1:30 PM and killed a 5 point at 2:30 on day three. Also be careful what kind of hunting partner you pick.
 
I have learned (again) that bulls tend to move a lot when they are feeding. I watched one in the last 10 minutes of the last day literally walking in a figure 8 in a small grassy patch while feeding. Antsy I guess.
 
The bull I shot was walking while eating. Three more steps and he would have been over the top of the ridge in the jungle. That would have taken like 10 seconds and I was lucky to catch him before he bedded for the day. I hiked 5 miles pre-dawn to be at that spot on time. It was the coldest day of the whole season and he was killable for about three minutes of daylight.
 
I'll have to think about this topic for a bit.The learning curve for elk can be long, and repetitive, but then many times dumbass hunters kill elk without much thought.I have to say Carrions comment about a 5 mile hike pre-dawn for that three minute opportunity rings true.
 
I “re-learned” two lessons.

1st, Elk are big animals that live in big places. Don’t think small.
If you know elk are in the area, and you are not finding them, move a few miles and look again. Be persistent. Elk can and will move miles, overnight, travel miles to water, feed and miles back to bed.
I covered miles with my feet, and miles with my binoculars without seeing any live animals, then suddenly, there were hundreds of them.

2nd, Take lots of photos. You can NOT take too many photos. Keep a small camera on you and ready at all times, and use it. One of my favorite photos from this years hunt was taken just seconds after the shot. The herd reacted to the echo of the shot, and ran right past me, I set my rifle down, picked up my camera and got a shot of the cows and spikes just up the hill behind me, looking over their shoulders thinking “what the heck was that ?”
 
Hard work can and will eventually be rewarded. The reward might not come every year, but more often than not it will. Don't be affraid to hike that extra mile to get to the top of that next ridge or wake up the hour earlier to be at the park by daylight instead of the trailhead.
 
I may be way off base, only my personal observations over the last three years, but it seems that thunderstorms really get the elk wound up.....

I told my cousin/hunting partner my theory this year, and he had his doubts. Then, late season during the rut, the elk were mostly in their bedding areas, around 12:30 or 1:00, when a thunderstorm came through. Either immediately following, or shortly before a thunder clap, the bulls would bugle like crazy, they ended up getting their harems moving, heading toward wallows and such, almost seemed like early morning, or late afternoon, but was the middle of the day.

This happened over and over again, and my cousin no longer doubts my theory. I have witnessed this behavior many times over the past few years I have paid attention to it. Anyone else notice this?

Jbo
 
Greeny I thought for sure you were going to say "hunt closer to roads it's easier on the feet" after this years.

The thing I learned is that you can't kill a 350 bull if you already tag out on a 300 bull.
 
A few things we do on the red deer which are closely related to the elk is roaring over the top of them when they are answering you. Often i cut them off pretty early on in their calling sequence and this normally gets them really worked up and mad and heading in. I also like to do different female calls closely followed by stag roars to let other males know that their is a hot lady right there in the herd with the stag. I often get a couple of mates to set up a few hundred metres away in different areas and start roaring/calling and we all chime in to make it seem like there is one hell of a stag party going on. This is good for when nothing is talking and you want to fire them up to think the males within hearing distance are missing out. Lastly i understand some people like to sneak in quiet and all stealthy when an animal is calling they get ansy when they snap a stick, but i am the opposite, if a stag isn't coming, but answering regularly and i need to head in i shake and rake bushes on the way in, smash sticks against trees etc and work closer to the animal, he already knows you are there as he is hearing you call, so he might as well expect you coming rather then you going silent and sneaking in. The exception might be in heavily hunted areas when you use a locating call and the animals are well educated and then when you find an animal you have a mate hang back and keep him talking whilst you sneak in to try to get it done.

Each situation is different i suppose and the animals in each area behave a bit different at various times of the rutting period so i have learnt to be very adaptable and not too methodical when calling animals.

The one thing i have learnt with trying new stuff in calling situations is that it may not always work, but failure is your greatest teacher..
 
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Greenhorn speak with wisdom! I killed a bull years ago in the Peaks on the final day of rifle season.It took me all day to grunt this bull out of a hell hole for a straight shot down and out.I put two quarters up in a tree on a ridge and took out the other two that night.The next day I returned to find only one quarter in the tree,,,WTF? I headed over on the north side of the ridge and cut some tracks along with a drag mark.Found my quarter buried in a cornice and only partially chewed on,tracks were wolverine.He thought he had something but didn't realize how hard I worked for that bull.I still am amazed how he climbed that tree.
 
Hem I didn't lose any meat- ran one up a tree. Very cool animals - first thought I'd found the worlds largest pine marten.
 
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