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PRO’S TIP: ELK HUNTING BASICS

Pro’s Tip: Elk Hunting Basics

I’ve sat on the sidelines of many conversations listening to people talk about hunting elk and calling elk and what is the best things to do. “Never Bugle”, these elk have been hunted too much! They just won’t respond is a common statement I see from many articles or cow calling is the only way to go. There is some truth to all of these statements at certain times, but knowing that usually comes with years of experience and lots of dead elk. Most people get to hunt elk only occasionally or when they draw that premium once in a lifetime tag which leaves them very uninformed about how to get the job done and start looking to articles like this to provide them with all the answers for this year’s hunt.

Pros tipsThis last fall, I punched my 40th bull elk tag in my 45 years of being on this earth. I usually hunt numerous different western states each and every year as well as help some of our platinum approved outfitters to guide; so I have some well rounded experience on a lot of western elk hunting grounds and only a small percentage of my encounters work out us as I plan.

The one lesson that is most important about filling your coveted elk tag is you must hunt where the elk are during that specific time. Elk are very big animals and they don’t like pressure. Unlike a deer, which might run into the next draining and possibly come back in a day or two, elk will likely move ten miles when spooked. So, hunting on public land definitely has its challenges. Don’t be so focused on hunting one drainage or canyon because you saw elk in it a few years back. If you didn’t see an elk in it today, there is a good chance they have moved into a new area. Your optics is truly your best friend when it comes to hunting elk. Get to an area where you can see a lot of country and spend the early mornings and late evenings behind your optics. Find the elk first and then go after them when you know where they are living during that day. This will increase your odds of filling your tag each and every year.

Nevada Elk 2012 527If you are fortunate enough to draw a tag in an area where you are getting to hunt during the rut, you can find yourself in for a hunt of a lifetime. Being up close and personal with a herd of screaming elk is unlike anything you can ever imagine. Seeing a majestic 7X7 bull looking for the hot cow making those sweet mews with snot dripping from his nostrils as he lets out a blood curdling bugle is something that will keep you coming back year after year.

Getting the tag is half the battle in a lot of states. States like Colorado provide over the counter tag opportunities during the rut where you can hunt with your bow each and every year without having to apply for a tag. Muzzleloader tags during prime dates in some units can be had every few years or for a small fee to a landowner for a transferable landowner tag. Learning an area and where the elk live and move as pressure happens each and every year is way better than having a tag in an area you will only see once or twice in your life. Some of the biggest bulls killed in Colorado come from units that can be purchased each and every year. Limited entry units in states like Arizona, Utah, Nevada, and New Mexico are extremely fun hunts. If you haven’t been in the hunt unit before, you aren’t guaranteed a good bull or any bull just because it took you years to draw. This is a common problem with many people that play the points game of the west and think they will have an easy hunt because it took 10 years to draw. Many of these folks end up with an unfilled tag at the end of the season or shooting a bull on the last day, which could have been harvested every year in a state like Colorado or Idaho.

Let’s assume you have the tag and you are ready to go hunt. Make sure you do your homework on the unit. Google earth is a great resource for hunters of today. It allows you to cover the entire unit and get familiar with the topography prior to ever stepping foot in the unit. Talk to biologists, game wardens, and taxidermists as much as possible after your familiar with the units from the maps and take lots of notes. If you can make a visit or two to the hunt unit during the summer, you will help yourself out a lot on understanding the road systems as well as access even if you never see an elk. Look for rubs and wallows indicating previous rutting areas, which can be hot spots when your season gets rolling. Know about as many of these areas as possible prior to the season kicking off. If you can’t get the time off to do this type of preseason scouting and only have a week or two for your hunt, I recommend getting to your hunt unit before season starts. Spend 5 days of your vacation prior to the hunt and locate the elk and spend the next 5-10 days trying to get an arrow or bullet in him.

When the rut is on, it is usually pretty easy to find elk with them screaming all the time. However, the heat, moon, pressure, wolves, and other things come into play with getting them talking. “They are rutting somewhere”, is a statement I heard long ago from a guy who killed over a hundred elk in his lifetime. I’ve found it to be very true. I have walked many of ridges in the middle of the night bugling into drainages and listening for a response since the elk weren’t talking during the daylight hours. It is much cooler at night and a lot of rut activity takes place during this time of day. It usually pays dividends and gets me into the right area for the next days hunt.

This information will help you to locate the elk, which is well over half the battle. As far as how to call, when is the best time to call, and what call to make at any given time is all about experience and reading those specific elk in front of you. Even the most experienced elk hunters get it wrong about seventy percent of the time, but a .300 batting average is pretty good in the pro’s. Good luck and enjoy the experience.