2013 Elknut Forum "Take Aways"

[WapitiTalk1]

It's been a memorable year fellow Elknuts. Most of us were blessed to once again, venture into the elk woods we love so much; some successful with a harvest and many others with hunting experiences and perhaps close encounters we will never forget. The quality and quantity of the exceptional information sharing threads that surfaced throughout this year in the Elknut Forum is truly remarkable. Some of us were actually able to bump into others from this fine forum and spend time together in person, hopefully, forging long term friendships. This place is so unique in comparison to other hunting forums. Obviously this has something to do with the founder, Paul Medel. Have you ever heard the term "team attitude reflects leadership"? It certainly applies here.

OK, enough rambling. Please offer your top three take aways from the Elknut Forum for 2013. Oh, you can't use "don't stand underneath Swede's tree stand on the downwind side", that'll be one of mine

[BrentLaBere]

These are in no significant order.

#1 Indian Summer advice on where to put the X on the map for finding elk and once you do finding like areas. Put me in two different bulls bedrooms we were able to call in but were not able to seal the deal.

#2 Flystrait was nice enough to take some of my questions on approaching elk and how to call them. I was able to understand things from my first hunt and apply them in my second (although it ended up being too short because of the storms) but cant wait to try them next year. Thanks again Craig!

#3 I would have to look back on what exactly was said and who said it but for the most part the thread was about wind (thermals) and taking chances. Swede and Cnelk were the two that came to mind talking about patience and understanding the thermals in your hunting area. It helped tie in the other two take ways when approaching the elk in the bedroom and we got right on top of them after a nice break waiting for the winds to switch and how to approach them.

and im breaking the rules....#4 has to be with the "lets her your elk calls" thread with posting and discussing. I hope to be trying a few new calls and posting with some more good feed back in the off season again. Phantom,WW and Slim off the top of my head. Thanks guys....

I have to agree about Paul and his DVDs and all of this combined made me feel like it added a few years to my resume of elk hunting.......ok I will stop there.

[Swede]

I know there are a lot of contributors here and a lot of lurkers too, but this forum is like elk camp to me. It is a gathering of young and old. There are some newer elk hunters and some very experienced folks. Everyone has some passion for the hunt, and we all are learning together. I am saddened it appears we have lost a few hunters along the way. I hope that anyone who was offended will forgive and return. If I said that you need to wash your hands well after using the outhouse behind camp, before you pour another cup of coffee, don't take offense. That is just how I talk to family. I hope folks have not lost their love of the hunt. BTW: Where is that guy that started his own web site and started making freighter packs? I miss him and Crazyelkhuntr. Where does Jacuomo go and hibernate at times? He can't be that busy or tired.
I too have made friends from people that camp here and come to this camp fire. You have made this a great camp here, and it is a tribute to all of you that we have a lively, productive and entertaining discussions. I think the greatest lesson I have learned is perspective. I have always known there are a lot of similarities and differences in elk hunting over the ranges that we hunt, but you have filled in a lot of details. When I am ready to leave my current haunts and go somewhere, I am going to try and tie in with one of you folks. Then, if I tell you to wash your hands, you can tell me, it is your camp and to make my own coffee if I don't like the way you manage the pot.

[ORelksniper]

Swede wrote: "I know there are a lot of contributors here and a lot of lurkers too, but this forum is like elk camp to me. It is a gathering of young and old. There are some newer elk hunters and some very experienced folks. Everyone has some passion for the hunt, and we all are learning together."

Right on, ole buddy. I feel the same way. This forum is the first thing I do every morning with coffee in hand. I'm not a very chatty person so you won't hear much from me but I'm always here. This old dog has learned a lot from all of you. THANKS.

[ORG]

john fitz told me to expand my thinking. his exact words understand and live in the box but don't be afraid step out once in a wile. he helped me and the next day i shot my first bull. for nothing he helps alot of guys.

[bnsafe]

1. don't give up, ever.
2. cold calling an raking etc instead of blasting out bugles all the time.
3. an prob most important, just motivation an courage to tackle the mnts, look for new spots, an get it done.
thanks all

[MTLongdraw]

1. Never give up.
2. It's nice to read that other people go through the same things as you. I can remember wanting to quit so bad at times because I miss my family or I'm frustrated etc. Then I get on here and realize other people often feel the exact same way. It was good to read that because it put things in perspective for me. At times I wondered if I was a "true" hunter.
3. I really started to get a better understanding of where elk live and how to correlate that to a topo map. Haven't found a lot of places yet but its getting to be more and more.

[JJ Overkill]

for me its bouncing ideas off the more seasoned hunters, ie calling styles, being aggressive, and tactics.

ive had the pleasure of hunting with a fellow member. it was a great yr to say the least im looking forward to seeing the new 2014 threads. ill bet we all will learn something. well not all

[easeup]

in no certain order,
:: this place is clean of the my stuff is better than yours. the elk forum gets down to business of what we enjoy.

:: the x marks the spot series- everyone has different experience- there were shots we talked about I have never taken

:: the what next scenarios - we are never to old or experienced to do those threads

I wished I could help others here as much as they have helped me.

[cnelk]

This past year I got to personally meet a few good guys on here.
There are more that I hope to meet someday.

Those are my 'Take Aways'

But my intent is to 'give' more than to 'take'.
I hope that my giving here has helped the ones that visit here

[LckyTylr]

1) Sometimes . . . you can have the Drive, the Conditioning, the Attitude, the Knowledge, the Location, the Equipment, the Plan and the Determination . . . and it STILL doesn't Happen! It's Elk hunting and it's the epitome of solo archery challenges.

2) Persistance in the rain can pay off big . . . when it lets up. If you can tough it out and be in the right place at the right time when it quits, it's like picking worms.

3) I wouldn't have had the experiences that I have had if it weren't for the knowledge that I have gained from you guys. I wouldn't have had a ginormous 6 point drooling and peeing all over himself at 15 yards for more than a minute while he screamed every insanity in his vocabulary at me . . . I wouldn't have had the pleasure of screaming back at him with authority and persuasion if it hadn't been for you guys.

[JGH]

I like trying to "distill" things to "take aways" ... it's finding where the rubber meets the road.

This forum has, for the most part, reinforced some of the things I've learned. Keeping things simple. Persistence pays off, and that was reinforced in a number of threads this year.

One of the nice things is that I read on here and find that some of the experts answer questions just like I would ... what a confidence booster that is!

And confidence leads so often to success, even if it first has to go through a few "trials".

I also learned that even the experts can have a tough go of it, and that is somehow reassuring, too.