Difficult Times

[Swede]

Why is it that some hunters with years of success go through some difficult periods and return home with unpunched tags? Please share your thoughts and observations.

The following is just one example. Elk can change their habits in an area due to hunting pressure, predators, or other activities. We had a thread about developing good tactics and building on them. We also need to learn how to adjust to the ever-changing environment we hunt. E.g. Elk came to about any reasonable sound that remotely resembled the call of another elk. That time has passed for most elk. They have become more call shy. We can still call, but we need to adjust how and where we do it.

[saddlesore]

I definitely saw less elk in the last ten years I hunted ,with every year seeing less and less.In that time I saw hunter numbers nearly double. Then more and more camps started to set up in prime elk habitat. Each one wanting to get ahead of the last camp.Common courtesy seen in years passed became rare. Elk more and more sought refuge in rugged country or on private .

The over all weather patterns seem to chance too. Years past I could always count on rain during muzzle loader season. In the 2ndrifle season,2 feet of snow was common. Now it is TEE shirt weather and dry in ML season and light coats in 2nd rifle with a trace of snow if any.

Generally I saw a lot less elk hanging in camps.

Shooting the first legal elk seen had become the rule of the day.

I'd hate to be a hunter just starting out today.

[Jhg]

I agree about the weather pattern changing. This has forced me to re-evaluate late season hunts.
Then My go to draw unit has suffered point creep. Every other year now and my alternative option, I have to be honest with myself, requires more fitness than I have been prepared for. My bad, as success was, literally, just over the next ridge. In this gmu the hunter numbers is ridiculous. I cannot see how it can be sustained without an outright rebellion by hunters.
Next, my go to rifle unit, for years a slam dunk every year, has developed so much deadfall the elk are using other areas to migrate.
Will I adapt? Give up and go elsewhere? Buck up and hunt smarter? I have informed my wife I am going to be scouting a LOT this summer. I am already training.
It takes time to assess that you need to change your approach. One reason we had success after all was a good dose of focused determination.

This is making for an exciting year. One reason a successful hunter hits a tough stretch may be they got a little complacent, or took conditions for granted. I know I am guilty on both counts and am paying the price. But then, I am more excited about this year than I have been for a long time because my cage has been rattled.

[7mmfan]

I think hunters that are consistently successful, that then go through a dry spell, usually can be traced back to a change in habits of the animals in the area, and a lack of change of tactic by the hunter. The animals habits have changed because of any number of reasons; hunter pressure, other recreational use pressure (bikers, hikers, rock hounds, geo-cache, etc...), predator pressure, development, logging, mining, forest fires, drought, wet spells, etc.. etc.. etc... The list goes on. Any of these can cause the elk in an area to dramatically change their habits an if a person has had consistent success for a while there doing the same thing, it may be difficult for them to make the necessary changes to find success in a timely manner. It's also hunting, and sometimes it just doesn't work out despite your best efforts.

[Swede]

You might take someone out and place them in a tree stand and they could be successful. They might go back there on their own the next season and be successful. This could go on for years, but that does not make them a knowledgeable elk hunter. They may rightly claim to be a successful elk killer, but a skilled elk hunter can go from place to place, or time to time, and with some scouting and studying the area, they can get elk. They may not get one every year as they need to learn their now location, but they will soon get the hang of things.
The guy that got one from someone's stand is really no different than the guy that just got lucky and stumbled onto a monster bull near his truck.
Besides trying to learn or taking the time to share things of interest on elk hunting; a point I believe I should make is we need to be careful if we are considering following the advice of someone that has a picture of a dead bull. We need to ask, does that tip fit our area and style of hunting? The easier it sounds the less likely it is to work.

[Lefty]

We might go a day without some sort of action.

Hot days tend to be our problem,. then we look for north slopes and higher elevations.
Im not a fan of rain either,,, Ill search for elk in a dry camper with my eyelids down,,, * or glass from near road access.


I also have a pop up blind Ive been known to sit in too
One year I spent about 16 hours of real rain time, At least I stayed dry

[MtnOak]

Definitely harder today than it was years ago in the early 90s, I killed a small bull and mule deer when tags were cheap and killed those on my very first trip out there now here I am started back 2016 (30 years later) and it’s flooded with people Less elk and all mule deer tags are draw in Colorado……..I really couldn’t believe how much it’s all changed since I was 20 years old, pretty easy to see how someone was always consistent is now in a dry spell for long periods……..less elk, more people equals tough times….

[Swede]

MtnOak, you are right on. The hunter did not lose his/her skill. They just could not adapt for one reason or another. Sometimes I think our old skill becomes less effective.

[Lefty]

MtnOak, you are right on. The hunter did not lose his/her skill. They just could not adapt for one reason or another. Sometimes I think our old skill becomes less effective.

Like the guys who only use a Hoochie Momma.

[Swede]

Like the guys who only use a Hoochie Momma.

That is especially true of those hunters that pump on them like they were trying to reinflate a truck tire.