My Love for Elk Hunting Began When...........

[WapitiTalk1]

For each elk hunter it seems to be different. What was that initial trigger (or series of events) that prompted you to adopt this thing we call elk hunting, and, choose to make it part of your yearly ritual for life? For some it's growing up in a hunting family in one of the elk states where elk meat provided table fare for a good portion of the year (always done it, always will till I can't do it anymore). For others, it's that first trip out west when you heard the raspy answer from a late September bull responding to your call from a high ridge. At this present day, what was the initial trigger (or triggers) that started you on this path, and, which drives you to do all the things we do to prepare for and participate in this thing we call elk hunting?

[Indian Summer]

Well first there was that bugling bull that Jeremiah Johnson dumped over his saddle in 1 shot.

Later there were the monster bulls we would go see up in Bennezette Pa at close range.

Then at 18 I started hunting some private ranches in Wyoming's unit 7 for mulies and antelope. 0ne day while hunting lopes out on the sagebrush flats we saw a herd of elk moving right to left single file across the plains. It was gun season up in the hills. There were 23 elk and 17 were bulls ... and one of them was elkzilla. He would circle the line then wait in front and hook every cow and bull that went by. He dwarfed several other big 6 point bulls. Wow! A few days later hunting mulies I topped the ridge on Freezeout Mntn north of Medicine Bow and standing in bow range were two six point bulls. I pulled up my gun and got both of them in my crosshairs 1 at a time and said yeah I could have killed either of them. I forgot about mule deer and antelope real fast and was determined to go elk hunting.

That winter found me in an old timers house up in Emporium Pa. He was a reference from a Montana outfitter that my brother and I were considering for an archery elk hunt. He was an elk nut. (grin) He had sheds from the Pa elk all over the place. He said that he would sled feed corn into the back country on cross country skis to keep people from feeding them near the roads and making them tame. He said he was gone so much that one day he came back and his wife was gone. That was in 1986, 27 years ago. We booked the hunt in Montana and the rest is history..... lots and lots of history.

We continued hunting elk like madmen on our own. Never did use another outfitter. In 1996 my brother moved to the Bitterroot. In 1999 I bought an outfit and became a licensed Montana outfitter after 13 years of chasing elk up and down the Montana Idaho border & doing a little guiding.

0ver the years lots of clients clients would ask "so what brought you to Montana from Pa?" I always gave the same 1 word answer "elk" Some wouldn't believe me at first until they asked again and got the same answer "elk.... and mountains maybe"

Last year we ran hunters in the outfitters area where we booked that very 1st guided hunt. Crazy!!!! It felt like a homecoming. Except for one thing.... the previous guide was clueless. We never saw a bull. Even got lost til 3 am one night. In our camp every single hunter got a shot at a bull & there's never a shortage of game plans! We had hunted the place for 25 years. We had also become full blown elk nuts.

Some people ask "why did you buy the outfitting business anyway?" Another short & sweet but true answer.... to learn everything I could about elk hunting. Which I did.

This year I sold the business to my brother although I still help him run it. Now I'm more excited than anyone to have the time to go do DIY hunts. I hunted Wyoming for the 1st time in 25 years too. Anther homecoming of sorts. But I was a changed man this time. Armed with a degree in elk hunting. An elk nut. It took me just 1 morning... actually 1 hour to kill my first Wyo bull. As soon as he hit the ground I was planning my next hunt.

And I still like watching Jeremiah Johnson, greenhorn turned accomplished mountain man, fill the freezer on that windy day. It's the only DVD I own.

These days one of my favorite pastimes is turning new hunters on to elk. Helping a DIY hunter if I can. It's fun.

I think one day I may write a book. I've killed lots of other animals. Hunted from New Brunswick and Quebec to Alaska. All were memorable hunts I wouldn't trade for anything. But the first glimpse of a bull elk changed my path forever.

How's that for an answer Phantom?

[otcWill]

When I heard my first bugle, which was 100 yards away and 10 steps from the truck on my first elk hunt! Thank God for good friends! From there I went wild for elk and I am now completely out of my mind!

[bnsafe]

being a mid western guy from mo i grew up in awe of elk. their size and bugles were something right from a tv script, literally. the only chance i had of actually seeing one was on the 3 or 4 vacations we took out here or on tv. frankly i grew up with parents that said things like "you cant go in the mountains, everything looks alike and you will never get out" so the thought of just doing it was never there, only a dream of how awesome it would be. as i got older i started pushing the boundaries built into my mind with guided trips. a guided duck hunt or fishing trip in canada. as thoughs hurdles became reality i pushed myself. i was living my dream of hunting out west on sites like this. talking to yall and reading your stories was how i "stayed in the game" without having to confront my fear of hunting out west. i used alot of excuses like cost, time, no knowledge, gettin lost, next year, etc to not come out. finally last year i applied for a cow tag in colorado, did all the research i could, picked yalls brains more than im sure you liked, and came out on a diy cow hunt. i will say the hunt was awesome, i saw elk, moose, mulies, antelope. had a bear in my camp. the bugles were everything i dreamed of, i called 2 spikes into 20 yds, had a bull walk up to me as i was packing out, and most of all i learned alot and lost some fear of being in the backcountry. im guessin that some of that fear will always be there and prevent me from really going deep in the mountains by myseld but i will always hunt elk now that i live out here.
my goals are to get my 2 kids an elk and teach them what little i know of the backcountry, and show them they can do whatever they want to do if they dont make excuses but instead make ways to get it done.
my real dream has always been to ride a horse up in the mountains and hunt from a wall tent off horses etc. that would be my once in a lifetime dream hunt. i doubt i ever get that done cause i dont own horses etc, but it wont be for lack of dreaming.

[Lefty]

I had killed a couple nice bulls a cow with a rifle. I was a hunter but certianly not an "elk" hunter.

My first year archery elk hunting I was in my box blind, the sun was low it was a hot 92 degrees; and off 1100 yards came the first bugle I ever heard,... even at 1100 yards I was shaking so bad,.. Then the next week I had a 6x6 bull snffing my ear,the miss at 11 yards and then the evening the cows and bulls surrounded my tent bugling , mewing ,....

[LckyTylr]

Growing up in Upstate NY, I was a archery whitetail hunting freak. My parents didn't hunt, so I have always had to learn things on my own. I LIVED to hunt whitetails. When I was 14 my parents finally got cable and Outdoor Life Network was part of the deal. That's when I watched my first elk hunt in the mountains of Wyoming. That day, I started saving for a trip out west to visit my cousins who lived in OR and WA. I flew myself out the summer I was 15 for two weeks of mountain camping and exploring those two states. That was all I needed, I knew from that trip that I'd some day call the West my home. I read books about everything I could think of that were of "Out West" stories. I got lucky getting stationed at Mt Home, ID. Shortly after getting out of the AF, I became a Wildland Firefighter and my hesitation for getting into the backcountry was washed away. For any young guys that dream of moving West but are hesitant to just go for it, I would HIGHLY recommend Wildland Firefighting as a first job. Private crews are always looking for hard working young guys with a taste for adventure, and they will provide you with the gear, food and knowledge to get you in deep for some truly wild times. I'll never forget my time on a fire line. Back to Elk . . . with a poor college boy budget and the attitude to "Go for it", I acquired a few pieces of garage sale gear each year to get further and further from the truck. I attended the Elk Hunters School of Hard Nocks . . . and then I found Elknutforums. I still haven't loosed an arrow on an Elk, but the last two seasons it could have easily happened had it not been for acts of God and just plain lucky bulls. This year . . . I'll get one. Not a doubt in my mind.

Anyone that thinks they have reached the pinnacle of hunting that hasn't had a screaming bull at 20 yards has missed the mark by a mile.

[T/H]

it was a series of events for me that really started in 2007 during my rifle deer hunt. bullets whizzing by our heads while i was gutting my deer was the final straw that broke the camels back. either i was going to quit hunting or i was gonna try it with a bow. in June of '08 i drew an archery elk and deer tag. i had never hunted elk before and didn't know anyone who had hunted them with a bow so i embarked on my lifelong elk adventure in 2008. i hunted alone and stayed in my tent for 19 nights. what hooked me was when i called a bull in to 20 yards with a hoochie mama. thats right i said hoochie mama lol. he preceeded to scream in my face. i had never experienced anything like it. after all, my primary animal of choice at the time was mule deer. that changed in an instant. i did not kill that bull but that is a day my life changed forever.

[Indian Summer]

TH.... hmm Hawaii.... there has to be a swap hunt in there somewhere for us.

[Swede]

I don't know when my love of elk hunting began. I started hunting elk 50 years ago. Before that time I was told I was not ready, not old enough. At about age 15 I was permitted to go. I had heard the stories of my dad hunts and always wanted to participate. I started off hunting with a rifle, then later I hunted with both gun and bow as a two season hunter. Finally I switched over to bow only when the State made us choose.
I remember being a small boy, about five years old, having a toy cork gun. With that gun I killed about every species of animal dad ever hunted. Better yet, every time I went out I got an animal. Dad never had that kind of success. It was great hunting in those days. I had no heavy pack outs and gutting was never difficut or even the slightest bit messy. Most of my hunts back then took place while dad was out cutting timber for some logger. As the "man" of the house I was supplying the meat. Mom was always proud. Fortunately ammunition was very cheap back then. We could not afford much, but a cork on a string lasted a long time if you are careful. I suppose maybe that was the genesis of my love for elk hunting.

[elkmtngear]

I didn't take up elk hunting until I was in my thirties. I had been archery hunting deer successfully for many years before that, and I thought "it's just a big deer....how hard can it be"? I found out!

I hunted public land in Eastern Oregon for a couple years...unsuccessfully. Had several brief encounters, but never got a decent shot opportunity.

I was lucky to meet an Outfitter (he was a patient in my office), who had been hunting Colorado for over 25 years. He was the sole outfitter on a huge chunk of National Forest Land in the Flat Tops. My hunting partner and I decided we would take the plunge and head East.

To make a long story short, on about our 3rd Morning, we were walking on our 3rd morning with the Outfitter, in an open park between a couple of Quakey patches. Suddenly an elk cow broke cover into the park, and we froze. The outfitter gave a soft cow call, and the quakey patch on the left erupted with a piercing bugle that just about stopped my heart.

The Outfitter gave us the sign to move ahead, and we parted and moved forward into the quakeys. We set up with the outfitter behind and between us about 50 yards back. The Outfitter ripped a bugle, and all hell broke loose. The cow immediately ran in to see what was going on, and here came the bull, screaming bloody murder with his head back, on a dead run in between the cow and this "new bull" !

The bull stopped at about 25 yards, and turned directly toward me. Only thing between me and him was a small bush, but he was looking right through me trying to find the "rival bull". He started walking closer, closer...in to around 8 yards, and stopped.

At this distance, I thought for sure he would get wind of me, (or hear the hammering of my heart) and it would be all over, so in one sweeping motion, I drew and released. I knew he was hit well. Then I started to shake.

The hook was set for me after that encounter, I knew it was something I wanted to do every Season for the rest of my life.....and I've only missed a couple since.

[easeup]

Well first there was that bugling bull that Jeremiah Johnson dumped over his saddle in 1 shot.

........................................

We continued hunting elk like madmen on our own. Never did use another outfitter. In 1996 my brother moved to the Bitterroot. In 1999 I bought an outfit and became a licensed Montana outfitter after 13 years of chasing elk up and down the Montana Idaho border & doing a little guiding.

0ver the years lots of clients clients would ask "so what brought you to Montana from Pa?" I always gave the same 1 word answer "elk" Some wouldn't believe me at first until they asked again and got the same answer "elk.... and mountains maybe"

Some people ask "why did you buy the outfitting business anyway?" Another short & sweet but true answer.... to learn everything I could about elk hunting. ........

I think one day I may write a book. ......................... All were memorable hunts I wouldn't trade for anything. But the first glimpse of a bull elk changed my path forever.

How's that for an answer Phantom?

holy cow! what an answer!

OK friends; here is a man that follows his heart!

[easeup]

......way back in the 60s a stupid country boy in TX sat in a barber shop looking at Outdoor Life and seeing pics of the wilderness packin by horseback......that grand elk of the rockies....the king of the wilderness....those pictures captured the thrill of it all for me.

the family was poor and that place was the only one that had hunting magazines. But the dream was born and it never has died 50 yrs later.
I dont even want to think about how many years I drove up to CO to hunt and not even see an elk; cause I didnt know WTH I was doing. There was no mentor or DVDs back then. But life has been good to me and the Lord has kept me healthy to keep it up.
that was it.....a humble stupid story......

[WapitiTalk1]

......way back in the 60s a stupid country boy in TX sat in a barber shop looking at Outdoor Life and seeing pics of the wilderness packin by horseback......that grand elk of the rockies....the king of the wilderness....those pictures captured the thrill of it all for me.

the family was poor and that place was the only one that had hunting magazines. But the dream was born and it never has died 50 yrs later.
I dont even want to think about how many years I drove up to CO to hunt and not even see an elk; cause I didnt know WTH I was doing. There was no mentor or DVDs back then. But life has been good to me and the Lord has kept me healthy to keep it up.
that was it.....a humble stupid story......

Nice easeup.. nice.. That'll do just fine RJ

[WapitiTalk1]

Lots of various replies and they all ring true. Mine involved a big Montana bull bellowing from the vicinity of a wallow on steep sidehill 100 yards above myself and my highschool buddy, and, a tall spike surprising me as he silently appeared over the the top of a thin finger ridge 25 yards away, rendering me incapable of drawing back the 50 lb bear recurve I was armed with. Knees knocking (literally), I knew on that day in the fall of 1975, I was hooked. Gary had received an answer using his PVC pipe tube and old Berry diaphram, we'd worked our way toward the bull and set up. We were both sophomores in HS. As the big guy screamed back a warning to Gary, I sensed something moving up and to my right. The spike was standing on top of the ridge, looking directly at me. I couldn't pull the bow back. Shock, awe, adrenaline, etc., etc....... Yep, that's when it started for me.

[MTLongdraw]

I remember exactly when it started and I know exactly who I have to thank for this addiction. It was October of 1993 and I was 5 years old. Grandpa had lived here his whole life but we had just moved from Minnesota in June. Dad wasn't a resident but he still wanted to go along with to watch. I got to go too. Anyways Grandpa left us on the old road ( I wasn't sure why) and then I heard him shoot. We went down in the draw to see his elk but Grandpa hadn't killed it, it was his brother who was hunting the other side of the ridge and we didn't even know he was there. Anyways I ended up seeing a 5 point bull that day and fell in love with hunting. I got to tag along every single weekend from there on out with my Ninja Turtle lunch box and hand me down clothes. In 1995 my uncle came out from Minnesota to hunt. He ended up getting a bull on the third day of the season. I remember the next morning everyone getting up to go pack him out and I couldn't go because I had school. I ran down to my room and sobbed hysterically,then my mom came down and told me I could go with. I'll never forget that hike and pack. It's still today one of the worst drainages I've ever walked. But I loved it.

I think I was 11 before I ever missed a single day of hunting when I didn't have school. Everyday my love grows more and more for this sport. I'm so thankful I found bow hunting and now look forward to trying new things (backpack hunting, scouting more, applying for different tags and doing more and more research) I'm greatfull for the stories i have made and I'm excited for the stories I'm going to make. I look forward to the day when I can pass my love and knowledge on to my son. I don't care what my son is when he grows up, but I sure hope he is an elk hunter.

[one_elk]

I was twelve and growing up in southern Colorado. I had Wing “Falcon” that I had used for a couple of years in pursuit of rabbits, pheasants and ducks (1st animal harvested was a mallard hen…). At 12 a friend (who I ran a trap line with) and I figured out we were “old” enough to hunt big game. I asked my parents if I could go deer hunting with my bow and they (not being big game hunters) said I needed to wait a couple of years. So my buddy and I decided they didn’t say we couldn’t go elk hunting so plans were made we would backpack in from my friends cabin and try our luck at elk hunting. So late August, must have been 1968, came we packed our packs ( pack list: pack, bow, arrows, sleeping bag, army issued ponchos a bag of sandwiches, compass, matches), maybe a few other things, not quite sure about the license thing though) and we were off. The trip lasted for just under 48 hours, it rained then snowed on us, on the way back to the cabin we saw an elk track at least we thought it was and elk track, close enough for us we were now elk hunters. Since I have spent a lot of time pursuing elk both personally (hunting), and professionally (from the research side…..), have harvested my share and of course there are always those years it didn’t quite happen….. Then there is the story about shooting an elk in Yellowstone National Park , oh that was with a dart gun for a research project, still fun though…I hope I get to enjoy a lot more years spending time in elk country…..Elk hunting what a great passion…

[BowKill]

My first archery elk hunt was in 2004, it was opening day in Colorado when I swallowed this whole archery elk thing hook, line and sinker. At 8:00am I watched 30 head of elk crest the ridge heading away from me. I was pumped just to see some elk, moments later I spotted five bachelor bulls bedded just below where the previous herd had disappeared at. These bulls were bedded in the buck brush just above tree line, I knew it was going to take some time to get to their location without them seeing me first. At 12:30pm I was set up at the edge of the trees about 300ydsfrom them. Being a late season rifle hunter I had never called to an elk, I was hesitant to try but what the heck did I have to lose? I let a few soft cow calls out and baam! The decent 5x5 of the bunch was now on his feet and staring at my position. After a few minutes of starring here he came and one by one the other four bulls stood and started to follow. It was like I had them on a string, if they paused and seemed to lose interest I would give them a few more soft mews and they would start cutting the distance again.
After about 20min the bulls were now about 100yds out. My father-in-law who was with me started nudging me as I was digging in my pack saying you better get ready!! "What !" I said, all 5 of the bulls are still 100yds plus. No! he said as he pointed to our left. A smaller rag horn had came out of the drainage below us and was hot to find this cow he had heard. At 60yds I cow called to him and here he came, stretched out like a greyhound. I drew and and I lost him as he cut below us into the trees. I guessed him at 10yds by hearing his footsteps but still couldn't see him. As he circled he winded us and blew out in the direction he came from. Stopping in front of us I ranged him at 47yds and I killed my first elk with a bow. I haven't missed a bow season since and it's never been that easy again, but I love it.

[Bow4Elk]

I started going mule deer hunting with my dad when I was 9. At age 12 I shot a nice 4 point. That hooked me on hunting. At family gatherings I would listen to my aunt & uncle along with their family talk of elk hunting. They were loggers in Oregon and knew where to find elk in the Ochoco's. Not too many elk back then but I wanted to chase them. When I was a freshman in college my brother and I were home for a weekend and decided to go elk hunting. The season was almost over but you could still buy a tag at anytime then (1970). The 2 of us borrowed dads 2 wheel drive pickup, loaded up some food in a cooler, our sleeping bags and headed to the Blue Mtns to an area called Ukiah that I had heard others talk about. We must have had a map because we had a destination of Tower Mtn. We got there in the dark and slept in the truck just off the main road. It got down to single digits that night so we would start the truck every hour for some warmth. Got a great cold from that. The next morning a guy knocked on the window and woke us. He asked if we were hungry and invited us to eat with them. Some great bacon, eggs, hashbrowns and coffee. My first look at a wall tent. They had a plywood floor, Coleman gas stove, wood stove and bunks in it. They were breaking camp and headed home that day and were trying to get rid of their food. We sure helped them and thanked them. Our first elk hunt consisted of driving up the snowy road till we couldn't make it any further and then walking a ridge in some crunchy snow. We found our first elk track and that was what got me. It was so big compared to a deer track. Never saw an elk but the next year dad went with us. Two years later I shot a spike and was on cloud nine. After a few more spikes I decided I was ready to go bow hunting for elk. That first year (we hunted where we normally rifle hunted) we saw more than 200 elk in a week. Compared to seeing only 10-20 a year with a rifle that convinced me to hunt with a bow only after they made us choose weapons and I have never looked back. When we heard our first bugle I knew I had to learn more about that. The following summer Larry Jones was talking at a club meeting in Prineville and went to hear him. Not many calls back then but he did use his own vocal chords. I mastered that and soon had elk coming in and even a few hunters. I still love the bugle of a bull elk and have introduced my son to the elk hunting world. I no longer use my own vocals (they crack too much and it hurts now) but love the new diaphrams and bugles. I used to make my own diaphrams before you could buy them. That took a while with a file and latex. Can't wait to chase them this fall again.

[ironhead22]

I grew up in north west NM seeing mule deer and pronghorns almost every night behind our house. Family wasn't much on deer hunting but more small game and waterfowl. We moved east around age 11 and was invited to go deer hunting by a friend took up the invite and have been hooked ever since. I started bowhunting around age 14 and put down the.gun for good. The first time I read an article about elk hunting it was in New Mexicos Gila mountains which I had spent some time in at various camps I couldn't belive such a beautiful animal was within spitting distance and never knew it. I'm 40 years old and planning my first elk hunt in Colorado . I can not even begin to put into words how excited I am but I'm sure you guys already know. I'm new to this site and have already gained so much knowledge its amazing. Thanks in advance for all the help you have given either directly or by just reading already posted things.

[easeup]

I grew up in north west NM seeing mule deer and pronghorns almost every night behind our house. Family wasn't much on deer hunting but more small game and waterfowl. We moved east around age 11 and was invited to go deer hunting by a friend took up the invite and have been hooked ever since. I started bowhunting around age 14 and put down the.gun for good. The first time I read an article about elk hunting it was in New Mexicos Gila mountains which I had spent some time in at various camps I couldn't belive such a beautiful animal was within spitting distance and never knew it. I'm 40 years old and planning my first elk hunt in Colorado . I can not even begin to put into words how excited I am but I'm sure you guys already know. I'm new to this site and have already gained so much knowledge its amazing. Thanks in advance for all the help you have given either directly or by just reading already posted things.

dang the luck!.....stuck in aka hell after you left NM.
well.....first of all good luck on the hunt; it is too late for you already if you are on this website anyway.
secondly, from one who has been down the road less traveled way too often, you have got to try to get back to NM as a resident; what a wonderful elk herd they have over there. I have only pulled 2 tags in the NM draw process over the years and those two hunts were better than all of the CO hunts added together in regard to number and quality of the critters I saw.