Elk Confidence

[T/H]

in your experience and or your humble opinion, what are the tangibles and or intangibles neccesary to become a confident elk killer year in year out?

[ElkNut1]

Knowing your area well is right at the top of the list! This means bedding & feeding areas as well as natural travel routes, wallows watering sources & such! Escape routes when it's possible! Trails of use entering feeding & bedding areas. When elk are quiet don't go stomping through these areas hoping for some lady luck. Sit "destination" spots. Get on vantage areas & glass for movement early & late. Notice direction of travel & try to set an ambush. Once Rut start picking up & bulls become vocal now your chances will increase hunting the bedding areas & transition areas! If pressure hits have an idea where these tough to get to areas are where they're pushed too! Again, knowing your country intimately will help in all these avenues!

When this fails call at night, locate, hunt them come mornings!

ElkNut1

[Swede]

One of the big intangables in building comfidence is having experienced killing an elk. Any elk. That first one is the toughest and having taken several helps. Ultimately it is knowing that at the right moment you can git-er-done. After you have killed several elk, you know when you do not get one; it was bad luck. It was just not your year. You are not left to wonder if you really know what you are doing. You also do not get discouraged when things don't go right; which happens everyone; even an Elknut.

[mongopino915]

If you are a consistent and confident elk killer, it is without a doubt you are passionate and devoted to figuring out all the moves that can put elk on the ground.

[sockeye]

I agree with what everyone has stated, I might add, also be willing to learn from mistakes, and learn from the elk. I find that everytime I am out the variables are dynamic. Always be willing to learn.

[>>>---WW---->]

T/H: The key words in you post was (confident elk killer)! Every time you go hunting you should have the confidence that you are going to encounter and harvest an elk. Go out as if it is a mission, not just a stroll in the woods. You can still have fun but your sole purpose is to harvest an elk.

Think positive! Think about every elk you have ever harvested and what went right for you during that hunt. And on the screw ups, (yes we all have them), think about where you goofed up. Hunting elk and being successful at it is an on going learning process.

[Lefty]

Stepping into archery was a bit of a change for me. The whole archery expierience is much different than other rifle/shotgunning hunting.
Archery includes it all, Knowledge of your gear, the animals, the area, maybe the particulars of a herd or that one bull.
I came into the game with realistic expectaions. I knew as a real rookie to archery this wasnt a midwestern white-tail hunt, My chances of an animal on the ground were low.
I knew what I could and couldnt do. But I never knew what the elk would do.
You need to expierience the first draw, and the 2nd and the third, kill shot or not. The mistakes; the expiereience on and on. Only time and expierience and more expireience will give you that
Im an avid goose hunter. I really enjoy goose hunting, Im very good at it. I still make mistakes, the geese sometimes dont do as "I" plan,..elk will do the same but the end of the hunt Ive had a good day.
I take others goose hunting, sometimes decent hunters, guys with their names in B&C sometimes trap and skeet shooters,.. a goose, or elk right out in front of your changes the whole game. Im still trying to get over the mistakes and blunder of archery elk,.. At this time I enjoy those mistakes, those blunders and the rewards.
I killed a cow my 2nd year. I made the perfect spot and stalk. I got close, I spent 20 minutes under 20 yards with them. I had stalking down. but once with the elk, that mind game took some time. Time for the shot, I was rock steady, at the release of the arrow Iknew I hadnt allowed for wind, Still caught the back of the heart, I purposely nocked and released another arrow, I knew I needed that to get another arrow behind me


There is a lot to that two word question,.. or statement

[T/H]

T/H: The key words in you post was (confident elk killer)! Every time you go hunting you should have the confidence that you are going to encounter and harvest an elk. Go out as if it is a mission, not just a stroll in the woods. You can still have fun but your sole purpose is to harvest an elk.

Think positive! Think about every elk you have ever harvested and what went right for you during that hunt. And on the screw ups, (yes we all have them), think about where you goofed up. Hunting elk and being successful at it is an on going learning process.

this is what i'm talkin about! thanks Bill. there is not a day that goes by when i am in the elkwoods that i am not thinking that "today is the day". i'm not the greatest caller, and alot of people know alot more about elk than i do or ever will but for some reason i do have a "6th sense" and i find the elk. i get schooled by elk on a daily basis when in the elkwoods but i've killed 3 elk in 4 years hunting them with my bow. no monster bulls yet but its only a matter of time.

so a few things that work for me so far other than what you said here Bill is persistance, drive, knowing where elk like to be, being in decent shape, staying out from sun up to sun down when i have too, taking and making great shots (lots of practice you have no idea) ice in the vanes when faced with the "moment of truth" and its time to make that shot, great equipment, pays attention to detail. learns from others, high expectations

and thinking positive is a huge asset when in the elkwoods. not only in the elkwoods but in life. if you have it in life then it will carry over into the elkwoods imho and a big reason i have filled my freezer 3 out of 4 years. i've worked with guys with very negative outlooks and or attitudes. it shows in their every day of being. i've worked with guys that "think" they know it all too. these guys end up stepping on their (bleep) alot.

staying alert is huge too. how many times when you let your attention wane, an opportunity appeared out of nowhere and because you weren't paying attention to what was going on around you now its a missed opportunity? we've all been there i'm quite sure but when this happens it would be so fricken easy to get negative and totally lose any edge or advantage that could be gained later in the day in another encounter because you're still thinking about a blown opportunity. that goes back to what Bill said about a positive attitude. this will allow you (or me anyway) to learn from a mistake and be ready when that next opportunity presents itself.

this is all jmho of course.
.

[easeup]

well said mr. trophy

[foxvalley]

Well said W W and T/H !!! Being mentally tough rates huge on my list if you want to be succesfull every year, and this is where I fail.
Getting up in a freezing tent at 3:00am,hunting hard from dark to dark, sweating , freezing, being sore, tired, and "getting so close" day after day after day and week after week will wear you down. Keep a positive mental attitude, and hunting till the bitter end will reep huge rewards.

[Ridgernr]

Every year I go out I learn, And my confidence gains a step or two. I have an opportunity to kill an elk every year some times they win sometimes I take home an elk. Last year I missed a spike at 20 yards uphill In archery season, I believe I hit a tiny limb from that I learned to check my shooting lanes a little better. If I dont bring home elk I always bring home alittle more confidence even in my missed opportunity I try to learn from that experience and let it make me a better hunter.

[caperoll/Scott]

It's all about learning, learn the country that comes from scouting, you have to do your homework, find the water,the wallows, the bedding areas ect. You have to have a strong mental attitud and be in shape, the mountian will eat you up if your not. It's learing Elk, what they sound like, how they talk, where they go and what they do. Each hunt is different, somethings are the same and somethigs change from day to day, that's hunting. Learn from your mistakes and dont make the same mistake twice, Elk season is to short to keep screwing things up. Learn from what worked on the last Elk, was the set in an area that had good cover for you and open area for the Elk to walk into ?, when to call and how to call and when to just listen . I can tell you that over the years I've learned some hard leasons on the mountian and went home empty handed. I can tell you this that becoming a good bow hunter has made me a better rifle hunter, just because I learned Elk.

[T/H]

one reason i think confidence is so huge imho is because in 4 years of hunting elk i have hunted 4 different units in 2 states. most of my scouting happens on GE due to time constraints and now logistics as well. i know that some guys prefer to hunt the same grounds year after year and thats good for those guys but i want to hunt as many different elk units as i can so being intimate with 1 certain unit is probably out of the question. i drew a unit in NM this year that will be my 5th different unit in as many years. so confidence is a big deal to me. if i go in with doubts then i've already beat myself and i can't allow that to happen.