Tell us about your 2012 Elk Hunting Plan :)

[WapitiTalk1]

Curious to what everyone on Elknut's "Nothing But Elk Hunting" forum have locked in for the 2012 elking season? I'm hunting WA (current home state) for a four day weekend the second week of SEP, back to work for four days, then will leave for ID for the last two weeks of SEP. I'm a Dept of Defense Civilian (retired Army) dude in WA and have to save my accrued leave all year long to swing my elk hunting vacation (if you can call what I do in the mountains a vacation, LOL). Whaddya you cats have locked in for this fall? RJ

[CrazyElkHunter]

Will be going back to our usual hunting camp in Colorado for the entire archery season if needed. Will leave on Mon before the opener to get there early and put out trail cams, tree stand over wallow and show the new guys a few spots. Last year we were tagged out with 10 days to go. I'm introducing elk hunting to 2 friends on this trip. Looks like I have my work cut out for me. Got a bear tag this year. They are all over the place where we hunt.

[T/H]

NM 16b
CO 80-81

[Stiknstring]

I will be spending the first half of September taking my first clients, as a guide for Roosevelts in coastal Washington.
Camp will be set from August 30th-September 17th.

[elkaholic]

Was able to get two consecutive weeks off to hunt with my wife that drew a GREAT Idaho bull tag starting mid Sept. Going to start scouting mid Aug so that we hopefully know the area

[Goneelkn]

The whole archery season in CO. First week on private land, then off to the national forest. Hopefully just to play with the elk then.

[bnsafe]

wow, thought i was goin crazy takin off the ml season. cant imagine teh whole archery season.
im headin out for my first elk hunt in unit 16 colorado. plannin on leavin missouri 2 days before and hunting till seasons over or i get one. ive still gotta call the local warden and see if the fire burned any of what im plannin on hunting. that would be a major game changer for me. cow only but im as pumped as all of the trophy bull guys.

[sockeye]

Heading to Montana for the first week and 1/2 of Sept. with my father in law, then i have to come home work 5 days. After my work days I am hunting in my backyard here in Wy for the rest of Sept. with some friends.

[planebow]

Plan on getting to my hunting area here in MT on th 7th or 8th, will be hunting solo until the 15th then my hunting partners should show up for a week. If I have my elk by then I will be on my way home if not will probably stay a little longer. Is great to be retired come hunting season!

[cnelk]

Heading to GMU 61 on Aug 29 thru Sept 14
Hope to hook up with Bill [CrazyElkHunter] sometime during that time.

Then 1st Rifle elk with my son, then again 4th Rifle elk with my son.

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

cnelk: Don't forget Bill (>>>---WW---->). Ya never know, I might just show up for a couple of days for the fish fry.

[foxvalley]

Sounds like my brother-in- law is able to go this year with me. Leaving for the Idaho panhandle sept 13th, and staying till we tag out or the season ends. Bull only this year in our unit.

[dotman]

CO - Elk Aug 28th - Sep 11th
KS - Elk if I draw every weekend until the end of Oct

I know you only asked for elk.

KS - mule deer every other weekend until Dec 31st if elk is not drawn (trophy only)
KS - whitetail during the week after work until Dec 31st (trophy only)

Now i'm not a trophy hunter but since i'm the only one in my house that will eat deer I only shoot big bucks or eat tag soup.

[JohnFitzgerald]

Hunting Eastern Oregon with a 3 man crew from September 14 - September 23. Combination of 2-3 day bivy hunts into wilderness.

[Lefty]

Hunting southern Idaho.
I expect to get out a couple times scouting 2 weeks and a week before the season to set up a camera and a blind
I will drive out the evenings of the31st, 7,14, 21,28, sit on water the first 2 Fridays nights; the others Fridays either sit on water or glass some pinch points . If I have cool weather I will call in the evenings

Maybe a weeek day couple evening hunts if the weather has a big changes

I would like my daughter to come along and call if conditions are right. Ill just move in front of her 80 yards ,..
Saturdays If I get in the elk early morning I will follow them until something happens.
Otherwise I will hunt those Saturdays glassing and try a bit of locator bugling looking for a response. Likely the last Saturday I will spend the whole time calling
If I kill an elk those saturdays will be spent crane or moose hunting

[ceetoo]

Starting 8/25 will be chasing Rosie's on the OR coast, off to MT for the last full week in Sep. OR Blacktail with the boom-stick on and off through Oct, then back to MT to chase Mulies in Nov. Tick tock, tick tock....

[bonkellekter]

This year I will be hunting WA (my home state) For the entire archery season... Dad and I drew quality Bull tags in an area relatively new to both of us.I have been in the unit and scouted it a few years back for a buddy who drew that ended up not being able to hunt that year. We will make atleast 3 scouting trips prior to season to get familiar and find out where the bulls have been living, watering holes, wallows, past years rut sign etc. I cannot wait for september!! This site is one of the only things helping me to keep my sanity while I wait!

[easeup]

saddle up!
since no enchanted state tags were obtained, I will head up to the San Juans (SW CO) for about two weeks of archery elk, OTC units.
Wish me luck too. I plan to slay some brookies and browns while I am there.
Sept is almost here ----- woohoo!

[elkmtngear]

Hunting Eastern Oregon with a 3 man crew from September 14 - September 23. Combination of 2-3 day bivy hunts into wilderness.

I have the same plan, John...but it will just be my Daughter and I; She will be leaving to enter the Marines in October. I plan on having the adventure of a lifetime, kill or no kill.


Best of Luck,
Jeff

[JohnFitzgerald]

Hunting Eastern Oregon with a 3 man crew from September 14 - September 23. Combination of 2-3 day bivy hunts into wilderness.

I have the same plan, John...but it will just be my Daughter and I; She will be leaving to enter the Marines in October. I plan on having the adventure of a lifetime, kill or no kill.


Best of Luck,
Jeff

Hey Jeff - By chance, would you happen to be hunting around the Granite area?

[lag]

Killng an elk

[elkmtngear]

Hunting Eastern Oregon with a 3 man crew from September 14 - September 23. Combination of 2-3 day bivy hunts into wilderness.

I have the same plan, John...but it will just be my Daughter and I; She will be leaving to enter the Marines in October. I plan on having the adventure of a lifetime, kill or no kill.


Best of Luck,
Jeff

Hey Jeff - By chance, would you happen to be hunting around the Granite area?

WAY South from there, John

[Wyo67]

Got lucky in the Wyoming resident draw and scored an area 7 tag. Headed up this week to scout/see what kind of damage the Arapahoe fire caused. Last estimate was over 98,000 acres. Hopefully, less than 2 months from now, will have a big one on the ground... Mike

[Swede]

I am leaving for a Hart Mountain Mule deer hunt on August 8. The hunt starts on the 11th. I expect to hunt there for nine days unless I get a buck before the end of the hunt. Following that hunt I will likely travel on to where I will be elk hunting. I plan to set up, scout and then hunt until I get an elk or the season ends on September 23rd. My son and a hunting friend, who are with me part of the first week, were out scouting the area thai weekend. They called last night and said the elk look to be in excellent shape this year. I can hardly wait to check them out.

[Freebird134]

I'm headed back to my home state of Idaho to bivy elk hunt Sept 13-23. But I'll be getting to Idaho Sept 7 for 5 days of mule deer hunting with my dad. We haven't hunted together in about 6 years, and he's never killed anything with a bow So I'm really hoping to get him on a mule deer! After 5 days of mule deer hunting, my elk partner flies into Boise. We will be at the trailhead late afternoon on Sept 13. We are hunting 4-6 miles from the truck, and hope to make it about 1.5 miles to the summit before dark the first day. We'll get up early and hopefully drop down the next couple miles to our hunting area in time for a mid morning hunt. Then it's 8 more days of backcountry elk hunting (hopefully fewer if we can seal the deal early).

19 days back in Idaho, hunting with my dad, my best friend, and even some extra time to spend with my Mom and sister (who I see about once a year). Can't wait!!!!!

[stickflngr]

Ill be hunting the eastern Washington Blue mountains. Will head to set up camp on Aug, 28. Hunt mulies from the Sept 1st to the 3rd, elk from the 4th to the 16th then back to mulies until the 28 and break camp and head home home on the 29th unless we all tag out early

[Don53]

OTC Colorado

[rjdumas]

Big plan is to get my first kill with a bow and first elk kill.

Aug 25 Elk and deer hunting here in Oregon. I can't wait

[huntnmuleys]

didnt draw any out of state tags, but did manage my favorite area in the bighorn mountains of wyoming so ill be there. i take pretty much all of september off every year, and i think also this year, time permitting, im gonna go get an otc tag in colorado and give it a whirl. not even sure where yet, kinda of just fit into my plans recently...

[bowpackerrob]

Northern New Mexico September 15- 20, unit 4. I will be hunting near my cabin near Alamosa, Colorado a little before New Mexico and and a little after. My bonus is I drew an either sex tag for Arkansas Elk which is probably a once in a lifetime trip to be able to hunt elk in my home state, which will be October 29- November 2.

[Waygoner]

Colorado GMU 551 for muzzle loader cow. There will be 5 guys in camp, all with cow tags. This is a new spot for us, did some scouting last weekend and found that it's still very dry. Water sources were scarce. Lot's of creeks and stock ponds were dry. Did see a group of 5 cows and 5 calves.

[Harmy]

Muzzy Sept 26-Oct 4, Limited Entry Bull, Wasatch Unit. Also have Wasatch West Mule Deer tag for the same season. This will be the first time I have had a Buck and Bull tag at the same time in the same region. Buddies all have Cow or Spike tags as well as Buck tags for same region.

[mongopino915]

OTC Colorado elk tag with a deer either sex tag. Will also pick up a class B OTC cow tag. Hunting the last two weeks of archery with some good friends in state and out of state. Gonna miss work during this time.

[RockyMountainHi]

I will be solo hunting the opening few days in central Idaho (late August/early Sept) and then back to the same spot the third week of Sept. with partner for peak rut activity. Can't hardly wait....

[hornart]

I drew the mobility impared muzzleloader bull elk tag in New Mexico unit 52,,week of october 6th thru october 10th . The wife and daughter drew New Mexico 5b bull elk tags for the week of octber 20th thru october 24th then the son has a muzzleoader deer tag for unit 15,the week of november 22nd thru the 25th and december 1st-2nd and december 8th-9th . then we have 6 youth tags for unit 16a cow elk november 30th thru december 4th .I have 4 grandkids that will be on their first elk hunt ever this year,,lots of work ahead

[8seconds]

I will be leaving the last couple days of August for the 1 Sept start date of archery in unit 6C in NM. Plans are to drive to my honey hole, park the vehicle and backpack into the canopy for a few miles and set up a spike camp; hunting solo with my new pal SPOT. Got into a little trouble last year, enough to convince my 68 year old body to invest in SPOT. Fourteen days of pure fun or whenever i fill my tag.

[ElkNut1]

Take lots of photos guys!!! It would be great to share a portion of your adventures here with us all!!!! Have fun & above all STAY SAFE!!!!!

8 Seconds, great idea with the SPOT!!

ElkNut1

[bullrub]

Will be hunting around home in Eastern Oregon starting the 25th of Aug. for elk and muleys. Hope we get some rain this week.

Good Luck too all this hunting season.

[stringunner]

eastern Oregon starting Friday through the end of the season or until I get my tags filled!

[Bandrews]

Leaving the 14th for SW Co OTC backpack hunt. Taking a newbie with me. It ought to be interesting...

[Magic]

Since the Colorado Preference Point "creep" always seemed to be one year ahead of me, I finally bit the bullet and cashed my 16 PP's in this year. It will be an area 61, 2nd rifle hunt. My Son will again accompany me except this time he will not have a license. He is looking forward to "guiding" this 69 year old guy on a "once in a lifetime" hunt in a limited area.

We have the Outfitter Apex8 truck camper which will serve as our base camp, and are prepared to spend as many days/nights in a spike camp as necessary.

[Magic]

A couple of more pictures from last year.

[one_elk]

Being my wife’s Sherpa during muzzle loader season for her deer and elk hunt in 61, hunting the last week of archery season and hunting with my son the first rifle season….all in CO and of course putting meat in the freezer...

[Johndeere]

I've got a late season archery tag in New Mexico. I'll head out on the 14th of Sept and set up camp. The hunt doesn't start till the 19th. That will give me a few days to scout and check cameras.

[dreamhunter]

I'm headed out of Ks and headed to Co to meet up with my buddy from Louisiana . We will be hunting South Central Colorado near the Rio Grande Nat forrest .He's leaving Sept 8th and I'm gonna try and squeeze out late on the 8th as well. (After) my 14 yr olds B-day party Of course. I will drive west a few hrs and sleep along the trail somewhere. I'm just so ready to leave NOW !!!! I can't stands it .