I'm so dang wishy-washy...

[bald9eagle]

How in the world do you guys pick out a spot to hunt? I have changed my mind about a dozen times after gleaning a bit of info here and there. I believe that I am over thinking things. I did the same on a turkey hunt several years ago on some new NFS land. I obsessed over it but when it came time to hunt it I was on turkeys. Years later I can go straight to spots that hold birds. Oh well.

Back to the maps!!

[Indian Summer]

If it makes you feel any better I am absolutely cross eyed from looking at maps, success rates, and draw odds this past week. I spent 3 or 4 hours every night going over that stuff. The crazy thing is I am always learning something new. With the Wyoming deadline on top of us it's crunch time.

You would think that I would know exactly what I'm doing. I have lots of places I know well and can hunt with confidence. Good thing I enjoy planning but I'm definitely ready to get the apps in and quit looking at my options.

Roll the dice baldy!

[Ridgernr]

Paralysis by analysis , I t happens to most I would imagine, I have some spots that are great but when they run dry I get hit with it , sometimes I just make a decision bases On past times.. sometimes it is made others I hunt with when they have intel that leads us there.

[bald9eagle]

The dice has been rolled. I just ordered a map from startmyhunt.com. That's $40 bucks on an area that I have hardly looked at...lol.

I had decided on Unit 81 hunting the wilderness area. After a few PM's I have decided against it. Now I am going on a whim to an area that will probably be sheltering shy herds that have been bumped from the ML hunters. I may regret it if one of us actually connects...lol.

[CurlyTail]

This elk hunting is a long term process. Hunting almost any unit year after year will allow you to find the areas with best habit, fewest hunters, and best security areas. There is no substitute for boots on the ground - during the season. Just adjust your attitude and expectations the first year or two in a new area. Also be willing to move if you are not finding elk.

I do this to myself duck hunting all the time. It is even worse if you are the leader of a group , and the others are going along with your decisions.

[Indian Summer]

Well.... just rolled mine. A pretty good chance at drawing my first choice, not so good for my 2nd. I hope to open a whole new can of worms this year hunting near big private ranches. Going to buy the OnX Maps for my GPS to be safe and so I can max out my opportunities. If everything pans out I'll add a nice plan to my list for hunters with just 2 to 3 points along with an elk for the freezer.

How about my poor buddy from New Brunswick: With the exchange rate he had to shell out $1570 for his license.

[Lefty]

Chance of opportunity.
And if possible remoteness from the crowds.

Now those could mean different things to different hunters.
Ive always taken advantage of what I have close to home so I could maximize the days out in the field that I have available. For elk that means less than 2 hours from home to hunting
Being a school teacher on a restrictive budget and limited time available during the season means I stay instate
When I ran trap lines
I looked at habitat and accessible trap locations,.. which meant lots public access and fewer trappers

For elk I started hunting the desert for two reasons,.. it hurt a lot to side hill, big bulls and few people. OK three reasons
This year: elk numbers, few hunters and time from road access, which meant elevation ( up and down) and time.
I was going to set up a place for my daughter, quick public access, no grizzlies ,. A small area close to a highway overlooked by elk and deer hunters
For goose hunting,.. anyplace I can dig a small pit,
Bear hunting ATV access to haul in baits

You need to decide whats important to your hunt. Looking for a big bull is hunting different than a place with high success rates.
Me I dont want my hunt messed up buy others,.. it better be me screwing things up. In am I good at that

[ElkNut1]

I don't "pick a spot" I prefer to pick 8-10 spots & hope 50% of them pan out! (grin) Look for elk country, water, feed, cover, look for these areas that are less populated by hunters. I prefer areas of consideration where my entrance points are not near trails or roads. You can lose most hunting pressure by staying away from these easier access areas. Nothing wrong with using trails an hour or so before daylight to penetrate then swing off of them towards other country you've spied out via topo maps but do your best to get away from areas where sound does not get to by hunters calling from these trails or roads. It's easir hat you'd think once you get used to picking out these areas less pursued!

ElkNut1

[Indian Summer]

I have a friend who was married to a girl who was fairly insane. lol One day he threw a dart at a map of the country. He said he was packing up and moving to wherever the dart landed. It landed on Garden Valley Idaho and he still lives there. But I think there are better ways of going about it.

Elknut when you hunt "up the road a bit" it's a lot different. I'm sure you've racked your brain thinking about your options with those Wyoming points. There are lots of factors. First you have to decide what you really want. Huge bulls only, the least amount of hunters possible.etc.

Getting started is half the battle. If you've never hunted elk before you'll be light years ahead of where you are now regardless of how good the hunting is just by getting that first hunt under your belt.

For me there is only one way to actually pinpoint a place to start from 2200 miles away and that is word of mouth. If you go about it right you will eventually run across someone who is willing to give you details about an area. It has to be a trusted source and the info has to be fairly recent. I'm lucky to know a few guides in different states and some really good hunters around the country. But it took years to cross paths and become friends with those people. You might need to give it some time. Pay your dues just by sticking around a talk forum and getting to know people. Go do one hunt and then share your experience. I think people are ore willing to help someone who has actually gone out and tried it and can relate to the things they are trying to teach them. If you were going to book a hunt with an outfitter you would want references to tell you about the guy but also about the area. Picking a spot for a DIY hunt should be no different. Find a reference. Someone who can at least point you in the direction of elk from their actual experience.

PASSING IT ON

PassinItOn.jpg (10.12 KiB) Viewed 4129 times

[bald9eagle]

Great advice Joe.

[elkstalker]

I too find myself in these kinds of conundrums, but I typically can narrow it down to a handful of units, then begin doing my in-depth research, many hours on GE, talking with Biologists, land management employees, and locals. At that point if two units are still neck and neck, at least I know they must both be good choices to have made it that far in my analysis! At some point you just have to make a decision, and ride it out

[ElkNut1]

Yep Joe, can't beat word of mouth from a reliable source as a starting point! (grin) But in addition to this I still fall back on the maps of said reliable areas, I want a minimum of 6 areas to fall back onto. I use word of mouth as a general area to consider. I've hunted 5 different states & finding elk in them can be a chore but definitely doable. As I mentioned above, look for elk country away from the crowds & easy access points, this will be the best places to consider! This is for DIY elk hunts!

ElkNut1

[Indian Summer]

That's the way I am in Montana Paul. It's pretty much home so I know a ton of country in detail. Some places I haven't hunted in years I can make my rounds based on where I see other vehicles and of course on the activity in my milk run. I also pick them based on how I feel. Some spots are further in so I hit them when I'm feeling frisky and if I'm beat up I go to places where I'm hunting 15 minutes from the truck.

When I hunt Wyoming it's different. I know lots of spots there too but I have no need to move around in the truck. I set camp and head out on foot or horse from there every day. Sometimes I'll hunt a unit that is open and then move camp to hunt the first days of the season in another unit that opens later. But once I'm there I stay put. From camp I'll have a wide range of options but the elk are there or I wouldn't be. So I hunt the heck out of it for a week or 2 and get to know the place reeeeeally good.

No matter how good I know a spot I still stare at topos every single day. Like you the maps are where I start when I'm looking for a new spot. Some places I look at just don't have the geographic features that I like to hunt. Other places jump right out at me because there are lots of options with a big network of ridges and holes to work. I use word of mouth when I can but like anyone I do find new spots through research and then I live and die by the topo maps with Google Earth to look at how open things are.