Hard luck elk hunting

by **elkflunky** » 09 29, 2012 • [Post 1]

Deleted by elkflunky.

by **WapitiTalk1** » 09 29, 2012 • [Post 2]

MT can be very good (area dependent) but perhaps you should go the last two weeks as opposed to the first part. I hunted MT twice last year and the bulls where I hunted really didn't turn on heavy until the last week of the month. So sorry to hear about your wife. My prayers are with you and your son to heal as best you can from such a loss and get into some great hunting next year. RJ

by **dreamhunter** » 09 29, 2012 • [Post 3]

It's not always about getting the game as much as the quality time you spend together and the experiences you two will share.Life is short and can go fast,you just have to slow it down and make the most of it.Go to Colorado and hunt.My buddy and I have hunted the last 5 out of 6 yrs in colorado together and we have yet to shoot an elk. We always have a great time and make the most of it.An elk would be a bonus,I'm ready for my bonus, lol. Hang in there and start your prep for next year.

by **dreamhunter** » 09 29, 2012 • [Post 4]

PS : don't be so hard on yourself

by **Bullnuts** » 09 30, 2012 • [Post 5]

I definitely agree with Dreamhunter. It's not always about what you put on the ground that is important. I bet your son had the time of his life just being in elk country with his dad! Consider this: My dad lived in Colorado from 1954 until he died in 1987 and killed a grand total of 1 spike bull in all that time. Not that we weren't out there every year trying! We hunted together from the time I was 8, and started hunting elk together when I was 14. I never saw him kill an elk and he wasn't with me when I finally got my first elk at 19 - he killed his bull later that same season- but that never diminished the quality of our hunts together. We had our ups and downs and in the precious few years that we had together (he died the next summer) we packed a lot of memories and great times into the time that we did have together. Family time is a gift that never lasts as long as we want it to and never realize how short life is until it's gone. Ups and downs are part of the hunt and so you make the best of every day in the field, love and hug your kids like it's the last time you'll ever be there together, and make that elk on the ground the icing on the cake.

by **elkflunky** » 09 30, 2012 • [Post 6]

Deleted

by **BarW** » 09 30, 2012 • [Post 7]

Does your son like to fish? Not sure where your home base is but fishing license are cheap even for out of state. I take my kids packing into the back country trout fishing every summer they have a great time "roughing it" and trying to cook trout on the fire. We are from deep east Texas so packing in the mountains is something completely different. Also if your son saw that cougar at 18 yards i bet that was an awesome experience. God Bless you for trying hard to be a good father.

by **Swede** » 09 30, 2012 • [Post 8]

As others have said, "don't be too hard on yourself". Make the situation a learning experience. I don't know what went wrong this year for you in Montana. Were the elk there, like they were in the past? The sign on the ground is a better indicator than just the responses to your calls. What did the evidence show? Did you call and work the situation to maximize you chances? Only you know. When one method of hunting is not working, I have found it helps to try different things. I have gone to mostly tree stand hunting elk, but occasional calling helps reassure me the elk are still in the area, and being flexible gives me more opportunity.

by **Lefty** » 09 30, 2012 • [Post 9]

Without a disater at home or in the field I would never consider any hunt with my wife or kids as bad or worse.
While money seems to be one of your considerations , sometimes some activities are not in a real persons budget.
I will never take my daughters to Alaska fishing, or the big dream , Alaska/Canada big game hunting, it will never be in the budget
But a youth antelope doe tag in Wyoming, thats a go and cheap.
Look at the time as time spent with your son,.. not a hunt where you killed the big bull.

by **LONEBULL** » 09 30, 2012 • [Post 10]

I know it's very frustrating!!!! Heck I'm disappointed in the hunting this year as well. Wyoming wasn't much better (at least the week I was out). Heck I'm jealous that you get to hunt with your son!! Dang divorce really screws me up (not that it wasn't good to get away from her)!!! Keep it up, it will get better!!

by **mlauber** » 09 30, 2012 • [Post 11]

Just a thought for all of us to keep in mind.........

Sometimes a successful hunt isn't always a notched tag.

I had a ball this year chasing bulls in an OTC area in Colorado that was abolsutely some of the toughest country to get on a bull!!! Between the people pressure, muzzle loaders, & hikers it was a feat that I was totally not ready for in the way of a DIY hunt.

I covered a lot of ground by getting gone by 0400 & came back at 2100 everyday for 14 days. I did take a small break.

There was alot of success despite not taking a shot.

I had these 4 cows & 2 spikes in range in the first 30 minutes on the first day of my hunt. I had bulls in range as well, but could not get shot becuase I just didn't get the great set-up I needed.

The below clip might help ease the pain. When you watch it you'll say why didn't he shoot!!!!! :shock:

I was hunting bulls. I have not had a shot in 7 years as of this year. I like you feel that time is an enemy, but when I reflect back over my hunt I realize that it is nevrer about the kill, as the kill, kills the hunt.

Enjoy this clip.

http://youtu.be/gwU5HBOT3OU

by **Bullnuts** » 09 30, 2012 • [Post 12]

Lefty wrote:Without a disater at home or in the field I would never consider any hunt with my wife or kids as bad or worse.
While money seems to be one of your considerations , sometimes some activities are not in a real persons budget.
I will never take my daughters to Alaska fishing, or the big dream , Alaska/Canada big game hunting, it will never be in the budget
But a youth antelope doe tag in Wyoming, thats a go and cheap.
Look at the time as time spent with your son,.. not a hunt where you killed the big bull.

Good point! Nebraska has some great deals on youth tags as well - whitetail tags for $10 for non-resident youth, and if I'm not mistaken you can kill two deer on each license in the right area.

by **Dirty D** » 09 30, 2012 • [Post 13]

Bummer you weren't into elk like you were hoping but I bet that trip is forever etched into your sons mind. "I saw more bears than elk and even had a mountain lion come in at 18 yards. "

Did your son get to see the lion? I'm 38, spend a ton of time outdoors and have never seen a lion, that's a pretty sweet experience and one I doubt he ever forgets.

Personally I'm a bigger fan of later season as it seems the bulls are more vocal on their own. And our number one rule when elk hunting is we keep moving until we find the elk. Just because they were in a certain basin/valley/mountain last year, doesn't mean they'll be there this year. Lots of variables push elk around, but we keep burning boot leather until we figure out where they went. I also make a point not to listing to all the neighsayers that are always easy to find sitting in camps or at the trail head. It's always; it's too hot, too cold, too many hunters, elk are call shy, blah, blah, blah. This is what we hear every year when we've just had an incredible week chasing elk. Keep going till you find 'em!!

by **MTLongdraw** » 10 01, 2012 • [Post 14]

Where were you hunting in MT? You don't have to tell me exactly where, but if it was Region 2 I'm not suprised. I've been hunting there my whole life until this year. I finally decided to find somewhere else becasue the numbers are so bad. Just for example ten years ago we used to consistently see 60-80 elk every day in the three drainages we hunt. Since 2005, I haven't seen more than 9 at any given time. It is the wolfs, mountain lions, and bears from what I can see. I could give you examples all day of the elk numbers dropping below sustainable numbers. Its really sad becasue I'm scared for how hunting will be in 11 years when my boy can hunt. The F&G has even made statements in the area that I hunt, that the numbers are so low they're expecting they are going to have to let the wolves (other predators) kill eveyrthing off and then figure out a plan on how to return them... Also I didn't get a bugle last year until the first week of October, then I was having 5 bulls bugle at me every day I went out for 10 days. The only down side to that is its hard to sneak up on elk when they are hurded up.

by **Vanish** » 10 01, 2012 • [Post 15]

If we all relied on bugling to hunt elk, there would be a lot more of us in your situation. Consider out of 15 days in the CO mountains this year we only had some bugling on perhaps 6 days, and most of those times were a single elk for a short period of time. Not once did the bugling go past 9am or start before 6pm. Top that off with hunting the early season, where the rut has barely started, and maybe consider your previous trip to MT the lucky one! 8-)

by **mongopino915** » 10 01, 2012 • [Post 16]

Where and how you hunt will certainly make a big difference. I am not sure how big your hunting area is but it is always good to have option B, C, D, E, F,........ when elk hunting. A 20 minute drive to a different drainage could be night and day when it comes to finding elk.

I have come to accept that fresh signs in plain sight are all that I need to find elk, getting elk to respond vocally to the calls is just a bonus. If you are not into fresh elk signs, it is time to move on to a different area.

In my opinion, the first two weeks of archery are the easiest to call elk in before they get educated. Hunt and call as if you are an elk and you will immediately see the difference, provided that there are fresh elk signs within the area.

Do not be so hard on yourself. Elk hunting is challenging, that is what keeps us coming back every year. Good Luck and hope your next trip has better elk turn out.

by **dito** » 10 02, 2012 • [Post 17]

I'm with everyone else. Don't give up. Maybe find somewhere cheaper to go. Aren't CO non resident tags like $500? That would save you some money. My and my Mom hunt every year. She's getting older and can't keep up as well and her knees are starting to hurt. I'm just glad I get to spend time with her. The gas I spend going place to place is worth it. Seems like a waste when yo don't get one. But in the long run spending time with your loved ones makes it more than worth it.

by **Solitude** » 10 02, 2012 • [Post 18]

Keep the throttle down and go again next year!

If it's bugling you are after go the last two weeks. I advise trying a new area and make sure you either scout ahead if time or at the least talk with the biologist in the area and call a taxidermist as I have found they are very knowledgeable if the local area.

It took me moving around to three different states and ended up seeing more elk in an OTC area then in limited draw areas.

As a father, dig deep, as yourself what type of hunt would my son enjoy...in my case what my son wants is slightly different than my goals. However, being in the woods, seeing elk and having opportunity enact the dirt nap is very high on the list.

If you simply want to hear bugling and show him what taking an elk with a bow is all about, I have a buddy who did a cow elk hunt in a LE bull area and had a blast. Just a thought.

Stick with it, the memories of time spent in the mountains with you son will last forever.

by **cantgetdrawn** » 10 02, 2012 • [Post 19]

There is some good advice here. One other thing you might want to consider, is not buying a tag for yourself and simply concentrate on getting an elk for your son. I believe that most people will get more satisfaction from helping their son than killing an elk themselves. You'll save the price of the tag. If you are in an OTC unit and he tags out early you can always load up the credit card and buy a tag for yourself.

by **T/H** » 10 02, 2012 • [Post 20]

my dad was not a hunter. in fact i think i'm the first in generations to hunt. gosh i would have loved having my dad take me hunting when i was a kid whether we killed anything or not. i think when the important things in life are lost in a hunt (or anywhere else) then the hunt wouldn't be worth going on anyway. jmho

by **elkflunky** » 10 02, 2012 • [Post 21]

Deleted

by **cantgetdrawn** » 10 03, 2012 • [Post 22]

That is too bad that states do that. I am curious though does Montana require the adult hunter to have a license for the same species or could the adult hunter get away with another type of hunting license? A small game license for instance.

by **MT_Nate** » 10 12, 2012 • [Post 23]

Elkflunky,

I have hunted 121 for the last decade and it is usually loaded with vocal bulls. It's a prime unit. I also hunted the first couple weeks down there, and the lack of sign and vocal elk were the worst I'd ever experienced. It was a bummer. Keep your head straight...it was an unusually dry summer here and people having a tough time finding elk in NW Montana was generally the norm rather than the exception.

by **elkless** » 11 10, 2012 • [Post 24]

I know at times a person can let things like your experience get under your skin and take it personally. Don't, sometimes things just happen the way they do. If you did the best you could then the result was just how things were. Like others have said concentrate on the good parts of the experience. I am from Montana and this is my 38th elkless season. I've hunted guided once, drawn high demand tags a couple of times, quit college twice because in interfered with hunting, saved up and quit work for all of archery and rifle season at least 6 times I can remember. Back packed for 3-5 days by myself into places with lots of grizzlies(which scare me). In short I've over thought, sought advice and worn my body out trying. If the only measure of my life was elk killed (or some years even seen) I would be a failure. But even with dissappointment I've experienced many wonderful things, thrilled to being someone who has been part of the wild places. Tested myself many times and have never come up short for commitment or effort. Teach your son that how he goes about things is more important than the results. Because he can control 100% of how he conducts himself, his character, and you taught him that. Good luck in all things.