Is this possible

[MTLongdraw]

Between work, family, putting in an underground sprinkler system, and everything else that seems to pop up I feel like I have been neglecting the forum and elk in general. These last few weeks have been the first time in about a year and a half that I haven't thought about elk at least a few times a day. I still manage to think about them everyday but not as much as I usually do. With that being said I figured I better post something. I will have to make time to scout, shoot, and get back into elk hunting shape. Not to mention there is less than 4 months to do this. I know when i finally make time to do it I'll enjoy it. With that being said do you guys ever get the feeling that the odds of getting an elk are just so overwhelming? I can get easily discouraged from this. It wont stop me from hunting but it stresses me out. For example this year I'm looking at some new spots. It just seems its so slim that I'll even get one. I do know if you don't go they will not come into the living room. I always wonder how I'm going to find the right spot, hunt it, manage to find them, stalk them, get into range on them, get drawn, not get detected, make the shot, and trail them and recover them if need be...Thats a lot of things to go right. Some people make it look to easy

Not trying to be depressing just pondering.

[RockChucker30]

I think that you're overthinking it a bit. The first step to success in any endeavor is making the decision to try....after that, you just do your best to be successful and have fun doing it.

There are a lot of things that need to go right to kill elk, but there is a reason that humans are the apex predators on this planet.

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

I don't know the exact figures but there is an old saying that 20% of the hunters get 80% of the elk. Heck, I Don't know, may ti is even 10/90 or 25/75. But the fact remains that a small majority of hunters harvest a large percentage of the elk.

So if you consider yourself to be a good hunter, I wouldn't worry too much about it. You will know just what bracket you fall into when you come home and your wife says, " Well! What did you get this time"! instead of, " Did you get anything"?

[LckyTylr]

I can see that you are slightly discouraged with the daunting 4 months ahead to find time to scout new spots, get into "Elk Shape", work a full time job, be a Husband, be a good Dad and all of life's daily little speed bumps.

I get to the same point occasionally, but what helps me is to remind myself that I can sleep when I'm dead. What I'm getting at is that there is enough time in the day to get it all done, but you will need to adjust your ideal schedule and just make some changes to your daily schedules. You might not be able to work out in the daylight, but hey, if you run in the dark or hike in the dark with a headlamp, it's even more realistic in preparing you for Elk season. I try to be as efficient as possible while at work, which means NOT thinking about Elk hunting, scouting or dirt biking. This gets me home earlier. Then I spend time with my Wife and Son until he goes to bed. Then it's dinner and house/yard work. I'll watch a TV show with my Wife (Spending time with her), and then I'll finally get to my workout. After a workout, I'll shower and spend 30 minutes looking on GE doing some digi-scouting and let my body wind down for sleep.

Maybe this will help you . . .

[Trophyhill]

Now that you'll have time, you know what to do. Don't get down on yourself. Stay positive. Don't allow negativity to set in. You know what elk hunting is all about and you've no doubt heard these things before and or said it yourself to others. Sounds to me like you've been keeping your priorities straight. I predict a bloody arrow and a dead elk at the end of your blood trail this year.

[Arapahoe]

I just had a death in the family recently and haven't had time for much of anything.

I always believed the most important thing to take care of with elk hunting is what you've got between your ears.

[Swede]

You can improve your confidence with knowledge and experience. You can get to the place where you know what is under your control and what is not. You know what it takes to make things happen for you. You can learn to hunt in that realm. WW is correct about the percentages. The way I express it is that in an area with 10%-15% hunter success; 5% of the hunters have success nearly every year. 5% of the hunters get one fairly frequently, and 90% of the hunters share the remaining 10%. I have learned that not everyone who gets elk every year is a good hunter. There are some who hunt ranches where all they do is step out the back door on opening morning and shoot their critter. Still public land hunting is tough. Learn your query and your hunting area. Know what it takes to git-er-done. Now enjoy your hunt.
I still wish I had the confidence my wife has. I am always apprehensive before a hunt. I am not sure how things will go, but she empties out the freezer after I leave and gives away all of our meat. She believes she must make room and still may still be short of it when I return.

[mtnmutt]

Last year for my 3rd season, I was extremely depressed on closing day. I tried harder than the other 2 seasons by backpacking in 3 times. I damaged my feet for the first time in my life while hiking. I saw far less elk than my first 2 seasons.

We had 2 deaths in the family last summer/spring. The wildfires and other problems prevented me from scouting my primary hunting area last summer.

I don't think I ever really got my head into the elk hunting game last year. Work was very busy at the same time, so I was wiped out going into the season.

In January, I damaged my right shoulder (bow arm). Because of work and being in denial (ie afraid of possible surgery), I did not go to a doctor for 2.5 months. My shoulder was extremely painful most days and was nearly useless. Then, I got the good news that I probably did not need surgery. I have a few more weeks of Physical Therapy and I will be good as new. I look at this experience as a lucky break. PT has taught me exercises that will no doubt prevent future injuries. Better to have it happen in January rather than on August 30th.

CO elk success is 10% of the hunters account for 90% of the harvest across all methods of take. In my hunting area, archery elk is 5-7% success rate and it is mostly public land.

On opening day of my 1st season, I had my one and only shot opportunity that I blew when the elk jumped my bow string. This encounter has motivated me.

My trick to stay motivated is Visualization. I visualize every aspect of the hunt including an elk walking into bow range, drawing back smoothly, arrow hitting elk, tracking, field dressing, and packing the meat out. I have successfully used the visualization trick for my races. I am truly not a runner. I even hate running. In January, I did my 2nd half marathon when I was sick. I visualize crossing the finish line and I finished the race. I have finished all my races so far even when I was a slug and stumbling at times.

Visualize your successful hunt. Visualization techniques are underrated by most people. Athletes use those techniques all the time.

The other big thing that helped me get out of my funk was to read all the advice on this forum the last few months. Last season, I hunted harder. I did not hunt smarter. I need to hunt smarter. I am going back to car camping for the first 3 weeks of the season which will also help my stamina. I will be adding "luxury" items to my camp to improve my sleep.

As for exercise, due to the time needed for my shoulder exercises, my lower body hasn't gotten much attention. My trick here is to go up and down my house steps 10 times a few times during the day like sprinting. Another "exercise": While brushing my teeth twice a day, I either practice standing on one bent leg (balance exercise) or I do squats while brushing my teeth. I know all this sounds funny, but it helps more than you would expect. You do not need to spend 30-60 minutes to hours exercising to build muscle. Stamina yes, muscle no.

[elkmtngear]

My trick to stay motivated is Visualization. I visualize every aspect of the hunt including an elk walking into bow range, drawing back smoothly, arrow hitting elk, tracking, field dressing, and packing the meat out. I have successfully used the visualization trick for my races. I am truly not a runner. I even hate running. In January, I did my 2nd half marathon when I was sick. I visualize crossing the finish line and I finished the race. I have finished all my races so far even when I was a slug and stumbling at times.

Visualize your successful hunt. Visualization techniques are underrated by most people. Athletes use those techniques all the time.

Excellent advice mtnmutt !

[Ridgernr]

I know what you mean we are down 2 techs at work and going thru A refi at home so lots to do, and I have not been out shed hunting to my elk spots.
I just started to work out again , I am planning a couple backpack trips and need to get out and shed hunt.
Just getting out should help.

[CrazyElkHunter]

Think positive! Go with confidence. I would not go, if I thought negative of my chances of not filling the freezer. Percentages are low for archers in OTC hunters, but put yourself in that group of hunters with confidence that fill tags on a regular basis. In 35 years, I have taken 27 elk with a bow as a non resident on public land, self guided. 26 of them were OTC tags. The other 8 years I had opportunities, but got too picky. Sure, there were many days in a row I did not see or hear elk, but never gave up. Tell yourself you can't wait to get to elk camp and get-er-done! My best friend that I have been hunting with for 25 years straight, has only taken 1 bull during that time, hunting the same area I hunt. The main difference between him and I is that he doubts his even seeing elk, and I know I will.

[Indian Summer]

Huh... posted here yesterday. Sometime when you hit submit it acts like you hit the preview button right. Then if you go to another page without re-hitting submit it doesn't post. I guess many of us have experienced that.

Anyway.... Josh I think you just need to hear from others that we all go through the same thing. It's true. If you're a serious elk hunter then it's likely you're thinking about it every day. No question it can be like a roller coaster ride when it comes to confidence and emotions. Up up up.... down down down. I guess I can say I'm one in the small % who seems to get lucky every year so why would I think that might change this year? Maybe I'm due for a skunkin'. There I said it! I've been saying it off and on for several seasons now but so far so good. The fact is that the odds are this is the year. Yep... been saying that too. You can't expect to kill a friggin' elk every year can you? hmmm Maybe I guess. But I think there are two main factors. If you live where you hunt odds are way higher that you know your area. Two.... how much actual hunting time you will have.

One thing I learned from having (in the past) unlimited time to hunt.... you have a whole other perspective from day 1. No pressure right! So unlike someone who has 7 days you kinda slow down and take it all in instead of trying to tear it all up. The lesson was that having that easy going attitude is not only more fun but more productive. You can say things to yourself like... yep I'm going to give this a try and if it doesn't work there's always tomorrow. There's nothing worse than saying things to yourself like... this could be my only chance so please Lord let this come together. I hate hunting with a bit of desparation in the back of my mind. As you can see I'm one of the ones who believes that it's at least 51% mental. Where you live you should not be concerned about having any less chance of killing an elk than anyone else. Heck I don't even scout there anymore. But... when I hunt there will be no limit to the number of days and miles I'll hunt before ending up in the right place at the right time. You live close enough to elk to smell them. I know where there are some laying right now. Funny how sometimes that doesn't seem to help. But in the long run it really does. So calm down already you're making me nervous!!!

[easeup]

I expect all of us in life at one point or another have been pressed into thinking the weight of the world was on our shoulders for various reasons. And when that pressure is there it is always intensified by the perceived TIME clock.

Here is what the wisest man that ever lived said regarding this....
there is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven.....
.....a time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted......

.....every man who eats and drinks sees good in all of his labor - it is a gift of God.

ECC 3:1-13

yes sir..."Is this possible?", He knows the desires of your heart and there will be a time and place for it to be satisfied.

[MTLongdraw]

Thanks guys...I just need to remember this is fun, but I want to be sucessfull every year too.