Coming Soon, To an Elknut Store Near You :)

[WapitiTalk1]

To fuel the fire so to speak (prod prod, poke poke, nudge nudge), what would you cats be interested in as far as informative elk hunting field guides (or just elk hunting books in general)? My Elknut Playbook and Tree Stand Hunting Rocky Mountain Elk are two of my favorites. They are both compact, contain a wealth of information, are small in size comparative to larger books, and....are manufactured to be water resistant. It's no secret that I think this is "the elk forum". The likes of Elknut1, Swede, WW, cnelk, bowElkDwn, The Doc, Joe H20, John Fitz, Jacquomo, Elk Mountain Gear, Bullnuts, Indian Summer, flystrait, Glacier Country Calls (Troy), Slim9300, to name just a very few off the top of my head are folks that have dedicated the better part of their life to understanding how to get near and dear to wapiti and really get it, and, could potentially publish some literature that would benefit elk hunters.

Sooo, let's hear what kind of field guides or books on elk hunting you'd be interested in seeing published. Here are a few of mine

1. Elknut Playbook 2 (advanced elk hunting strategies).
2. Tales of Guiding/Outfitting Elk Hunters (containing segments of how you guys decided on this business, and, some offerings of some of your adventures).
3. Backcountry Elk Hunting Strategies (Gearing up and How to Prepare for a Successful Hunt).
4. Elk, It's What's for Dinner (various recipes for cooking/serving this ever so delicious table fare).
5. Tree Stand Hunting Rocky Mountain Elk 2 (advanced version).

Just a few off the top of my head but I'm sure there are many more that would benefit us all.. What do you folks think? Necessity is the mother of invention, right? What kind of field guides or general elk hunting strategy/methodology publications would you Elknuts like to see put into print? RJ

[JGH]

Far and away, the answer is The Playbook 2.

ElkNut's Playbook is the densest compilation of "what you need to know" that I've found. Asking for more of it is like asking more more of my favorite food ... I'll founder on it before I quit eating.

To those who are getting ready this winter to write their own books, my advice is to stay away from stories of your own place. Yes, they are interesting (once) but it's tough to make a generalizable point out of an anecdote. My experience is that the writer often sees more wisdom in the anecdote than the reader. When I'm in the mountains chasing bugles, I don't want to sift through your story about your friend who had kind-of a similar situation ... My mind is looking for "What are my options, and how do I choose?"

Frankly, I come here for stories and anecdotes. It's a better format for that. I can ask questions, comment, and read questions of others'. Likewise with humor ... if it's funny, it's funny once ... why not share that on the forum instead of make it a permanent part of a book?

That's what I really enjoy about The Playbook ... nuts and bolts. It gives options on how to approach different situations. The analogy to a football coach's playbook is great ... now, Coach, tell us about strategy. We've got the plays, but every week is a new opponent, and you might open the game differently. How do you read defenses? How do you keep one step ahead of your opponent? Any trick plays up your sleeve? Sheer athleticism is cool to watch, but the cool wisdom of a coach is what makes seasons. Many books tell us how to be an athlete ... tell us how to be our own "coach".

New "plays" are cool, too. A section of one "play" per page would be great to have in a pack ... ("Oh, I remember this one play that's be perfect right now", I can hear myself saying as I flip through the book.)

Many books are written for "the first trip West". I don't think we need a repeat of that. Information and collaboration on what sleeping system to purchase is available in a better format on the internet ... likewise with training/exercise ... and equipment issues are going to be obsolete by the time the book comes out!

"Common Misconceptions Debunked" would be a good chapter, too ... things like moon phases, weather issues, what particular calls "mean".

[Swamp Buck]

I own all of the Elk Nut DVD's, The Play Book, and Tree Stand Hunting Rocky Mountain Elk. By Far the best compilation of information is the Play Book. A Play Book 2 would be great. I second everything that JGH said.

In addition I would love to see a video crew follow Paul and crew around for a season, then we could watch the encounter with elk and exactly what is done in that situation. Paul could then come on and explain what we saw and what calls and why they were used. Real life situations with follow-up instruction will help many to learn and retain the leason as you do on your own hunts more than reading a book.

[ElkNut1]

We do have a few things in the works, I think most will enjoy! (grin)

ElkNut1

[JohnFitzgerald]

I would like to see a video from RJ! Something like "Elk Calling Through Interpretive Dance" would be great!

Interested RJ?

[WapitiTalk1]

I would like to see a video from RJ! Something like "Elk Calling Through Interpretive Dance" would be great!

Interested RJ?

Shhhhhhh. That's supposed to be a secret Still working on my routine but hopefully, the VID will hit the shelves by next season

[Triplebhunters]

JGH. Awesome points. Now throw a few pics in from this forum, not just them 350 bulls.
I've been thinking that a playbook with the instructions and the calls back to back.

[elkmtngear]

RJ,
I'd love to see something from your neck of the woods, dedicated to hunting Roosies...for the guys like me that entertain the idea of chasing those jungle giants someday.

Start typing now...I will buy the first copy!

[Swede]

I think JGH's common misconceptions idea is good. I would add a couple like "wounded animals always go down hill". Then there is the one that claims "there is the scent of death in the air", so it will be a waste of time to continue to hunt this area.

For me the challenge was to write a condensed field book, similar to the Playbook and make it interesting reading. I was conscious of the need to show the rational for things I thought might be outside of conventional thinking. I wanted to explain my reasoning. There is a fine line between a condensed field book that reads like the operators manual you get with your new car, and extraneous use of personal stories. Each type af writing has its place. What you go with depends on your objective.

I have no intention to ever write another tree stand book. If someone wants to write a different one for elk hunting, I would like to be the first to get an autographed copy. I plan to keep on writing short stories, to be published, and have a couple ideas I would like to hatch out this winter. One of the things I want to address is the problem of hunters being too dogmatic on there being just certain ways to do everything when it comes to hunting. Often people are searching for just the right answer for every situation, so they will get game. It just does not work like that for me or anyone else. There is no magic wand, no perfect call for every situation, and no perfect tree stand.

I too am interested in Elknut's next book and RJ's foray into book writing. Maybe I could learn to dance too.

[JGH]

Swede:

One of the things I want to address is the problem of hunters being too dogmatic on there being just certain ways to do everything when it comes to hunting.

Great point ... great coaches don't tell athletes what to do, they help athletes develop into their own style. Thus, we got "Sweetness" and the Peyton boys, and a bunch of other "Playbook"-readers.

Good points for all authors here ...

I'd add ... (and I think it is a common theme here) ... that it'd be nice to read a book designed for the hunter who just wants to get something on the ground ... not 300+ ... not P&Y ... just an elk.

The sun don't rise and set on 6-point bulls!

So many times I hear the advice to new hunters: "Just shoot the first legal elk for a few years." As if that's easy! Most of us reading books would like be fine reading about satellite bulls and cows ... we'd be thrilled to try out our new packs and knives on them! A book to get us "Any Elk"-hunters going would be great.

A book called "Herd Bull Tactics for the Retired Hunter Possessing 25 preference points in all states" won't be the first I buy.

Oh ... and ... whoever this author is ... publish a Kindle version!

[Swede]

The other day, well I guess it was a month ago now, I went back to my owners manual for the car, to be reminded how to reset the clock. After I read the explanation it was a rather straight forward matter. I pushed the right button and turned the correct knob and wa la, the clock went back an hour. The operation was very plain and simple.
My concern has been that some people are trying to reduce elk hunting to mostly following a set of instructions like that to achieve success. If you do not kill the 350 class bull, you must have misread your instructions. Then the next thing is to go back or ask someone, where did I go wrong?
I see two problems with that kind of thinking.
1. It is likely you did nothing wrong, or it was not preventable. It is difficult to know what to call to a bull if you are not sure basically how large it is, or if it is herded up. The tree stand hunter may wonder why they failed, but they simply ran into circumstances beyond their control or ability to predict.
2. There are often several options which would be reasonable to try. All anyone can say is what they would try based on what worked for them in their hunting area. A good book, magazine article, or video will usually describe what worked for one individual at one time in one area. Will it work for you? Who knows? Try it.
Lets face it, as hunters we are not in complete control, and elk hunting will never be reduced to a point where it can be fairly described as simple.

[Mav]

All great points!! I know my wife would love a recipes book and I would love a backcountry guide. But the comment about a video that stops to explain things... That's it for me!! Being able to see things is how I learn.

[Trumkin the Dwarf]

I just want to know how one scouts for elk in the thick, steep forested stuff on the Idaho/Montana border and areas with similar terrain. I hunt one spot where a spotting scope is pretty useless because the only way to glass it is to come in from another drainage, some 20-30 miles on foot. That said, I haven't figured the area out, because I am a visual hunter first and foremost. (call it a byproduct of my eastern/south central Montana upbringing)

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

Write a book?? I don't think so! Years ago I started taking notes and writing short stories about some of my hunts with the intention of putting them in book form. Then a good friend introduced me to a writer who had written a book about how he managed to harvest, what was then, the Illinois record P&Y whitetail buck. This fellow said that it was a hard enough sale to produce a book about the most widely hunted big game animal in the world, let alone their bigger cousin, the elk. And then came the big kicker. $$$$$ DOLLARS !! Hmmmm! I didn't have any extra cash laying around to pay for a book that might be a gamble if it would sell or not.

Ask Elknut or Swede how hard it is to get that first addition on the market.

So I'm plenty satisfied to share my experiences right here on the forum for free. And hope someone might enjoy them and benefit from my good luck as well as my mistakes over the past 35 years or so of chasing elk.

It's been one heck of a good ride!

[twinkieman]

The playbook 2 would be my first choice, along with another series of dvd's, for advanced elknut methods.I have devoured all of the info in the playbook, and I pretty much know the audio on the dvd's by memory. All of it has made me a far better elk hunter, and I look forward to what is sure to be coming.

[Swede]

Like ww, I enjoy writing short stories. I can sit down and write one in about an hour when I feel the inspiration coming on. In other words when I think I have some idea(s) what I want to share. After I write the story, I will let it set awhile then I will go back and rewrite it. After a couple of rewrites I let my wife look it over to see if she understands everything. When that it done I send it to Oregon Bowhunter for publication. It is pretty simple and it only costs me the time I have invested.
As anyone who has spent any amount of time on this forum knows, I enjoy writing. Writing a book is a little more complicated, than a short story. First you need to have several thoughts connected together. For me that was a little difficult. Connecting those thoughts and writing them in book form took me hundreds of hours including multiple rewritings. Editing, publishing, copyrighting, ISBN, and printing will make you gulp your coffee rather hard. In my case I had 1000 books made. The set up and other preparation costs are a significant part of the job, so the more books you have printed, the cheaper the cost of each book.
I have no means of personally marketing and distributing a book. I am grateful that Elknut was very accommodating and willing to carry and advertise it in his store. If Elknut had not been willing to advertise the book, I would have had to spend hundreds of additional dollars to get some professional to advertise it and who know what else. In other words, without Elknut, the tree stand book would have never materialized. Elknut made producing the book feasible, and he has been a very reliable source for interested hunters, who want to get the book.
I would encourage anyone who would like to write a book to go for it. If my experience is any measure of what you will experience, then I would anticipate about 500 hours invested of your own time, in writing and managing the preparation of the book. The costs generated can easily exceed $5,500, which can take years before you break even, not counting any return on your time invested. Another way to look at this is, unless you are very lucky or are very famous, writing a book is not a means to get rich. Enjoy your writing.

[cohunter14]

New to the forum, so I haven't had the opportunity to read any of the listed books (yet). But I figured I would throw in my two cents on what could make for a good book. As has been mentioned, something for the everyday elk hunter who is interested in just bagging an elk, not necessarily bringing home a 350+ bull, would be great.

Another suggestion would be for the experienced hunter to share what they have learned and done over the years to make them successful every year. There are very few hunters out there who fill their tags every year. What makes those guys successful every year? How did they learn their area so well? How are they able to locate the elk every year (especially during rifle seasons when calling is not happening)? I haven't had the opportunity to get to know a bunch of you guys on this forum yet, but after sharing time on another forum with Brad (cnelk), I know he finds success every year and these are the questions I would ask him if we ever were to grab beers together. Basically, how does a guy go from a novice elk hunter to the guy who fills his tag every year? I find success occasionally, but it's definitley not every year and it is not for a lack of effort. For me, I just think it could be a lack of knowledge between me and these successful individuals, even though I have read quite a few books that are out there and have spent a lot of time on other forums. Just my two cents!

[Trophyhill]

no need to reinvent the wheel. tried and true tactics on all elk would be just fine by me. if it's first hand experience so much the better.