Rookie in training

[Dr. Rx]

Hello Gents

New member here. Going through a mid life crisis and decided to change my hunting quarry. Been an avid waterfowl hunter for the past 30 years. Over the last 3 years, however, the magic is gone! It's time I started learning how to big game hunt. I've been reading and visiting this site for bit and seems like there are bunch of great guys as well as teachers. Well I want to be your student! Want to learn and apply any knowledge that one would share about elk hunting. Never been, but love the meat. My approach is rifle hunting via DIY hunting. Will be putting in for several out of state hunts for elk and have started with Wyoming. I'm training and hiking hard and my attitude is full of determination and focus of which I credit to most of you guys already sharing your wisdom on this forum. So for now, just wanted to come out of the shadows and introduce my self.

Thanks

Kris

[ohio boy]

Well im just a step above you i guess since ive hunted elk but definitely not a teacher. You've came to the right place for help. These guys/gals on here have answered everything ive threw at em. Theres alot of knowledgable ppl here. So soak up as much as you can. Im still trying to learn myself.

[ElkNut1]

Welcome aboard sir! Thanks for the intro about yourself, nicely done! Fire away with questions as they arise!

ElkNut1

[Indian Summer]

There is a piece of advice that I would suggest anyone who is just getting started with elk hunting should pay close attention to. If you ask anyone with even a couple seasons under their belt what is one of if not the most important factor in success they will tell you knowing your area. Deer hunting is hands down the most popular big game hunting in the country and any deer hunter with consistent success most certainly knows his or her area in detail.

I don't look at an elk hunt as just a hunt. I look at it as a piece of a puzzle. An investment in your future elk hunts. When you start to build a puzzle you begin by putting a few pieces together. In elk hunting those initial pieces are the first trails you hike, the first few elk encounters etc. As you put more pieces of the puzzle together you begin to see what the big picture will look like. In the latter stages of working on the puzzle the pieces start coming together faster because by then you know what the final image will look like and there are less pieces missing. We have had threads on here where the question was asked... how many years does it take on average before you can say you have a solid idea of what is going on in your hunting area. That answer is right around 4 years. By then you've gone through explorer mode, where you probably covered ground faster than you should be. You've experienced different types of weather and saw how the animals reacted to it. You've bumped elk and saw how they reacted to that. At that point you can walk out of camp each day with confidence. You have plans A, B, & C. And that means you are in the mental state to be persistent which is priceless.

So here is the piece of advice I am leading up to: Do not waste time by starting somewhere you aren't going to stick with. Don't waste a week of vacation, an elk tag, and hundreds of dollars of fuel on hunting somewhere not worth the investment of the time you will put in when you get there, only to move on to another place the next year. Instead do everything in your power to qualify your spot from the start. Try to find places by word of mouth from people who have been there. If you struggle with that drive out during the summer and really get some hands on experience in an area that caught your attention on maps and Google earth etc. Send PMs to members on forums like this one and ask them straight up if they have a spot that they would be willing to let you get started on. Maps alone are not enough. There are a million square miles of great looking areas with sufficient habitat that do not hold elk for various reasons. So whatever you do, take the time to make that first elk hunt count. If you don't you can very easily have a bad experience and end up being one of the thousands of hunters who decide that elk hunting is not for them. It is expensive and it is really hard work. If you don't have a positive experience you or some of your partners may just throw in the towel. That's a shame, but it happens every year.

Don't hunt somewhere because the license there is the cheapest or... you think it's the easiest one to get. There are a half dozen states that offer guaranteed elk licenses. Not one or two! Don't hunt somewhere because it is the shortest drive. Don't hunt somewhere because the name of it ends with the word "wilderness". Hunt somewhere where you have done everything and anything you can to be sure there are elk there. Period! That might sound easier said than done but it is not impossible. Work hard now and all year long and you'll get out of it what you put into it. It's not always fun like buying new gear or shooting your bow or gun. But all the great gear in the world won't help if they just aren't there right? And the longest drive is the one home with an unpunched tag and no elk in the coolers. On the bright side... you'd be surprised what others will help you with if you just ask. Good luck! And welcome aboard Doc Rx!

[Toby]

Indian Summer

That was a great post, best elk hunting advice I have ever read.

We are heading to our 4th area in 15 years, if we draw in Wyoming. Hunting the same are that you are familiar with is gold. If we draw, I am spending a little time there this summer, never going in cold again.

Toby

[Dr. Rx]

Thank you Indian summer..love the name!

Toby is spot on..that was the best advice I have ever received about elk hunting. Growing up never did much big game hunting. Now at 45, I need a new challenge and I think I'm on an adventure of a lifetime time. So thank you to all for sharing your thoughts and greetings. I may ask some dumb questions, however you know the old saying. I'm hungry for knowledge, so keep 'em coming.

Kris

[Indian Summer]

Is there such a thing as a dumb question? (is that a dumb question?)

[nippip]

Doc, I am just barely a raghorn but one thing that has helped me a ton besides the great folks on this site is to call the wildlife biologists in areas you are interested in. I ask questions like which hunting districts, HD's, would they recommend and how would they suggest to hunt the area. I ask about the health of the heards and what the success ratios have been.
As you will be hunting on public lands you should also look at which HD's have decent access.
To confirm what Indian Summer said this will be my fourth season and I feel that the one elk I got was just beginners luck in my first season as I have gotten skunked the past two but have learned tons.

Good luck,

Pippin

[Dr. Rx]

Thank you for the Tip Pippin.

It's going to be a life long adventure. The true excitement for me is the preparation. It will be fun but for now I'm in Elk School. Need to attain a ton of knowledge to feel confident in my approach.

Kris

[nippip]

Thank you for the Tip Pippin.

It's going to be a life long adventure. The true excitement for me is the preparation. It will be fun but for now I'm in Elk School. Need to attain a ton of knowledge to feel confident in my approach.

Kris

I am in the same boat and have a similar perspective