Share an Elk Hunting Tip 2015

[WapitiTalk1]

Calling, stalking, scouting, equipment, base/bivy/spike camps, packing list gotta haves/don't forget, survival, navigation, field dressing, packing, etc. Please share a tip that has worked for you in the elk woods. Big or small, let's hear them.

[Tigger]

If it is going to be dry, bring nasal spray! One hunt I was on I had constant bloody noses cuz it was sooo dry. Never a problem before or since, but that one sucked.

[ElkNut1]

Bring that Bugle! It's the # 1 way to find elk when they do not want to be found!

ElkNut1

[huntalittle]

Never lay your release down!!! Walked away from mine one day only to realize it a long time later. No shot opportunities that day and found it on my way back to camp....but it would not have been good to see an elk with no release!

Body conditioning starts now!

[msd1228]

Don't be afraid to try something off the wall if nothing else is working. Level 3 of the threat has worked for me countless times in cold calling setups, and full bore lip bawl screams have gotten me a bugle response when location bugles fell on deaf ears.

[six]

Elk are where you find them.

After spending an afternoon in a downpour. I made it back to camp at 630. changed into some dry cloths and started a pan of chili going. Pretty soon my hunting partner strolled into camp in the same condition I had been a few minutes earlier.

We were getting a fire going to try and get the chil out of our bones when we heard a bugle. We looked at each other in disbelief. We were camped next to a county road and been hunting miles from camp each day.

Camp was on the top of the mountain and I thought the bugle came from the east and my partner thought west. So off we went in our own separate directions. A few minutes later the elk bugled again closer and south of camp. I went as fast as I could back toward camp to try and cut him off. As soon as I reached the top I threw out a couple cow calls to try and get a location. Just as I finished I heard a stick break in camp. I ducked behind the bright red F250 makeshift elk blind. Holy crap he's in camp. I thought to myself if I could just get to the tree line 15 feet away I would be all set. I was halfway to the tree line when the biggest bull I have ever seen steps out onto the county road looking for those cows that were just talking. It was the second bull elk I had ever seen on the hoof. I guessed him at 50 yards when he was really at 40. Well the arrow sailed over his back and soon he was out of sight.

Tracks in the mud were 10 feet away from the wall tent.

[WapitiTalk1]

"Bright red F250 makeshift elk blind".. that made my day! Thanks for sharing that six and so true. My pop headed up a big rifle elk camp each year in NW MT when I was growing up. He'd share a ton of elk hunting advice, success/failure stories, and various tips/tactics with all those sitting around the campfire each evening. One I remember the clearest is when he asked, "do you guys know where the elk are gonna be tomorrow morning"? After a few folks would chime in with some pretty decent guesses of where the elk would be, my pop would answer his own question and say "the elk are gonna be where they are"

[WapitiTalk1]

Here's a few:

Carry a small squirt bottle (2-3 ounces) of hydrogen peroxide in your hunting pack. For those that don't know, spraying a small mist of HP on blood makes it turn white and foam. It can be a game changer when tracking conditions get really tough.

If you can swing it, do a "dry run" with all your hunting gear, even if it's in the back yard. Make sure everything you're taking to base or a backcountry hunt works.

Rake trees, kick brush, stomp feet as a form of non-verbal elk language. Sometimes this is all that is needed to create curiosity/excitement with a target bull.

Work the wind/thermals.... always. It's very easy to become complacent about the direction of the wind/thermals when closing on a bull.

[msd1228]

Keep a small game tip in your quiver. Grouse make a heck of a good lunch

[ishy]

Best unknown product that is similar to hydrogen peroxide, but Blue Star is great stuff. It is used by law enforcement at crime scenes and makes blood light up in the dark. Doesn't fix bad shots, but especially if you hunt in the rain or just run out of clues on a rough tracking job I have no doubt it will make a difference. Pretty simple two pills that you can mix with any water into a spray bottle after dark and spray at last known blood. It lights up any blood like a glow stick, it is even easier to follow in rain as it spreads the hemoglobin out into a wider trail. After seeing this stuff work I will always have it in camp. Any of you want to try it you can spray it on anything you've packed with even after washing and it will still light up.

[Bow4me]

Something that was new to me last year was the Delorme inreach. I love the solitude of deep pack in trip but it's nice to be able to check in on the wife and kids. It connects by satellite and Bluetooths to your cell phone you can send and receive text, add maps and track your path. My family can track me on the computer at home, see how far I'm moving a day and where . Only downside is trying to keep it and your phone charged.

[twinkieman]

Always be ready after you make any elk sound, you never know where an elk could magically appear.
Probably goes without saying, but a few years back, one of the guys in our group came back to camp early, all his arrows had field points on them
Attach your release to your bow when not on your wrist
Be in mountain shape when you arrive in elk camp, elk are always in mountain shape.

If you are new elk hunting, get all the dvd's from Elknut1 you can afford, listen, watch , and learn all you can in the next 6 months

[treestanding]

I always bring two small solar powered landscaping lights when we pack into spike camp. It makes it easier to find your camp when coming back after dark, and adds a little bit of light in camp. I picked them up on clearance for 99 cents each, and after 4 seasons they still work.

I will second the small game tip, but I always make sure it has different fletching than my hunting arrows. In the pannic of a quick second shot, it would suck to grab your small game arrow by mistake. A good friend of mine made that mistake once.

[CurlyTail]

Hunt the bedding areas. Stay on the periphery, and be prepared to leave without spooking the elk if they are not taking what you offer.

[WapitiTalk1]

A bull in the hand is not always worth two in the bush. In other words, know when to "not" go after a singer. The pic below is from one of my areas in Idaho and the X is where I've encountered a screamer more than a few times. I made the mistake a few times of going down there. There are no user friendly trail systems to speak of in the bottom of the feeder creek, or the main draw creek in the distance, and this area is more than merely steep and thick. Although it's tempting to go after every singer you encounter, it's not necessarily the best idea to head after one that you may not be able to get out without helicopter assistance

[Long Range]

Spend as much time in the mountains as my PTO Time/ WIFE- will allow.
When your feet say NO and your heart YES follow your heart. It will pay off.

[WapitiTalk1]

Practice proper trail etiquette. If hunter A has ingested a can of Stagg chili (or any other rot gut, flatulence producing concoction) the prior evening, hunter A must by rule, allow hunter B to take the lead going up the access trail in the morning. If hunter A forgets this rule and accidentally takes the lead, and then feels something coming on, hunter A must immediately move off trail, announce "trail bomb" over his left or right shoulder, and allow hunter B to move into the lead position prior to release. This is a rule and it is non-negotiable

[Hot Cow]

If you know its going to be hot on your hunt and you can afford a little extra weight bring powdered gatorade or amino vital to mix in your water. This will help keep you hydrated and possibly keep you from cramping at night. I use the amino vital when I caddie for a friend of mine and it works great.

[Blackhorn]

Never be out of arms reach of your bow/rifle, even when taking a deuce...

[Elkduds]

Don't think of them as trail bombs, RJ. They are just ongoing reminders to always hunt the wind, no matter how nasty that wind might be, and to follow your nose to elk.

Actual gear tips: Zoom your scope to the proper magnification for the terrain you are hunting, each time you pick it up. 10x in oakbrush is confusing. Take a loud alarm for camp use. Leave alarms and ringy stuff in camp or turned off. Keep a log or journal daily, w weather conditions, hunting pressure, feed and water, game info. Read it b4 you hunt that area again. Take lots of pics, or video if that is your deal, even before game is on the ground. Revise your gear list after every trip, note repairs or replacements needed. Carry a backup knife, backup headlamp, extra batteries, map, compass as well as GPS. Don't bet on cell service in new areas. Hide a spare key securely on your vehicle that you can access in the rain, in the dark, and remind yourself where it is hidden b4 the trip. If you need medicine, take enough. Your Dr. may Rx some antibiotic or Tamiflu if you ask. Duct tape, zip ties, needle and dental floss, binder clips, shoe goo or silicone adhesive, plastic bags can keep you hunting instead of leaving early. Maintain your vehicle b4 the trip. Jumper cables only work if there are 2 vehicles, a portable jumper w lights is handy. Take lots of TP, AW, Charmin, whatever. Also paracord. Have access to a regular weather forecast. Hydrate!

[welka]

In a two man set-up with caller/shooter, remember that the bull knows WITHIN A FOOT of where the caller is. If a bull responds from a direction you were not expecting and you must switch the caller to shooter, make sure the new shooter (former caller) MOVES towards the bull if he can without being detected to reduce risk of a hang up. Good luck.

[foxvalley]

Hunt all day.
Maximise your time in the mtns.by being aggressive in the morning and evening if need be,but have a plan or destination to go to when things get quiet during mid day,especially during the rut.My favorite place to go during mid day is at a wallow. the thermals are usually steady,and you can still take off your pack,eat lunch, take a nap,and still be hunting all at the same time.Just because the animals are in their bedding erea during the rut,doesn't mean they are just laying there.I never understood why my partner always wanted to go back to camp,2 miles down hill,and a couple hours later climb two miles back up,as I plopped down and relaxed the whole time,and he would come back,sometimes to find me "packing meat".
Last year I was sound asleep at a wallow, (snoring loudly i'm sure)and at 2:00 pm was startled awake by a loud bugle about 100 yds away as the bull as the bull was checking to see if any elk where there.He came into the wallow,and spent 20 min. in the "tub" He was there so long that it seemed like he was falling asleep in the tub, as I had no shot the whole time.He was there so long that I went back to feeding my chipmunk buddy as I waited for him to get up.

[Toby]

Carry a Judo tipped arrow and shoot a few during the day. I use a recurve,but you can do the same with a wheel bow. Even bring an old arrow just for that, nothing build confidence more than picking off a pine come, dirt clod, etc.

[mandrroofing]

Hunt all day.
Maximise your time in the mtns.by being aggressive in the morning and evening if need be,but have a plan or destination to go to when things get quiet during mid day,especially during the rut.My favorite place to go during mid day is at a wallow. the thermals are usually steady,and you can still take off your pack,eat lunch, take a nap,and still be hunting all at the same time.Just because the animals are in their bedding erea during the rut,doesn't mean they are just laying there.I never understood why my partner always wanted to go back to camp,2 miles down hill,and a couple hours later climb two miles back up,as I plopped down and relaxed the whole time,and he would come back,sometimes to find me "packing meat".
Last year I was sound asleep at a wallow, (snoring loudly i'm sure)and at 2:00 pm was startled awake by a loud bugle about 100 yds away as the bull as the bull was checking to see if any elk where there.He came into the wallow,and spent 20 min. in the "tub" He was there so long that it seemed like he was falling asleep in the tub, as I had no shot the whole time.He was there so long that I went back to feeding my chipmunk buddy as I waited for him to get up.

Good advise

[Lefty]

Expect elk to do what you don't expect.
An elk in camp, near the highway and even downwind