great post for beginner elk hunters

[saddlesore]

A friend of mine post this about once a year on 24hourcampfire forum.Scroll down to KC's post .It's long but even the experienced hunter can learn from this.

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthread ... ng.#UNREAD

[Indian Summer]

Man alive saddlesore that was a really good write up. Very detailed. I like that guy! I agree with 99.9% of everything he said.

The .1% that we do differently is "Don't chamber a round until you spot a target." I've seen my share of bulls walk because a client didn't have a round in the magazine. I've also killed bulls where all I had was literally 1 second to aim and shoot. The way I look at it is since we treat all firearms as if they were loaded they might as well be. There may be times when you have to unload such as a stream crossing or really steep rocky spot. But for me other than that I'm locked and loaded.

I'll admit that I have hunted and guided some people who definitely should NOT be walking around with a loaded gun though. I have a story or 3 about guns that "went off on their own"

Thanks for sharing that. I'm startin' to take a likin' to you too ol man.

[Pop-r]

I agree with you on that Joe! Only ONE firearm safety rule people need to know. "Muzzle control!" If you practice that one you can forget about the rest.

[Dr. Rx]

Great read! thank you sir!

[saddlesore]

Boy Howdy , if you want to start a heated debate, start a thread about a round in the chamber vs not.

I carry hot and locked ,but there are guys out there who seem to be totally afraid of walking around with one in the chamber

[Indian Summer]

Really? Someone would have that strong of an opinion n the subject to start a heated debate? huh

To each his own. That's my stance on everything. I have 2 friends who do NOT use a sling on their rifles. They say in the 1.5 seconds it takes them t get their gun off of their shoulder it could be too late. They carry their rifle with both hands front and center all day every day. I think they are crazy. maybe I'm just lazy but I love my cushy Butler Creek slings. But that's their choice and I can't argue the fact that they have a point. But instead of a heated debate I laugh at them and they laugh at me and off we go.

[saddlesore]

If I go into the dark timber blow downs.First thing I do is remove the sling. No swivels to squeak and I know the gun will be in my hands when I need it.

Oh yea.,go over to 24hour campfire and mention hunting with a round in the chamber and you will get called names you never heard of yet.That is one of the reason I hang out here instead.So far, every one is civil

[Deanmac]

A friend of mine post this about once a year on 24hourcampfire forum.Scroll down to KC's post .It's long but even the experienced hunter can learn from this.

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthread ... ng.#UNREAD

Thanks great info, I printed it out for my elk hunting file.

[WapitiTalk1]

Exceptional post Vince. Thanks for sharing it here!

[Elkonthebrain]

Great post thank you for sharing.

Not trying to thread jack. From your guys experience do you find this statement to be true? "75% of the elk live in 25% of the available suitable habitat. You need to find out where that 25% area is and spend your time there."

[Indian Summer]

I would say that yes... at a given point in time they are only in 25% of the area. They will use more than that as they cycle through their home range so you can find trails and sign in a higher % of the area than that. But there are also some places where they rarely go. Sometimes those places have everything they need but they just don't prefer the spot for one reason or another.

[saddlesore]

Yes. Think of it this way. Except when calving,elk are herd animals and they stay together.That herd will gravitate where there is the most and best food and that does not occur over the whole area of their range.The other thing is that at certain times they might head for large stands of lodge pole pines that do not have forage or water ,but they loaf or bed down there because it is cooler. In the summer, you might find herds of 2-300 or more,up high in the alpine meadows, but very few down lower.Then the exact opposite in the colder months.

Where you find elk one year in your hunting season,you will most likely find them there the next year.

All best are off as to where they will be when hunted hard. It will be where people are not. That can be out in some farmer's hay field that you can't hunt or the nastiest steepest country where you won't hunt.

[Osprey]

I agree with others if your in the dang timber be ready for a shot always!!!!! I got burned this past season I was still hunting through the timber tracking in some fresh snow and I got tired of my scope getting snow on it from overhanging branchs. I ended up puting my scope cover on thinking it only takes a quick second to take off I also ended up putting my gun over my shoulder too as I was trading back and forth between sholder and carrying it in front. Well long story short I spotted an Elk in the thick timber only 30yds out with a clear shot to vitals took a quick second to verify legal bull due to brush blocking head and just when I was about to squeeze the trigger the bull whirled ended up being a big 6x6 not sure on score but it was a freaking pig giant brows and heavy beams I think the rack stretched into next week. You can probably guess that I only had had my gun shouldered for maybe 20 min that entire day and it was the time I had that chance figures. After that as long as its shooting time and I'm in timber my guns ready. This literally happend in just a couple seconds but one second was the difference in not harvesting that animal and yet another hard learned lesson etched into my memory bank now I'm going to carry it around for the rest of my life probably and it will never happen like that again . Luckily for me that wasn't my only chance and I capitalized on a 5x5 I caught out in the open at first light a few days later but personally I'd rather not blow a solid chance like that again they don't come easy especially on bulls so be ready for it all the time!
Actually I have another lucky bugger story too the day after I blew the chace at the 6x6 I was following a herd and was sprinting to get in front so when they crossed into this steep slope where it narrowed in the canyon I knew I could get a 400yd shot I stopped and glassed to check the herd was still moving where I expected my gun was 2 ft away all of a sudden out pops a bull on a ledge about 80 yds out where I though no elk were I slowly lean for my gun 2ft seemed like 100ft somehow my elbow brushed a rock which of course tumbled and made noise the elk got nervous and walked back into the timber never to come out again. Come to find out 4 elk had walked about 50 yds behind me while this unfolded as well just out of sight on the slope since the tracks were not there before I stopped to glass real quick. The herd I was following had 1 legal 4x4 that gave me the slip through some thicker cover not offering a good shot but about 100 cows with 15 spike went right through the opening while the 4x4 slinked through the thicker brush on the edge. I started to wonder if Elk rivaled Cats with 9 lives becasue it seemed everything always went in the Bulls favor I heard circus music playing in the air as this was all unfolding. I think I learn more from my failures than my success though. This past season I was seriously schooled despite being successful I learned most my lessons unfortunatly when failing. I think my biggest advantage this year was spending time learning Elk behavior I didn't ask what areas are good in my area but instead studied to understanding what to look for myself, the where , the when, and the why. I could have easily hunted this same area and not seen many Elk others near me saw very little many went home early but I had a plan each day and most days I seemed to get it right at least at somepoint in the day although I got it wrong my fair share too. This was my first time in this area too can't stress enough for new hunters to understand the when, where, why I'm still very green myself and it is very overwhelming to take on all the info at once its better to slowly study all season.

[CurlyTail]

That is a lot of good information. The prime cut with none of the fat. Hard to find info like this.

[Indian Summer]

That kind of thing is why I love true spot and stalk hunting. What can be better than moving in on an elk when you've already seen them and know they are there? For that reason alone I have gravitated toward hunting more open country. I could never go back to hunting endless timber. Knowing an elk is there as you move in forces you to move at a snails pace and keep your eyes wide open stopping like you should to look ahead with your binos. You have your gun front and center and your senses are on full alert. What a blast! If you did your homework you took the time to let the bull do his thing for a little so you could determine which ay he is heading and how fast. Also whether he is in the front or rear of the herd or maybe higher or lower than the cows. One of the most important things you can locate is any type of landmark and which way the bull is in relation to it so that you can orient yourself once you get over there and know that it's time to really get ready.

Like anyone I hunt around mid day if I haven't spotted anything. I keep my gun shouldered if I'm somewhere that's it's highly unlike to see an elk or if I'm just trying to get somewhere to glass or check a hole I know. Once I get to where I feel like I'm actually hunting my rifle rests sideway sitting on top of my Alaska Guide Creations Bino Pouch. It's like a shelf and I can keep one hand on the fore, my trigger finger behind the trigger guard and a thumb on the safety. That way all I have to do is pull my gun up to my eye so I can realize that I accidentally left the scope on max power and I can't see a dang thing!!!

I guess the point is I don't have my gun at the ready all the time. But when I do I drink Dos Equis that night because I shot a bull that day! Stay thirsty my friends.

[bald9eagle]

Wow. Good stuff. I guess I'm still trying to get it through my head that I can go most anywhere that elk live and then just have to find them.

[elkstalker]

Indian, when I lived in MT it was far easier to hunt dark timber consistently because the later season hunts typically allowed for better snow for tracking. Now that I'm in Idaho, I always put in for the early seaon hunts, and have adjusted to more open country so that I can spot and stalk elk more frequently. It's much tougher and infinately more frustrating to track and hunt elk in the thick timber when you have no snow to track in. Last year I said that if I didn't draw I'd be bowhunting, and I dew a tag. Same thing this year, if I don't draw I'll definately be bowhunting.

Lots of good information in that post for sure. If you are just beginning the elk hunting journey, take those tips to heart.