Just One Tip...

[WapitiTalk1]

We've ran a good handful of these over the the years but with all the new members, let's do another . Give one elk hunting tip that could stand with us in the elk woods and perhaps, spell the difference between success and well, you know the alternative. Who's got tip #1?

[Swede]

It is hard to concentrate on the question while looking at some well cooked elk steaks. It is a long time past dinner, but even farther to breakfast. Rats!

Oh ya. The tip. Stay tuned to Wapiti Talk and follow the relevant threads. The archives, Elknut's tips and many other old threads also are a treasure trove of great stuff.
Here is my bonus: Even a soaking wet hunt, in the rain forest, or a backpack into purgatory can be fun if you are prepared. I personally think it is very important to enjoy every aspect of the hunt. If killing something is all important, then you will miss the best of any elk hunting adventure.

[poisonarrow]

Maybe this is more of a question than a tip.

In the past when I have moved through the woods, it has been steady. When going slow, it is steady and slow. When faster. steady fast.

I have busted far too many elk. Last year I suddenly heard what I thought was an elk busting through the trees. I deployed my decoy and cow called. It wasn't busting through the woods , it was raking a tree. Duh!!! It screamed a come here bugle at 20 yds. The wind did it's little swirl dance and it became a busted elk. If I would have stopped a little I could have heard it when a pln could have been devised.
My tactic form now on is, move and then stop and listen. Even when you need to cover ground you still need to stop and listen. You can hear very little while moving, even when moving slowly.

[Osprey]

My one tip is always stay postitive never and I mean never let yourself get down once this starts it can bring thw whole group down then you don't hunt as hard you start doubting your hunting plans etc. Public land Elk hunting will test you mentally and physically and sometimes just beat you up and spit you out it seems. When opportunites are blown after hunting hard it can be really frusterating just rememeber you got into elk and you made one opportunity happen that means you can just as easliy make another one happen. Start each day fresh with the same mood and anticipation that you had at day one, learn from each day and move forward don't get down on yourself you can't change the past but you can change the future! Remember you wanted this all year and now its here enjoy every minute of pain, scenery, and everything else that elk hunting provides and you just might punch your tag.
One example is this past season I had tracked a bull in the snow for pretty much most of the day and it was the last 2 hour of light and I was near an area I suspected some Elk where that I was going to hunt the next day so I decided to drop down into the canyon and stopped tracking since I didn't think I was going to catch up with this Elk. In the past 3 days I had hunted my butt off through deep snow for one blown opp at a 6x6 in the timber. I was tired starting to get frusterated that I blew that chance at the 6x6, I dropped 2000 ft into the canyon and bam I spotted Elk beds then smelled Elk then herd cows just a couple hundred yards away, a bugle rang out! This showed me how fast you can go from nothing to bam Elk, stay postitive my friends.
A coupl years ago my dad and I were hunting Blacktails things were tough we hunted days in pouring rain without a hair of a deer sighting. My dad who is not really a big game hunter manly waterfowl and upland started to get frusterated and started to get more lazy in hunting approach. I told him that my self taught lesson in big game is "hunting hard and smart eventually produces opportunites". Well I coaxed him into hiking with me into an area he didn't think was worth it and what do you know he punched his tag on the only kill in camp that week. My positive attitude and reinforcement of it kept his attitude up and resulted in a kill showing that one positive guy in camp can keep the whole groups up it can be as little as giving an example such as this.

[WapitiTalk1]

Very good stuff guys. Keep em coming!

[Swede]

Here is another tip. When moving through the woods, not knowing if you are near elk, always stay in the shadows as much as possible, and stop to look frequently. I give out a cow call periodically (every 50-100 yards or so depending on the terrain and my pace) to cause any potential elk in the area to think I am one of them. Listen carefully for chuckles. If you are new to elk hunting, you may not recognize the sound of a mature bull calling you in, as the bull is 50+ yards away in the timber.
A friend described the chuckling of a bull, by telling me he heard a grouse drumming. The problem is that grouse drum in the spring, and he had been cow calling and walking through the forest.
Along with that it is easy to mistake the chatter of cows and calves moving through the forest as bird tweeting. If you think you are hearing a flock of small birds, carefully study where the sound is coming from, and make sure it is just birds.

[Lost Dog]

I agree with Osprey....stay positive and don't give up.

[ElkNut1]

Know how to successfully hunt "Quiet Elk" -- These are the most difficult times to hunt them!

ElkNut1

[bald9eagle]

Not an elk tip but it applies for elk just as much as it does turkey.

Learn to be a woodsman. That entails a lot. Using terrain, paying attention to wind, being aware of little things, etc. A good woodsman becomes his prey. He thinks and acts like that he is chasing. I'm an avid turkey Hunter. In most cases I can tell you what a turkey is going to do because I've learned to think like him. Elk are no different. Learn them. Learn what makes them tick, what makes them move. As a rookie I am making this my priority. Learn to be an elk.

[ElkNut1]

bald9eagle, I like your style!

ElkNut1

[Elkonthebrain]

Know how to successfully hunt "Quiet Elk" -- These are the most difficult times to hunt them!

ElkNut1

Any tips how to be successful at hunting quiet elk?

[elkstalker]

Elk hunting is like a chess game, you gather intellegence as you go, learn your quarry by observing every move they make. One of the best tips I have is to use the most current intel you have. Scout ahead of time and make a plan, but if the elk aren't there or you spot them somewhere else, be ready to make plan B, C, or D. Know the country so that you aren't afraid to head over another drainage, and have the maps and gear necessary to go where the elk lead you. But also be aware of your limitations, be it time or physical ability.

[Mallard1123]

Great post I plan on elk hunting for the first time and really want to learn all I can before I go. Do you recommend any good books?

[Heartwood]

My one tip is this. Study Elknut's material (playbook, elk sounds and dvd's) and learn how to make realistic elk sounds. This is the single biggest factor that has made us more successful elk harvesters and hunters. Every one of the many tricks in Elknuts bag of tricks that we have used has worked to call elk in for shot ops. Use the Elknut system to learn to read and react to a situation and create more opportunities to harvest elk. I know this sounds like an advertisement but this system works if a hunter is willing to put in the time every day to become a better elk hunter, period.

[Lefty]

I am also a Boy Scoutmaster So here is the scout motto:

"Be Prepared"

Maybe that means things for your truck,..fresh lube and belt changes, chains, jacks shovels.
I keep a lot of extras at camp. Pack in what you should need. Most of my hunts I enter into the woods and come out at night, So I carry what Ill need all day, and some stuff in case things don't go well and I need to spend the night

[Elkduds]

One tip: Don't stop @ one tip, learn as much as you can. Ask any experienced elk hunter@ what point they they knew it all. Never! That is one of the attractions, you'll always have more to learn. Check out the WT archives.

[twinkieman]

My one tip is this. Study Elknut's material (playbook, elk sounds and dvd's) and learn how to make realistic elk sounds. This is the single biggest factor that has made us more successful elk harvesters and hunters. Every one of the many tricks in Elknuts bag of tricks that we have used has worked to call elk in for shot ops. Use the Elknut system to learn to read and react to a situation and create more opportunities to harvest elk. I know this sounds like an advertisement but this system works if a hunter is willing to put in the time every day to become a better elk hunter, period.

X2
I'll add be in shape!

[wawhitey]

Here is another tip. When moving through the woods, not knowing if you are near elk, always stay in the shadows as much as possible, and stop to look frequently. I give out a cow call periodically (every 50-100 yards or so depending on the terrain and my pace) to cause any potential elk in the area to think I am one of them. Listen carefully for chuckles. If you are new to elk hunting, you may not recognize the sound of a mature bull calling you in, as the bull is 50+ yards away in the timber.
A friend described the chuckling of a bull, by telling me he heard a grouse drumming. The problem is that grouse drum in the spring, and he had been cow calling and walking through the forest.
Along with that it is easy to mistake the chatter of cows and calves moving through the forest as bird tweeting. If you think you are hearing a flock of small birds, carefully study where the sound is coming from, and make sure it is just birds.

Grouse drum in the fall here too. Quite regularly.

[Tigger]

I doubt anyone on this board is lazy or a road hunter, but push yourself to get into areas that others wont go to. Last year 3 hunters pulled up to our camp and admired my bull. They asked where I got it. My response was steep and deep. I took one look at them in their camo duck hunting bibs and knew there was NO WAY they were going to go where we went (not to mention the fact is was 9 am and they were driving through the campground). That may be an extreme example, but the concept is sound. Go that extra mile or 2,000 feet or cross that stream. You will leave hunting pressure behind you.

[saddlesore]

Lot of good tips. I have tried most of them.I am getting to think that I just stumble around in the woods until I kill a really really stuipd elk.

I think a bunch of us need to admit, not publicly of-course, but sometimes that the way elk hunting is

[Ridgernr]

I came up with this a few years ago when I ended up not having flagging tape in my pack. I marked bloodtrail by sticking branches straight up in the ground. It works pretty well, and you don't have to back track to pull flagging.

[CurlyTail]

Don't be afraid to bushwhack off established trails. Most guys are afraid that they will get lost, and will not venture far from trails. This is a legitimate concern, but that is what a map and gps are for. Most guys find the going too slow and too rough off established trails.

Get a mile from an established trail, and you are in good elk country, and wont have to worry about other guys interfering with your hunt.

In general, the ridgelines are easier going than the valley bottoms.

[Deanmac]

I came up with this a few years ago when I ended up not having flagging tape in my pack. I marked bloodtrail by sticking branches straight up in the ground. It works pretty well, and you don't have to back track to pull flagging.

On this same line: Use toilet paper to mark blood trail just hang a section on a limp you can see it well and too you don't have to take it down.

[welka]

ALWAYS remember that the bull knows where the call came from to within a FOOT. Very important to understand as a solo or with a partner as sometimes with partners the caller turns into the shooter and you must move to bull or it will hang too far out. Good luck.