What Are You Doing To Prepare?

[Swede]

What are you doing now to prepare for your 2017 elk hunt? I am still keeping in fairly good shape. At my age I don't want to skip any of my exercise routine as it is too hard to get anything back. Also I have been studying different hunting areas and making plans for scouting next summer. Some ideas are coming together but some are still to be worked out. Now is the time to get calling sounds perfected and to study up on tactics and learn what to say when.
Note to wantabe elk callers: Please go over to someone else's hunting area to blow on your tooters if you haven't learned at least some good calling techniques. The woods are usually full of MalWart elk calls where I hunt. It sometimes seems all the hunters know is, you need to blow a lot on them to make yourself into the Pied Piper of elk. A good option would be to purchase Elknut's book and dvds and study them. BTW: MalWart will be having their elk calls on closeout soon. Their camo is already discounted.

[saddlesore]

Not much.Still need to fill few tags this year . L ate antelope and deer.

You mean a fellow can't go down to Walmart, buy a Hoochie Mama and go kill elk.

[six]

Running 6 to 10 miles a week (maintenance mode). After the first of the year I am going to try to do some sort of exercise every day. The marauders have a dinner, map orientation and general elk chat tentatively scheduled for sometime in January. I will also be cutting out sweets after January 1st. Seems to be sweets everywhere I look this time of year.

[Tigger]

Does thinking about next year count? Daydreaming?

Maintenance mode on being in shape. It seems I always have a slow slide this time of year with all of the good food around. I have some new areas I want to GoogleEarth scout some this winter. My calling is so good that when bulls here it, they start to laugh and I can easily locate them, so I don't know if I wanna mess with that....

[WapitiTalk1]

In the final decision process on a new anti elk tool (new bow), and, doing my best to hike at least 4 days per week. Not tearing it up but am making a concentrated effort to keep my CV conditioning pretty decent and keeping my legs strong. Have got to work on my partner's calling skills a bit over the off season. They can both make some pretty decent sounds but there is room for improvement on quality and situational timing. Of course, I have a list of gear related tweaks that must be done.

[Swede]

Guys, it sounds like the calling is coming along well. Even the Hootchie is fine if used well. Just don't squeeze it like you are trying to inflate an earth mover tire and it is your hand pump.

[Indian Summer]

One day of crappy rifle deer hunting left in Pa. then it's late archery which I like best. I hung a 22 foot ladder stand last week behind a friend's house where we've seen an absolute monster over the past 2 years. I don't shoot does or small bucks so my deer hunting here is all or nothing which usually means.... you guessed it, nothing. A freezer full of elk meat always eases the pain. It's why I don't shoot anything unless it's a big one.

As far as elk.... mostly taking to other hunters who are interested in DIY hunt plans. Cruising Game Planner Maps here and there which is really like a year round habit.

Rolling around the idea of crossing that Wyoming high country mule deer hunt off of my bucket list instead of elk hunting in 2017. It's a painful struggle really. It takes 5 years worth of points to draw the deer tag so when I do I'll hunt the entire 2 week season looking for a big buck which means no elk hunting. Sniff sniff. Looking for 180 to 200 inch bucks is serious business. I said I was going to do it this year but couldn't pass on hunting the wiley wapiti since I went to Alaska last year and.....I was out of elk meat!!!

I have no elk points. But a friend has enough for both of us to draw in the cheaper Regular draw.... which is also really hard to pass up. A $550 Wyoming elk tag.... wow!

Interestingly the next time I hunt elk I know exactly where I will be each day for the first 6 days. I've never had a more detailed day by day plan for myself. It's kinda come together over a period of several years and includes a base camp and a wall tent high camp. Bulls will die!

I have some thinking to do. That's what late bow season here is for I guess.......................

Swede aren't you a bit old to be looking at new spots?

[Trumkin the Dwarf]

Finally (7 years of the wantsies later) pulled the trigger on a Kifaru. I should have the capability to haul a fully boned out mule deer or half an elk in one load now. There's a really gnarly mountain I used to hunt that had areas I just couldn't go due to the cliffs below.

Well no more!!! Dey all is gonna die! AHHHAHAHAHAHAH! Hahahahahahahaha..... *ergh hmm*... excuse me.

[Swede]

I.S. I don't know what "too old" is yet. I know I am supposed to find out too soon, but I am holding out as long as I can. In my heart and mind I am still in my 20s. It is hard to imagine just going to "help" at camp and do the cooking. Still it will be a pleasure.

[stringunner]

Hunting with Swede is like hunting hunting with a mt. goat! He may be as old as the dirt on the ground but he moves across it regardless of angle at a speed many would find difficult keeping up with.

I know this year I'm gonna have to train a little harder as last year I found myself sucking wind a few too many times.

[Mathewsz7-elkridge]

I am working on getting my pack weight down for a 7 days bivy hunt. Made a couple purchases to get a lighter pack, sleeping bag, and bivy sack. I really think it's going to make all the difference for next year. Going to be able to go farther and stay longer. Getting ready to start my workouts to get my legs and lungs ready again.

[Lefty]

I plan on more hiking. I want to know every tree where I hunt.
this past season a ridge that was a real challenge to climb,. I was climbing quicker. I want my uphill and downhill legs in better condition

[ElkNut1]

Talking & thinking about elk everyday! I workout year around 3-4 days a week & stretch 15 minutes every morning 7 days a week. I do my best to be prepared in this manner so come Aug. Sept. Oct. it's nothing new to my body & mental capacity. Works well for me & has for many years.

ElkNut1

[Toothy]

This reads like a motivational speak, I cry to myself as I've not worked out at all. I just finished a Sambar hunt a week ago and had to struggle through that. I'm sitting here with a beat up knee (torn meniscus) and plan surgery for Feb, yep after our duck season ends. So if I can make 6 more weeks, then some PT.. I'll be back at it.

Early plans for 2017 will be my first elk archery hunt.

[DirtyErn]

Hiking every weekend. Snow shoed up 3.5 miles 2500' gain. Snow camped overnight , went up another 1 mile in waste deep snow. With 40 pound pack. Then back to truck for pizza at local parlor

[Old school]

Sat down with a big bowl of buttery popcorn and a Vernors ginger ale and watched "Uncommon Ground" again - now I'm mentally motivated for a 2017 DIY elk hunt

--Mitch

[Kessler10]

Trying to get my pack weight down for next year is at the top of my list.

Would love to get around 45 pounds for a 6 night stay. that means cutting about 15 pounds. But I over packed this last year as it was my first solo back country hunt. And I stashed some stuff out there in a dry sac that will be waiting for me next year.
(like WY saw, tarp)

[N2mywake]

Lots of walking for me. I try to walk on my breaks at work and then hit the treadmill on incline at night, working on my 3rd week in a row now, trying to get 10-15k steps per day. I will ramp up as spring hits. The treadmill on inlcine seems to give me the best gains (at least for my lungs)