New here

[Jmp209]

Hey guys, didn't see a new members board to post on so hopefully this isn't the wrong place to do it. Just wanted to say hello to all from the new guy.

[WapitiTalk1]

Howdy and welcome to the forum Jmp209. Pull up a stump by the campfire, a beverage of choice, and chime in whenever you wish! What kind of hunting are you into (elk, deer, moose, caribou, zombies, bigfoot)? Tell us a bit about your self and I'll send one of the coveted Wapiti Talk decals your way . Once you get three posts, send me a PM and I'll shoot a decal your way. RJ

[Elkduds]

Welcome to this low-drama forum. Hope you'll post up often!

[N2mywake]

Some good info here. Welcome!

[Indian Summer]

Welcome aboard. Admission is free just pay at the door. Grab a seat or sit on the floor. Just be careful because there are some crabby old farts on here with zero sense of humor.

So.... tell us more. New to elk hunting or have a few hunts under your belt? Where do you call home?

[Lefty]

Take a seat and place another log on the fire.
Tells us a bit more!!

[ElkNut1]

Welcome aboard sir!

ElkNut1

[Jmp209]

Thanks for the welcome. I live along the pennsylvania/New York border so elk are pretty foreign to me. PA does have a small herd but getting a tag is nearly impossible. A few lifelong friends and I decided we wanted to try an elk hunt so we've been researching a lot and think we have most of our ducks in a row for a DIY Colorado rifle hunt this upcoming fall. I've heard the scenery out there is beautiful and I can't wait to explore some new woods.

[Indian Summer]

I hear you. I gave up applying in Pa but I'd love to be able to hunt elk in my home state especially since there are monsters. The Pa/New York border is big. Are you near Northeast Pa and Chautauqua or further east? You guys should go play around with the elk up near Emporium and Benezette before your hunt. Just being around them a bit will help. To a deer hunter a critter the size of an elk can be hard to judge distance on. Before I ever hunted elk I spent quite a bit of time mingling with the bulls up there. It sure is a beautiful area to get an education in. I live in Beaver county.

[saddlesore]

Welcome.My grandson and wife live in Warren PA., about 24 miles I guess from the NY border ,about central. Many, many, years ago,I hunted in Clinton County .

[Indian Summer]

Welcome.My grandson and wife live in Warren PA., about 24 miles I guess from the NY border ,about central. Many, many, years ago,I hunted in Clinton County .

Warren is a bit closer to NY than that actually. The Kinzua Reservoir has some monster fish in it. Not a numbers place but huge muskies and walleyes and trout. I know a guy that guides on the Allegheny River there below the dam. Small world Saddlesore.

[Swede]

Welcome jmp209. You have come to the right place for sure. Join in the conversations. There is room here at the campfire.

[Jmp209]

I hear you. I gave up applying in Pa but I'd love to be able to hunt elk in my home state especially since there are monsters. The Pa/New York border is big. Are you near Northeast Pa and Chautauqua or further east? You guys should go play around with the elk up near Emporium and Benezette before your hunt. Just being around them a bit will help. To a deer hunter a critter the size of an elk can be hard to judge distance on. Before I ever hunted elk I spent quite a bit of time mingling with the bulls up there. It sure is a beautiful area to get an education in. I live in Beaver county.

I grew up in Bradford, PA and just a couple years ago moved over the line to Olean, NY. We've had a lot of family and friends visit Benezette but haven't been there yet. I've heard it's awesome down there in the breeding season and plan on making a few visits before we head out west, it's only about an hour and a half or so from our house.

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[Jmp209]

Welcome.My grandson and wife live in Warren PA., about 24 miles I guess from the NY border ,about central. Many, many, years ago,I hunted in Clinton County .

Warren isn't too far away either, just the next county over. If you ever get up this way to visit with them, let me know and maybe we could meet up and talk hunting or something if you have some time.

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[baddaddy]

Welcome jmp209. What part of CO are you looking at to hunt?

[Jmp209]

Welcome jmp209. What part of CO are you looking at to hunt?

Looks like we're going to focus our efforts in gmu 65, near Montrose

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[baddaddy]

I'm just up the road from Montrose. Unfortunately haven't hunted that area. I believe Billy Creek Wildlife area is in 65. Its a walk in area only just off Hwy 550 might be a place to start.

[Jmp209]

We're looking at the cimarron area right now but will definitely keep that Billy Creek in mind if we're not seeing any sign

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[baddaddy]

Cimaron should be good. Also check the Silvererjack area.

[Jmp209]

That was another place I'd been looking at. I'm just hoping we are there at a good time, it sounds like you could have an awesome spot but if you're there a week too soon or too late you could really be missing out

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[baddaddy]

Yep, Look at the harvest stats to try and figure out the best season to go. Be ready for anything weatherwise. Can be sunny and ward or 3 feet of snow.

[Jmp209]

We're bouncing back and forth between second and third rifle season. Sounds like either can be good depending on the weather that year, this past year I heard the third season was just a little too late but a few years ago it was timed pretty well with the elk coming down from the higher elevations

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[baddaddy]

Each year will be a little different. I tend to hunt either 1st or 4th season but I'm hunting cows. start putting in for preference points as well.

[JKaboom]

Welcome Yes this is an excellent forum and very low drama as mentioned above. I am taking in a lot of info myself and really enjoy it.

[longspeak74]

Welcome Jmp! Lots of great info here!

[Game Planner Maps]

Welcome to the site!

[Sokol325]

Hey guys, I am new to this site as well. Thought I'd jump on this post and introduce myself. I'm from SC PA. Spend time every summer in the PA elk woods hiking, fishing, and exploring with my family. We all love it there. Have seen some monster Bulls!!!

I joined this site to help educate myself for my first diy archery elk hunt this fall. Currently I am trying to narrow down an OTC GMU to focus on. Should I focus more on success rate, sq miles per hunter, or what? I will most likely be bivy hunting and was thinking about having an outfitter pack me in. Anyway, I'm just getting started any advice would be great. Seems like a very informative place and friendly.

[WapitiTalk1]

Welcome Sokol325, glad to have you on board!

[Swede]

Welcome to the W.T. campfire Sokol325. It is good to have you here.
Where you choose to hunt depends a lot on what you want from your hunt and what you are capable of handling. Will any elk do, or must it be a 325 class bull or better? Success rates are a good place to start, but does it include cows, calves and bulls or is it a 3 point bull or better unit? If solitude is what you are looking for, don't just go with the number of hunters in a unit. Many units have vast amounts of public land, while some far less. Other things to consider are how you want to hunt, and how far you can pack 300 pounds of elk, plus gear. What kind of terrain you can handle?
One of the most startling things beginning elk hunters from the eastern U.S. learn is how vast elk country is. I still remember the surprise an Ohio hunter had just riding out for his first day of elk hunt with me. He wondered where and when we would stop and check in with the land owner. There had been no houses for miles. He thought scouting included checking property lines to avoid trespassing. That is not what most of elk country is for a hunter out west.

[Sokol325]

Thanks Swede!!

I have archery hunted Montana and Colorado before for elk, but both were with an outfitter. It's not much experience, but enough to know what I am in for and what I can and can't handle. I would like to say I would hold out for an opportunity on the first legal bull, but I would be just as proud to harvest a cow. I would like to bivy hunt which would allow me to be mobile incase the elk are not where I think they should be. Which will be the case I am sure. I would really like to hire a packer to help get me into where I want to go and also help with packing out an animal if I am lucky enough to get into elk. At this point I don't even know if this is even possible. I am really having a hard time making a decision on a unit. I read one thing and the next 10 things about the unit are different. How to you look at the information and determine a unit? Thanks for taking the time to ready my ramblings!!!

[Buckman]

Hey all
new to these chat rooms but seems everybody has some good info here was wondering if anyone has any experience in AZ units 5a and 5b south been applying for a few years want
to get a game plan before i get drawn. also i see Jmp209 is from the PA NY border area was wondering where as i am also.

[Buckman]

I have hunted Co quit a few years back in the Dolores area.No luck but saw a few, got alot of lessons quick, nothing like hunting the whitetails back home.

[Buckman]

I see Game Planner Maps is from AZ maybe you would be interested in chatting

[WapitiTalk1]

Welcome to the forum Buckman, glad to have you at our elk hunting campfire!

[Buckman]

Thanks Phantom seems like a nice place to hookup with some new hunters with a great atmosphere and get some good advice

[Game Planner Maps]

I see Game Planner Maps is from AZ maybe you would be interested in chatting

I'm always happy to talk AZ elk hunting. I'm at work now but Im available most evenings after 430 AZ time. Gimme a call (480) 620-3309.

-Ed

[Swede]

Buckman, it is good to have you here. There is a great bunch of hunters that hang out here. You are welcome into the conversations.

Sokol325, I have never been in your shoes. I hunt in-State almost exclusively. I either go with someone or to places I have scouted extensively. As a Forest Service retiree, I have been blessed to live and work around the elk woods for a very long time. I started going out with my dad well before I was 10 years old.
Also, I talk to people that I know who have hunted a unit. I will stop into a Forest Service or State fish and wildlife office. Be as specific as you can on your objectives when you ask government employees. Game officers and field going techs I have found to be the best resources.

[Sokol325]

I am thinking about GMU 481 for the second to last week of archery. Anybody have any general info? I haven't narrowed down a specific area just yet.