Rookie Mistakes to Avoid?

[LarryBud]

I will be hunting Northern Colorado the week of September 8. My Son set it up on some " solid advice " from a friend. It appears to me that we will be in NFS land, starting from scratch and on our own with nothing more than this is a good area. This is fine with me. FYI...The Unit has a 13% success rate to put things in perspective.

I look forward to the trip as this is my second try at connecting ( no joy the first time ). In my last trip, it took me a few days to figure out that the elk were in the deepest, darkest timber on the mountain ( I hunted one unit West ). By the time I located them, my hunting partners had weakened and I never had a real encounter.

So, I'm a rookie. I will be in good physical condition ( for a man in his mid 50s ) and my Boy competes in mountain endurance challenges so I'm not worried about him. I have the Elknut Playbook and sent one to my Son.

What mistakes should I avoid to have the best chance for one of us to score. Thanks. This is a great site!!

[Indian Summer]

First off Larry Id like to add some perspective to your mention of a 13% success rate. The unit where I hunt has a 17% rate. I see a bull or 2 every day and I've only walked away without an elk once. That year I passed on bulls looking for a better one. That saying about 10% of the elk hunters killing 90% of the elk takes place in units just like mine and yours. I think it's a decent number.

I hate to give generic answers but...... two pieces of advice. Don't pressure yourself. It is truly amazing what you can accomplish if you are relaxed. Even more amazing than how many simple things we can screw up if we are full of anxiety. Well..... maybe not!

The other thing I have to say is actually the exact same thing using different words: Hunt every day like it's the first day of your hunt. I think we can all remember how it feels to head out of camp on that first crisp morning. You need to hang on to that feeling. Hunting with confidence and a positive attitude is PRICELESS! Letting your confidence diminish as the days go by is what leaves a sports team watching someone else play a championship game on their tv at home.

These things are much easier said than done after you've worn yourself to a nub for the better part of a week with no luck. But nobody in that 10% ever wakes up thinking maybe we should head home a day early. Instead it is always "Today is the day!"

[ElkNut1]

Enjoy the experience! Success can be measured in so many ways on ones hunt! You will be out there building a lifetime of memories with your son, enjoy it but yet be as prepared as possible! There are 3 things that can aid to having a Safe & awesome elk hunt!

# 1 -- Be in shape so you can navigate the mountains with no regrets!

# 2 -- No how to navigate the mountains without fear! If you fear leaving roads or trails because of getting lost or turned around you will limit yourselves tremendously, avoid that, go where the elk are, this is whether you spot them or hear them vocally!

# 3 -- Be prepared & know how to Glass & Call elk! Glass open country where calling isn't needed to locate elk visually & call into dark timber for an elks location that cannot be glassed into! Your primary goal at that time is to find elk, then you can hunt them!


The Playbook is a very good instruction manual but not an end all especially for a newer elk hunter! I would seriously recommend you also look into the Vol-4 Worse Than Wolves DVD & the ElkNut 5 DVD. These DVD's well help round out your education & help prepare you for the various encounters you will find yourself in! Finding elk is half the battle, knowing what to do with them with confidence is the other half! (grin) The new APP we just came out with is certainly a game changer as well, this can be at your finger tips in the elkwoods as needed. Once again, enjoy the experience but at the same time give yourselves a chance & avoid being unprepared, you'll kick yourselves in the rear if you aren't & the hunt is over! Have a great time & stay safe!

ElkNut1

[Trumkin the Dwarf]

Rookie Mistake #1: Setting the gun out of reach to take a leak

Rookie Mistake #2: Forgetting TP

Rookie Mistake #3: Listening to me

Hahahaha! I just cracked myself up there. In all seriousness, Indian Summer has great advice. Also, check out the Map Resources sticky in the gear/weapons forum.

[Swede]

Larry, I see you put quite a bit of emphasis on physical condition. Being is good shape is great, but keep it under wraps. You can do a lot better by being patient as Indian Summer wrote.

1. I would echo what I.S. wrote. Be positive the whole time and stay vigilant. No one kills game by giving up. You need to stay out there and be ready. Some people disagree, but I would hunt until I could not see my sight pins the last day available.

2. Some people get elk by calling. A lot more run off elk by calling. Wisdom is knowing the difference. Wisdom is knowing when, where and how to call, and when not to call. I will tell you something these elk call makers and sellers won't. Having the latest and greatest elk call will no more make you a pied piper of elk than a claw hammer in a leather apron makes you a carpenter. Also this year's fad call is no better than last year's fad call, etc. etc. etc.
One more thing and I will get off my soapbox. Elknut's educational materials are a great place to start your education. Don't get frustrated that you don't understand it all as you go into the elk woods. Learn the fundamentals and build on them with experience. Certainly buy two or three good calls and learn to use them. Just don't get confused by believing you have some advantage because you have the newest call on the market. It still all boils down to the hunter.

[LarryBud]

Thank you all for the replies.

I guess I tossed physical conditioning out there as I know every response to new hunters is focused on getting in shape. I think we have that covered as best as possible.

There will be elk in the general area. The question is how to find them? I worry I will spend too much time in an unproductive territory. Any advice on when to move on if no elk are found?

Thanks

[IdahoD]

Night bugling is a great way to find the general location of the herd. Even call shy elk will lazy bugle back at you at night. They let their guard down a bit. Unless bumped, they like to bed in about the same area every night if they can. It gives you a good starting point. If I was starting from scratch, I'd spend some time night bugling to get a feel for where they are. Because that's how we really started to figure out our current area.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[Swede]

they like to bed in about the same area every night if they can.

That has not been my experience or observation for many areas. There is a certain truth to that statement. I can find them in the same area on the ranch day after day, but in the general forest they move a lot.
Sometimes you can go into an area for several days and no elk are around then on the next it seems elk are everywhere. They moved into the area and are feeding through. You may push elk out of an area or they may just move on. I certainly agree on calling to locate elk, but don't assume because you locate them there one time they will be there for days and weeks. If you get an answer in the night, they are usually there in the morning. Go there early in the morning and hunt them then. Don't wait long.

Being in good shape is valuable, but you don't have to be able to run a marathon through the mountains, fueled on pinion seeds and grape nuts to be able to effectively elk hunt.

[Roosiebull]

Enjoy the experience! Success can be measured in so many ways on ones hunt! You will be out there building a lifetime of memories with your son, enjoy it but yet be as prepared as possible! There are 3 things that can aid to having a Safe & awesome elk hunt!

# 1 -- Be in shape so you can navigate the mountains with no regrets!

# 2 -- No how to navigate the mountains without fear! If you fear leaving roads or trails because of getting lost or turned around you will limit yourselves tremendously, avoid that, go where the elk are, this is whether you spot them or hear them vocally!

# 3 -- Be prepared & know how to Glass & Call elk! Glass open country where calling isn't needed to locate elk visually & call into dark timber for an elks location that cannot be glassed into! Your primary goal at that time is to find elk, then you can hunt them!


The Playbook is a very good instruction manual but not an end all especially for a newer elk hunter! I would seriously recommend you also look into the Vol-4 Worse Than Wolves DVD & the ElkNut 5 DVD. These DVD's well help round out your education & help prepare you for the various encounters you will find yourself in! Finding elk is half the battle, knowing what to do with them with confidence is the other half! (grin) The new APP we just came out with is certainly a game changer as well, this can be at your finger tips in the elkwoods as needed. Once again, enjoy the experience but at the same time give yourselves a chance & avoid being unprepared, you'll kick yourselves in the rear if you aren't & the hunt is over! Have a great time & stay safe!

ElkNut1

great advice!

a couple things I will add, from a person with a slightly different strategy from most.

1-don't get tunnel vision when moving in on elk, I use my glass a lot if trying to get close, I cannot count how many times I have been busted by focusing on elk I see, to the point i'm busted by elk I didn't see. when getting close, really slow down and look around, pay attention for the elk hard to see that will bust you, be methodical, use your binos, pick the ground apart between you and you quarry.

2-never get desperate to shoot, that is a very common rookie mistake often made, people feel they need to get a shot when they have a close encounter, doing so can ruin your season. wait for a good shot, stay within your comfort zone shooting. archery hunting elk, there are close encounters with no shot opportunities, those are the facts, don't get desperate.

3-already mentioned, but very important, STAY POSITIVE! a good optimistic attitude kills elk, it only takes a second for a tough season to turn into an awesome season, don't be a victim, your opportunity could come from a time that feels like there is no chance, there isn't always a big build up to the end of a successful season, things can happen out of nowhere, and if you keep a positive attitude, you will be ready when it happens....it will also keep you checking that next ridge, if you become a victim, you may think, they aren't on all of these ridges, why would they be on that one...and never check. staying optimistic and positive has been my best asset, I can hunt hard for 10 days in a row, tired and no ideas where to check (or the feeling of that) but I still wake up, get on scene early, and am confident that's the day. that really helps, makes up for my lack of "skill"

[msd1228]

1-don't get tunnel vision when moving in on elk, I use my glass a lot if trying to get close, I cannot count how many times I have been busted by focusing on elk I see, to the point i'm busted by elk I didn't see. when getting close, really slow down and look around, pay attention for the elk hard to see that will bust you, be methodical, use your binos, pick the ground apart between you and you quarry.

This x1000. Same rule applies when spot and stalking mule deer.

[Wapiti]

Set up and nock an arrow each and every time you are going to call at a new location !! DO NOT GET LAZY !! Or think ah....there's nothing close anyways. The one time you get lazy a bull with walk out !!

You'll be surprised by how many times a cow elk just steps out once you call. If your not ready that hunt is over and you just screwed up the whole morning hunt.

As soon as you get to an intended calling location kick the grass away from your feet and really get down to the dirt. This does 2 things. First it gives you a silent spot to stand as your now standing in fresh dirt. You can turn and move in silent now. Secondly it put's fresh earth scent into the air and this acts as a cover scent. Bulls also like that smell as most bulls with rake there antlers in the ground. This is a normal scent they are used to.

Also with this proper set up. Never set up behind a willow bush or tree...........get in front of that cover and make sure you have shooting lanes in front of you. If there is a leaning tree just keep in mind that bull has to walk around it......he can't just walk through it ! What I'm saying is it's no good to have a barrier that stops an elk from coming to your location.

Hope this helps and all the best of luck to you both on your hunt.

Trav

[Swede]

I agree with Roosie's three points, but I always need to especially remember the first two as that is where I can lose it. I know there is a fine line between taking the first good shot opportunity and the first available shot opportunity.

[Swede]

As I was typing my previous post, Travis was posting his. I think the tips are getting better as we go here.

[LarryBud]

Great Advice. I'm taking notes in my Field Book.

I believe that 10% of the hunters take 90% of the elk. I'm pretty sure you all fall into the 10%. I'm soaking it up.

Thanks and keep it coming.

[Roosiebull]

I agree with Roosie's three points, but I always need to especially remember the first two as that is where I can lose it. I know there is a fine line between taking the first good shot opportunity and the first available shot opportunity.

it's a constant struggle, not getting impatient and trying to force an opportunity isn't it? I have not "mastered" any aspect of hunting, some things I need to focus on more than others, and that is a big one. I have passed on some shots I wish I would have taken later, but if there is something I don't like, I personally shouldn't shoot.

this will be season 18 for me, and composure I still struggle with, some don't....I do. I sure enjoy the years I fill my tag with a really good shot and watch them tip over. I try to constantly remind myself of that. I like slam dunk shots, not shots that test my shooting ability, because I know my personal tendencies. not a one size fits all aspect of hunting.

[Swede]

it's a constant struggle, not getting impatient and trying to force an opportunity isn't it? I have not "mastered" any aspect of hunting, some things I need to focus on more than others, and that is a big one. I have passed on some shots I wish I would have taken later, but if there is something I don't like, I personally shouldn't shoot.

This is supposed to be a rookie mistake thread. Some of the tips are about things experienced hunters need to be constantly on the alert to avoid or do.
That point about slowing down and looking for other elk is a constant problem when we try to move close enough for a shot.

[Roosiebull]

it's a constant struggle, not getting impatient and trying to force an opportunity isn't it? I have not "mastered" any aspect of hunting, some things I need to focus on more than others, and that is a big one. I have passed on some shots I wish I would have taken later, but if there is something I don't like, I personally shouldn't shoot.

This is supposed to be a rookie mistake thread. Some of the tips are about things experienced hunters need to be constantly on the alert to avoid or do.
That point about slowing down and looking for other elk is a constant problem when we try to move close enough for a shot.

They are still rookie mistakes some are just harder to correct than others

In one way or another, I will always be a rookie elk Hunter, I think that's part of the fun though. Not many activities where we can keep learning at the rate we do while hunting. Most things you hit a plateau at some point, elk hunting doesn't seem to be that way. Always lots to learn if you keep an open mind and pay attention.

[Tigger]

I will come at it from a slightly different angle. Do your homework before you go. Down to the nitty gritty detail. What 10 spots do you want to try? how will you get into those 10 spots? Where will you park? Where is the food/bedding/water? Where are you going to camp? get water for camp? Where is the pressure from other hunters likely to come from? As much as you can prepare from home, get it done now so you don't take away from valuable hunting time. Did you call the game warden? Biologist? They can at least help eliminate areas. Check out Randy Newberg on Youtube for some great instructional videos on escouting and other elk topics.

[1Elkhunter]

1) you don't have to pack in 12 miles to find elk on public land. I see a lot of hunters hike right past the elk.
2) find the private land boundaries in your unit, sometimes when the pressured elk head to private land, they will still sometimes move back and forth across the boundary onto public land during transition btwn feeding/bedding.
3) I'm a flatlander and I pack my camp on my back, so IMHO, physical conditioning cannot be overemphasized.
4) Mental toughness however is even more critical. The guys I know that kill consistently never ever give up... hunt that next ridge, dive into that deep dark nasty hole, hike in/out in the dark, etc. Be prepared to find out who you really are! Give into those demons and you may as well go home.
5) scent. Play the wind/thermals right or its game over EVERY time. Elk piss in a bottle, or scent killer spray, or scent wafers are all compete BS. Take and constantly use some method of wind checker or you'll never even see an elk.
6) Hydration... not drinking enough waterncan really handicap you physically and mentally.
7) Overpacking. If it doesn't contribute directly to your goal of killing an elk, leave it at home. You will feel every ounce in your pack after a few days of covering miles and gaining/losing altitude. Obviously you need basic things like food, water, basic first aid and survival gear, so don't go overboard.
8) Navigation... know how to use a GPS and/or a compass and topo map. First for safety, secondly to up your odds of tagging out. Nuff said.
9) hunting mid-day. Hunt from sun up to sundown. I've killed and seen mid day elk killed plenty of times.

[saddlesore]

Big mistake is if you don't find elk in 2-3days,there are no elk around. You can kill an elk on the last day of the hunt, just as easily as the first day. If you have confidence in yourself and the area,keep at it. Sure , you can move,but then you can very easily run into the same thing. If there is hunting pressure,the elk can move in over night.This does not apply during migration, unless you get there before the elk move thru.

I only hunt mornings and kill an elk every year. Hunting mid day,you might find elk, but most likely not. It happens , but they say,even a blind pig can find an acorn every once in awhile. Use the mid day to build your strength backup.Take nap or just kick back and enjoy the experience. If you get overly tired by hitting it all morning and thru mid day, you don't have much left to give it by late afternoon.

Now this stuff about being in shape. Sure ,it's good, but don't think you have to stay home if you are not in shape. If you have physical limitations,learn to hunt smarter instead of harder. I have two bad shoulders, a back with rods and screws holding it together, bad lungs and a few other things. I don't run up and down mountains,but again,I kill elk every year,or at least have been.
Desire is a whole lot more important than how you are put together.

[WapitiTalk1]

1. Don't think washing your clothes, bathing, and gargling with scent free products will hide your human scent... it does not. Wind, wind, wind..... You can fool an elk's eyes and ears "sometimes" but you can never fool its snout.

2. If you hear or see elk, keep your calls in your pocket (absolutely no need to call to them at this point), work the wind even if that means a mile long circumnavigation of a draw/basin to keep your nose to the wind as you approach the elk; goal is to get close before you make the decision to call or not. If you stop short and call (oftentimes out side of a hundred yards/terrain dependent), Bullwinkle may feel a very strong urge to pick his gals up and leave.

3. Know when a bull is playing you like a fiddle and save your energy . If you are having a vocal conversation with a bull and he seems to continue to be moving in the opposite direction (as he toots back and forth, answering your calls), he's just keeping tabs on you. Don't play that game, you never win.

4. Don't leave a calling set up too early and be very vigilant for silent bulls coming in!

5. Proper set up for caller and shooter is paramount! Know the prevailing thermal/wind direction, study the terrain, set up shooter/caller at proper angle from each other, and set up considering possible shooting lanes.

6. When in close to a herd and you throw out an elk noise, be prepared from an immediate physical response! A few soft cow sounds can oftentimes result in a herd satellite flying your way to try and date this lonely cow; posing a threat with whiny cow sounds (help me, help me, I've been abducted) and a bull scream in the direction of the herd bull can result in a tall set of antlers attached to a mud caked, snot nosed bull coming in quick.

7. Don't be in hurry when moving into an area. Stop, look, listen, and smell often!

[Swede]

I have read the line that stink does not matter. That is not the case at all. It Is better to minimize our odor. Sure, if they smell you they are gone, but you can reduce the amount of scent they have to detect . A story I like to tell expresses the difference between minimum odor and the more lackadaisical approach.
My friend and I descended a very steep area. He was about 80 yards off to my right as he descended the mountain toward his stand about 1/4 mile below mine. I was as clean and free of scent as I could be. Lets just say he typified the "it makes no difference how much you stink" people. His personal hygiene was less than stellar. About 1/2 hour after I got into my stand a bear came around. It got a drink at the water hole I was watching and milled about in front of me for a few minutes. It was completely oblivious to my looking down at it. After a short time it went on. It continued on an old trail until it hit the place where my friend had traveled down the mountainside. Immediately when it hit mu friend's scent trail, it turned around and ran full speed past my stand and back out of the area.
That bear never knew I was around, even though it spent significant time where I had loitered before going up into my stand, than where my stinky friend was. That bear was alarmed by the scent of my friend. Why do you think it never noticed where I had been?
Keep clean and use scent killer. Many times I have had elk walk down my trail, or come around my stand shortly after my arrival.

[MidMoElkNut]

WapitiTalk1
You said:
3. Know when a bull is playing you like a fiddle and save your energy . If you are having a vocal conversation with a bull and he seems to continue to be moving in the opposite direction (as he toots back and forth, answering your calls), he's just keeping tabs on you. Don't play that game, you never win.

I had a bull do this to me several times last year as they were coming down in the field to feed in the evening (I'm not sure why they didn't come out into the field). He would skirt the field edge in the trees and go on by but would keep bugling. I would follow and bugle and he would bugle but never would come in to me at all, just keep pushing his cows away. I was probably around a hundred yards at the closest point.

I've dogged other bulls with cows like this too and only once I got close enough and I guess I finally made him mad enough to come see what I was about.

What is the best thing to do or not to do in these situations?

[WapitiTalk1]

I have read the line that stink does not matter. That is not the case at all. It Is better to minimize our odor. Sure, if they smell you they are gone, but you can reduce the amount of scent they have to detect.

I didn't say to "not" keep clean; hell... I take a shower at least once a week... with soap sometimes . I'm just saying that if you're on the wrong wind side of an elk, it doesn't matter what you've washed your body and clothes in, nothing disguises human scent and your prey is outa there. The best odor detection prevention measures are to not be where elk can smell you.

[saddlesore]

I have read the line that stink does not matter. That is not the case at all. It Is better to minimize our odor. Sure, if they smell you they are gone, but you can reduce the amount of scent they have to detect.

I didn't say to "not" keep clean; hell... I take a shower at least once a week... with soap sometimes . I'm just saying that if you're on the wrong wind side of an elk, it doesn't matter what you've washed your body and clothes in, nothing disguises human scent and your prey is outa there. The best odor detection prevention measures are to not be where elk can smell you.

Ditto. Keep clean and practice personal hygiene.I have not used any scent reducers for many many years.When my camp was a wall tent,I cooked kept my clothes in the same tent as I slept.Now I am in as mall pop up slide in camper.Same thing. I do use the scent free soap,but my clothes are washed in good old Tide. Although I keep clean and expect everyone else in camp to do so ( I'll
sure tell them if they stink), I am in the "It doesn't matter if you stink a little bit or a lot, the elk will smell you" if you ignore the wind direction

[Swede]

You guys and your defense of stench. I think my hunting friend had the same lines. Just minimize your stink plus watch the wind, and you did the best you can do. I use Arm and Hammer without scent or brighteners as my laundry detergent. I use Ivory hand soap, and Scent Killer once in awhile. I don't use elk urine.

[Old school]

1. If you're not finding elk - do something different. Sometimes that means hunt the slope next to the big meadow right off a state highway

2. Don't get discouraged if the elk aren't vocal - it might not be you, there may be no elk around.

3. Don't be afraid to pack up camp and move 50+ miles to a new location if you're not finding fresh elk sign or elk.

--Mitch

[LarryBud]

Thanks to all who have taken time to provide feedback.

Your thoughts and insights will serve me and many others.

[Rock Stick or Fish]

I'm very much a rookie but I'm trying to learn hard from last year.

My rookiest of mistakes, which I copped to in the Campfire: I had a cow/calf tag, and I didn't know what a calf was going to look like in its summer coat. I had this picture in my imagination of the winter-coat elk, or a calf around a herd. I never expected a solo calf.

Ummm... second most rookiest of mistakes. Not reading the regs before starting a new zone. I hunted a couple of zones OTC in OR's early season and passed on a shot at a legal doe because I thought the zone was buck only.

Urrmmm... Gear changes. I started getting arrow wraps for recovery because when I did get my deer I couldn't find my arrow to verify the hit and want to increase those odds if it happens again. Going to a hook release, because there were moments when getting the caliper on there took more concentration than I expected. I've been learning how to tune so I'm not tied to the bow shop if something happens right before the season starts.

[WapitiTalk1]

WapitiTalk1
You said:
3. Know when a bull is playing you like a fiddle and save your energy . If you are having a vocal conversation with a bull and he seems to continue to be moving in the opposite direction (as he toots back and forth, answering your calls), he's just keeping tabs on you. Don't play that game, you never win.

I had a bull do this to me several times last year as they were coming down in the field to feed in the evening (I'm not sure why they didn't come out into the field). He would skirt the field edge in the trees and go on by but would keep bugling. I would follow and bugle and he would bugle but never would come in to me at all, just keep pushing his cows away. I was probably around a hundred yards at the closest point.

I've dogged other bulls with cows like this too and only once I got close enough and I guess I finally made him mad enough to come see what I was about.

What is the best thing to do or not to do in these situations?

Dave, once a bull w/cows (and accompanying satellite or satellites) is/are on the move, it's near impossible to stop him or bring him back your way. Sure, he'll sing back and forth with you but that's mostly just to keep tabs on you (you pose no threat him and his harem). With a static bull w/cows (with or without satellites), perhaps a small herd that has reached their evening feeding area or early morning bedding area, cow calling your way into a vocal bull w/cows can be a decent tactic (although I'm a fan of not making any elk sounds at all in "most" situations while moving towards a vocal bull) as a bull always wants another cow to join his harem, yes? Announcing that you're an amorous bull moving towards a herd bull w/cows is another story. If a bull w/cows has reached a place where he will be for a period of time, he is not quite so anxious to leave/move just because a vocal elk is approaching.... oftentimes he/they will stay put as you work your way in (he'll scream back obscenities at you with grunts) but if competition is fierce for cows in the area you hunt, many times that static bull will pull up stakes to avoid a confrontation that may result in him losing any or all of his cows. Best tactic in my book is to most always, keep quiet and move as close as possible to any vocal bull's before saying a peep. The moving elk are a challenge for sure and planning intercept courses, or, quietly dogging them to a point they slow down seems to be the ticket.

[MidMoElkNut]

WapitiTalk1
Thanks for all of the info I believe that will help me out a lot if I find myself in the same situation!
Thanks again I really appreciate it!

[cohunter]

Don't avoid mistakes... Mistakes are how you learn! Now obviously you want to avoid some mistakes, but as you can see there are are about a bazillion and one rookie mistakes. And they're all different. I'll wager more than half the posts here are rookie mistakes made by the poster during the last hunting season. Here's the rookie mistake I think you should avoid: Don't beat yourself up over mistakes you make. They're just learning opportunities. There is no good 'elk university' without time in the field and you're not going to remember what to do and what to not do until you screw it up in memorable fashion. I've hunted elk for more than a couple years and I still make at least half a dozen rookie mistakes per season. It's part of the fun.

[1Elkhunter]

Don't avoid mistakes... Mistakes are how you learn! Now obviously you want to avoid some mistakes, but as you can see there are are about a bazillion and one rookie mistakes. And they're all different. I'll wager more than half the posts here are rookie mistakes made by the poster during the last hunting season. Here's the rookie mistake I think you should avoid: Don't beat yourself up over mistakes you make. They're just learning opportunities. There is no good 'elk university' without time in the field and you're not going to remember what to do and what to not do until you screw it up in memorable fashion. I've hunted elk for more than a couple years and I still make at least half a dozen rookie mistakes per season. It's part of the fun.

Now this is truly wisdom. Best post in this thread...