Difference Between Deer and Elk Hunting

[mlovely83]

My experience hunting the Westside Elk much easier than deer. They move in herds and leave plenty of tracks. Hour after first light and hour before dark the calves should be chirping.

Like everyone else said smell is your biggest obstacle. Keep the wind in your face. You find the elk, its worth a 3 mile roundabout hike to get the wind right.

I tend to not use calls cause in my opinion its better for them not to know where you are. FYI once you hear the bark its all over.

[Buckmark]

$3000.00

[Jonathan_S]

I elk call more when I'm elk hunting   

[boneaddict]

Its easier to eat elk 

[vandeman17]

deer I can hunt on either side of the state and elk only one or the other 

[elkinrutdrivemenuts]

Deer hunting is like middle school and high school, everyone can get through it, elk hunting is like college, less people go, even fewer graduate! 

Elk hunting, if done right, ie in the mountains, working hard, and getting off the road, is by far the most fun you can have in the woods, and way more satisfying when you are successful.   

[Bullkllr]

Deer get harder to hunt as soon as they know they're being hunted, but elk get WAYYYYY harder to hunt as soon as they know they're being hunted. It's best to avoid letting them in on that detail.

[CAMPMEAT]

Elk hunting is for real men................

[WDFW Hates ME!!!]

In my experience on the west side the deer see me before i see them, if i see them at all. I see elk way before they see me.

I have killed more elk than deer. I personally think elk are easier to hunt.

[Humptulips]

First I have always hunted west side in fact only coastal.
To me a totally different hunting experience.
Deer hunting is more a matter of watching, walking, looking for deer and hopeing to see them before they see you. Mostlly hunt clearcuts, hunt one and take a break watch a hiilside while you snack at lunch. Usually a race to get in the morning to be the first at that spot you thought was your secret spot. Critical to be there at first light.
Elk hunting is a lot more dependent on finding fresh sign so I spend more time looking at the ground for tracks then I do looking for elk. I have always followed the tracks to the elk rather then spotting elk. That is changing though as a lot of the areas there is just no timber to follow the elk in to. With doghair everywhere it becomes more like deer hunting. I don't like that so I tend to hunt areas that still have blocks of timber.

Also elk hunting envolves stalking the elk a lot of the time whereas never that way with deer. Elk are bunched up so there are large areas where there is nothing. Deer you might see one anywhere anytime.
Harder to be successful on elk but you need to be prepared with the tools to get one out. Deer can come out in one piece so you don't need so much stuff.

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

I only hunt Elk, deer are what I shoot while Elk hunting.
Because I am not a trophy hunter, I shoot the first legal animal that is dumb enough to let me get within range (recurve)
Deer are like rabbits, I seem to be able to get one almost every year, but Elk, used to be about every 4-5 years, now it is 7 without...
Thank goodness for deer !!