Elk Hunting Competencies

[WapitiTalk1]

What puts an elk hunter in that 10-12% range? I believe all elk hunters that consistently get shot opportunities each year share a common set of competencies or skill sets. Yes, each individual may have specific ways of going about the business at hand but most successful elk hunters I know share a good handfull of these competencies. What are they? Attitude, experience, physical fitness, understanding of elk behavior, mastery of weapon used, understanding of elk vocalization, patience, short memory, expert backwoods navigator, pre-hunt research and planning expertise?

What do you folks think are the core competencies of a good elk hunter?

[Jonathan_S]

I would say that from my observations:

TOP 3 Important Attributes
understanding elk behavior
understanding vocalization 
planning pre-hunt


TOP 2 Overrated Attributes
Physical Fitness
Mastery of Weapon Used

[jay.sharkbait]

Time off work..

[Bean Counter]

Having to actually draw your tag and not just buying it OTC. I am guessing there is a high correlation to those who go to camp based on tradition alone and those who have unfilled tags.

[trophyhunt]

knowledge of the area you are hunting and how the elk move around in those area's are big in my categories. Which I think takes years to learn.  And Not waiting around for 20 years for a tag helps!!

[Tbar]

Dumb luck and persistence or vice versa.

[WSU]

Time in the woods/persistence has to be close to the top.  Sometimes my elk have come from skill and sometimes you bumble into them.  Beyond that, knowledge of elk behavior.  Also, I'm sure it varies by weapon group.  Skills that are very helpful during early season may be irrelevant by late season.

[ipkus]

So...there are so many different kinds of elk hunts that certain things may be important during one season, and almost irrelevant during another.  10 day backpack archery hunts demand different things than November rifle hunts.  I've been to an awful lot of funerals for elk in my life, from August to January and 400 to 10,000 ft., and my advice would be this;

1.) Understand elk behavior

Understanding where elk want to be when the weather is X, the hunting pressure is Y, the terrain is Z, etc. is really the paramount thing a hunter needs to know to consistently kill elk.  Once you really know elk behavior, someone can drop you off anywhere from New Mexico to Montana to Nevada and you can quickly solve the puzzle. Everything else you mention revolves around this point, and while you can learn quite a bit from reading and talking to other people, experience will be your best teacher.

2.)  Familiarity/experience in the hunting area

I know people who can consistently kill elk in certain areas because they've learned a spot, but because they don't hunt different places much if at all they haven't connected the dots.

3a, b, c, d, e...)  pre hunt planning, physical fitness, ability to shoot, calling ability, etc. all have there place and importance depending on what type of hunt you are doing, but number 1 is the key. 

No matter how good you are at the rest of it, you can't kill an elk you can't find.

 

[kentrek]

for all elk hunting id say not being desperate

[vandeman17]

I think being able to adapt is key to success. Even if you hunt the same spot every year, things are rarely the same so being flexible and adjust to different conditions is very important. Knowing what to do and how to respond to those changes is something that comes with time and experience.

[elk247]

Knowledge of area, bedding area, feeding/drinking areas, escape routes, thermal currents/changes,
Willingness to work harder than the other %90. Scouting, burned boot leather and off season preparation with the weapon system are other factors that separate the consistently successful hunters from the wannabes.

[WapitiTalk1]

So...there are so many different kinds of elk hunts that certain things may be important during one season, and almost irrelevant during another.  10 day backpack archery hunts demand different things than November rifle hunts.  I've been to an awful lot of funerals for elk in my life, from August to January and 400 to 10,000 ft., and my advice would be this;

1.) Understand elk behavior

Understanding where elk want to be when the weather is X, the hunting pressure is Y, the terrain is Z, etc. is really the paramount thing a hunter needs to know to consistently kill elk.  Once you really know elk behavior, someone can drop you off anywhere from New Mexico to Montana to Nevada and you can quickly solve the puzzle. Everything else you mention revolves around this point, and while you can learn quite a bit from reading and talking to other people, experience will be your best teacher.

2.)  Familiarity/experience in the hunting area

I know people who can consistently kill elk in certain areas because they've learned a spot, but because they don't hunt different places much if at all they haven't connected the dots.

3a, b, c, d, e...)  pre hunt planning, physical fitness, ability to shoot, calling ability, etc. all have there place and importance depending on what type of hunt you are doing, but number 1 is the key. 

No matter how good you are at the rest of it, you can't kill an elk you can't find.

 

   Nicely put. 

[deerslyr]

Knowing your area and how the elk use it is the key IMO. one of the biggest elk slayers I know is 73 years old in ok shape for his age and has been hunting the same area his whole life. He doesn't have to hike far to kill elk because he knows the area so well and filled both his tags this year. The other elk slayer I know is 55 smokes a pack of marb reds a day (don't recommend or promote this) and filled both of his elk tags this year. been hunting the same area for 20 years.

Now here's the kicker. I consider a good elk hunter some one who can go to the same spot every year and kill an elk.

I consider a GREAT elk hunter some one who can go to any unit any time and kill an elk. This is where fitness, general elk behavior, weapon knowledge etc comes into play big time.

[washelkhunter]

Roll out 2 hrs before legal light, hunt all day, come back way after dark, repeat till done.

[stew pidasso]

Roll out 2 hrs before legal light, hunt all day, come back way after dark, repeat till done.

  yep, time in the woods.