Elk Hunting Competencies

[Big6bull]

Everything you need to be successful you can learn but you can only learn with dedication and going the extra mile. Every time I feel I can't go any further mentally or physicly I push myself. Then good things happen 

[Wanttohuntmore]

ASAT camo or a lucky hat.   

[grundy53]

I think perseverance and mental toughness are the number one traits. All of the others are important but all of them will fail you at one time or another. That's when mental toughness will get you through. Can't kill elk if you quit.

[Spawnstar]

I have a slogan, hunt harder than 98% of people and you'll shoot the top 2% of game. Most guys give in and give up after a few days, you've got to hunt to the very last minute. And have more persistence and not give up and start road hunting after a couple hours into the day. And if it doesn't work, improvise adapt and overcome.

[idaho guy]

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.

  :yeah:one of my buddies kills his elk every year from a tree stand on nf land 15 minutes from my house. it is a small amount of acreage I don't intrude on his spot because he is my buddy and there is million of acres to hunt even though he is almost in my backyard. I was always the harder not smarter hunter believing that if I hiked in three hours before light into the worst hell hole possible I would be successfull. It worked but in the last probably 5 years or more my buddies success has been twice mine. He kept pounding the same mountain and elk and finally figured there patterns out and has a pretty easy hunt every year.  If I take him into one of my spots he can't kill an elk and would be like a fish out of water. I am not a great elk hunter but the great ones are those that do hunt hard and have learned those lessons that allow them to kill elk anywhere. Bottom line I think is how do you want to hunt elk. Sitting in a tree stand or ground blind ? I can think of at least 4 other buddies that get their elk every year this way. Or do you want to actively call and chase em all over? I have always bow hunted for the excitement of calling elk in close screaming. I'm getting older so I am actually planning where to hang a tree stand this year! All I am saying is harder and killing yourself does not mean success over the laid back tree stand sitting hunters.  It only took me 25 years to learn this!

[Karl Blanchard]

Everyone hunts differently so what is key for one guy is mute for another.  For me personally, physical fitness, mental toughness, and knowledge of elk behavior/vocalizations, weapon proficiency are all the pieces to my puzzle. 

For me there is no secret to how I fill tags.  I hike until it gets dark and then I head back to wherever it is I am sleeping for the night.  I repeat that until I have filled my tag or the season ends.  You do that and all the other pieces fall into place eventually.  Keep grinding until you find something to shoot at.  Work harder and go farther than everyone else and eventually I will find game.  It works every time. 

I shoot my bow almost every day starting in about June to prepare for September.  I also spend a ton of time with my rifles/muzzleloader at the range as well as coyote hunting year round to keep my gun abilities polished.  Doesn't matter how great you are at getting on elk, if you haven't built the muscle memory to go into auto pilot or "kill mode" as I like to call it, and you send the arrow a foot over your targets back, then its all for nothing.

However, be prepared to feel like an idiot when you spend two days packing elk meat and your old man shoots one right behind camp sitting on his stump

[JWEBB]

Just like Tred Barta always says, "90% of it is about getting out there and doin the work!" 

[huntnnw]

Certain areas of the country if you are getting shots at bulls consistently your doing something right, but to live in one of these western states such as CO and you are not getting shots your either not into hunting that much or havent got out much.

[WapitiTalk1]

I really hope some of the newer elk hunters (or even those who have been hunting for years but do not consistently get shot opportunities each year) are taking notes. I have this thread running on three hunting forums and am really getting some great input. Once the threads run their course, I'll capsulate everthing and post.
 

[DIYARCHERYJUNKIE]

I've only been able to get shot ops the last three years.  But I atribute it to all of the same stuff as mentioned above.  Patients, persistence and perseverance.

[tonymiller7]

Get away from roads and people, preseason scouting.

[coachcw]

Some people are just hunters , the way they stalk and think and the drive to do what ever it takes . I always told people you have to hunt elk where they are not where you want to hunt , no matter where that may be or how crappy it will be to get one out . there is only so many of hours to hunt don't leave any on the table .

[rosscrazyelk]

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!!

Also to be stupid enough to keep putting your body thru hell and going where most won't.
And luck.
But honestly I always believed you get out what you put in.

[Karl Blanchard]

Some people are just hunters , the way they stalk and think and the drive to do what ever it takes . I always told people you have to hunt elk where they are not where you want to hunt , no matter where that may be or how crappy it will be to get one out . there is only so many of hours to hunt don't leave any on the table .

  I know some guys who hunt pretty hard but they just can't connect the dots.  There are only so many hunters in a tribe, comes to mind.

[Jingles]

While the topic of this thread specifies Elk we all have to admit that the same characteristics that make an elk hunter successful year after year are the same characteristics that make any hunter repeatedly successful... Hell they make a person successful in life too.
Called dedication and perseverance