Free: Contests & Raffles.
Honestly, without having time to scout due to work. And due to the fact that you will be after post rut elk, after they have been pressured by two prior general seasons, and countless special permits, my best advice would be to study this forum. You can't compare the knowledge in one 'new guy' thread, to a hundered past threads. Use the search function to pull up old threads on the unit/ units you will hunt. Learn how weather and hunting pressure effect elk behavior. Learn the mirgriation route to the refuge. Learn the thermals of your area throughout the day. Pay attention to other hunters and use them to your advantage to push elk your way. Don't hunt alone. Elk are hard work to pack and modern hunters have been known to "steal" others hunters game. Learn the escape routes, feeding and beding areas. Elk need water and food. Know where the old burns are in your unit and the ones to the west. Study maps, google earth, know where fs roads and private property are. Know if there are active burns, and how they effect behavior and cover scent. If we have a mild winter be prepared to go higher in elevation including changeing units to locate elk. Dont let the rain stop you from hunting. It makes the woods quiet. Know when to find shelter if a lightening or snow storm catch you off gaurd. KNOW the rez boundaries. Most of all, have fun and hunt hard. You will never have a chance to have a 'do over' for a missed season. Good luck.
Quote from: Ridgeratt on July 14, 2015, 08:49:22 AMQuote from: Jonathan_S on July 14, 2015, 08:26:24 AMThink of it like this. You have to put in years of time understanding elk before you'll be in a position to expect to harvest one. That is unless you have no job and plenty of gas money!I think you left out this scenario!! Never hunted them before drives into the woods get's out slams truck door. Wanders off couple of 100 yards , plunks down on a log 30 minutes later has a elk on the lawn. Now the question is "What do I do with this" Then they will say there is nothing to Elk hunting.Hey That's The Pat McManus Time Tested Way to get Elk Don't Let that get out
Quote from: Jonathan_S on July 14, 2015, 08:26:24 AMThink of it like this. You have to put in years of time understanding elk before you'll be in a position to expect to harvest one. That is unless you have no job and plenty of gas money!I think you left out this scenario!! Never hunted them before drives into the woods get's out slams truck door. Wanders off couple of 100 yards , plunks down on a log 30 minutes later has a elk on the lawn. Now the question is "What do I do with this" Then they will say there is nothing to Elk hunting.
Think of it like this. You have to put in years of time understanding elk before you'll be in a position to expect to harvest one. That is unless you have no job and plenty of gas money!
Quote from: BNAElkhntr on July 19, 2015, 06:54:45 PMQuote from: Ridgeratt on July 14, 2015, 08:49:22 AMQuote from: Jonathan_S on July 14, 2015, 08:26:24 AMThink of it like this. You have to put in years of time understanding elk before you'll be in a position to expect to harvest one. That is unless you have no job and plenty of gas money!I think you left out this scenario!! Never hunted them before drives into the woods get's out slams truck door. Wanders off couple of 100 yards , plunks down on a log 30 minutes later has a elk on the lawn. Now the question is "What do I do with this" Then they will say there is nothing to Elk hunting.Hey That's The Pat McManus Time Tested Way to get Elk Don't Let that get out Even though it works, I took the point at "What do I do with this" I have met a lot of elk hunters, first timers and several year veterans.Idiots that followed the advice of veterans and walked miles in behind a gate, went where nobody else wanted to go, and killed an animal...And really had no idea what to do next.Sure, they had watched the Youtube videos, read all the advice, even been carrying a 50# backpack all summer to get in shape...A dead elk that is laying on its stomach in a small depression, because that is how it died, is an astronomical task for a first timer.Someone really should be there to film it when reality sets in...All those daydreams are turned into a circus act of desperation...When I usually am dumb enough to quit laughing and offer to help.Killing an elk is not the hard part..
