Free: Contests & Raffles.
Don’t give up. If you’re new at hunting and especially elk hunting, being alone by yourself, not seeing elk, it’s really easy to talk yourself into packing up and heading home. Your tired, footsore, want a pizza, shower, no elk, poor weather, and you think about things and home and pretty soon, you’re loaded up and cruising, then you start kicking yourself. Don’t give up. Think about pleasant thoughts. Try to have fun. Bring a good book. Waking up late and hitting the woods a little bit late still beats driving home.
Yeah, I made a snide comment on here before to leave your weapon at home. In truth my first 2-3 years rifle hunting and my first 2-3 year bow hunting, I didn't even draw or fire a shot. But don't actually leave your weapon home. Here are some helpful tips that people here have largely covered. 1) If you find elk, especially a legal elk, HUNT IT. I don't care if its across a canyon, up high, down low... sometimes late in the season you're like "ugh, there's an elk, but it'll probably be gone by the time I get there" or some crap like that. Just think of how long you spend wandering through the woods without and elk near you. If you know there's elk somewhere, HUNT IT, I don't care how hard it is. Every time I've thought "that'd be an impossible place to kill an elk, but I know they're in there" I've had opportunities.2) Elk are REALLY good at pinpointing sound. They are risk adverse like humans. You're probably not going to call them into the middle of an opening. They're going to peak their head JUST up over the hill, or through the brush, looking for that call. So, if you make a call, MOVE UP so you can get a shot where they'll stop (if you're hunting solo). If you want to call before you sit down for lunch... call... move up 50 yards and then eat lunch. Never sit where you call from, just don't do it. 3) In order of importance, things that sink you are 1) smell 2) sight 3) sound. If an elk sees you and you're still... even if you could magically be breaking branches while you sat still, they wouldn't care. They might walk right up to you. They don't recognize the human figure well and are not bothered by it. You can make noise in the woods, but I'd try to cover with cow calls. When elk are at ease they make TONS of noise. They will catch you if you're moving and they aren't, so try to move slowly. All that said, if they smell you from close or from far, they're GONE. Wind, wind, wind. I don't care if you rolled in elk urine, you'll just smell like a human who rolled in elk piss to them. I don't care if you have sent lock, washed yourself in scent free soap, and have been eating elk turds, they'll still smell you. If your wind is bad, the walk you're about to do is pointless, the elk will be gone before you can see them. I've had an elk walk up to me, standing in wide open timber, within 5 yards, and she didn't spook until I felt the wind on the back of my neck and watched her nostrils flare. 4) Despite what people have said here... you can pursue spooked elk, as long as they didn't smell you. The larger herds in western wa are particularly easy to follow as they make a hellova trail and chasing them down is really not that difficult if you have a cow tag. If you spook an elk with your truck, GO IN AFTER THEM, they won't be too far into the timber. I have had really good luck pursuing elk, just as long as they haven't smelled you.5) Be patient, its not usually like the hunting shows. They can come in silent, especially in wolf country. Move slowly... sound wont kill you, but they'll stop moving and look your way if you're noisy and the movement will be quickly picked up by them. Try to use a cow call to cover you when you move. 6) I don't worry about over-calling. When they're interested in you, you can blow that cow call every 3 min and they're not going to run away. I'm not saying you need to, but if you're walking through the woods making noise, use that thing.7) I'm probably just a bad bugler, but I've never been able to get a bull fired up enough to come to a bugle, but shot 3 coming in to cow calls... two of them on an absolute string. I might just be very seductive sounding, but there's more than one way to get a bull to come in. Make a plan for success, getting these things out is no joke. Last thing I want is to get a bull down, 4 miles in, with no knives, game bags, or pack that is usable. Having to take an empty trip back because you dont have what you need is dumb. If archery hunting have tracking tape or similar.9) GET THE HEAT OUT. You cannot leave elk overnight. I honestly don't care if its 5 degrees out. The snow you see collecting on their back illustrates how well insulated they are. The ball joints of the hip WILL SOUR if left overnight. I call 100% BS on the people who say "left it overnight, no bone sour" They don't know what bone sour is. Now that I've experienced a bad case of this, I now know how many mild cases of bone sour I've had. I will never shoot another bull where I DONT pop the femur out before I pack it out, even if I get right to it. Now that I know the smell well, I'd say 75%+ of my bulls have had some degree of bone sour right at the femur, even when I've been able to get right on them. It just takes too long to get them cut up and out and isn't worth losing that meat. If any cut ever smells even slightly "cheesy"... that is bone sour and I think its WAY more common than anyone realizes. The butcher wont tell you that, and you really wont know unless you process your own game.
Yeah, I made a snide comment on here before to leave your weapon at home. In truth my first 2-3 years rifle hunting and my first 2-3 year bow hunting, I didn't even draw or fire a shot. But don't actually leave your weapon home. Here are some helpful tips that people here have largely covered. 1) If you find elk, especially a legal elk, HUNT IT. I don't care if its across a canyon, up high, down low... sometimes late in the season you're like "ugh, there's an elk, but it'll probably be gone by the time I get there" or some crap like that. Just think of how long you spend wandering through the woods without and elk near you. If you know there's elk somewhere, HUNT IT, I don't care how hard it is. Every time I've thought "that'd be an impossible place to kill an elk, but I know they're in there" I've had opportunities. Absolutely spot on. No need for me to comment now.2) Elk are REALLY good at pinpointing sound. They are risk adverse like humans. You're probably not going to call them into the middle of an opening. They're going to peak their head JUST up over the hill, or through the brush, looking for that call. So, if you make a call, MOVE UP so you can get a shot where they'll stop (if you're hunting solo). If you want to call before you sit down for lunch... call... move up 50 yards and then eat lunch. Never sit where you call from, just don't do it. 3) In order of importance, things that sink you are 1) smell 2) sight 3) sound. If an elk sees you and you're still... even if you could magically be breaking branches while you sat still, they wouldn't care. They might walk right up to you. They don't recognize the human figure well and are not bothered by it. You can make noise in the woods, but I'd try to cover with cow calls. When elk are at ease they make TONS of noise. They will catch you if you're moving and they aren't, so try to move slowly. All that said, if they smell you from close or from far, they're GONE. Wind, wind, wind. I don't care if you rolled in elk urine, you'll just smell like a human who rolled in elk piss to them. I don't care if you have sent lock, washed yourself in scent free soap, and have been eating elk turds, they'll still smell you. If your wind is bad, the walk you're about to do is pointless, the elk will be gone before you can see them. I've had an elk walk up to me, standing in wide open timber, within 5 yards, and she didn't spook until I felt the wind on the back of my neck and watched her nostrils flare. 4) Despite what people have said here... you can pursue spooked elk, as long as they didn't smell you. The larger herds in western wa are particularly easy to follow as they make a hellova trail and chasing them down is really not that difficult if you have a cow tag. If you spook an elk with your truck, GO IN AFTER THEM, they won't be too far into the timber. I have had really good luck pursuing elk, just as long as they haven't smelled you.5) Be patient, its not usually like the hunting shows. They can come in silent, especially in wolf country. Move slowly... sound wont kill you, but they'll stop moving and look your way if you're noisy and the movement will be quickly picked up by them. Try to use a cow call to cover you when you move. 6) I don't worry about over-calling. When they're interested in you, you can blow that cow call every 3 min and they're not going to run away. I'm not saying you need to, but if you're walking through the woods making noise, use that thing.7) I'm probably just a bad bugler, but I've never been able to get a bull fired up enough to come to a bugle, but shot 3 coming in to cow calls... two of them on an absolute string. I might just be very seductive sounding, but there's more than one way to get a bull to come in. Make a plan for success, getting these things out is no joke. Last thing I want is to get a bull down, 4 miles in, with no knives, game bags, or pack that is usable. Having to take an empty trip back because you dont have what you need is dumb. If archery hunting have tracking tape or similar.9) GET THE HEAT OUT. You cannot leave elk overnight. I honestly don't care if its 5 degrees out. The snow you see collecting on their back illustrates how well insulated they are. The ball joints of the hip WILL SOUR if left overnight. I call 100% BS on the people who say "left it overnight, no bone sour" They don't know what bone sour is. Now that I've experienced a bad case of this, I now know how many mild cases of bone sour I've had. I will never shoot another bull where I DONT pop the femur out before I pack it out, even if I get right to it. Now that I know the smell well, I'd say 75%+ of my bulls have had some degree of bone sour right at the femur, even when I've been able to get right on them. It just takes too long to get them cut up and out and isn't worth losing that meat. If any cut ever smells even slightly "cheesy"... that is bone sour and I think its WAY more common than anyone realizes. The butcher wont tell you that, and you really wont know unless you process your own game.
Things I didn’t know/have 50 years ago starting out:Gutless Method, Jetboil, merino baselayers, Flipup Scope Covers, Kennetreks, Loadsling /meatshelf, Chugach, scope level, Inreach.Getem! Goodluck.
