Hunt HARD for Elk

[JPhelps]

Here is a little write up I put together for our blog.  I'm interested to see what you guys feel is the single most important thing when it comes to killing elk.  Is it being in shape, archery skills, area, knowledge, etc...



When trying to decide the number one piece of advice to give when it comes to consistently harvesting elk, I always end up back at HARD WORK.  The best calling in the world, the most knowledge of elk, or the latest in hunting gear wont matter if you can’t push through the pain and get to the elk.  There is nothing easy about consistently hanging your tag on a mature bull year after year.  In order to increase your odds you need to work harder, both physically and mentally.

“I'm a great believer in luck and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.”      -Thomas Jefferson

September is merely the time to showcase the skills and tactics that I have been working on from November through August.  Whether it is the long hikes with a weighted pack on a blistering July day, weekend scouting trips in August, pouring over maps from January-March, shooting an extra ten arrows a night, the harder I work the more successful I have become.

For Example, I am a firm believer that when I go to shoot my bow, the first shot is ten times more important than the arrows that follow combined.  The only way to replicate this first “cold” shot is to shoot multiple times rather than one long session.  Yeah, this takes time and we are all strapped for it but are you willing to work harder for success?

Whether I have just finished a five mile run or just finished my last set of lunges and the hamstrings and quads are on fire, it is easy to say “good enough”.  The only problem is, I have yet to find a herd of elk or bull that have the same definition of “good enough” as I do.  By running the extra mile or doing the extra set in the weight room, I have increased my chances of becoming successful.

Hard work doesn’t always have to come in the form of physical exertion.  Every winter I pull out my maps, open up google earth, and pull out the game regulations and begin to look for uncharted areas that will hold elk.  I look for areas that are off the beaten path, hard to get to and have the feed, water and cover that the elk need to live.  I spend more time scouting from my desk than I care to admit.  This armchair elk scouting has paid off huge the last couple of years.

These are just a few examples of ways that I push myself to become a better elk hunter.  I guarantee that by working harder everyone will increase their chances of bagging a bull come September.  I just turned 28 years old and am thinking about giving myself a day off as a present, instead how about I ride my bike twice as far as I had planned, After all I just became a year older.

- Jason Phelps

[Buckhunter24]

Thats a good write up Im in a lot better shape than the old guys I hunt with but they have a lot more knowledge. They are better hunters and Im a better packer

[Tbar]

I agree hard work. Followed very close by intiment knowledge of the area you hunt. That being said they go hand in hand the more time you spend knowing the animal the luckier you get.

[Selkirk]

Hunt into the wind and get away from heavily traveled roads. 

[TikkaT3-270Shortmag]

There's too many factors to just say one over another. You can be in the best shape in the world, but if your in a piss poor area your bot gonna be successful. I think DEDICATION is most important. Dedication to all aspects of hunting. Not cutting corners! Ive killed elk the last 4 years & some has been luck & some I made the right decision. I learn more about the animal every year but not every bull is the same & that's where the luck comes in. So once again its a combination of all the things you mentioned that makes a hunter successful. Hunt hard, do your home work, good luck this year!!

[Crunchy]

Mental toughness is just as important as physical toughness.  Your body wont do what the mind tells it can't. 

[boneaddict]

Patience.

Many people say and think its all about out hiking someone or getting away from the road.  I'd hate to tell people just how untrue that thought process can be. 

[Green Lantern]

 
#1 Is location though got to be where the elk are.

[wapiti hunter2]

Mental toughness is just as important as physical toughness.  Your body wont do what the mind tells it can't. 

 

This can not be overstated.   Mental toughness is what keeps you going to get in shape physically and keeps you staying out to last light in the freezing, poring rain.  It is what keeps you getting up in the morning with 4 hours rest to go freeze your A** off one more morning.  It is what keeps you going when your feet are freezing cold and you are soaked to the skin.  It keeps you there when all else fails.  It is what kills an elk as surely as a bullet or arrow. 

[huntnnw]

So true Bone..many people think they have to get 10 miles from the nearest road... alot of places to hunt near major highways that nodody hunts

[JPhelps]

There is no truer statement that you have to be where the elk are in order to ever kill an elk.  So "area" is a very important piece of the equation.

I also agree with bone. Hiking or hunting the furthest from the truck doesn't necessarily increase the odds if the elk aren't there or are recieving pressure.  When it comes to archery hunting I just want to find unpressured elk.  Whether that is 20 yards off the road or 10 miles deep.  I feel that this gives me the best chance of being able to call the bull into range.

[Todd_ID]

I say knowledge is the key over physical and mental ability or calling ability.  How many of us know of a "local" who kills his elk next to the road every single year?  I used to be into the physical mentality, but my hunting gets better the older and smarter I get.  I can still out hike many, but I don't do it unless I know why I'm doing it.  I'll do it if I need a new area and want to check 10 different new places out, and I'll do it if I have an area that's back in a ways that I know the elk patterns in, but anymore I try to move less, learn more, and then apply that knowledge year after year: that's the key to actually killing elk, in my opinion.

[PolarBear]

Patience.

Many people say and think its all about out hiking someone or getting away from the road.  I'd hate to tell people just how untrue that thought process can be.

Knowing where to look, what to look for and when to look for it is much more valuable in my book than tearing up the country side hoping to bump into a herd that you hope will be there in a couple of months or weeks.  I have much more respect for a guy who can consistantly harvest decent critters without having to "bust his butt" every year and goes on sheer knowledge and experience. 

[PlateauNDN]

Mental toughness is just as important as physical toughness.  Your body wont do what the mind tells it can't. 

 

This can not be overstated.   Mental toughness is what keeps you going to get in shape physically and keeps you staying out to last light in the freezing, poring rain.  It is what keeps you getting up in the morning with 4 hours rest to go freeze your A** off one more morning.  It is what keeps you going when your feet are freezing cold and you are soaked to the skin.  It keeps you there when all else fails.  It is what kills an elk as surely as a bullet or arrow.

 

[bucklucky]

I think having "Elk Sence" for elk hunting is key. I know alot of guys that are in great shape that cant seem to kill a bull in september. It just clicks for some guys , others not so much.

My favorite elk hunting is putting the miles on.I enjoy hiking and "getting away" from the crowds per say. I dont want to hear traffic driving by where I elk hunt as it kind of takes away from the whole picture of the hunt to me. Complete silence and hearing nothing but nature, that id what I love.  I know plenty of areas I could just sit on an elk trail and be patient and kill a bull not far off the road but to me thats just not as fun. Smart, but not what I want to do. Im still young (35) so I will beat myself to death putting the miles on, In shape or not, but as I get older , I may start setting tree stands in those "easy" spots    Hunt smarter not harder is what I have been told but the way I look at it Hunting harder makes me feal smarter in kind of  a dumb way 

    In all reality the complete package should give a guy an advantage over most , so doing the homework, scouting both maps / google earth and phisical, getting into "elk Shape" getting yourself mentaly tough, shooting all the time to hone the skills should help a guy win out. I think having Luck is great, but what a hunter does to have a better chance at that "luck" sure helps! It always best to be better lucky than good in my book!

Nice write up Jason!