Hello all! My name is Mark and I am new to your forum. Your forum seems to be the most user friendly of all that I looked at. I am looking for advice about how to prepare for an archery elk hunt in approximately 3 years. The hunt will almost certainly be in Idaho or Wyoming. I am not asking for hunting spots. I would like information on such things as Guided versus DIY, what kind of clothing/boots to get, and terrain/altitude information. Thanks and i look forward to hearing from you.
Elk Hunt Preparation
- Thread starter Meuler
- Start date
First, welcome to the forum. I apologize for not catching this thread earlier.
You are right, this forum takes a lot of pride on being a great place for learning. There are a lot of guys who will be a wealth of knowledge and I'm sure a few of them will post here soon.
You are right, this forum takes a lot of pride on being a great place for learning. There are a lot of guys who will be a wealth of knowledge and I'm sure a few of them will post here soon.
Welcome to the forum.
We have had many threads that pertain to your questions. Use the search function and have a look around. If your questions have not been answered ask some specific questions and we will get them answered.
We have had many threads that pertain to your questions. Use the search function and have a look around. If your questions have not been answered ask some specific questions and we will get them answered.
Welcome to the Forum, there is a ton of information on here and great guys to help out. My first suggestion would be to Buy Mike Eastmans' book - Elk Hunting the West Revisited. That book is a wealth of knowledge and will get you started down the right path.
Welcome to the forum. Guided vs. DIY is a huge difference in effort and know-how. If it was my first elk hunt I may go with a guide or a friend that lives out here so you can learn the ropes. Once you get a hunt under your belt you will have no problem coming back out and doing it yourself. I would start shopping for gear now. If I were you, I would watch camofire.com for Sitka gear. You can get closeouts for 40-60%. Any boot with Gore-tex is a good place to start. Youtube reviews on gear and start learning now!
Let's just say a guided hunt is $5k, and if you go DIY and are starting from scratch, all the gear will cost you about $5k, but you'll be able to go again, and again. So are you planning on going one time, or do you want to go multiple times?
JimP
Administrator
I have always said that when you hire a guide/outfitter you are hiring them for their knowelege of the area and animals along with the behavior of the animals.
If you don't have time to go to the area that you plan on hunting and don't mind going home empty handed then a DIY hunt might be for you. But if you are just planning for one hunt in the area and wan't a good chance of shooting at one then the guided one might be what you are looking for.
For clothing just use what you are using now, that is unless you want to get all caught up in the newest and most expensive camo out there. I have actually shot more deer and elk with a bow while I was wearing a flannel shirt and Levi's than any camo that I have in my closet. Footwear is going to depend a lot on where you are going to be hunting. I have a friend in Utah that archery hunts in tennis shoes unless he is in wet conditions. I usually just wear my hunting boots either lighter ankle high ones or my insulated ones depending on the weather. I also usually carry a pair of very heavy wool sock to wear if I am doing any stalking. I'll take my boots off and put them on. Makes for a lot quieter stalk.
If you don't have time to go to the area that you plan on hunting and don't mind going home empty handed then a DIY hunt might be for you. But if you are just planning for one hunt in the area and wan't a good chance of shooting at one then the guided one might be what you are looking for.
For clothing just use what you are using now, that is unless you want to get all caught up in the newest and most expensive camo out there. I have actually shot more deer and elk with a bow while I was wearing a flannel shirt and Levi's than any camo that I have in my closet. Footwear is going to depend a lot on where you are going to be hunting. I have a friend in Utah that archery hunts in tennis shoes unless he is in wet conditions. I usually just wear my hunting boots either lighter ankle high ones or my insulated ones depending on the weather. I also usually carry a pair of very heavy wool sock to wear if I am doing any stalking. I'll take my boots off and put them on. Makes for a lot quieter stalk.
