Nevada 072-075 late season cow elk hunt

[hntnnut]

My wife drew this tag, on her first ever time applying. This is the first ever elk hunt for either of us. pouring over maps, onxmaps, the unit descriptions on Nevada's DOW site. Can't seem to find anything regarding this later season hunt everything I read seems to point to Sept.-Oct. I have tried to contact the Biologist but they haven't returned my calls. I'm looking for possible areas to camp (wall tent) and anything I may not be thinking of that I should consider(water, weather, road closures, ect.???) Since this is our first elk hunt any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you
Richard

 

[hntnnut]

Oh and I forgot to mention I'll be up in Reno next Friday for a root canal and will be running over to the hunt area after to scout for a couple of days. Any particular zone to check out first? Also were planning for the week of the 6th to head up for the hunt.

Richard

 

[nv-hunter]

I cant help you out with the hunt, but good luck and head over to the new member section and say hello. Hope you hang around the forums for a while.

 

[Ikeepitcold]

I also don’t know that area but good luck and hope your wife finds a some cows.

 

[Gr8bawana]

How did this hunt go for you and your wife? I'm assuming since there was no update you were unsuccessful or weren't able to go.

 

[Ikeepitcold]

How did this hunt go for you and your wife? I'm assuming since there was no update you were unsuccessful or weren't able to go.

Or was just looking for info and didn’t plan to stick around on the forum.

 

[tdub24]

Or was just looking for info and didn’t plan to stick around on the forum.

With 5 posts in the last couple of years, pretty sure this was the case. To bad you couldn't delete users who do this.

 

[Gr8bawana]

Or was just looking for info and didn’t plan to stick around on the forum.

I was thinking the same thing but I was trying to give the benefit of a doubt.

 

[tdub24]

I was thinking the same thing but I was trying to give the benefit of a doubt.

Same here, till i looked at the post count and when he started.

 

[hntnnut]

Sorry had other stuff going on, crazy work hours, think 70-75 hours a week. Taking care of my 87 year old father and we just got back from 2 weeks in Arizona. Anyhow Nevada was a bust but we learned a lot. Had planned a tent camp but I had come down real sick the end of December and was sick for the duration of the 7 days we hunted so we stayed at a motel in Elko. Was able to go to the DNR office and speak to the biologist in person. She told us the weather had not been cooperating and the elk were not in their traditional wintering areas. She also said we would be best served to glass a lot and cover lots of ground and suggested a particular drainage. Only found a couple of carcasses in that and made the mistake of spending most all of our time in the area.
Last day we had to hunt we went to a completely different area and finally found a couple of semi fresh tracks again spending lots of time glassing and moving. Finally with about 2 hours of daylight left I spotted a group of 8 elk on the end of a short ridge in sort of a mini bowl that was maybe 50 yards across. With the way the wind was we had a 800 yard cross canyon shot or drive around to the canyon behind them and come in from the top of the ridge they were on that should give my wife a shot of no more than about 100 yards. It took the better part of an hour to make the drive to the other side and get above them and by the time we had got in position to drop of the top we only had about 15 minutes of light left. We carefully snuck over the top and they were nowhere to be found and never seen again. I don't know what happened they could of herd us, or smelled us as the wind started to swirl a bit. They may have even got up and left of their own accord.
I really wanted to stay and hunt the next day but needed to get back home and pick my elderly father up from senior care. It was a really fun trip even though I was sick as a dog. I do plan on going back this next season and look forward. On a side note we hunted Wyoming for the first time this last year and was shocked at how rude people were to my wife and I unless I had my wallet out. Nevada on the other hand was the total opposite and made us feel right at home every where we went. Again sorry for the delay in replying to this thread.

Best Regards,
Richard

 

[Ikeepitcold]

Well it happens.
The cows are pushed so much they seem to just disappear if they have any clue someone is there. I had one bedded by a tree at 400 yards. By the time I payed down on the ground to get set up, put a bullet in the chamber I looked up and she was gone.

You put in plenty of time and effort. For that you learn a lot about the country so next time you will be able to fill the tag.

 

[Gr8bawana]

I have hunted cows 4 times in the same area here in NV. We always hunt the last week of season which is usually the 2nd week of January and the cows have been chased for quite a while. They are nowhere near any roads. The few people we have run into have no intention of putting in hard work for a cow elk. If they can't be spotted from the road they aren't going after them.
I have been successful 3 out of 4 times and it requires putting some miles on the boot leather.

 

[Ikeepitcold]

I have hunted cows 4 times in the same area here in NV. We always hunt the last week of season which is usually the 2nd week of January and the cows have been chased for quite a while. They are nowhere near any roads. The few people we have run into have no intention of putting in hard work for a cow elk. If they can't be spotted from the road they aren't going after them.
I have been successful 3 out of 4 times and it requires putting some miles on the boot leather.

We hiked in 2 mile to get on the cow I was hunting. I did see her from a dirt road, she bedded and we made our stalk. It's a tough hunt in the late season and you absolutely have to work for it.

 

[Bonecollector]

What were you doing in Wyoming? Sorry for the bad experience.

 

[tdub24]

Definitely can be a tough hunt if you are not familiar with their wintering habits, assuming winters comes during the season.

 

[hntnnut]

What were you doing in Wyoming? Sorry for the bad experience.

This was actually our first ever out of state hunting trip, went up and spent 2 weeks in Sunlight basin looking for deer. We were successful and had a really good trip in some really beautiful country.


Richard