Hey everybody!
I'm Antun, a new elk hunter from Virginia. I've hunted deer across the southeast for about 15 years now, and I happened across an elk episode of a hunting show and now I'm afraid I've got the bug. I've been joining forums, listening to all the podcasts I can soak in, trying to figure out how to bugle (boy, does that seems daunting). I've also been pestering the small number of people I know who've elk hunted...ever... (Which apparently comes out to about three, of whom, only one has really opened up at all about it).
I know some forums are hostile to newbs asking for advice (like when I hunted MD, some of those forums were downright nasty), but so far it seems like Eastmans (which I just subscribed to as well) seems like a generous, knowledgeable bunch of guys. I sure hope so. I know information differs from year to year, but I wouldn't think by much, right?
A little background on me: As I mentioned, I'm a longtime whitetail hunter and have a freezer of meat, but I'd like to up my game a bit, and decided to start elk hunting. I've been in the Army for a while (getting out soon) and have done everything from humping long guns to flying a desk.
I settled initially on Idaho due to the disabled vet options, but I'm now considering Oregon and Wyoming. Still trying to figure out the "A" v "B" tags in ID, the "1" thru "4" options in Wyoming, so if anyone can provide some insight into those differences, I'd appreciate it.
It seems like the best bet is to go OTC in one of those states and find a spot to hump in, which I'm completely willing to do. I'd rather sleep in a fart sack out in the boonies than camp in the truck (though no offense to you guys who do that, its just not my style and I'm too tall to sleep comfortably in most trucks).
Not super interested in sticking a MONSTER elk my first time out. I got lucky with my first whitetail and it's kind of been underwhelming to hunt smaller deer since, and I'd really be okay with shooting a smaller elk my first time (but not really looking for a raghorn, either)... that said, anything bigger than a raghorn is still a monster for me, you know?
I'm also super curious about y'alls collective experiences with bear/wolves/cougar, and how much of a threat they really pose to a smart hunter (by smart, I'm assuming the normal backpacking practice of hanging bear bags at night and changing clothes after dinner is the norm, right? That kind of thing?) Outside of that, I don't really know what to expect, but would like to have some idea of what to expect. Mainly so I don't over pack. I learned in Afghanistan that "ounces equal pounds", and don't want to carry a hand cannon if bear spray's truly more effective, or neglect to bring it if wolves are going to test my boundaries. Seems like the cats don't really bother you too much if you go about your business normally. I remember being in the Boy Scouts out in Philmont, woke up in the morning and big paw prints in the dew around my tent, went out to pee during the night and never got chewed up, so I figure they're not as scary as the rep they get. But that's why I'm asking y'all.
Anyway, I look forward to chatting with y'all and learning as much as I can in the next 8 months!
Regards,
Rad
I'm Antun, a new elk hunter from Virginia. I've hunted deer across the southeast for about 15 years now, and I happened across an elk episode of a hunting show and now I'm afraid I've got the bug. I've been joining forums, listening to all the podcasts I can soak in, trying to figure out how to bugle (boy, does that seems daunting). I've also been pestering the small number of people I know who've elk hunted...ever... (Which apparently comes out to about three, of whom, only one has really opened up at all about it).
I know some forums are hostile to newbs asking for advice (like when I hunted MD, some of those forums were downright nasty), but so far it seems like Eastmans (which I just subscribed to as well) seems like a generous, knowledgeable bunch of guys. I sure hope so. I know information differs from year to year, but I wouldn't think by much, right?
A little background on me: As I mentioned, I'm a longtime whitetail hunter and have a freezer of meat, but I'd like to up my game a bit, and decided to start elk hunting. I've been in the Army for a while (getting out soon) and have done everything from humping long guns to flying a desk.
I settled initially on Idaho due to the disabled vet options, but I'm now considering Oregon and Wyoming. Still trying to figure out the "A" v "B" tags in ID, the "1" thru "4" options in Wyoming, so if anyone can provide some insight into those differences, I'd appreciate it.
It seems like the best bet is to go OTC in one of those states and find a spot to hump in, which I'm completely willing to do. I'd rather sleep in a fart sack out in the boonies than camp in the truck (though no offense to you guys who do that, its just not my style and I'm too tall to sleep comfortably in most trucks).
Not super interested in sticking a MONSTER elk my first time out. I got lucky with my first whitetail and it's kind of been underwhelming to hunt smaller deer since, and I'd really be okay with shooting a smaller elk my first time (but not really looking for a raghorn, either)... that said, anything bigger than a raghorn is still a monster for me, you know?
I'm also super curious about y'alls collective experiences with bear/wolves/cougar, and how much of a threat they really pose to a smart hunter (by smart, I'm assuming the normal backpacking practice of hanging bear bags at night and changing clothes after dinner is the norm, right? That kind of thing?) Outside of that, I don't really know what to expect, but would like to have some idea of what to expect. Mainly so I don't over pack. I learned in Afghanistan that "ounces equal pounds", and don't want to carry a hand cannon if bear spray's truly more effective, or neglect to bring it if wolves are going to test my boundaries. Seems like the cats don't really bother you too much if you go about your business normally. I remember being in the Boy Scouts out in Philmont, woke up in the morning and big paw prints in the dew around my tent, went out to pee during the night and never got chewed up, so I figure they're not as scary as the rep they get. But that's why I'm asking y'all.
Anyway, I look forward to chatting with y'all and learning as much as I can in the next 8 months!
Regards,
Rad
