What is it about elk?
- Thread starter Rich M
- Start date
Preface by saying location matters, even poor elk hunters can shoot elk on private land that is loaded with elk and no other hunters. I hunt public land, there's a difference, and a huge difference.
IMO, its hunters that aren't willing to learn.
I see people elk hunting every year, no binoculars, not leaving camp until the sun is up, never getting off a machine, never glassing, going back early, rifles they havent shot for a year, the list is endless.
There are things that an elk hunter has control over, and things they cant control. The successful hunters, the things they can control, they do, and they do it well (scouting, shooting, glassing, observing, etc. etc.). They adapt, learn how to hunt a variety of conditions, they hunt smart, they don't toss in the towel when it gets tough, they don't make excuses.
The ones that don't, fall into the 90% that eat tag soup...
For the record, I don't find just killing an elk that tough on public land (smaller bulls and cows)...killing quality (320+) bulls on public land is. That's a function of there just aren't that many of them to start with, where they tend to live, and how much effort it takes to get them.
hoshour
Veteran member
Sometimes, the reason elk hunting is tough is that they just aren't there.
CC and I hunted Colorado Unit 60 this year, 4th season. Unit 60 has almost no resident elk, the CPW doesn't even survey the unit for elk, but it is a wintering area for elk that summer in the La Sal Mtns of far eastern Utah, only a few miles away from the unit border.
Year after year, the first two weeks of November, the cows and some bulls migrate down. I did a little weather study on the La Sals, and it turned out that over the past 10 years, the success rate in 4th season had no correlation with the temperature in Unit 60 or the amount of snow in the La Sals. For example, last year it was very warm in November with no snow in the La Sals and the either-sex success rate was 46%, well above the normal 30%.
I figured with some of those unsuccessful hunters falling into the "didn't hunt hard enough or long enough" category, my odds would be at least 50/50. Zero nonresident points to draw - brilliant move! I was stoked and ready to fill the freezer.
We scouted for the three days prior to the opener, hunted for the five days of the season, and like the other 12 hunters we talked to, not one of us saw even one cow. Not one. Fourteen hunters. Zero sightings.
I walked as much as 10 hours at a time. To get into a rough area, I navigated down a band of rimrock so scary I cursed myself twice for putting my life at risk, I covered aspen pockets, deep canyons, the only two water holes in the unit with water according to the warden, went several places where we never saw another hunter, looked high, looked low, even looked in places that didn't look "elky." I sat glassing in 7 degree weather, didn't matter.
The warden said it was the worst year he's ever seen. The deer also migrate in from Utah (4th season took 10 points for nonresidents last year) and we saw some deer, but the best was no Booner. The unit only goes up to 8200 ft., so apparently all the elk and most of the deer stayed up high in Utah for once. I'd sure like to find out why. The only things I can think of are that it was an extremely dry year following an unusually snowy winter.
After last year's truck troubles during my antelope hunt and my back going out day 3 of my mulie hunt, I'm getting a bit of a complex.
I just know I could not have hunted any harder this year. I plan to hunt elk again next year and figure eventually my hard work will pay off. Might need a different unit, though, maybe archery elk.
CC and I hunted Colorado Unit 60 this year, 4th season. Unit 60 has almost no resident elk, the CPW doesn't even survey the unit for elk, but it is a wintering area for elk that summer in the La Sal Mtns of far eastern Utah, only a few miles away from the unit border.
Year after year, the first two weeks of November, the cows and some bulls migrate down. I did a little weather study on the La Sals, and it turned out that over the past 10 years, the success rate in 4th season had no correlation with the temperature in Unit 60 or the amount of snow in the La Sals. For example, last year it was very warm in November with no snow in the La Sals and the either-sex success rate was 46%, well above the normal 30%.
I figured with some of those unsuccessful hunters falling into the "didn't hunt hard enough or long enough" category, my odds would be at least 50/50. Zero nonresident points to draw - brilliant move! I was stoked and ready to fill the freezer.
We scouted for the three days prior to the opener, hunted for the five days of the season, and like the other 12 hunters we talked to, not one of us saw even one cow. Not one. Fourteen hunters. Zero sightings.
I walked as much as 10 hours at a time. To get into a rough area, I navigated down a band of rimrock so scary I cursed myself twice for putting my life at risk, I covered aspen pockets, deep canyons, the only two water holes in the unit with water according to the warden, went several places where we never saw another hunter, looked high, looked low, even looked in places that didn't look "elky." I sat glassing in 7 degree weather, didn't matter.
The warden said it was the worst year he's ever seen. The deer also migrate in from Utah (4th season took 10 points for nonresidents last year) and we saw some deer, but the best was no Booner. The unit only goes up to 8200 ft., so apparently all the elk and most of the deer stayed up high in Utah for once. I'd sure like to find out why. The only things I can think of are that it was an extremely dry year following an unusually snowy winter.
After last year's truck troubles during my antelope hunt and my back going out day 3 of my mulie hunt, I'm getting a bit of a complex.
I just know I could not have hunted any harder this year. I plan to hunt elk again next year and figure eventually my hard work will pay off. Might need a different unit, though, maybe archery elk.
Bonecollector
Veteran member
hoshour
Veteran member
There's usually a reason when something looks really cheap. The biggest drawbacks in this case were the lack of a sufficient range of elevation to cover a wide range of circumstances, a very short season and the lack of a resident herd. It happened to do OK 9/10 of the time but we just hit the odd year.
I'm trying to get set with units for each state and species that are fairly easy to draw (once every 1-4 years) so that I can get to know the units well and not waste years bouncing from place to place. For most species, I hold out for a really good trophy or eat the tag because I normally fly out and donate the meat, but on elk, the meat is so good that I'm willing to drive out and shoot either sex.
Archery or even muzzleloader seems like the ultimate in elk hunting for several reasons. I may put a muzzleloader on my Christmas list. I bowhunt a lot here in NC so that seems like a natural fit. I need to keep practicing elk calls and hunt with someone that knows the sport well.
I'm trying to get set with units for each state and species that are fairly easy to draw (once every 1-4 years) so that I can get to know the units well and not waste years bouncing from place to place. For most species, I hold out for a really good trophy or eat the tag because I normally fly out and donate the meat, but on elk, the meat is so good that I'm willing to drive out and shoot either sex.
Archery or even muzzleloader seems like the ultimate in elk hunting for several reasons. I may put a muzzleloader on my Christmas list. I bowhunt a lot here in NC so that seems like a natural fit. I need to keep practicing elk calls and hunt with someone that knows the sport well.
I'm prepping for an archery (most likely) or ML (luck of draw) elk hunt - was wondering if I would just shoot the first elk or hold out for a chance at a bull. Realized I was kidding myself - first thing in range - cow, calf, bull will hopefully catch an arrow. Want to do the hunt, the back country thing sounds neat - neat enough to spend the next 10 months prepping for it. Hoping for a 1 and done.
It seems to me, the average elk hunter hardly leaves the road. I've seen elk every day I've been out this year. Every time out, I hiked on public land at least 2 miles from the nearest road. My tag is a guaranteed draw every year for residents and non-residents. I killed my elk last Friday, solo. I know of people that buy tags and never hunt, others who MAY go for a drive once, and hope they get lucky and see something from the road. A lot of people are genuinely content to buy a tag and hope to get lucky on a casual drive through the woods, not filling a tag most years. More power to them.
mallardsx2
Veteran member
- Jul 8, 2015
- 3,921
- 3,240
I would love to hunt were you guys keep talking about where people don't leave the road...lol
In my experiences there is a ton of pressure on elk in all areas of Colorado and I promise you I was nowhere near a freaking road..lol
Elk hunting boils down to two five things.
1. Physical ability
2. Having Huntable Elk Numbers to Hunt.
3. Knowing when to make a powermove.
4. Knowing when to wait
5. Finding responsive unharrassed elk.
In my experiences there is a ton of pressure on elk in all areas of Colorado and I promise you I was nowhere near a freaking road..lol
Elk hunting boils down to two five things.
1. Physical ability
2. Having Huntable Elk Numbers to Hunt.
3. Knowing when to make a powermove.
4. Knowing when to wait
5. Finding responsive unharrassed elk.
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