Still quite a bit of elk in freezer actually - and have some thawing for tonight. Lasts a while with the deer and turkey in between, and with my second son starting to deer hunt this year - freezer should stay pretty full from now on and allow us to share even more. The elk is my families favorite - one of the biggest reasons I'd have no problem taking a cow elk. I'd say close to 50% of our meat consumption is wild game now - for those that like free range and organic Brought elk stew to camp last year - imagine I'll bring some form of elk to camp again...
This is an awesome thread! I hunt in Idaho. First trip was in 2012 where I missed a 300"+ 5x5 on day 4. I WAS HOOKED!!! I missed 2013 because I drew an Iowa deer tag in a premium zone so I planned on 2014 as a must. On day (1) after camp was set, on my initial scout trip, I stumbled in to a herd and killed the satellite bull after calling him across the drainage 3/4 mile to 35 yds for a double lung pass through. Here's my tips on gear, FWIW. Cot, borrow if possible. Elk hunting is likely the only time you'll use one. If you can't borrow, don't spend a lot. Just getting off the ground is the trick. Sleeping bag, There are a ton of GREAT bags out there. Because you won't be spiking, don't worry about packability or weight, instead get a good rated fill bag. Fill bags are perfectly good for big tent/cot use. As time goes by and you have a few hunts under your belt you can "upgrade" gradually with "better" gear. I would recommend a decent pad as well and a bag liner will ad life to your bag. Boots are as different as the user. I personally like my Danner Pronghorns. Reasonably priced and this will be my 3rd elk hunt in this pair and they're still going strong! I will add a lighter weight hiker as well but I'm 54 and football has taken it's toll on my ankles over the decades. I would HIGHLY recommend learning the proper way to lace your boots. I learned from my elk hunting partner last fall and the difference was night and day. Proper lacing virtually eliminates blistering and toe jamming and adds a ton of support to your boot. Hikers know this stuff so learn from them! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOE28brAcEc Socks, I use a silk liner and lightweight merino wool outers. I follow a site called Camofire.com and get their daily email alerts and deals. Lots of great gear deeply discounted including just about anything you might need to get started elk hunting. Pack, last year I used a Badlands 2200 (borrowed). This was a great pack and did everything I asked it to. Fit and placement on your body is key under a load so train accordingly. This year I upgraded to a Eberlestock J34 because of it's versatility. I shopped around on Rokslide, Ebay, Bowsite, etc. and bought a like new used one for change on the dollar. Don't be afraid to lowball on price either, it's your money and the worst that can happen is the seller says no or counters. Hydration bladders are a great idea and you'll hydrate more, and easier, when you have one. Make sure the pack you buy is set up for one. Something that is over looked, IMO, is a set of hiking sticks. Last year I bought a $30 set of alum sticks with cam locks NOT twist locks. These where invaluable on the pack outs under heavy loads to help with stability. they were also amazing when climbing and the difference with vs without was like the difference between 2wd and 4wd. I upgraded to Black Diamond carbon sticks this summer. Again, I shopped and bought slightly used for change on the dollar. Optics, I took the advice of a good friend and enquired of Birders for quality at a lower cost. My research lead me to Zenrays in an 8x42. Great glass for the money! http://www.zen-ray.com/shop/binoculars/vista8x42.html My rangefinder, a MUST btw, is a Nikon. I bought it on Ebay used and it has performed flawlessly...even when I didn't. I use a Binostrap, nothing fancy but it works. If you want to avoid costly mistakes, take my advice and ziptie your rangefinder to bino strap just over your breast where it's immediately accessible and can be dropped at the moment of truth without being lost. Trying to stow my rangefinder in 2012 is what cost me the 300"+ 5x5. K.I.S.S. works. Don't get caught up in camo patterns. Even solids will perform in the mountains but bigger patterns like Predator, ASAT, or KUIU's Vias work well, I would concentrate on durability. Good hunting close are good hunting clothes and usually worth what you pay for them. I have upgraded to KUIU this year because I want to and I can afford it. Many of the KUIU articles I've purchased I bought used or at a discount and they're great clothes that hold their value if you eventually need, or want, to sell or trade them. Remember, I'm 54 and I've raised a family already. Disposable income is something I have now that I didn't have 20-30 years ago. I've hunted for many years in "year end" discount rack duds and killed a lot of animals. Eatonantlers
bz, I like what you're layin down on this thread! Congrats on your success in the elk woods! I killed my first elk in 2014. After setting up my hunting partner, family, friends, etc. with some of my bounty I put about 100# pounds in the freezer. In February I had an electrical circuit go bad and lost my entire freezer full of meat. The horror of it all still haunts me to this day.
Good point on phone battery life! I purchased a gadget that will charge my Iphone 5 up to 2 full charges and it's the size of a BIC lighter and only cost $20. Good insurance. Cabela's has a very good GPS app by Trimble called GPS HUNT PRO. I bought it on sale on Father's Day a couple years ago for $5 but it's usually under $20. I've just purchased a Garmin eTrex 30. I think I'll like it...IF I ever figure out how to use it. :D
Eaton where did u learn to call from and what calls do u use? I have some diaphragm calls that I'm awful at but would like to figure out how to use them. I know Bulls get called at constantly in that unit but it's always nice to be able to do it if one is fired up. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
frog, My first trip out in 2012 a buddy told me all I needed to take was a Hoochie Mama so I did. The bull I missed came in on a rope and all I did was imitate what my buddy told me to do in a 5 minute tutorial from him. I was definitely luckier than I was good. The Primos bugle came with a DVD. Honest to God I thought I sounded horrible but I didn't have to convince me. LOL Last year is when I incorporated the Primos bugle and I was very high pitched. What I learned was, was that the "noise" I was making was a locator bugle (no chuckle at the end) and that's why I was getting such good responses. My hunting partner Scott had some mp3s that we listened to on the 30 hour drive out from Michigan. THe recordings are by a guy named Paul Medel aka elknut.com. Paul resides in Idaho and hunts heavily pressured elk OC. While listening to Paul teach on the recordings I gained hope that maybe my "noise" would possibly do some good, and it did, I already had plenty of confidence in the Hoochie for obvious reasons. This year Scott is hunting WY so I'm taking another buddy that has killed in Idaho in the past. He has no clue how to call though so I'm practicing a little more after buying the elknut playbook, bugle, Mistress reed, and DVD. So far I'm struggling with the reed call but Paul is very good at teaching as well as being very responsive to emails. I'm picking it up as I go and I'll hopefully be good enough to get us in to the action. Much of what Paul teaches is "situational", meaning, what are the elk saying, when, and why. This helps immensely depending on the situation you encounter. I've been able to look back now on my elk encounters and recognize some of the things Paul pointed out and realize what was happening at the time. Fascinating stuff! Eatonantlers
No DVD/Video or audio clip will ever prepare you for that first Bugle..... or any Bugle thereafter. No sound I've ever heard will bring out so many emotions, My first Bugle was heard on my first Elk hunt back in 2008, while out hunting with Will(iamyourhuckleberry), 4 days in on my 9 day hunt, we were in dark timber and surrounded by deadfall, I had only ever heard an Elk Bugle on a Primos DVD. Will let out a short cow mew, 30secs later a bull Bugled from around 150yds away, I remember smiling from ear to ear, then the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, shortly followed by uncontrollable shaking/shivering and I'm not afraid to admit tears were in my eyes. Since that first hunt, I've heard many different calls from Elk, chuckles, locator, challenge, screams, growls and I've even been close enough(10yds) to hear a pissed off Bull Glunking and raking his antlers . I've been hooked ever since and have no desire to hunt any other game for the foreseeable future. I am still pursuing my first Elk kill, I gain more experience on each hunt, but for sure there is no other place I'd rather be, than in the Elk Woods.
Stopped by Elk last week with the family as we did some camping/fishing near Leadville. Was glad to finally show the whole family where we have elk camp. Didn't get to spend any time in the woods there, but did have one cow elk in the road while driving around. Then we headed to Rocky Mountain National Park for a few days - and that place just makes elk hunters angry Huge bulls everywhere, no hunting for 100 years so they have no fear of humans. I did have some nice chats with other fellow elk hunters while I was glassing some large bulls and sharing my scope for others to see...family had a great week in CO, that's my kind of vacation.
The 2015 season is just a few weeks away. As this is an odd year, we are unofficially setting up camp for those willing to venture west. Although I will not set up the big camp. Those attending will be more on their own... I am looking forward to seeing old friends, I'm sure there are a few with scores to settle on deer and elk! I really do not know how Greg Evers will top his first ever and Boone and Crockett mule deer, but I'm sure he'll give it hell! He and I will have plenty to discuss while pronghorn hunting this coming weekend. Bails, you'll be missed, for sure! I'll see the rest of you up there!
Will - best of luck on the pronghorns! Hope to see pics of you and Greg behind one...and have a story for us in Elk camp... My excitement for elk camp, and really just the time in the elk mountains, still hits a fever pitch this time of year. Really hoping to help my Dad get a shot opportunity this year... ...I'm on day 28 of a personal 60 day challenge to workout & shoot my bow daily...I know the elk don't take any days off... See you up there!
I stopped by your camp last year a few times since I knew Aussie John from the previous season. I am in the area opening week and closing week. I will stop by some time. Just back from scouting this weekend. Lots of people in the area this weekend. Throughout the summer there weren't many people around. The rains and bugs must have kept people away. The rains and flooding did a number on the roads. The roads have been regraded, but then we had the monsoons again. Lots of rain this past weekend. The bugs are way down from July. Very muggy this past weekend with fog in the creek areas. I see moose each time I scout. This is the first season for bull only moose hunting in this unit. I had an occasional bull on my trail cameras. One 4x4 from Thursday evening was hard bone, no velvet. I only set out my cameras where the cows are opening week, therefore, I don't get many pictures of elk. Lots of mule deer on my trail cameras throughout the summer. I took your advice and got my deer tag for this unit. The seasonal streams are still flowing and will keep flowing throughout September. Regular creeks are down to near normal after huge flows in June and July. There are still snow fields above 12K. Hope others are able to make it out elk hunting this season. Good luck everyone. Patricia
Will, good to hear from you. Hope all is well! I "should" have vacation time saved up with the new job by next September. If so, you may have to beat me away from elk camp with a stick if I don't go on some backpacking excursion for them! Missing the last one damn near killed me. As for now it's Arizona Coues this December as a small consolation prize (but one I am very excited for!). Matt- Good luck out there on making it 3 years in a row, but I don't really think it's luck for you anymore. Can't wait to see the pictures of the elk you bring back down the mountain this time.
Scott how did u pick where to hunt coues deer? That's something I'd like to try in the next couple years and is it rifle or bow? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
We are on about our 4th unit right now lol. A lot of flip flopping around while planning the trip out. Arizona has OTC tags for a lot of units during December and January. The rest of my group is interested in mule deer as well, so we tried to find a unit with both species, while also staying away from the illegal activities the border units hold. Once we narrowed down those areas, we started looking at rugged terrain that would scare most people off and/or the amount of wilderness area the unit contained. If you were just wanting to do a coues deer hunt, you could almost blindfold yourself and pick 1 of the units that they live in, and you'll probably be into deer from what I have read and heard. Seeing and killing seems to be the biggest difference, as these things are going to be a challenge with a bow via spot and stalk for sure! With the current plant I work at we shut down for about 2 weeks in December, so getting out to AZ for this hunt every few years is feasible if I stick around here for a bit. I would like to complete a deer slam (whitetail, mule, blacktail, coues), and if I fail to punch a tag this year, I'll have to return at some point.
Scott I hope you can make the trip next year! It is truly a blast. I finally bit the bullet last year at 24 years old and wish I would have done it when I was younger so I could have more time under my belt lol. I'll be going again next year and hopefully going to Oregon the following year for some Roosevelt elk! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I hear ya on wishing to have done it sooner. I'll be 28 in November, and will hopefully be out of reasons not to go next year, unless my employer changes.
Geez, now you guys are making me start to feel old. My first out of state hunt was last year, when I was 38! I guess I'll just have to make up for lost time by doing like 3 or 4 hints each fall (which really impresses the wife, let me tell you), but at least I got this year started on the right note with my first antelope, now it's off to elk hunt in 3 long weeks. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
