moosesausage

Hey,
I am going on my first elk hunt this weekend in the foothills of Alberta. I will be hunting in an area that is about half bush and half harvested barley. There is also a river running through the 6 quarter sections I am allowed to hunt. I would like to know where the best location for still hunting would be?

BeaverJack

Finally, sumthin' to sink a tooth into. I love still huntin'. Bout as good as it gets. There's differnt ways to go 'bout it, dependin' on the weather an terrain. Ifn you got fresh snow, thet's good an' quiet, then follerin' fresh tracks real slow an' hopin' to catch a bull beddin' down is a good deal. Stay in the timber, NEVER go into the open. The barley field will merit checkin' an' watch well used trails headin' to 'em. Lackin' snow, I'd find the best used trail around an' head away from the feedin' area into the wind in the mornin'. Go slower than you think you should, an' slower still when you git thet feelin' thet there's game close by. I never take more an' 4 slow steps 'thout stoppin', an' I stand longer then I walk, checkin' ever single area around me completely. Also, always start with yer right foot if yer right handed, and take an even number of steps. Thet way yer feet are in shootin' position when you stop. All the action happens when yer stopped, or so it seems. Raise yer rifle slow an' don't make noise releasin' the safety. Dress in wool. Dress in wool. Dress in wool. Don't wear no fancy rain suits or scratchy nylon backpacks. Dress in wool. Use good boots thet you can manuever quietly. Dress in wool. Keep yer scope on a low power setting. And always, without fail dress in wool.

BJ

DARTanian

i agree with bj the only other thing that i can add is to try to stop next to a tree or bush. don't stop in the sunlight but in the shade.<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>


IF IT IS TO BE......
IT IS UP TO ME......

JC-1

and dress in wool.

<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

Houston, TX

ELKampMaster

Since it is your first time elk hunting just a couple of thoughts. (1) Assuming you have hunted deer, the sweet spot for elk is different: it is lower and further forward because the heart & lungs are further forward elk are just built different. Consider busting them em right through the front shoulder not behind it, especially not high and behind it. Elk are three times bigger than deer and have three times more heart and will to live. Always follow up on your shot to see if you hit 'em. A deer will stagger when hit by a 270 whereas an elk will often bolt and run without even a flinch and then die within 100 yards. Hitting them in the shoulder slows down their locomotion substantially.
(2) Even though they are three times the size of a deer they are amazingly easy to miss mostly because it seems like when it is &quot;show time&quot; they just don't give you as good a chance as deer do, elk typically don't give you the &quot;run 125 yards, turn broadside and look at you&quot; like deer do. They just keep going and since they like the timber they are gone quickly. People frequently discount magnums arguing that shot placement is the key, true enough; however, compared to deer, elk frequently don't offer you that perfect &quot;sniper shot&quot; and if your placement is off a bit the magnums have a better chance to make up for your error.
(3) One great tip from Jim Zumbo, &quot;Unless they see you or they are very close always try to get a rest for your shot, trees are great and if you are caught in the open sit down and shoot over your knees.
(4) Get up as early as it takes to get to your morning &quot;stand&quot; an hour before sunrise (GPS helps here). Put a man and an elk in the wild and have them both move around and the odds are in the elk's favor he will discover you before you discover him.
(5) I am thinking positive that you are going to score - - so then comes the hard part field dressing and packing. Elk hide gloves are a favorite of men building fence and working with barbed wire because the hide is so tough, so make sure your knives are up to the task and take a saw or a hatchet. When it comes to packing think twice about trying to carry it out unless you are an iron man. Pick ups, atv's, or horses --- anything beats trying to carry out an elk on foot -- especially if you are a desk jockey.

Sounds like you have a great set up on what sounds like private land with food, water, and cover all available - excellent! We hunt on public land in Colorado and some years it is a 5 day hunt for a 15 second opportunity - so try to stay focused as high a percentage of the time as possible. Don't let your guard down!

ELKampMaster

Seems like a lot of the folks on this board are real worked up about shot placement versus bullets versus avoiding shoulder bones, so just as a clarification to my earlier mention of busting elk through the shoulder - I don't mean aim for the shoulder blade - just that you are going to need to get closer to it than with deer. If you study the elk shot placement charts an elk compared to a deer, the elk is cantalevered out forward over their front legs a bit and the heart and lungs follow suit and start to move in behind the shoulder a bit.

During a warm early season hunt, I came across a beautiful 6x6 bull early one morning that apparently been shot at dusk the night before with rigor mortis and bloating just getting started real good. The shot was through the ribs right behind the shoulder half way up his side, he ran far enough before he died that the hunter never got his trophy. Going lower and forward even at the risk of chewing up some &quot;high quality&quot; front quarter meat or tangling with some shoulder bones if necessary is a better bet in my mind. If the shot presented to you requires going through the shoulder blade/bone to hit the vitals, then the advantage goes to hunting with a heavier magnum (338mag or 375HH) with a quality bullet which lets you focus on the vital area and not worry about the bones.

BeaverJack

Elkamp,
Ain't nuthin' to back off of. Best place to aim at an elk is the shoulder. Knock his wheels out from unner him an' he ain't goin' nowhar. Usin' enuff bullet is the key, not dancin' 'round in the woods with a tripod, 10x scope, and jack rabbit bullets hopin' to snipe out the critter's heart.

BJ

DreaminBoutElk

Glad to find some fellas that put as much stock as I do in bullet weight!! Couple of guys in my elk camp this year were shootin .25-06 with 100 gr bullets. They were handloaded up to some astronomical speed, but 100 grs is still 100 grs. I asked 'em what if all the uncooperative elk will only give you a is quartering shot? Their answer was to wait for the right shot. I don't know about you guys, but when I just finished climbing a huge mountain and get onto a big elk, the last thing I plan on doing is trying to talk him into standing still exactly broadside to accomodate a surgical bullet placement.
I ain't saying a small bullet won't kill elk, cause they did, but there's no arguing that a bigger bullet will provide some margin for error if you get into the shoulder bones

BeaverJack

God bless you Dreamin. Bout time some fellers with elk savy start counteractin' some of this velocity craze what's been creepin' into elk camps with all the new blood slopped in from gun magazines tryin' to be outdoors magazines. Most of 'em's jus' afeared of recoil, so they stoke their magnums with lil' bullets, or choose a girl's gun to hunt with. Its these same fellers thet won't track a wounded critter cause they didn't see it react to their bullet. Musta missed, they figure. Duh! You newbies out there fergit all this shot placement bull crap an aim fer the roasts with a heavy-fer-caliber, well constructed bullet. An' fer god's sake practice shootin' offhand, kneelin', an' sittin'. Nuff said.

BJ

Campchef

I agree, I used to shoot .25-06 and you are right it is all about bullet placement. I now shoot .338 Win Mag and I am sold. I have never had an elk take more than a couple of steps. I am still a fanatic for shot placement and around my camp it is all about who can take the elk with the least amount of wasted meat.

Good luck on your hunt.