jjt

where? when?how?with who?
elk hunting can be easy,hard, or anywhere in between.
answer the first four questions and we can help you alot better.

ELKampMaster

jjt,
Well put. Kind of difficult to address the question shy of writing an encyclopedia. Some times I think these " generalized questions" are just being " thrown in" to the forum to keep the readership signing in and throwing in the ole infamous $.02 worth thus keeping the " page hits" up.

How much money, how many days can you be gone from home, what season, what kind of hunt, what are your connections (if any), what is your past hunting experience, what are your physical limitations, do you ride horseback? All relevent factors.

For the most part elk hunting is NOT: sleep in your own home/eat/leave 45 minutes before sunrise/drive to the local deer patch/shoot bambi/drag him by the antlers a quarter mile/toss him in the pickup/be back home for a beer by 11am!

Never Go Undergunned,
EKM

BeaverJack

I' ll tell you what to expect on a elk hunt. Expect to have muscles hurt in places where you didn' t even know you had places. Expect to lose weight while eatin' like a staved hound. Expect to be cold, wet and scorchin' hot, possibly on the same day. Expect blisters, calluses, an' just genrly sore feet. Expect the best conversations with some of the best company on earth after dinner, only to be too tired to enjoy either. Expect beautiful country an' jus' when you unwind enough to start noticing how really wonderful it is, its time to go. I could go on forever, but thet would be expected from anybody what' s hunted with me.

elksniper

Expect to get hooked like you have never been hooked on any kind of hunting before. no matter how hard it can be it is worth every ounce of effort having a bull bugle in your face.

gleninAZ

Expect to shake like a leaf when you stick that first elk then expect to haul out big bags of the finest eating meat on the planet. You will figure out the sore muscle and work part but you won' t mind it a bit. Good hunting.

Sigma7

Tussy Hunter:

I went for the first time last season in WY, self guided. I followed the advice of many of those on this net and read books by Van Zwoll and others and watched numerous videos (try for the kind that are " How to" instead of " follow us and look what we shot" ). Every post so far has been right on - conditioning is crucial. Two guys I was with didn' t take it seriously enough and were coughing up breakfast before daylight, seriously. I started training as soon as I got the draw results and then for the last two months before I left I walked with my boots on and carried a 30lb pack around my neighborhood - it looked silly in the summer but I was in far better condition - I only really had to adjust to altitude. I never saw an elk though the sign was there - I was calling back and forth with a bull but could never get a view - the others I was with saw him and a couple more but no clean shots - we were in big timber with little meadows. Even though I never saw one I got hooked and will go every year I can draw a tag. Get started now on reading and exercise - even though it seems a long way off and you will enjoy it much more. Write back w/questions.

Sigma7

losthwy

There are many good books on the subject, try to read as many as you can.
1. get in shape, most elk hunting is in rugged, high altitude areas.
2. always carry survival gear when hunting, it' s easy to get lost, many hunters every year spend a unscheduled night in the back country most live/some don' t, the weather can rapidly turn ugly in the high country.
3. be prepare for winter, listen for weather updates and carry chains in your vehicle.