elk
07-25-2012, 03:19 PM
#2
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: On an Island in Paradise
Posts: 23,428
You can expect to have fun. Lots of work on a very wary critter but it should be a blast. I’ll be in neighboring Colorado from the 16th of September to the 24th with a bow and during second season rifle with a gun. I can’t wait.
07-26-2012, 11:11 PM
#8
Typical Buck
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 612
You are going at a good time and should hear some great elk talk. That being said, some years they seem more talkative and others not so much. It can also vary from drainage to drainage. You will want to go easy on the calling. Bugles are good for locating (particularly at sunup/sundown and during the night). Cow calls may be better most of the time. I'd recommend subtle calling first. Elk aren't quite as particular as deer and will tolerate a little noise in the timber, but if they get a whiff of you they will be gone. You may be surprised how quickly and quietly an animal that size can sneak up to within a few yards of you without you knowing it until you move and blow it out of there. It will then sound like a small freight train (a larger train if the whole herd takes off) plowing through the timber. I consider the bugle of an elk one of the two greatest sounds in the wild.
Unlike mule deer, elk need to water daily. They may do it at night, and the mountains tend to have plenty of seeps and what not even on dry years, but keep in mind that they need water, feed, and cover. Cover a lot of ground until you get into them or fresh sign and then slow your hunting down. If there are open areas, glass the openings at dawn and dusk. Regardless of the traditions of many, I encourage people to hunt throughout the day. I've seen and killed more elk between 10:00 am and 6:00 pm than earlier or later. Ease into it. The altitude and terrain can whup ya! Come well rested and eat well while here. A good nap or two during the day is not a bad thing. I've hypothesized over the years that elk are somewhat attracted to the sound of a snoring hunter. Curiosity no doubt, but I've woken from a short snooze with animals in sight more than a couple of times.
Unlike mule deer, elk need to water daily. They may do it at night, and the mountains tend to have plenty of seeps and what not even on dry years, but keep in mind that they need water, feed, and cover. Cover a lot of ground until you get into them or fresh sign and then slow your hunting down. If there are open areas, glass the openings at dawn and dusk. Regardless of the traditions of many, I encourage people to hunt throughout the day. I've seen and killed more elk between 10:00 am and 6:00 pm than earlier or later. Ease into it. The altitude and terrain can whup ya! Come well rested and eat well while here. A good nap or two during the day is not a bad thing. I've hypothesized over the years that elk are somewhat attracted to the sound of a snoring hunter. Curiosity no doubt, but I've woken from a short snooze with animals in sight more than a couple of times.
07-27-2012, 03:01 AM
#9
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: On an Island in Paradise
Posts: 23,428
I will caution people who haven't hunted the west to be prepared for the altitude. In my case I live at 118' asl and the place I hunt in CO is 8500-11500 asl. I take a prescription med for 2 days prior and 1 day after getting there to condition my blood to high altitude to minimize altitude sickness.
