iloveto4x4innc

I grew up hunting and shooting and absolutely love doing it. My problem is finding the time to do either. I just got back from my first elk hunt a few weeks ago. I didn' t get anything, but I had the time of my life! Even though the altitude was kicking my butt, I pitched in and helped around camp as much as I could. I helped feed and water the horses, cut firewood, haul water, etc. In the mornings most of the group would saddle up and ride out to their favorite holes for the morning hunt. I' d walk out on foot and spend the whole day hunting. I figured that I' m a lot quieter on foot than on a horse and I wasn' t stuck to the trails. By day 6 most of the group was discouraged and they packed out what meat we had hanging. 3 of us stayed up there so we could go out one last time before we had to break down camp and pack out. The three of us that stayed were 18-30, and the ones that packed out a day early were 40+. We went out on foot again Fri. morning and hiked up to timberline then hunted our way back to camp. Broke down the corrals and started packing up the supplies. When the others got back with the horses, we helped pack everything on horses then hunted our way the 4.5 miles back to the trailhead. Never once did I need somebody else to carry my pack or rifle even though they asked a few times. So even though I didn' t get anything, I still consider it a successful hunt.

As my daughter gets older, I' m going to try to instill my hunting values and ethics in her. That way hopefully, I' ll have a good hunting partner for years to come.

Rogue

EKM

I wish I had an answer for you but the best that I can come up with is that " without effort there is no glory" . In todays society we are led to believe that you can reap the benefits withlittle or no effort.

This doesnt apply to elk hunting. Altuough it is almost never writen in magazines elk hunting is WORK. Granted its work that we all love but work none the less.

I have remedied the situation by mostly hunting alone. I have had a misserable time finding partners that will put in the effort that I do, so I figured that if i am going to do it all my self there was no reason to take others along.

Its too bad that hunting seasons are measured by points instead of memories.

Elkhntr04

I got a question for all of you regarding elkhunting spots and partners. How do most people feel about there hunting spots:

1) You don' t care who you tell or who knows.

2) It' s kind of a secret

3) You refuse to tell anybody.

The reason why I ask is I got burned in 2002 on a guy I took hunting, and am wondering if feelings are justified. Before I took him hunting I made it very clear that I didn' t want him to bring any one else up there. I know I couldn' t really stop him. But I figured he would have some kind of respect for some one else' s hunting spot. What are everybody' s thoughts. Is it right to be pissed?

Rogue

Elkhntr in my opinion taking someone to a hunting spot is a sacred thing. There is usually some mutual understanding that if some one takes me to their spot not only do I not tell another about it but I will not go back there without the person who first took me there.

I hunt public lands so there is no way to keep someone from going back without me, but if there is any etiquete left between hunters they will leave your spot alone.

Refering to my previous post on this subject thats another reason I hunt alone.

Rogue

Elkhntr04

Rogue, thanks for your input. I could not agree more. I was taught growing up that hunting spots were sacred and not to be taking lightly. I guess that is a mistake I will never make again in my hunting career.


I would still like to hear from other people on the subject...

GordonGekko

I haven' t made it out west to Elk hunt yet (Fall of ' 04 will be the first if I draw a tag). But, from my whitetail/Duck hunting/guiding experience I can tell you most folks feel like they are entitled. By this I mean, they paid you to guide them, and you should do all the work, after all if they' d wanted to do the work they wouldn' t have hired you. This gives me a case of the red a$$, not so much with pay hunters, but the ones that bother me are the " buddies" you take that expect to be treated like they are paying for the hunt. These are the idiots that think because you are taking them hunting that they are entitled to sit on there fat buts and watch you set out the dekes, or gut the deer, or worse yet track it after they' ve gut shot it while they sit in the stand an tell you where to look. Yeah, I' ve had some charming buddies over the years, that' s one reason I don' t offer to take folks much anymore. If they aren' t pulling their own weight they are just dead weight and I don' t have any use for them.

Elkhntr04, that chaps my behind! I' ve had this happen once on public duck hunting land, now I don' t guide on public land so I don' t have the problem. But, it shows this feeling of entitlement I was talking about. This fellow thinks just because you took him to the spot that he is entitled to enjoy and share the fruits of your scouting...that just really irks me.

Gordon

JWKlaudi

Elkhntr,

I have been hunting for as long as I can remember (I took my first deer at age 11) and one of the first things my father taught me was to respect others hunting spots and never I mean NEVER tell anyone about my " Honey Hole" .

Unfortunately, I have broken these rules on both sides myself at a younger age, with tragic results. In one case a buddy of mine took me to his favorite spot, where he had spent many hours watching and managing the deer herd. On that day I had a shot at a very impressive Buck but missed.

A few weeks later, I called the same guy to arrange a hunt on the property, he wasn' t available so I went alone. This day would prove to be great for hunting but bad for our relationship. Shortly after getting to the stand that I had hunted previously I noticed a very impressive buck heading accross the field in my direction. When the buck was in range I rested the crosshairs on him a squeezed the trigger of my 870, the buck ws mine. Unfortunatly my buddy just happened to be driving by the farm on his way home from work and saw me loading the deer that he had been hunting for 3 years. Some unkind words were exchanged and we have never spoken again. That was 15 years ago! I see him from time to time but things were never the same after that...I had violated an unwritten rule!

A few years later I made a similar mistake, I introduced a childhood friend to one of my " Honey Holes" since he did not take the ART of Hunting as serious as I did he almost immediately told everyone he knew about the spot and within a couple of days my spot was ruined.

Now I do not taken anyone except my regular hunting partners to any of my " Honey Holes" and if someone introduces me to a spot I only hunt that spot when invited.

JWK