elk drop camps
10-09-2004, 12:31 AM
#3
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Beautiful Western Montana
Posts: 2,308
RE: elk drop camps
In my opinion you have to be a pretty good elk hunter to have success in a drop camp. I don't know what your level of expierence is, but if your a beginning elk hunter I think you are throwing your money away. Keep in mind you will be dropped into an area that you haven't scounted, and you are unfimiliar with. Perhaps your entire hunt will be spent locating elk, and little time will be spent actually hunting them. Secondly, keep in mind that most outfitters that do drop camps also offer guided hunts. If your an outfitter, are you going to put drop camp hunters or fully guided hunters in the best areas? Outfitters have their guides scouting were the guided hunts are going to be, not where the drop camp hunts are, so at best they will say the elk "could" be here or there. Finally, just because your going to the interior of a wilderness, it doesn't necessarily gaurantee success, or that the elk will even be there, or that they will be responsive.
10-09-2004, 06:00 AM
#4
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 21
RE: elk drop camps
we are looking at colorado with muzzleloader,two out of four hunters are experienced elk hunters. Colorado's muzzleloader season falls during the rut, we are hoping that will help stack the odds in our favor.
10-09-2004, 06:12 AM
#5
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Ossineke, Michigan
Posts: 25
RE: elk drop camps
ORIGINAL: muley69
In my opinion you have to be a pretty good elk hunter to have success in a drop camp. I don't know what your level of expierence is, but if your a beginning elk hunter I think you are throwing your money away. Keep in mind you will be dropped into an area that you haven't scounted, and you are unfimiliar with. Perhaps your entire hunt will be spent locating elk, and little time will be spent actually hunting them. Secondly, keep in mind that most outfitters that do drop camps also offer guided hunts. If your an outfitter, are you going to put drop camp hunters or fully guided hunters in the best areas? Outfitters have their guides scouting were the guided hunts are going to be, not where the drop camp hunts are, so at best they will say the elk "could" be here or there. Finally, just because your going to the interior of a wilderness, it doesn't necessarily gaurantee success, or that the elk will even be there, or that they will be responsive.
In my opinion you have to be a pretty good elk hunter to have success in a drop camp. I don't know what your level of expierence is, but if your a beginning elk hunter I think you are throwing your money away. Keep in mind you will be dropped into an area that you haven't scounted, and you are unfimiliar with. Perhaps your entire hunt will be spent locating elk, and little time will be spent actually hunting them. Secondly, keep in mind that most outfitters that do drop camps also offer guided hunts. If your an outfitter, are you going to put drop camp hunters or fully guided hunters in the best areas? Outfitters have their guides scouting were the guided hunts are going to be, not where the drop camp hunts are, so at best they will say the elk "could" be here or there. Finally, just because your going to the interior of a wilderness, it doesn't necessarily gaurantee success, or that the elk will even be there, or that they will be responsive.
Muley69,.... from my past experience most people who have done this type of hunt (drop camp) have already done all of their homework. They have talked with locals & other hunters in the area about sightings, travel routes, bedding and feeding areas, etc. Have spent countless hours going over topo maps and have studied the terrain to look for the best and most likely areas for an ambush. Sure these kinds of hunts are a little more difficult, but in most cases are the most rewarding when you do tag into one due to the fact YOU as an individual have done all of the work and came up sucessful.
I feel the drop camp or pack in on a horse by yourself type of hunt are the truest type of hunts you can ever go on in the real sence of the word "HUNTING". You are out there man against animal,... testing your skills as a hunter against their instincts of survival in mother nature.
Even if you don't get one,.. or you do see one but do not get in close enough to actually shoot at one, it's the experience and being out there what really matters. There is NEVER a guarentee when you go out hunting that you will come back with one. It is just he way the game is played out,....
That's why they call it "Hunting" and NOT "Shooting" !!
10-09-2004, 04:57 PM
#6
Fork Horn
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Sedro-Woolley,Washington
Posts: 110
RE: elk drop camps
Colorado Muzzleloader season was sept 11th - 19th
is it just me or was that last month....I hope it was last month because i was over there hunting bulls at that time with my muzzleloader ? ? ? ?
is it just me or was that last month....I hope it was last month because i was over there hunting bulls at that time with my muzzleloader ? ? ? ?
10-09-2004, 09:27 PM
#7
Typical Buck
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location:
Posts: 549
RE: elk drop camps
The good point of a drop camp is being able to be packed back in the high country away from the majority of hunters. In some cases your party may be the only ones hunting that far in. Thank god for lazy people, who won't get off their ATV's.(more elk for me) lolol. Another bonus of a drop camp is being packed into an area the outfitter hunts in themselves. Only a fool would pack in clients to places where theres no chance of the clients getting an elk. Wouldn't do much for repeat clients. We've actually in the past had drop camps right beside our base camp. Beings the drop campers didn't have the horses we'd leave all the close elk for them and hunt futher from camp. This actually has worked quite well for everyone filling their tags.
The biggest problem with drop camps is that it falls totally upon the hunter to make it successful. Sure the outfitters has to put you in a decent area and come back and check on you often. But it's totally up to you to get away from camp and actually go hunting. Sometimes you can kill right outside the tent but the majority will take some effort from you to do some walking.
I could go on and on about guys who wanted to be packed out early because of they claimed there was no elk in the area. I'll give two quick instances of these excuses. One rode up to drop camp secound day of hunt, while riding through little bunches of elk on the way there. Get to camp and the hunters are in the tent fresh snow no people tracks but elk tracks within 50yds of the tent. The come out saying theres no elk and ready to be packed out. Okay done deal I take them out that day. While dumping their trash in my pickup I hear glass breaking. I'm curious what they had packed up there. Well it was a empty gallon jug of whiskey. These boys probally never left the tent until I went back on the secound day.
No 2. Day three of drop camp for bowhunters had little skif of snow maybe 1 1/2". Okay only took two pack horses for meat incase they had one down. They were all fired up ready to go home. Saying theres no elk. No sooner than I had the first pack horse loaded, off about 200yds a bull bugles. I smiled and thought yep no elk. Being the hunter I am I unpacked their bowcases and told them to go after it while I pack their gear to the truck. Come back they said the elk took off. Okay so on the last load there's the same herd of elk maybe 150yds futher up the hill. Took off my @$$ they were just plain lazy.
I will not take any drop camps out any more. Not all hunters are like this but theres enough out there I don't care to take the chance no more. Atleast a guided hunter has paid enough money he's going to take the hunt alittle more serious. Elk hunting can be real easy for a resident that knows the elk and the patterns in their areas. A non-resident is going to have to slow down and look and learn everything about an area while they are trying to hunt it, if it's their first time out. Maybe even secound time or third so on so on.
Drop camps can be great providing most everything cooperates. Wheather, game, equipment, and health.
Do all legal outfitters a favor and make sure the outfitter you hire is a licensed guide in their state. Besides its a felony to hire a non- licensed guide on national forest. That would be really bad for the hunter that paid to go hunting only to end up in trouble.
If I was a client booking a drop camp I would request a wilderness drop camp and make the outfitter stick to the aggreement providing you don't have 5feet of snow where you wanted to go. Don't let the outfitter change the plan because he got lazy. This does happen with some outfitters that do this to clients. Pretty sad but it does happen. Ask for a list of references not one or two.
The biggest problem with drop camps is that it falls totally upon the hunter to make it successful. Sure the outfitters has to put you in a decent area and come back and check on you often. But it's totally up to you to get away from camp and actually go hunting. Sometimes you can kill right outside the tent but the majority will take some effort from you to do some walking.
I could go on and on about guys who wanted to be packed out early because of they claimed there was no elk in the area. I'll give two quick instances of these excuses. One rode up to drop camp secound day of hunt, while riding through little bunches of elk on the way there. Get to camp and the hunters are in the tent fresh snow no people tracks but elk tracks within 50yds of the tent. The come out saying theres no elk and ready to be packed out. Okay done deal I take them out that day. While dumping their trash in my pickup I hear glass breaking. I'm curious what they had packed up there. Well it was a empty gallon jug of whiskey. These boys probally never left the tent until I went back on the secound day.
No 2. Day three of drop camp for bowhunters had little skif of snow maybe 1 1/2". Okay only took two pack horses for meat incase they had one down. They were all fired up ready to go home. Saying theres no elk. No sooner than I had the first pack horse loaded, off about 200yds a bull bugles. I smiled and thought yep no elk. Being the hunter I am I unpacked their bowcases and told them to go after it while I pack their gear to the truck. Come back they said the elk took off. Okay so on the last load there's the same herd of elk maybe 150yds futher up the hill. Took off my @$$ they were just plain lazy.
I will not take any drop camps out any more. Not all hunters are like this but theres enough out there I don't care to take the chance no more. Atleast a guided hunter has paid enough money he's going to take the hunt alittle more serious. Elk hunting can be real easy for a resident that knows the elk and the patterns in their areas. A non-resident is going to have to slow down and look and learn everything about an area while they are trying to hunt it, if it's their first time out. Maybe even secound time or third so on so on.
Drop camps can be great providing most everything cooperates. Wheather, game, equipment, and health.
Do all legal outfitters a favor and make sure the outfitter you hire is a licensed guide in their state. Besides its a felony to hire a non- licensed guide on national forest. That would be really bad for the hunter that paid to go hunting only to end up in trouble.
If I was a client booking a drop camp I would request a wilderness drop camp and make the outfitter stick to the aggreement providing you don't have 5feet of snow where you wanted to go. Don't let the outfitter change the plan because he got lazy. This does happen with some outfitters that do this to clients. Pretty sad but it does happen. Ask for a list of references not one or two.
10-10-2004, 10:36 AM
#9
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Beautiful Western Montana
Posts: 2,308
RE: elk drop camps
I completely concur with the idea of a self guided hunt. Personally, I am not a fan of any guided hunts, I'm not against guided hunts, I just feel if you kill it, you should hunt it yourself. Yes, a drop camp can be fun and rewarding if you know how to hunt elk. It sounds like a couple of your party can do just that. Finally, I still firmly believe that drop camp area's are not as productive as the guided area's, that just common sense. That doesn't mean there are no elk in that area. I think the big issue is your elk hunting expierence. When I first moved to Montana from the midwest, I could not have possibly been successful in a drop camp, I knew nothing of elk. After 13 years of elk hunting I have gone from knowing nothing, to knowing very little.
10-10-2004, 04:05 PM
#10
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 32
RE: elk drop camps
Could it be that a good % of people who are interested in a drop camp might be repeat customers who have been on a guided hust in the past.I could see trying to save some coin on a follow up trip with the same outfitter by not using the guide or having the meals and other ammenities provided once you get familiar with the area.
