Learning To Be a Better Elk Hunter

[Bganz]

Hi all,

Well this year was my first full year hunting, primarily hunting the elusive wapiti and, surprise surprise, I came up empty-handed. I spent the last +year researching elk and how to hunt them but feel I didn't have a solid plan in place, didn't implement the tips I read, and once I was in the field it showed. Next year I'm motivated for that not to repeat. Even if I don't connect with one next year, I just want to hunt smarter and more effectively.

So here's my question. What material have you used to improve your elk hunting approach and knowledge. I plan on spending as much time as possible outside and scout, but want to learn more about where to go and what to look for. I've heard a bit about Corey Jacobsen and his online course, http://www.elk101.com/onlinecourse/ , and see that it's buy a subscription and get the second free, so if there is anyone who thinks it's worth it and would be willing to to split that with me, let me know!

Anyways congratulations again to all who have succeeded this year, I've really enjoyed reading all the stories!

[jdelipper]

I used the Elk101 online course as this was my first year elk hunting as well. I found the info really helpful. I was able to get a bull elk in to about 5 yards or so. As for the info in the course, you probably could find a bunch of it online but it is nicely organized in the course. I know they have done promos in the past were you can get the membership for half off. Maybe they'll do it again but likely will stay as buy one get one.

He's got some good stuff on there as well about scouting via Google Earth and what not. That might help you narrow down some areas too before you even hit the ground.

The best thing you could probably do is find some experienced elk hunters and listen!

Good luck.

[madball]

Corey Jacobsen knows what he is doing and that site is well worth the cost

[outdoors forever]

Nothing beats just getting out there. Get out in the bush, find them, blow it, get busted, try again. Learn all you can and learn from your mistakes.

I hunted elk for 6 years - yes SIX!! - before I shot my first bull.

Hunting bull elk is fantastic and extremely rewarding. Good luck :)

.

[Bganz]

Thanks for the replies! I think I'll give it a go with the online course. I loved my time spent hunting this year so I don't know if I'd ever give it up. I grew up hiking and now that I'm hunting, it's just the best of both worlds. anyways thanks again

[58thecat]

Become a sponge, eat, sleep, and crap elk...ahhh not the last but you get the jest.
Recce areas, stay in shape, stay positive...should start my own elkaholic on line motivational course...:sHa_sarcasticlol:
Others who are great at this will chime in here, when they do PM them.
Good luck

I am a hunter not solely focused on a single species, kinda like a hinz 57 of hunters, a mixed selection...elk is one I would pursue...gotta go dog got a tree rat chirping.:)

[LKILR]

I hunt elk like Gretzky played hockey. He never chased the puck but he always went where he thought the puck would be. Hope that makes sense. Figure out their routine. Put your self in between their bedding and feeding areas wait what and listen. Don't let them smell ya. You can make noise but make it sound like your an elk. I burned my first five elk tags. There was no internet and elk 101 back then. Boot leather and a steep learning curve is all I had. Of all the elk I've killed only a couple where "text book". Nothing beats field experience. So get out and put on some miles. Oh and sometimes you just need a bit of luck. Kinda like playing BINGO.

[35 whelen]

IF your into calling them try the ROCKY JACOBSON seminars or dvds ,He used to come to Alberta most years and do some calling seminars,

[Big Grey Wolf]

Nothing beats scouting for elk before the season. Lots of boot leather to get to know your elk area and their patterns.

[reddeerhunter]

What kind of hunting are you into? Long range general rifle stuff, bow hunting?
I suggest start with hunting a cow or spiker as your goal for the first bit. Then learn the herd dynamics as you go. And dont underestimate them as a dumber crowd either.

Hunt hard,good luck.

[The Spruce]

They are always where they are supposed to be when archery hunting, or on opening day...unless there are wolves...wolves will wreck some hunts for you. As soon as the shooting starts, they move to thick stuff, and high stuff. Elk become very nocturnal later in the season, this is always the biggest hurdle. They have a great nose, and good eyes. Young bulls are easy to call in, the big boys, not so much. The best way to "get a taste" for it IMO with the new draws is to start with a late season cow. This is different hunting, as you will be hunting them in wintering areas, but they still act the same. Way better odds connecting on a cow to start with. Once you figure that part out, and maybe have some permissions lined up (or are hunting crown), you will have a very good idea where to start looking for bulls earlier in the season.

Spruce

[The Spruce]

What kind of hunting are you into? Long range general rifle stuff, bow hunting?
I suggest start with hunting a cow or spiker as your goal for the first bit. Then learn the herd dynamics as you go. And dont underestimate them as a dumber crowd either.

Hunt hard,good luck.

Spikers are not legal to hunt on any general tag.

Spruce

[The moose]

Spikers are not legal to hunt on any general tag.

Spruce

this is false. bow zone general tag and you are good to go

[glen d.]

I think a lot of hunters miss seeing Elk because you must be in their area before daybreak because lots of time in the morning they will only stay out in open the for 15 minutes.
And in the evenings the hunter must stay until dark as the Elk may not come out until then and i know you can't shoot at dark but it gives you a location where they are for the hunt the next day.

[Lefty-Canuck]

Spikers are not legal to hunt on any general tag.

Spruce

Yes they are in a couple of zones ANY elk is legal during the archery only season.

LC

[husky7mm]

Learn your area intimately. Best thing to do is find where they live closest to where you live and scout it year round, don't run all over the province unless you have a draw. Make free time and use it wisely to learn about your local elk herds. Running to the peace or the porcupines for 1 week of the year.... you are going to need a lot of luck. As a member pointed out , learn to intercept between feed and bed. Calling does not always work in high pressured areas or areas with lots of wolves.

[Bganz]

Wow thanks for all the tips! I want to get into archery so badly as it looks like a blast and also to extend the hunting season but I'm focusing just on rifle for a while as I'm already too poor from all the gear I've bought over the last little while. I eventually will get a bow but it will be a while..

I'm going to put in for anterless elk next fall and try to get one that way to start but if I'm unable to get that tag, I plan on just general rifle tag.

When you are scouting for elk, I understand that they have a huge range, but would you scout in the same areas through the spring and summer and expect that they could be around there in the fall?

[Bganz]

Learn your area intimately. Best thing to do is find where they live closest to where you live and scout it year round, don't run all over the province unless you have a draw. Make free time and use it wisely to learn about your local elk herds. Running to the peace or the porcupines for 1 week of the year.... you are going to need a lot of luck. As a member pointed out , learn to intercept between feed and bed. Calling does not always work in high pressured areas or areas with lots of wolves.

Thanks! I was writing my post while you replied. That's all great advice, and basically what I did this year and it didn't work at all. I've been practicing calling with a mouth reed and bugle (trying to avoid the hoochie mamas) but didn't call at all when I was out, as I still suck and didn't want to mess it up. I'd love to track down a calling seminar if I can find one.

[glen d.]

Sometimes you have nothing to lose, maybe a call late in the day will work.

I have called in Elk with a Hoochie mama. The hand held good as you can call with your hands.

Know of a guy that shoot a monster he used every call in his pack and remembered he had bought one still in the package cut it out and used it, the only one that worked.

[reddeerhunter]

Sometimes you have nothing to lose, maybe a call late in the day will work.

I have called in Elk with a Hoochie mama. The hand held good as you can call with your hands.

Know of a guy that shoot a monster he used every call in his pack and remembered he had bought one still in the package cut it out and used it, the only one that worked.

This is some words of wisdom. I carry a decoy, 2 bugles, elk estrus, about 6 cow elk calls. 90% of time all I use is the bigger pack bugle, but if situation arises, the yard sale worth of gear is getting used and when calling for a friend I go large. Hahahaha.
Year 7 I think and I am still learning boat loads and have a lot to learn still.

[DCse7en]

Yes they are in a couple of zones ANY elk is legal during the archery only season.

LC

Which zones?

[Lefty-Canuck]

Which zones?

Some of the prairie WMU's have no minimum point requirements, all in the regs.

LC

[elkdump]

Sometimes you have nothing to lose, maybe a call late in the day will work.

I have called in Elk with a Hoochie mama. The hand held good as you can call with your hands.

Know of a guy that shoot a monster he used every call in his pack and remembered he had bought one still in the package cut it out and used it, the only one that worked.

I have had bulls answer/bugle back from my making cow chirps and mews by just using a wide/green blade of grass between thumbs then blowing,

I have had bulls bugle back aggressively to the high pitched squeal of dusty brakes on my Toyota 4x4" idling down a long hill to where I park and walk a couple of km to my most productive elk dump,

One area I have killed 6 or 7 mature bulls over several seasons and they were all killed within 500 yards of each other,
Perennial rutting/mating zone , these are very special places

[reddeerhunter]

I have had bulls answer/bugle back from my making cow chirps and mews by just using a wide/green blade of grass between thumbs then blowing,

I have had bulls bugle back aggressively to the high pitched squeal of dusty brakes on my Toyota 4x4" idling down a long hill to where I park and walk a couple of km to my most productive elk dump,

One area I have killed 6 or 7 mature bulls over several seasons and they were all killed within 500 yards of each other,
Perennial rutting/mating zone , these are very special places


Just tell me one of your 500yd spots and I can figure out the rest over the next few years. Hehehe.

[elkdump]

Just tell me one of your 500yd spots and I can figure out the rest over the next few years. Hehehe.

I've taken a couple of close friends into those places,

but I had to kill them before we left


My secret is safe

[reddeerhunter]

I've taken a couple of close friends into those places,



but I had to kill them before we left





My secret is safe



Nice!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Z7Extreme]

The best advice I can give you is time. Don't sell yourself short on this. Try and get a 7-10 day hunt at least. Homework, do your homework now!! Lol. Now is the best time to be out scouting for next years rut. Like you said google earth is your friend, find water, food, and cover and the harder it is to get there or more importantly the harder it is to get an elk out of there will be a good place to scout and start there. Get out and find the bull sign; rubs, especially because wallows and tracks will be frozen and covered in snow this time a year. When you find a rub inspect the tree looking for hair to confirm that it is from an elk. And when you find an area ( A few square kilometres ) with lots of elk rubs, Hunt that area hard!!! This will be their rutting grounds. Be sure to hunt the wind. Nothing is more unforgiving than an elks nose. If they smell you the gig is up! Calling; IMHO nothing is better than calling at getting a chace for a harvest!! Unless you hunt mnts or hilly semi-open terrain where you can glass and spot and stock. Ive had 99% of my close encounters ( 15 yards and under ) by calling them in. Every elk I call in teaches me something new. Don't give up on the diaphragm call, it is the most realistic sounding and versatile. And finally, get a bow. Alot of the seeking/chasing part of the rut takes place in the first 2 weeks of September. I hope this is a good piece of the puzzle for you. I could tell you more but I've already said too much lol.

[reddeerhunter]

The best advice I can give you is time. Don't sell yourself short on this. Try and get a 7-10 day hunt at least. Homework, do your homework now!! Lol. Now is the best time to be out scouting for next years rut. Like you said google earth is your friend, find water, food, and cover and the harder it is to get there or more importantly the harder it is to get an elk out of there will be a good place to scout and start there. Get out and find the bull sign; rubs, especially because wallows and tracks will be frozen and covered in snow this time a year. When you find a rub inspect the tree looking for hair to confirm that it is from an elk. And when you find an area ( A few square kilometres ) with lots of elk rubs, Hunt that area hard!!! This will be their rutting grounds. Be sure to hunt the wind. Nothing is more unforgiving than an elks nose. If they smell you the gig is up! Calling; IMHO nothing is better than calling at getting a chace for a harvest!! Unless you hunt mnts or hilly semi-open terrain where you can glass and spot and stock. Ive had 99% of my close encounters ( 15 yards and under ) by calling them in. Every elk I call in teaches me something new. Don't give up on the diaphragm call, it is the most realistic sounding and versatile. And finally, get a bow. Alot of the seeking/chasing part of the rut takes place in the first 2 weeks of September. I hope this is a good piece of the puzzle for you. I could tell you more but I've already said too much lol.

Awesome write up. Now delete it, you have spilled too much. Hahaha. Good on you man. Spoken like a boss. This guy has elk experience!!!!!!!

[skidderman]

For me one of the hardest things to do is to be adaptable. This year for example the wolves moved heavily into my area and although we had a plan B it wasn't the best either. Just when you think you have it figured things out change. i.e. wolves/cougars, weather, clear cuts that were not there before & one of the hardest is you find a good area only to find it over run by other hunters. Information & scouting is key but it's not as easy as one would think. It takes a lot of determination & a learning attitude. If you can research more than one area it helps a lot.

[Don_Parsons]

Small pods and big heards along with loners is a way I class the ghosts of the forest.

Pick one or more of the groups to find their movements.
Elk at times follow a pattern, but this can change at any time, perhaps this is what makes them wise.

My first Elk harvests were heards, then I switched over to pods that allowes me too harvest closer too my normal harvest grounds.

BC was a learning curve going after lone-wolf Elk that are very wize too human kind,,, old timer mentioned that when an Elk encounters human it is normally not a good encounter,,, these single Elk will avoid humans at most costs unless the rut gets in the way.

Old timer I harvest with is a tracks fellow as it puts us in the area that best suits the where abouts.

Elk are like ghost, their down fall is they leave tracks, these tracks will indicate the size of heard, pod, or lone traveller.

Be wise too these tracks before and after season, always learn the un-expected as the back woods is their home.

Good luck in taking on part of your passion as the reward is well worth the effort.

PS: If you don't harvest an Elk, that's ok since its a personal thing with in us that counts, the reward of a harvest is a houner when it allows you this.

The reward for us is just being there and trying different things. It never panned out for us this year either, but that's part of the sporting chance we allow in our harvests.

Fair chase and harvest is how we roll. If my lap top worked, I would post up a dandy of 2 lager bulls and a small pod of Kows leading them on.

Don

[AMHunter]

WOW!! all great advice on here. Soak as much of it in as you can, I know I am!! Took me 7 years to connect with my first bull and I have hunted elk hard for about 12 years now. Stick with it, Elk are hard and elusive creatures to hunt and takes years of experience to even get close to being successful at it. Never stop trying and learning though, its the thrill of the hunt that continues to drive us to never quit.

[bb356]

They are smartest and toughest critter's in Alberta ... you will need a crystal ball and .458 winchester magnum :sHa_shakeshout::sHa_shakeshout::sHa_shakeshout: