Solo Elk Hunt

[CrisPbacon]

I've spent a lot time of Elk hunting with friends/family but this is my first solo hunt up in the Peace Country. Wish me luck.

Interested to know what everyone's go to's are while hunting solo?

[Big Grey Wolf]

'Go to' Grand Prairie or Peace River then head into the bush, you will find elk.

[obsessed1]

Make sure to bring a good combination of skill and luck. Oh yah and bullets....don't forget bullets.
Are you doing day hunts? Pack in? Bivy? Are you going to be mobile or stuck to one area? In any case you will need weapon, calls, and a method to deal with meat/carcass. Bring your best never quit attitude and all the skills you can muster and have fun

[summit151]

Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf

'Go to' Grand Prairie or Peace River then head into the bush, you will find elk.

And about a hundred other hunters up that way. Last 5 years are terrible


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[K45]

Originally Posted by summit151

And about a hundred other hunters up that way. Last 5 years are terrible


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Only 100 ? Working around there looked to be an endless amount LOL

[summit151]

Originally Posted by K45

Only 100 ? Working around there looked to be an endless amount LOL

It’s honestly unreal. I didn’t know there was that many hunters in Alberta. It’s a shame what the north country has become


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[NKP]

Originally Posted by summit151

It’s honestly unreal. I didn’t know there was that many hunters in Alberta. It’s a shame what the north country has become


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Just wait until Canada hits 100 million as the Liberals want.

[kujoseto]

[QUOTE=
Interested to know what everyone's go to's are while hunting solo?[/QUOTE]

When hunting solo, I may walk a long way into the bush looking for game and for sign, but I stick to a strict criteria on how far I would pack the quarry out and at what time of day I’d be willing to deal with it. As such, I typically don’t hunt the evening very far at all. Walking further in the day let’s me find the tell tale signs of game activity or lack thereof.
I also enjoy sitting in one place longer when alone. Half the enjoyment of hunting alone, for me, is the solitude. More listening to what’s going on around me.
Last thing that comes to mind, is I’ll change my approach or location more readily. I don’t feel like I owe it to anyone else to stick with a particular spot and thus most of my best scouting has been alone where my hunting partners them enjoy hunting a solid spot. If the sign isn’t there, I move on!

Good luck out there!

[brewster29]

Go to where the elk are. Get as far away from roads and other hunters as you can, while keeping meat retrieval in mind. I have killed many bulls solo, but as I get older I have begun to limit myself to about 30-40 minutes one way from vehicle access.

As others have said, going solo is great. I find I move slower, I am on my timeline, wait longer after calling ( plenty of bulls take 30 minutes or more to come in silently). About the only downsides are safety and lack of help to process and pack out your harvest.

I am 63 years young. Yesterday morning I shot a 6x4 bull elk about 1.5 km from my vehicle while hunting solo. I had everything to my truck by 2:00 pm. Gotta admit that today I am quite stiff and sore. May need a partner in the next couple years...

Best of luck

[freeride]

As others have stated know your limits and stay within them. Only you will know how far you can haul it out over the terain your in.

Last year I ventured too far, found a bull and didnt pull the trigger. I knew I was too far. I dont regret letting it walk.

[CrisPbacon]

Definitely know my limits. I took a 6x5 2 years ago in the same area, took us about 6 hours making 2 trips hauling the meat back to the truck about 10k total round trip so not too bad. This year I added a good pack frame and sled (Had only a day pack and no sled 2 years ago so I was packing quarters over my shoulder lol).

Lots of pressure up North the last couple years although its not bad if you stay away from the Saddle Hills.

[Passthru]

Originally Posted by brewster29

Go to where the elk are. Get as far away from roads and other hunters as you can, while keeping meat retrieval in mind. I have killed many bulls solo, but as I get older I have begun to limit myself to about 30-40 minutes one way from vehicle access.

As others have said, going solo is great. I find I move slower, I am on my timeline, wait longer after calling ( plenty of bulls take 30 minutes or more to come in silently). About the only downsides are safety and lack of help to process and pack out your harvest.

I am 63 years young. Yesterday morning I shot a 6x4 bull elk about 1.5 km from my vehicle while hunting solo. I had everything to my truck by 2:00 pm. Gotta admit that today I am quite stiff and sore. May need a partner in the next couple years...


Best of luck

Love hearing this. Good on you.

[Jays toyz]

I had camps in all my trail heads that had never had camps before. It's absolutely nuts in the peace.

[Big Grey Wolf]

I was hunting solo last year when I got my bull elk, only trailed him for a few miles. However I was lucky my partner was hunting moose in different zone across the river so I had help. He will be 80 this fall, I am much younger at 75.

[Passthru]

Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf

I was hunting solo last year when I got my bull elk, only trailed him for a few miles. However I was lucky my partner was hunting moose in different zone across the river so I had help. He will be 80 this fall, I am much younger at 75.

[HuntWithABrittany]

Originally Posted by CrisPbacon

I've spent a lot time of Elk hunting with friends/family but this is my first solo hunt up in the Peace Country. Wish me luck.

Interested to know what everyone's go to's are while hunting solo?

Bring something to lift the hind legs into the air one at a time for gutting. It is VERY difficult to gut an elk by yourself without some mechanical advantage. I use my quad winch with a rope over a tree. Obviously a good saw and at least two sharp knives and a knife sharpener, because it's darn near impossible to load an elk whole into a truck by yourself. Two headlamps. A light you can clamp/tie to a tree really helps in the dark. Paper towel (I use it to locate my knifes and saws in the dark, as well as clean them off during gutting/deboning). An ATV powerful enough to drag an elk whole is nice. Ziplocs for the heart and testicles (good eating). Bear protection.

[DJS]

Originally Posted by CrisPbacon

I've spent a lot time of Elk hunting with friends/family but this is my first solo hunt up in the Peace Country. Wish me luck.

Interested to know what everyone's go to's are while hunting solo?

Good luck on your adventure! I'm planning on doing the same thing next week in the same general area if my son gets a moose this week.

[summit151]

Originally Posted by ic9876

Bring something to lift the hind legs into the air one at a time for gutting. It is VERY difficult to gut an elk by yourself without some mechanical advantage. I use my quad winch with a rope over a tree. Obviously a good saw and at least two sharp knives and a knife sharpener, because it's darn near impossible to load an elk whole into a truck by yourself. Two headlamps. A light you can clamp/tie to a tree really helps in the dark. Paper towel (I use it to locate my knifes and saws in the dark, as well as clean them off during gutting/deboning). An ATV powerful enough to drag an elk whole is nice. Ziplocs for the heart and testicles (good eating). Bear protection.

This is some good advice. But if you have not done or learnt the gutless method of butchering I would definitely look into it. It makes solo hunting a lot easier especially when you have to pack out. Deboning right there on the spot is the best way to also do
It. You save a lot of weight on a elk with no bones and it allows the meat to cool
A lot quicker if it is a early season hunt


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[freeride]

Originally Posted by summit151

This is some good advice. But if you have not done or learnt the gutless method of butchering I would definitely look into it. It makes solo hunting a lot easier especially when you have to pack out. Deboning right there on the spot is the best way to also do
It. You save a lot of weight on a elk with no bones and it allows the meat to cool
A lot quicker if it is a early season hunt


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I do the gutless on everything thing now. But yes it makes solo elk easier. I got a cow elk solo in the early season when it was quite warm out a few weeks ago. It allowed me to cool all the meat and get it out faster. Didnt loose any meat at all.

[brewster29]

Originally Posted by Passthru

Love hearing this. Good on you.

Thanks. Pic attached.

[CrisPbacon]

*UPDATE*

Well I couldn't seal the deal. A combination of warm weather, a huge full moon, elk in between the ruts and higher than normal pressure made it a difficult hunt. Normally during the last 3 seasons in the early morning hours the valley is ablaze with bugling bulls but this year was eerily quiet. Going to try to catch the second rut and make another attempt.

[brewster29]

Secondary rut should be on in a week. Typically good action around Thanksgiving here (southern BC). Can't do much about the weather other than hunt early and late in the day...

[Springer]

The Elk are there even if their not talking. Long story short, I went up for the opener and met up with my BC friends. We were supposed to be the only ones with permission, Turns out so were the other 3 parties that showed up ??
I was kinda ****ed but made the best of it.
We killed 3 Bulls in 4 days in behind their camps in the river Valley.
It was thick willow and poplars but we pretended to be Cow Elk as we moved through the bush mewing and chirping as we progressed on them.
First Bull never bugled until 4:30 pm, the second 12:15 and third at 12:30.

Dont give up and hopefully you get another chance to go...

[Western]

Originally Posted by Springer

We killed 3 Bulls in 4 days in behind their camps in the river Valley.
It was thick willow and poplars but we pretended to be Cow Elk as we moved through the bush mewing and chirping as we progressed on them.
First Bull never bugled until 4:30 pm, the second 12:15 and third at 12:30.

Dont give up and hopefully you get another chance to go...

Were the bulls responding to your cow calls or just bugled on their own and you snuck in?

[CrisPbacon]

Originally Posted by Western

Were the bulls responding to your cow calls or just bugled on their own and you snuck in?

They definitely weren't responding to mine last week lol

[HuntWithABrittany]

Originally Posted by summit151

This is some good advice. But if you have not done or learnt the gutless method of butchering I would definitely look into it. It makes solo hunting a lot easier especially when you have to pack out. Deboning right there on the spot is the best way to also do
It. You save a lot of weight on a elk with no bones and it allows the meat to cool
A lot quicker if it is a early season hunt

I watched a long video on it that some people suggested... I'm definitely going to try it if I bag an elk in Suffield in November! Plus I've got a hunting partner that can help me lift the hind quarters to get into that hip joint.