The Elk Thread

[TGW]

Fun thread no doubt! Elk hunting is a blast even if you don't bring one home.
Also don't discount taking your kiddos. Here are a couple of pictures of my boys. The first one is of my middle son in 2010 on a cow elk hunt in unit 61; It will by my youngest son's turn next year. This year I took my oldest for his senior year gift to the San Juans on a backpack hunt during archery season. Lots of fun camping in that country, but it is defintely work as well. No elk, but we were in them, just couldn't connect. The nice thing was where we parked there were a ton of people, but after packing in a few miles and gaining considerable elevation we didn't see a soul.

My son's first elk; I didn't think she'd ever stop sliding down that mountain!



Packing out the last quarters




Camp below in the saddle; not a soul was seen or heard.




Working for your water!



My advice if you do the backcountry is to invest in a good pack and boots. Kifaru has served me well and I just purchased the new T2 pack. Here's a link: http://www.kifaru.net

Also, boots will make or break your trip and it can be expensive trying to find the right pair that work for your feet. I think I finally found the brand (Crispi boots) that works well for my narrow heal; I had heck with heal blisters on steep ascents in the past.

[Special K]

I've been wanting to go elk hunting in the mountains. How would I go about trying to get a tag what do you have to do I know there is a draw.

[marshrat]

Marsh, how do you want to hunt? High mountain passes and nasty nasty canyons with black timber? More open country and not so high, and has lots of sage but not as many elk? Do you want to pack into a Wilderness area where only foot or horse travel is permitted or camp at the truck? Let us know that first, and then we can give you more info. There are no dumb questions.

I've envisioned elk hunting as packing into a wilderness area and camping. I don't want to find elk and then have to walk back mile after mile at dark maybe never seeing them again. I just want to park my truck and go until I find them and kill one or until I determine that I need to move to another area. I was going to go not as high this first time around as I don't really know what to expect, but I think for me, I just need to jump in.

Do y'all know of any groups wanting to go?

[backbone]

I wouldn't hunt around pinedale. I just got home from working in big piney and we were staying in pinedale. I had a cow tag for area 94 and seen about 6 elk in three months. Word is the state feeds them on private land so they won't come down to the public part where you can hunt.

[Special K]

I'm willing to go with you I've never been though so we will have to learn the hard way.

[TGW]

I've been wanting to go elk hunting in the mountains. How would I go about trying to get a tag what do you have to do I know there is a draw.

Eastman's magazine is a decent place to get you headed in the right direction. Colorado has plenty of OTC opportunities and you can start building points for a decent draw area. Purchase Mike Eastman's book "Elk Hunting" and you can set up a 3 to 5 year plan where you will hunt OTC units most years and draw a better unit every 3 to 5 years. Some will hold out for the coveted units that take anywhere from 7 to 15 or more years to draw in Colorado; you can try other states as well, but most are going to take time for selection.

Also, many from Texas who are used to hunting private land are a little apprehensive with public land pressure, of which, there is, but you can use that pressure to your advantage like I did this year. The elk were being pressured from other hunters hunting close to the road system, so we went in far enough where they would bump them to us. Lastly, for early season elk hunting you pretty much need to go where your body doesn't want to go; steep country!

[marshrat]

I'm willing to go with you I've never been though so we will have to learn the hard way.

I'm the same way. This will be my first trip out. I'm not even sure when I can go. I want to go badly during the rut, but I teach, and that is at the beginning of the school year. I was thinking about doing a rifle hunt the first time around that way I can go a little later in the school year and it won't look so bad. However, I may just say to heck with it, and go during the rut so I can get one with my bow. Either way, I'm going and if you're interested, you are more than welcome. This is going to be a big learning experience for me.

[Chris Martin]

I have not but you need to be careful applying up there. Non-Residents cannot hunt a wilderness in WY without a guide. The area around Pinedale (96 & 97) has quite a bit of Wilderness and I suspect that's where the Elk are during archery. A way around the wilderness thing is to of course hire a guide or your contact(assuming he is a WY resident) can go with you but he must apply for a guide license with the state. Gonna take a point in the regular draw to assure you draw in either of those units.

Thanks, I am Familiar with the Non-Res wilderness and guide law. I'm looking more into unit 98 than any other. My contact up there is a registered guide and can take us in if we want, but I'd prefer to not half to drag him out there. We have the points to draw, I'm just not sure if I want to hold out for a better unit and build more points for WY. I know I can draw some other Mulie and elk tags in Colorado, possibly Utah Mulies as well. Really just depends on what my party is able to swing this year. Wy deadline is coming up soon and wanted to put a feeler out in case someone had some advice on the area.

Good luck in the draws this year.

[Chris Martin]

I wouldn't hunt around pinedale. I just got home from working in big piney and we were staying in pinedale. I had a cow tag for area 94 and seen about 6 elk in three months. Word is the state feeds them on private land so they won't come down to the public part where you can hunt.

Thanks for the heads up, I'll ask my buddy and see if he knows anything about that and unit 94. Good Luck this year.

drthornton,

Thanks for the heads up on Elk hunter magazine. Huntin Fool and Eastmans have given me a ton of useful info for the Western Hunts I've done.

[TWP]

Have you seen the UL packs from Kifaru??? I really really want to try one of these. 2.7lbs for a 5000 cu pack?! Nice.

Fun thread no doubt! Elk hunting is a blast even if you don't bring one home.
Also don't discount taking your kiddos. Here are a couple of pictures of my boys. The first one is of my middle son in 2010 on a cow elk hunt in unit 61; It will by my youngest son's turn next year. This year I took my oldest for his senior year gift to the San Juans on a backpack hunt during archery season. Lots of fun camping in that country, but it is defintely work as well. No elk, but we were in them, just couldn't connect. The nice thing was where we parked there were a ton of people, but after packing in a few miles and gaining considerable elevation we didn't see a soul.

My son's first elk; I didn't think she'd ever stop sliding down that mountain!



Packing out the last quarters




Camp below in the saddle; not a soul was seen or heard.




Working for your water!



My advice if you do the backcountry is to invest in a good pack and boots. Kifaru has served me well and I just purchased the new T2 pack. Here's a link: http://www.kifaru.net

Also, boots will make or break your trip and it can be expensive trying to find the right pair that work for your feet. I think I finally found the brand (Crispi boots) that works well for my narrow heal; I had heck with heal blisters on steep ascents in the past.

[TGW]

The UL Packs from Kifaru are a breakthrough indeed, but I'm a bit of an organization freak so I opted for the New Timberline series. The Longhunter I'm wearing in the pictures is a heck of a pack as well; very versatile and can carry more weight than I want to stick in it.

Also, for those new to elk hunting MyTopo.com is a great place to get maps cheap once you've nailed down a specific area you want to hunt. They can do private land overlays, unit boundary, etc.

[TWP]

Yeah, was thinking UL or go the total other route and do a Longhunter, MR Crew Cab or maybe the KUIU Icon. Lots of decisions, lots of good ones, no perfect pack though. Guess I will need four of them.

[drthornton]

Yeah, was thinking UL or go the total other route and do a Longhunter, MR Crew Cab or maybe the KUIU Icon. Lots of decisions, lots of good ones, no perfect pack though. Guess I will need four of them.

We are a little stuck here in TX with packs. We just don't have dealers we can go check them out with. All the packs you are considering are top notch and if they don't work out you can sell them for close to what you paid.

I got the ICON 6000 a couple months ago but have not done much with it. I do have a 40# sack of fertilizer set aside to stick in and train with but have not done it yet.

I think that Kifaru has a superior suspension but I just like more pockets plus I got my KUIU for half of the cost of a Kifaru. I know the Kifarus can do 100# loads but I just can't 60-70 is about my limit. The trick to heavy loads is load lifters that are above your shoulders. They get the weight on your waist and off your shoulders. If they are not above your shoulders all they do is suck the weight up against you.

Another great day pack/3 day bivy pack is the Badlands 2200. I used one last year and it was great. It's heavy for a day pack but it fits so well you don't realize it's on. It carried 2x60# loads of Elk out of a semi-nasty hole without even blinking. Carrying a day pack that can get a load out saves a trip back to the truck in base camp style hunts. One thing about the 2200 is it is made for long Torso folks,which I am.

My buddy has an Eberlestock Blue Widow and he used it as a day pack as well. It too carried the above load out without any problem.

[marshrat]

For the back country and wilderness areas, I am interested in going in and camping rather than going back and forth to my truck each evening. I don't know if that is a good strategy for a first timer, but if I am going to find the elk, I don't want to leave them to get back to my truck. So I'm guessing I need a bivy type pack. I don't even know what that consists of. Is there an essential gear list somewhere that could help me out? What strategies as far as going into an area will help out a beginner? I know to stay away from roads and trails that anyone can get to. I have gathered that, and I know obviously to venture further into an area than the other hunters, but other than that, I'm lost. Should I be going back to my truck each evening to camp? If I camp out somewhere away from my truck and I kill an elk, that is gonna be some really, really long packs to get the meat out. What is everyone's experience with this scenario? I think I'm gonna mainly try wilderness area because it seems that these places offer chances at elk with minimal pressure from "the crowd."

[TWP]

Love my Gregory 65, for a 4-5 day pack!!! But looking to get something a bit beefier this year for an 8-10 day hunt. The UL models look deadly, but I called and talked to Jason about the Icon before he released it...just not sure about the pack vs the heavy duty MR and Kifarus.