Best advice to first timer?

[Cbb]

Heading to Montana for the first time this fall for elk. So far getting to the point of comitting to going was the hardest part. When I got to the computer screen where I had entered my payment info all I had to do was hit "submit". I got nervous, then just went for it after the wife said "honey, just do it"

What's the biggest thing you guys learned on your first hunt or 2 that you wish you'd have known ahead of time?

[Elkhunttoo]

I grew up in Idaho so I don't really have that experience of the whole head west trip. I guess I would say to do all you can through videos, forums, and studying to try to put yourself in close situations before you go. Other then that, just enjoy it!! Usually the hardest part is just finding a good area that holds elk. Are you doing it all solo?

[82ndreddevil]

The only thing I imagine that I wish I knew before hand would be in regard to accessibility. As long as you have access everything else can be figured out between now and your hunt.

[Fridaythe13th]

Going solo, or do you have a group? What choice of weapon? Get in shape is my best advise. If your a flat lander like me it never enough. And have fun.

[dhoey]

The first trip is always the easiest. Just get out there and fun.

[cohunter]

Pick up elknut's Playbook. Reading it beforehand will be educational but taking it along in the field will speed your learning rapidly. (I suppose this is mostly true if you're hunting during any part of the rut.)

[six]

Don’t be afraid to be aggressive. This aint whitetail hunting. Finding the elk has always been hard for our group coming from Michigan. Scouting the day before season makes it tuff. Sometimes it takes a few days to find the elk. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t find elk for a few days.

[Beendare]

Its big country....and elk are not distributed equally throughout. 20% of the country has 80% of the elk...[or so it seems]

Plan on lacing up your boots and covering a lot of ground.

[Swede]

Find an area that has elk and hunt there. Don't hunt like an 18 year old drives at 90 MPH. Take your time, observe, listen, look and be patient. You will learn a lot more that way. Hunt everyday for as long as you can, and as much as you can. Learn as you go. Observe.
I have hunted like a marathoner, and I have hunted very slow and easy. To be honest, I have been much more successful, even on the ground by slowing down. Seeing elk is not killing elk. Seeing the butt end of one is not a score.
The Playbook is good, but it is not like an instruction manual you use to put together your kid's toy. I would advise, don't take it into the woods with you at all. Read and study it before you go on your hunt. If you are studying a book while calling; you are too late. Review the book after the hunt and compare what you read to your experiences. The last thing you want is to see or hear elk and have to start reading an instruction manual. Elk hunting is never like paint by numbers.
The most important thing is to get out, and enjoy your hunt. Be patient and yet be aggressive when the time comes. Don't beat yourself up because every elk encounter does not end up with you on top, wearing a Chuck Adams smile squatted behind a big bull. If you have studied elk hunting you will have a decent idea when to be aggressive and when to be patient.
Stay on this forum and ask questions when they pop into your head. I suspect you will have more questions after you hunt that you have now. Remember elk hunting is fun even when you are cold, wet and miserable.

[Cbb]

Thanks for the tips so far.

Right now I am going solo. I have a buddy still trying to make up his mind.

I have a relative that is a MT resident who may join me for a couple hunts.

[Charina]

If you can get out with someone that can put you near elk, do it! That would give you a huge head start over figuring it out on your own.

I think back to the first two years of elk hunting (all solo), and recall that I didn't appreciate how far away from roads and people I needed to get to routinely get into elk. I'd hike a 1/4 or 1/2 mile in, and setup to watch some sort of opening at first and last light, and wander around aimlessly a bit midday. And I didn't see squat. Now, I don't want to give the impression that all elk are far and deep in - in fact one of the areas I hunted last year and will visit again this year is less than 100 yards off a public access gravel road (a spot that gets completely overlooked). But most of my elk encounters are beyond that 1/2-1 mile mark, depending on how rugged the terrain is. I wasn't going deep enough to get into where the elk retreated when the hunters showed up.

I like to think of elk as paranoid schizophrenic animals that not only don't want to see or smell a human, but generally want to stay 1/2 mile away from even the possibility of catching a whiff of their smell. Look for them based on that paradigm, and you'll be far more likely to see elk than I was those first two years, hunting them too close to roads.

[Swede]

Charina makes a good point. When fishing go where the people are. When elk hunting, going to where the people are only tells you where the elk were. Still as he said, there can be good spots near roads where elk pass through, or come for different reasons. Often these locations are on a route away from people. They are paranoid schizophrenics, or devious underhanded critters designed to frustrate hunters. Either way they are large creatures than can hide very well and move quick.

[RAMMONT]

What area? Solo for your first hunt? Hmmm, I'd be a little extra careful about that one.

Depending on your general condition and what kind of camp you plan on having you might need to be very aware of managing the potentially bad things that might happen. Don't get me wrong, it's not like Montana is where only burly mountainmen can survive but you have some places where the temps can change in minutes and the snows can strand you pretty quickly and if you get an elk you might just have to be prepared for several days worth of heavy loads over tough terrain.

One recommendation, get a good GPS with local maps that show private property lines and owner's names.
Second, check out the Montana Cadastral, http://svc.mt.gov/msl/mtcadastral/ , it's an online map system that will show land ownership and give you some good maps to work with.
Third, check out the Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks hunt planner, it's another online map that gives you hunting area boudaries and other useful hunting info. http://fwp.mt.gov/gis/maps/huntPlanner/

[Cbb]

I'll be around units 270 and 334, Maybe down into 321 a bit. I applied for the general big game combo and the 270-45 permit.

I plan to camp near the truck for a few days and hike in and out with a day pack each day. After a couple days I will break to go down to the cabin in 270 for a day then head back with the truck and set up camp again.

I'm in good shape, and am back on a regular workout schedule to get into better shape for the long walks and HOPEFULLY heavy loads!

Sure I would love to kill an elk or deer while out there this year. My main goal is experience. You can't learn if you don't try. If I am lucky enough to pull an elk i to range, that will be one heck of an accomplishment.

[N2mywake]

Get great boots and break them in (also have a backup set), when training focus on your lungs (caradio uphill treadmill works for me), ditch the cotton, prepare for emergencies and how you'll get your meat out if it's hot (not sure what season you're going).

[cohunter]

Here's Swede disagreeing with me again. He's right... it's not really a playbook in the sense that you'd sit in the woods with an elk bugling and try to look up the steps to do next - you'd be too late. My thought was that it would be very helpful to have in the field for post mortem analysis. You're going to fail on your first encounter (unless you get really lucky). In fact, you'll probably fail for the first few seasons (the odds seem to say so!). I find the playbook very handy when I'm back in camp thinking, "I know I read about this... now what was I supposed to do?" That reinforcement and analysis of what might have gone wrong is more powerful and lasting the closer to actual encounter you read it.

Now because I know Swede's going to tear this apart if I'm not giving bullet-proof explanations, let me defend a few points:

1. Yes, I did say take the playbook in the field... I pack in so 'camp' and 'field' kind of run together in my mind

2. There's no reason you can't punch your tag your first year - some people kill elk every year right, Swede

3. A successful hunt doesn't end with a punched tag - I spent a couple of seasons so focused on getting an elk that I forgot to have fun - that's not what it's about - and definitely don't pitch an elk hunt to your wife as "cheap meat in the freezer" - it isn't usually.

4. I'm razzing Swede just a bit, but you'd do well to listen to what he says - he's certainly killed more elk than me! He undoubtedly knows more about elk hunting too.

[Swede]

Cohunter you make some great points here. I never disagree with you. I sometimes disagree with some specific point you or anyone else may make. Often it is not that you are wrong either. I just have a different perspective. As far as the Playbook is concerned, like you I would encourage newer hunters to take it along on their trip. I think if two new hunters were traveling to their first hunt, it would be a good time to quiz each other from the book while they are on the road, or in camp. As you say it is a very good idea to read it after a hunt and consider it in light of what you experienced.
I too have read the Playbook several times in order to digest what is covered. Elknut has helped me and could still show me things.
A successful hunt is obtaining what you really want. I am the first to admit I am driven to get an elk. It does not feel right to come home without one. This year I am amping up my commitment rather than kicking back. I too try to improve my conditioning for hunting and scouting. My workouts are increasing in intensity and I am losing a little weight. I have learned that being in great condition, without understanding what I am doing is hardly any better than being blind but knowing what needs to be done. Either way we are seriously handicapped. Still it is good to be in good physical shape. I agree with you completely there.
A pet peeve of mine is hearing people talk like you need to be a marathoner to be even close to what you will need for elk hunting. That must needlessly discourage some that are in average or less than average physical condition. Personally I don't see much of a correlation between physical conditioning and elk harvest. I see a strong correlation between elk harvest and knowing elk. Remember it is one thing to kill an elk and another to pack one out. Think about that before you subject yourself to a heart attack or have to leave your kill in the woods.
BTW, another pet peeve of mine is people running around with their elk calls during September in the woods just making noise. When I get to be in charge of all elk tag sales it will be illegal to have an elk call unless you can pass the Swede elk calling exam first. The study guide for the test will be the Playbook and a week long class with Elknut instructing.

[jmez]

The country is far bigger than you can imagine. You will have to adjust to that mentally when you get there, just know it is coming.

If you aren't seeing, hearing, smelling elk or finding FRESH sign keep moving until you do. You can't hunt elk where you think they should be or where you want them to be. You have to hunt them where they are. Until you find them or fresh sign you are simply on a hiking trip in the mountains.

[Dr. Rx]

The country is far bigger than you can imagine. You will have to adjust to that mentally when you get there, just know it is coming.

If you aren't seeing, hearing, smelling elk or finding FRESH sign keep moving until you do. You can't hunt elk where you think they should be or where you want them to be. You have to hunt them where they are. Until you find them or fresh sign you are simply on a hiking trip in the mountains.

What jmez said!!!

x2

[TennMatt]

Be aware of the weather. This year I camped at the car and walked in each day. I too am in excellent physical shape and I feel that since the temperatures were unseasonably warm in Colorado this year I was at an extreme disadvantage since I couldn't get high enough in the mountains.

I think I'd have been better off if I'd packed it in 3 or 4 miles and worked from there. A reasonably fit person can carry a pile of stuff suitable for the better part of a week's camping.

Matt

[Elkduds]

Be aware of the weather. This year I camped at the car and walked in each day. I too am in excellent physical shape and I feel that since the temperatures were unseasonably warm in Colorado this year I was at an extreme disadvantage since I couldn't get high enough in the mountains.

I think I'd have been better off if I'd packed it in 3 or 4 miles and worked from there. A reasonably fit person can carry a pile of stuff suitable for the better part of a week's camping.

Matt

Adding a thought. You have to pack out what you kill along w your camp, probably in warm temps. IMO it is bad hunting karma to let meat spoil when you can prevent it, wastes the life and the meat of the animal. In other words, don't kill where you can't pack out. It is now normal for Sept in CO to be warm!

[oldnovice]

You don't say where you are coming from, but be aware that the Rocky Mountains are HIGH. You will be starting out at 5000ft elevation and going up from there. I suggest you get there a few days ahead of your hunt to acclimatize to the elevation. I live in Castle Rock, CO at 6200ft. Most of my hunting last year was at 10,000 ft and above due to the heat. Even living as high as I did, it still kicked my butt for the first couple of days. Take your time getting around up there because it will be a lot harder than you are used to at lover elevations.

Most of all, do not set your expectations too high for your first hunt. That is not to say you couldn't get lucky and get one on your first trip, but be aware that even seasoned hunters still get skunked. Hunting elk is not like hunting white tails!

[Roosiebull]

The single most important thing I think you can carry with you in the elk woods is a positive attitude...the rest can be figured out in time...staying positive and motivated is huge, act like every day is opening day...know that you can go from no hope to a filled tag in a second.

There are many things you have to experience to learn, but staying focused and motivated will make you a sponge for every lesson to be learned.

Getting frustrated and becoming a victim to the circumstances will stunt your learning curve.

Never hunt outside of your practical means...you need to be able to get a bull out of the woods in good shape if you are lucky enough to shoot one, prepare for worst case, if you are hunting solo, expect to pack it out solo...don't rely on help that isn't there....basically, stay close enough, you can pack one out with the resources currently available..getting a bull out of the woods is hard work.

Good luck, and smart move to go for it...September in the elk woods is amazing.

[Brendan]

Remember that an encounter can, and will, happen when you least expect it. Biggest bull I've seen hunting came straight at me from his bed 30 yards away after I took a wipeout off of a rock, crashing branches and swearing under my breath. 2:00 in the afternoon, little cool pocket on an otherwise sunny, hot, south facing slope. He made it to 7 yards or so before he saw me - and there I was without an arrow nocked. Damn, that was a nice bull...

My other piece of advice - be prepared mentally to stick it out until the bitter end. My first elk was killed on the morning of day 11 before I'd planned to drive home - I almost didn't hunt that day. Year two - I had a bull come in to my calling on the morning of day 11 again before winding me and busting out. Year 3 - tagged out on the morning of day 11 again.

[ishy]

Embrace the suck!

[Cbb]

Good stuff guys, thanks again! I really appreciate the info.

To answer questions.

Coming from PA highest elevation in my area is 2000.
Hunting Archery season somewhere between district 270 and 334.
Planning to leave here Sept 7 after work and be home The 25th.The time killer is the drive. Google maps shows 31hours. I hope to start hunting the 11th and hunt until the 21st or 22nd.

[Brendan]

Good stuff guys, thanks again! I really appreciate the info.

To answer questions.

Coming from PA highest elevation in my area is 2000.
Hunting Archery season somewhere between district 270 and 334.
Planning to leave here Sept 7 after work and be home The 25th.The time killer is the drive. Google maps shows 31hours. I hope to start hunting the 11th and hunt until the 21st or 22nd.

This should help you with estimating a drive.

I drive from Boston, MA, usually by myself. I leave work early on Friday and hit between Buffalo, NY to Erie, PA Friday night after 8-10 hours. I am driving on the road by 4AM Saturday - Drive until 9 PM puts me somewhere near Fargo, ND after 17 hours or so. Driving again on Sunday by 4am and I'm at the trailhead in western Montana mid afternoon on a Sunday, and do my first short hunt / scout on Sunday evening.

I wake up and get on the road at the same time I'd be waking up to hunt. And I pull over and get a hotel and a bed within an hour of it getting dark outside.

The absolute key - have lots of podcasts and elk hunting material, books on tape, etc. loaded onto your phone to listen to on the drive across country.

[Cbb]

That is a big help Brendan. I'm just over an hour east of Erie PA.

[Herd Bill]

Great advice from rommont, cohunter, swede and others. To touch upon a couple of things not mentioned.....

1) Stay hydrated. A few years back a buddy of mine flew out to met us in CO for an elk hunt. He decided to get a little toasty at the airport bar prior to the flight. (curb the anxiety of flying or so he said) He ended up having a migraine headache from the altitude sickness for three days. Messed up his hunt and he was useless. Drink lots of H2O and stay away from the booze, especially if you are a flat lander.

2) Practice shooting. Regardless of your weapon of choice, I would recommend double the range you anticipate killing an Elk. For me its a compound bow with a shot on an Elk no more than 50 yards (with the right conditions) So for example, I practice at 80-100 yards. Its humbling at first and takes more concentration because there is less margin for error. However, when the time comes you will be dialed in!!

Good luck going west young man!

[saddlesore]

Good stuff guys, thanks again! I really appreciate the info.

To answer questions.

Coming from PA highest elevation in my area is 2000.
Hunting Archery season somewhere between district 270 and 334.
Planning to leave here Sept 7 after work and be home The 25th.The time killer is the drive. Google maps shows 31hours. I hope to start hunting the 11th and hunt until the 21st or 22nd.

I always found in my travel, that 50 mph is a good average that takes care of gas stops,eat stops, pee stops,etc.
Example I travel to SW PA every once in awhile. That is 1200 miles and it takes me 23-24 hours driving time.

BTW Cbb my grandson lives in Warren PA which must be close to your home. He drives to Erie three days a week and it is a 1 hour drive he tells me

[hike2hunt]

Having fun is key, and so much good advise so far.

Make a plan to acclimatize, you can easily suck your lungs out of your chest at higher elevations - no matter how good a shape your in.

Try to shoot some angles, I don't know if you tree stand hunt or not, but shooting a steep downhill, or from the side of a cliff, you don't want to blow the one possible shot you have.

Have a plan to communicate with someone to save your ass if all falls to crap. Mother Nature doesn't care, doesn't discriminate, and does not play favorites.

Keep it simple, it's just backpacking with a lethal weapon. Have fun, know your limitations, and it only takes "one shot" to change the whole hunt.

[Scorpyd shooter]

has anyone here hunted area 41 in WY?

[Heartwood]

Learn the Elknut calling system, period. You have available to you, more information that will help you put an elk on the ground than any time in recent history. I sure wish I was savvy to this information much sooner. Every single tactic and technique that we have employed on elk has worked.

[Old school]

Have a plan b,c,d,e,f,g, - you get the idea. Elk may or may not be where you want them to be. Don't stay too long in a spot when you aren't seeing elk. You have no idea what the hunting pressure will be like until you get there, so have multiple spots you've already scouted on Google Earth - but don't be afraid to throw it all out the window either and just hunt based on where the people pressure is coming from.

And enjoy yourself - you're in the Rocky Mountains...

--Mitch

[BrentLaBere]

I'm still very new to elk hunting, especially compared to most on this forum. The things I'm starting to learn and things I would recommend to a new hunter (out west for elk) are to keep it simple. Stay safe, have fun and don't quit hunting until your time is up.

[CurlyTail]

1. Shoot the first legal elk. First hunt is no time for trophy hunting.

2. Hunt out of a road side base camp, do not pack in to a unknown, unproven area - too hard to move to another spot

3. Accept that you need to get up super early, and be at the trail head hiking in the dark , one hour before first light. Then you might be into the areas holding Elk with enough time to actually hunt them. Hunt until it is totally dark. The last 10 minutes of light are the best 10 minutes of the day. Don't spend that prime time hiking to the truck.

3. Find a partner if at all possible. Multiple reasons: share the drive, share the expense, share the work (pack out) if you are successful, share the meat if your partner is successful but you are not, calling setups are best done with two people.

4. Be prepared with a plan if you tag out. Know how to skin and quarter your elk (download gutless video onto your phone), have a kill kit with you at all times hunting, and have a plan for extracting the elk from the back country.

5. Adjust your expectations. Expect to have a great time, get worn out physically and mentally, learn your area, and learn many lessons. Look at harvesting an elk as a bonus and we will all be super impressed if you do of course. Return to the same area the next year, and your chances will be much improved.