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New guy excited for my first elk hunt

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New guy excited for my first elk hunt

Postby Osage Outlaw » 01 31, 2019 •  [Post 1]

Hello, My name is Clint and I'm from Indiana. I'm a traditional bowhunter. I make wood long bows, mostly out of osage orange trees. I have been hunting whitetail deer on my property since I was a kid. I made the switch to traditional equipment 10 years ago. I have killed 2 deer with bows that I made and 3 more with traditional equipment. My hunting budget is limited to what I make selling wood. And I'm not one to venture too far away from home. Going on an elk hunt out west has always seemed like an impossible dream. That all changed about a month ago when a friend talked me into going to Colorado with him to hunt elk with traditional bows. The idea of going on a hunt of a lifetime has really energized and inspired me. I have started hiking hills and eating healthier. I am already down 30 lbs. I would like to lose another 45 before the hunt. I have slowly started to acquire hunting and camping gear when I find something for a good price. I have been watching elk hunting videos on youtube almost every day. I can't wait to spend 8 days exploring the mountains of Colorado. It will be a new experience for me. I've only hunted my 75 acre patch of rolling hills. Being in elk country will be a totally new experience for me.

I know our chances of getting a shot within our comfort zone will be very limited. I'm going for the adventure and experience. Killing one would just be the icing on the cake. I will be using a cut on contact 2 blade broadhead. Does anyone have recommendations on draw weight and arrow weight for a traditional bow set up?

Any advice or suggestions for a first time elk hunter would be greatly appreciated.


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Re: New guy excited for my first elk hunt

Postby Tigger » 01 31, 2019 •  [Post 2]

Welcome Clint! But be careful, addiction awaits! yes, once you do it, you will be hopelessly addicted! Very impressed that you have dropped 30# and still going. You can already say this about your elk hunt...it has made you a healthier person!

I have nothing to offer in terms of recommendations for your arrow, but go to the Gear/Weapons forum and read the My THoughts on Arrows thread by Beendare. I believe it was written for compounds, but it has a ton of good info on arrows and elk hunting.
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Re: New guy excited for my first elk hunt

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 01 31, 2019 •  [Post 3]

Welcome to the forum Clint, glad to have you on board! You've landed in the right place to discuss tips, tactics, gear, etc. for your first elk hunt. Heck, we've got a lot of advice here, some of it is actually helpful I think ;). Please take some time to dig through our humble forum pages, including the Archived Tips and Elknut's Tips and Clips.... that should get your head spinning a bit. Any specific question/topic you have an interest in, please start a thread and we'll do our very best to confuse the heck out of you (just teasing). Again, welcome.... and BTW, we'd love to see some pics of those handmade bows, and, perhaps if you have the time..... put a thread up about that super cool primitive trailer you built. See what you've gotten yourself into 8-). Lastly, send me an email or PM with your mailing address and I'll shoot a super cool Wapiti Talk decal your way for your hunting rig (they're said to increase your success rate by at least 20%). RJ
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Re: New guy excited for my first elk hunt

Postby Osage Outlaw » 01 31, 2019 •  [Post 4]

Thank you guys! PM sent about the decal.

I just found this forum today. I plan on doing a lot of reading and research. I'll start a thread in the campfire page tomorrow with some pictures of my bows, camper, and other stuff that I make.
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Re: New guy excited for my first elk hunt

Postby Swede » 01 31, 2019 •  [Post 5]

Welcome to the forum Clint. Some states have specific weight requirements for both bows and arrows. I do not know what they are for Colorado. Oregon requires 50# bows and a 7/8 inch wide broadhead. The %0# bow is plenty for most archery shot distances. I would go with a one inch minimum width broadhead. With a two bade broadhead you may want to go ever wider. The key to killing elk is hitting them in a lethal spot with a very sharp broadhead.
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Re: New guy excited for my first elk hunt

Postby Indian Summer » 01 31, 2019 •  [Post 6]

Honestly.... archery success rates are in the single digits. For every 100 guys that walk up a mountain with a bow 90+ go home empty handed. So it’s important that you truly appreciate the experience and look at killing one as a bonus. But to increase your odds, especially as a newcomer.... one with deer hunting experience, I’d take a serious look at the option to use a tree stand. Swede has a book on tree stand hunting for elk and I’d highly recommend you get your hands on a copy right now. I hesitated to comment because I’m a hardcore realist but I figured a reality check and some good advice can only help. No doubt you’ve come to the right place. Good luck!
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Re: New guy excited for my first elk hunt

Postby Lsb » 01 31, 2019 •  [Post 7]

Hey Clint, welcome. As far as trad arrows go heavy 600 grains plus. I've killed elk with lighter, it's doable but... COC head is critical imo. Be ready to shoot out to 30 or 40. No haters, I know 40 is a poke with trad gear but it can happen under the right conditions. I've passed on elk at under 10 yards with a compound and killed whitetail does at 40 with trad. Every situation is different.
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Re: New guy excited for my first elk hunt

Postby Elkhunttoo » 01 31, 2019 •  [Post 8]

I don't have any advice for your equipment, but Indian summer brings up a good point about sitting water holes. It can be one of the most effective way of hunting elk. Has your friend ever hunted this area or elk before? I think besides doing what you are doing I would focus some time into google earth and where you are going. Congrats to you for getting the 30 pounds off and for getting to go on this journey.... good luck
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Re: New guy excited for my first elk hunt

Postby Osage Outlaw » 02 01, 2019 •  [Post 9]

My friend has been before. We are looking at several different units but leaning strong towards where he has been before. Hunting a water hole is something we talked about. He saw elk when he was there last but didn't get a shot.

My favorite broadhead for deer is the Cliff Zwickey point. It's 175g and 1 3/16" wide. I need to check the regulations in Colorado to see if that's a legal point since it's considered to be barbed. The deer I've shot with this broadhead have left incredible blood trails. I could see red spraying out as they took off. They didn't make it 40 yards after the shot. As of now, that is the point I plan on using for elk. But that might change after I settle on a bow and tune the arrows to it. I will have to add some weight to get to 600g. I plan on using some stiff skinny carbon arrows with a lot of weight up front. I have an early 60's Bear Kodiak Magnum 55 lb bow that fits me very well. I killed 2 deer with it last year. That is a bow I'm considering using. I like using vintage gear. There's just something cool about using a 55 year old bow to hunt with. I traded for a custom hybrid style bow and should be getting it in May. Depending on how I shoot it that might be the one I use. I will probably end up taking both just to have a back up.
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Re: New guy excited for my first elk hunt

Postby Osage Outlaw » 02 01, 2019 •  [Post 10]

Indian Summer wrote:Honestly.... archery success rates are in the single digits. For every 100 guys that walk up a mountain with a bow 90+ go home empty handed. So it’s important that you truly appreciate the experience and look at killing one as a bonus. But to increase your odds, especially as a newcomer.... one with deer hunting experience, I’d take a serious look at the option to use a tree stand. Swede has a book on tree stand hunting for elk and I’d highly recommend you get your hands on a copy right now. I hesitated to comment because I’m a hardcore realist but I figured a reality check and some good advice can only help. No doubt you’ve come to the right place. Good luck!


I've looked up the success rates and figured cutting that in half since we are using traditional bows. I know it's a long shot. Missouri is the farthest west I've ever been. I'm looking at it like a vacation in the mountains where I get to do some hunting as a bonus. All I'm hoping for is to hear a bull bugle in person. That and to be able to handle the hiking without slowing my friend down.
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Re: New guy excited for my first elk hunt

Postby saddlesore » 02 01, 2019 •  [Post 11]

Two things I would advise.

Make plans on how you will get the meat out .Will you have it processed locally near where you hunt,and how will you get it home?

If a shot opportunity presents itself and it is a cow, not a bull, take it.Get your feet wet first. Having a 400pound animal on the ground, getting it skinned quartered, and hauled out is a whole other world than whitetail deer . In Colorado the typical bull to cow ratio is about 20:100. So you are 5 times more likely to see a cow than a bull
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Re: New guy excited for my first elk hunt

Postby Indian Summer » 02 01, 2019 •  [Post 12]

What success rate did you see for your unit? Is it broken down by weapon.... archery, muzzleloader, rifle?
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Re: New guy excited for my first elk hunt

Postby >>>---WW----> » 02 01, 2019 •  [Post 13]

Barbed heads used to be illegal in Colorado! However, there is no mention of that in the 2018 hunting regulations. But to be on the safe side, I would recommend you contact the CPW for clarification on that issue.
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Re: New guy excited for my first elk hunt

Postby Swede » 02 01, 2019 •  [Post 14]

I find there are two types of people hunting elk. 1. are the elk killers and 2. are those that want a hunting experience. Neither is right or wrong.

The killers do everything legal they can to get an elk. We could go on and on about what that entails, but there is no compromise with them and no excuses until it is all over. Their preparation begins immediately after the last season is over.
The hunters wanting a quality hunting experience put restrictions on themselves and spend time doing things that enhance the experience, but does not necessarily put elk on the ground.

Most of the guys I hunt with are experience seekers. Stringunner is different. He is hard on the elk population where he goes. There are zero distractions until it is time to go home. Even if he need to make a midweek run home, he is back at first light. I can't say which is right, but I can say I have hunted with guys that have not killed an elk since the mid 90s in the same area Stringunner hunts and gets them every year. I do not recognize any special skill with Stringunner. He is just all in on killing elk.
Here is Swede's take on the situation. Half of the elk are killed by less than 10% of the hunters. The other half are shared by the other 90+%. I think that the 10% hunters have about an 80% success rate. The 90% hunters have about a 3%-4% success rate. I goes without saying that in both groups there are some that are better hunters than others, and have different personal successes, but they still fall into one or other of the two groups.
The elk killer goes without sleep and will continue to stay out in the forest when fresh groceries are a thing of the past. He leaves on his hunt in the dark and returns in the dark. I do not think many of us are 100% killers or 100% into the experience if we hunt. We just tend to be one or the other.
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Re: New guy excited for my first elk hunt

Postby Old school » 02 01, 2019 •  [Post 15]

In my opinion Swede just nailed it.

Why did it hurt to say that :-)

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Re: New guy excited for my first elk hunt

Postby Osage Outlaw » 02 01, 2019 •  [Post 16]

Indian Summer wrote:What success rate did you see for your unit? Is it broken down by weapon.... archery, muzzleloader, rifle?


It was around 10% for 2018 archery I believe.
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Re: New guy excited for my first elk hunt

Postby Osage Outlaw » 02 01, 2019 •  [Post 17]

saddlesore wrote:Two things I would advise.

Make plans on how you will get the meat out .Will you have it processed locally near where you hunt,and how will you get it home?

If a shot opportunity presents itself and it is a cow, not a bull, take it.Get your feet wet first. Having a 400pound animal on the ground, getting it skinned quartered, and hauled out is a whole other world than whitetail deer . In Colorado the typical bull to cow ratio is about 20:100. So you are 5 times more likely to see a cow than a bull



We are both bringing large high quality coolers. If somehow we actually get one, we will run to town and buy another cooler if needed. We haven't decided about getting one processed yet. I've been watching videos on how to quarter one out in the field. We are getting either sex tags and would have no problem taking a cow if given the opportunity. I put 3-4 does in my freezer each year.
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Re: New guy excited for my first elk hunt

Postby Osage Outlaw » 02 01, 2019 •  [Post 18]

Swede, I'm planning on being in the experience hunter category for elk. If my main goal was to kill something I would be carrying a fast compound bow instead of a recurve. I'm going to have the time of my life whether I kill an elk or not. Now when it comes to hunting whitetails I'm about 50/50. I spend half of bow season carrying a traditional bow. I love hunting with simple weapons. It's just a totally different experience. My first primitive bow kill was with a knapped stone point on a bamboo arrow shaft. That was an incredible moment in my hunting career. But my main goal is filling the freezer so I switch to other modern weapons to accomplish that. Every year I kill a buck and 2-3 does. I find being split between the 2 approaches works very well for me.
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Re: New guy excited for my first elk hunt

Postby Old school » 02 01, 2019 •  [Post 19]

Osage - if that’s your perspective and objective from an elk hunt, you’ll return home a happy camper. On your trip home you’ll probably find yourself making plans for a return trip to the mountains the following year. I hunt a similar style for whitetails here in Missouri as far as switching between traditional archery and using my compound.

Enjoy the whole process of the elk hunt - the research, prep, drive and then the hunt. It’s a journey - savor it.

-Mitch
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Re: New guy excited for my first elk hunt

Postby Swede » 02 01, 2019 •  [Post 20]

I think you guys really have this matter down right. Enjoy your hunt, but adjust your expectations accordingly. The guys that suffer are the ones that expect a big bull for their $700 license and tag and go away with only memories and some pictures of the mountain scenery. What I have observed is the biggest frustration is how elk, especially good bulls can get so close and not offer any shot opportunity. It is like they are taunting you.
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Re: New guy excited for my first elk hunt

Postby Osage Outlaw » 02 01, 2019 •  [Post 21]

Swede, big whitetail bucks do the same thing. It's part of the fun of hunting them.
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Re: New guy excited for my first elk hunt

Postby Elkhunttoo » 02 01, 2019 •  [Post 22]

"Enjoy the whole process of the elk hunt - the research, prep, drive and then the hunt. It’s a journey - savor it.

-Mitch[/quote]


Well said, the only thing I would add is make sure you bring a camera
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Re: New guy excited for my first elk hunt

Postby Trumkin the Dwarf » 02 01, 2019 •  [Post 23]

Welcome! I'm another trad bow shooter here! I even have picture proof that killing one with a longbow is possible!

That bull in my avatar was with my Toelke Whip a few years back. Don't pay attention to the fact that it took me 7 years to make it happen... :lol:
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Re: New guy excited for my first elk hunt

Postby Osage Outlaw » 02 01, 2019 •  [Post 24]

Trumkin the Dwarf wrote:Welcome! I'm another trad bow shooter here! I even have picture proof that killing one with a longbow is possible!

That bull in my avatar was with my Toelke Whip a few years back. Don't pay attention to the fact that it took me 7 years to make it happen... :lol:


That is an awesome longbow kill. Congratulations.
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Re: New guy excited for my first elk hunt

Postby Osage Outlaw » 02 01, 2019 •  [Post 25]

I plan on taking a lot of pictures and video. I'm going to bring a notepad to keep sort of a journal of the trip. I might write up a story for one of the trad bow magazines. I had an article published in the primitive archer magazine a few years back.
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Re: New guy excited for my first elk hunt

Postby saddlesore » 02 03, 2019 •  [Post 26]

Here is something to get your heart rate up Clint.Friend of mine two years ago

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Re: New guy excited for my first elk hunt

Postby Lefty » 02 03, 2019 •  [Post 27]

Thats a dandy of a bull Saddlesore
Do you know how far the bull traveled after being arrowed
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Re: New guy excited for my first elk hunt

Postby saddlesore » 02 03, 2019 •  [Post 28]

Lefty wrote:Thats a dandy of a bull Saddlesore
Do you know how far the bull traveled after being arrowed


As I remember not very far,but exact distance I don't know. He told me it was a Colorado record bull
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Re: New guy excited for my first elk hunt

Postby Osage Outlaw » 02 04, 2019 •  [Post 29]

Saddlesore, that is an awesome picture. Thank you for posting it. An archery moose hunt would be an incredible experience.
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Re: New guy excited for my first elk hunt

Postby Osage Outlaw » 04 21, 2019 •  [Post 30]

I have continued my training and weight loss in preparation for my first elk hunt. I'm down 85 lbs so far this year. My original goal was to only lose 75. I won the contest I was in and took home the $500 first prize which will go towards my elk tags. I am still training and eating healthy. We have decided to take compound bows as well as traditional bows. We plan on carrying the traditional gear for several days and see how it goes.
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Re: New guy excited for my first elk hunt

Postby Swede » 04 21, 2019 •  [Post 31]

Congratulations on the award winning weight loss. It sounds like you will make good use of your winnings.
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Re: New guy excited for my first elk hunt

Postby Waygoner » 04 22, 2019 •  [Post 32]

Did you apply for a limited license or are you going OTC? For first timers I would suggest an either sex license, just because it increases your odds of success greatly.

If you can butcher a white tail you can handle an elk, they're just bigger. I've found that some paracord can be useful for anchoring a critter's legs when field dressing. Can be helpful too when they die in steep places!

The other thing I like to preach is to be out before first light and hunt until after dark. For me they've been the most productive times to hunt.
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Re: New guy excited for my first elk hunt

Postby Osage Outlaw » 04 22, 2019 •  [Post 33]

Waygoner wrote:Did you apply for a limited license or are you going OTC? For first timers I would suggest an either sex license, just because it increases your odds of success greatly.

If you can butcher a white tail you can handle an elk, they're just bigger. I've found that some paracord can be useful for anchoring a critter's legs when field dressing. Can be helpful too when they die in steep places!

The other thing I like to preach is to be out before first light and hunt until after dark. For me they've been the most productive times to hunt.



Thanks for the advice. We are going with an either sex OTC hunt. I put 4-5 deer in my freezer every year and I process them myself.
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Re: New guy excited for my first elk hunt

Postby >>>---WW----> » 04 23, 2019 •  [Post 34]

Don't forget to bring a good set of binoculars and plan on spending a bunch of time viewing the country side for elk.
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