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What Lessons Were Learned

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What Lessons Were Learned

Postby elkaholicid » 10 04, 2017 •  [Post 1]

Now that the 2017 Archery Seasons have pretty much come to a close, I'm wondering, what did you take away from this past season? What did you learn? What do you need to work on for the 2018 season? 2018 archery elk season is only 11 short months away and the time to get to work for next year is now. I know of too many people that will sit around and wait until just before the season to work on things and then spend all season wishing they had done more to prepare.

We hunted a new area this year and had a bull do something I hadn't seen before. Instead of swinging downwind, this old warrior circled upwind of us and went over to scent check the game trail we walked in on. I thought his behavior was odd as we were set up the way we are supposed to set up when working a bull. I continued to move around as the caller to ensure the bull would come in upwind of my shooter but he never did. Once he got to the game trail and scent checked it, he went quiet and continued to circle around and joined his cows up on the hill.

We also found that due to the harsh winter we had, a good majority of the elk did not make it back up into this area. We only found bachelor groups of bulls with maybe a cow or two hanging out. Future winters will tell me how high up in this area I need to hunt. Harsher winters, I'll stay lower in elevation. Normal winters, I'll head back up the elevations we hunted this year.

As always, I found that I could have worked on conditioning more. I did take one week off and am back in the training cycle in preparation for next season.
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Re: What Lessons Were Learned

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 10 04, 2017 •  [Post 2]

Good thread Michael. I learned a few lessons this year. 1. That tree stand hunting thing works pretty well in the mountains (two of my camp took big game critters from tree stands) and 2. I concluded that wolf presence does in fact affect elk mannerisms, not solely their vocalizations (I'd certainly suspected this but the evidence during this year only cemented my suspicions). My main hunting partner and I located a couple of deep, remote meadows from glassing up high (and some follow-on map work) and decided to dive them the following morning. Once we navigated our way to the target spot (2 1/2 to 3 miles down, down, down), we located "the killing fields" as we dubbed the small system of three meadows. Elk love meadows, particularly in the alder choked areas in N Idaho, right? Well, perhaps not so much in wolf laden areas. We found no less than 8-10 elk kill sites (with one of them being relatively fresh) on the meadows. At each site, there were a handful of remaining bones and a ton of wolf crap. It seems the big dogs continue to return to the meadows/openings to re-visit their kill sites, crap everywhere, and possibly see if any new targets of opportunity are frequently the openings. I think the re-introduced Canadian wolf species prefer to hunt more open areas (pack/group hunting mentality) and are educating the elk on where "not" to frequent, and, that vocalization may draw danger their way. This said, more so than any other year in the past handful of seasons, the elk are staying clear of traditional feeding areas (including meadows, more open hillsides, etc.) in favor of actually feeding, living, and carrying on during the rut in deep, thick, alder jungles as a learned survival technique.
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Re: What Lessons Were Learned

Postby Lark Bunting » 10 04, 2017 •  [Post 3]

I will do more weighted pack training before next season as well as reduce my pack weight considerably.

G5 Montecs are pretty much one and done on an elk. I must have hit rib on one side or the other because the tip was completely bent. I'm looking at different heads for next season.

Not sure if it was the new Kuiu socks or the my older boots but the blisters I got across the entire footpad under my toes (ball of the foot to the pad under my pinky toe)were bad. 15 miles of hiking was brutal.

I may never get back into the spot I killed my elk this year due to the road and the risk of going off the cliff if it rains while back there. Trucks with chains were stuck two weeks later when my buddies went back.

I need to get faster at deboning an elk. I hope this comes with practice. I hope I get to practice a lot more soon.

I do NOT need four knives on me.

Bear spray and a pistol are both very heavy.

I will more than likely have my meat processed next time rather than doing it myself.

I'm sure there are more but that's what I can think of for now.
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Re: What Lessons Were Learned

Postby Swede » 10 04, 2017 •  [Post 4]

For some reason the elk in the area of Idaho, where we hunted were rather quiet, and were not coming out into the openings where I could have a shot at them. RJ and his friend Joe thought the wolves were causing the bulls to quiet down significantly. I had to wonder if heavy winter snow had reduced the survival rate of the elk, so there were not as many there to keep us up at night with their bugling. There were some healthy calves and cows around, but I did not see many elk over all. Deer sightings were few and far between. I was told there used to be far more elk blatting around there.
I observed the elk hang out almost exclusively in very heavy cover. Several times I had bulls, in the area, that would not come into the open where I could see them. It seems likely that was due to wolf predation. RJ and Joe took pictures where elk had been in meadows and the meadows were turned into killing fields. It seems reasonable that he elk have learned not to come into the openings as a matter of survival. The game cameras RJ set up showed elk in the meadows earlier in the Summer, but the photos really tapered off near the opening of the elk season. The little bull I shot came out into of the heavy cover just barely enough for me to get a shot at him. He appeared to be turning back when I released the arrow. He was probably rejoining the herd and I doubt he was going to expose himself any farther. For no reason I could determine, he was reluctant to come farther. The cow that came along just after, never entered the full opening either. She turned back. She was mostly in front of me while the spike was behind.
For the first time in my hunting experience I had a bull bark for about 75 times over a span of nearly five hours. He never left the area until evening and never came into the opening where I was waiting. The wind was in my favor and I was up a tree. He was in heavy cover, so I am at a loss to explain what was bothering him. Why did he hang around so long? Humm.

Another thing I learned is that RJ and Joe run a good camp. Joe knows backpacking and showed me how to adjust my backpack for hauling. When he was done the pack was quite a bit more comfortable. They do some things differently than I have done them. I did a variation of what they do when I butchered my elk. I just could not give up on gutting the elk first, but I did not quarter the critter after. I just cut off the pieces like dismembering a chicken taken from the rotisserie.
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Re: What Lessons Were Learned

Postby olympushunt » 10 04, 2017 •  [Post 5]

Swede wrote: The little bull I shot came out into of the heavy cover just barely enough for me to get a shot at him. He appeared to be turning back when I released the arrow. He was probably rejoining the herd and I doubt he was going to expose himself any farther. For no reason I could determine, he was reluctant to come farther.

Talk about lessons learned! That spike sure learned his lesson! I bet he won't make that mistake twice. lol

I learned, again, to be prepared from the very start. It is easy for me to mentally prepare for the grind and put off things when it can happen from minute number one.
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Re: What Lessons Were Learned

Postby Roosiebull » 10 04, 2017 •  [Post 6]

I don't know where to start....

I had so many take aways this year, a bunch!

The one that sunk in the deepest was one I have got lucky on before, so I guess it didn't hit home like it should have.

Treat every shot the same, think it through, pick a spot you want to hit, and execute the shot...basically treat a point blank elk the same as you would a 50yd elk, it's just as important.

Don't take close range for granted.
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Re: What Lessons Were Learned

Postby >>>---WW----> » 10 04, 2017 •  [Post 7]

Don't blow your knee out the day before elk season starts.
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Re: What Lessons Were Learned

Postby Swede » 10 04, 2017 •  [Post 8]

Here is something I have known a long time, but observed again this season. Good hunters that get up at zero dark thirty and stay at it all day, do not necessarily get elk. There are things beyond our control. Good dedicated hunters will get the most elk, but not all of them, nor will they all score.
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Re: What Lessons Were Learned

Postby Cbb » 10 04, 2017 •  [Post 9]

I learned alot....More than I can cover here.

1. When you find elk on public land, go after them. An 8 or 10 day hunt is over before you know it.
2. Public land, pressured elk aren't very vocal. Be patient.
3. Most locals are road hunting and glassing, go hunt away from roads.
4. When the elk is coming to the call. Let them come, dont rush your shot.
5. Those mountain roads are a little scary for an easterner!!
6. You dont have to run marathons to hunt elk, but you do need to be in shape. More squats.
7. When you find that remote area where most hunters aren't going keep going, the elk are there somewhere.


8. You might fall in love with the west!!

Some may be a little repetative. But those are the major lessons there are lots more.
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Re: What Lessons Were Learned

Postby jmorr » 10 04, 2017 •  [Post 10]

This being my second year elk hunting, I learned a ton. We hunted the panhandle for the first time. The first thing I learned really quick is that alders suck...bad. I learned later in the week however, that those thick alder patches can be death traps for elk if you know your area intimately. We had a herd bull fired up and ready to battle twice under 30 yards, and once about 50 yards,and I never even got a glimpse of him. On the second to last day I finally stumbled on the elk highway they were using. I learned that all 3 times we were trying to call that bull through those thickets, which he wasn't going to cross. Had I known where the highway was, we would have set up on it and likely had an easy shot opportunity. Next year I will hunt the highway instead of trying to call them off of it. I also learned that if the wind is in my face first thing in the morning and I'm on vocal elk, they are most likely moving away from me, and moving fast. We were on elk that every time I thought we were getting close to set up and start calling, they would sound off another 200 yards up ahead of us. Elk are jerks..
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Re: What Lessons Were Learned

Postby Lefty » 10 04, 2017 •  [Post 11]

Cbb wrote:7. When you find that remote area where most hunters aren't going keep going, the elk are there somewhere..

This year We covered more ground. Elk aren't deer. Move until you see fresh sign and or smell them.
I sort of knew this. That terrible guy on a call bugling,. Hes probably a bull elk

Cow elk will bust you before a bull will, and 10 cow elk are worse.
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Re: What Lessons Were Learned

Postby BrentLaBere » 10 05, 2017 •  [Post 12]

Back up spots or areas. Always have them in place. Went to the normal area I have started my season the last few years only to find 3 other camps in the drainage, with one at the TOP where the elk like to cross. I really wish I would of had a pen and paper to leave a note. Dont hold value to a spot just because its been good to you in the past. We moved to less pressured areas. Turns out the less pressured areas were right off the road and it made for a much easier hunt. I think the shortest pack out Ive had before this year was 2 and a half miles. Between my hunting partner and I we didnt pack out our elk more than 2 miles combined.

Always remember to slow down in the elk woods and walk soft. I tend to get in a hurry and look at my shoes when im tired. You never know when youll come across elk.

Remember your sleeping bag!

Elk will adjust to weather, especially snow. The heavy wet and then frozen snowfall will push elk to greener pastures. Ive seen it before and ignored it only to waste a full day busting through knee deeper, and deeper, snow.
Like lefty mentioned, keep moving until you find the fresh sign or even hear elk. You are eliminating country the elk arent in, which is a good thing, so keep moving. When you smell elk, slow way down, they have either just passed or they are still near by. We did this one right at least. And a couple times not so much.

If the winds arent stable, back out. You wont fool the wind and only bust elk out of an area you know you can hunt them the next day. Its easier to hunt elk where you know where they are at then finding new ones on the fly.

Carry bear spray or a side arm. When breaking down an animal in the dark, make sure you have them close by. This year we had an heart thumping scare. Hearing twigs pop only to shine my headlamp up the steep bank to glowing eyes closing in on us with my spray attached to my pack a few feet away. "Thats no elk!?"

Make sure you have everything you need to change a tire! The right tools for the job make it easier.
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What Lessons Were Learned

Postby Kellum » 10 05, 2017 •  [Post 13]

1) Do not drop your only camp water bucket in the river!

2) After locating a bull try and get as close a set up as you can before you call.

For the most part i did great at this but one afternoon hunt i tried to call a bull across a medow and made him hang up. I should of known that would happen but learned the hard way.









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Re: What Lessons Were Learned

Postby elkaholicid » 10 06, 2017 •  [Post 14]

I'm seeing some great lessons here. Thank you, to everyone that has posted. Anyone can read these and take away something to add to their elk hunting knowledge. It doesn't matter how long you have been in the woods chasing these majestic animals, you will learn something every year if you are open and aware of what is going on. Keep them coming guys and gals.
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Re: What Lessons Were Learned

Postby Tigger » 10 06, 2017 •  [Post 15]

Here are a few of my observations:

1. Be cold before you start hiking. I just cannot get this lesson through my pea brain. Every day, I had to stop 1/2 a mile into my hike to take off layers.
2. Despite the magic you can make happen following Elknut's advice, sometimes elk just do not vocalize. Better have a plan for that!
3. Pack fit. I learned a lot on pack fit this year. Still don't know if I am doing it right. If someone is an expert on this, I have a feeling lots of people don't have their pack fit optimized and could use some advice.
4. You WILL be uncomfortable on an elk hunt. Probably all of the time. Too hot, cold, tired, sore, exhausted, wet, etc. Have a mental attitude that it doesn't matter. have partners that feel the same. In my group of 4, not 1 complaint was heard all week despite horrific weather. We joked about it, but not a complaint. As an aside, when I got back home I carried that over and being a little cold or whatever just doesn't bother me as much!
5. This next one is a little bit tricky. We all love our rangefinders. But I will pose a question to the group....do you always need to range the shot? We had an example that cost us a nice bull because the hunter tried to range it (32 yards). I applaud him for wanting to make sure, but have we become so reliant on rangefinders that we are missing opportunities? On the flip side, nobody wants to misjudge the distance and make a bad shot. Just a nugget to ponder.
6. Make sure you are prepared for mountain weather. That can be 90 degrees or it can mean 20" of snow. We got the latter. You better have the gear to deal with it.
7. Better gear is....well....better. People can tell me all day long about grandpa shooting elk in his plaid wool coat and blue jeans. I will take my Sitka stuff any doggone day. I wore a pair of Browning pants one day. Good stuff. Browning...very good stuff. The next day I wore my Sitka. Wow, what a difference. Sitka is like hunting in your pajamas (if they steal that line, I want royalties!!!). Bring gaiters on EVERY hunt.
8. Mountain House made on a snowy day for lunch is really good. It really is!
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Re: What Lessons Were Learned

Postby BrentLaBere » 10 06, 2017 •  [Post 16]

"5. This next one is a little bit tricky. We all love our rangefinders. But I will pose a question to the group....do you always need to range the shot? We had an example that cost us a nice bull because the hunter tried to range it (32 yards). I applaud him for wanting to make sure, but have we become so reliant on rangefinders that we are missing opportunities? On the flip side, nobody wants to misjudge the distance and make a bad shot. Just a nugget to ponder."

Tigger, I agree if you are ranging at that range you are missing the opportunity to shoot. Im not going to speak for other hunters and certainly not in the hunters situation here. For me, I set my single pin to 35 yards. I can adjust accordingly from 5 to 40 yards on that pin. I try to always be aware of the distances around me and feel prepared when Im in the timber. If I have an opportunity inside that range im ready to shoot and on the fly adjust my pin accordingly. Anything beyond that I need to range and dial to feel comfortable with that shot. There is nothing wrong with being sure on the range and feeling comfortable for the shot. I just feel like in real life situations you may only get one window or opportunity. You may miss it. I also feel that in the timber you may not be able to shoot beyond that with brush in your way. Just some of my thoughts for the subject and adding to the discussion. Ive thought about the handicap of range finders before and it seems like it can be a catch 22 for close situations. And you nailed it on your last point. Every hunter needs to judge that for themselves. Be comfortable with the shot!

Agreed with elkaholicid, great points made in this thread.
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Re: What Lessons Were Learned

Postby ElkNut1 » 10 06, 2017 •  [Post 17]

Mike, we noticed the same thing here with the unexpected heavy snows leading to the elk vacating the higher elevations & not returning! It was a first for them not returning like that, very unusual for sure! Heck it's common to receive snows here in Sept but not to the depths we were encountering! Thanks for your insight! By the way, nice bull you took! (grin)

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Re: What Lessons Were Learned

Postby Swede » 10 06, 2017 •  [Post 18]

Tigger wrote:3. Pack fit. I learned a lot on pack fit this year. Still don't know if I am doing it right. If someone is an expert on this, I have a feeling lots of people don't have their pack fit optimized and could use some advice.


Well said Tigger: I sure learned a lot about pack fit this season. RJ's friend Joe is an expert in this area and knows what makes for a good fitting pack. He helped make my Kuiu preform very well. A good fit is huge when it comes to hauling weight in the field.
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Re: What Lessons Were Learned

Postby Roosiebull » 10 06, 2017 •  [Post 19]

Swede wrote:
Tigger wrote:3. Pack fit. I learned a lot on pack fit this year. Still don't know if I am doing it right. If someone is an expert on this, I have a feeling lots of people don't have their pack fit optimized and could use some advice.


Well said Tigger: I sure learned a lot about pack fit this season. RJ's friend Joe is an expert in this area and knows what makes for a good fitting pack. He helped make my Kuiu preform very well. A good fit is huge when it comes to hauling weight in the field.

start a thread and fill us in on what you learned about pack fitting :D

I always wear a pack, and maybe i'm missing something that could lead to more comfort....mine is comfortable, but I certainly keep an open mind to learn what I can.



the rangefinder one above is indeed tricky, it has cost me opportunities using it, but it has also cost me not using it. elk hunting is constant improvise, and making decisions, every encounter is different. I just try to get them close enough to not worry about rangefinders....one less decision to make :lol:
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Re: What Lessons Were Learned

Postby cohunter » 10 06, 2017 •  [Post 20]

Lots of lessons learned, but the one that sticks with me the most was that you can actually call from too close (especially if you're by yourself). I'd call and move forward, call and move forward while trying to keep the wind in my favor. The problem for me was I'd decide, "I'll just call once more" I'd call and move 5-6 steps and then CRASH! Elk can move whole lot faster than we can. That hill or those thick bushes that blocked them from view didn't for long. And I didn't give myself enough time to get set-up for them. Being a slow learner, I made this mistake 4 or 5 times - pretty much every weekend I was out. :oops:
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Re: What Lessons Were Learned

Postby ishy » 10 07, 2017 •  [Post 21]

Tigger wrote:5. This next one is a little bit tricky. We all love our rangefinders. But I will pose a question to the group....do you always need to range the shot? We had an example that cost us a nice bull because the hunter tried to range it (32 yards). I applaud him for wanting to make sure, but have we become so reliant on rangefinders that we are missing opportunities? On the flip side, nobody wants to misjudge the distance and make a bad shot. Just a nugget to ponder.



I don't range much under 40 yards. I would be willing to bet most of us are pretty close under 40 compared to beyond 40. The difference of arrow impact goes up drastically with each yard you are off beyond 40 compared to under. The other issue as animals getting closer is you are not going to get away with much movement. You have to get your range finder up, range, back down and put away, then get your bow up, draw, and aim all with an animal under 40 you are going to loose your shot more often than not. If you called him in and he is on edge you will be even more under a microscope.

Biggest lesson learned was that I haven't done a good job of making my wife a priority. For 20 years she has felt like she was 5th or 6th on my list behind church, elk season, my buddies elk season, etc...Luckily for me she's stubborn and hasn't jumped ship. So for probably the first time ever I voluntarily stayed home a couple days in September that I had off. We are in a much better place today than we have ever been just after archery season.
#2 is being patient. My best chance this year was after calling with a good bull, and having a smaller bull (I thought hunter) enter the scene and the bigger sounding bull went quiet. I pulled my arrow off the string and into the quiver only to look up and have a cow working her way up the ridge at 40 yards away followed by a rag horn. They crossed a logging road at 40 yards and I didn't have an arrow on the string! They crossed so quick I didn't have a chance, and after running with them up the hill only the cow would give me a good look.
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Re: What Lessons Were Learned

Postby TennMatt » 10 30, 2017 •  [Post 22]

This is my third year hunting and I finally got into elk. I learned tons about what fresh signs of elk look like: from tracks in snow, currently being used game trails, and little bits about how elk might behave in small herds.

I also learned that you can be fairly close to a bugling bull and not see him through the thick trees.

Additionally I learned how demoralizing and demotivating it can be to know where elk are and not be able to get a shot.

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Re: What Lessons Were Learned

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 10 30, 2017 •  [Post 23]

TennMatt wrote:I also learned that you can be fairly close to a bugling bull and not see him through the thick trees. Additionally I learned how demoralizing and demotivating it can be to know where elk are and not be able to get a shot.

Matt


Welcome to the club Matt, ya you're hooked ;).
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Re: What Lessons Were Learned

Postby wawhitey » 10 30, 2017 •  [Post 24]

I learned, for the second year in a row, that being out at sea for the entire archery elk season makes it very difficult to get an elk.
Real eyes realize real lies
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Re: What Lessons Were Learned

Postby Lefty » 10 31, 2017 •  [Post 25]

ishy wrote:Biggest lesson learned was that I haven't done a good job of making my wife a priority. For 20 years she has felt like she was 5th or 6th on my list behind church, elk season, my buddies elk season, etc...Luckily for me she's stubborn and hasn't jumped ship. So for probably the first time ever I voluntarily stayed home a couple days in September that I had off. We are in a much better place today than we have ever been just after archery season.


Only took you 20 years ;) :lol: I know too many good guys that ended up paying child support because their wife was not on top of the list somewhere.
Some suggestions: make your wife part of your faith. Im sure you have heard these before!
Ephesians 5:25: “For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her."
Genesis 2:24: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh."
Ecclesiastes 4:12: “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."
Mark 10:9: “Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate."


Ohh-- boy!!! buddies should have been dropped off of that list the day you said "I do"
My wife has been good about hunting. She use to be her dads partner until we were married. Our best dates have been hunting! Make her want to hunt with you once in a while.
While our kids were younger I hunted waterfowl so I could be back home for breakfast. As my daughters got older we did some family hunts. Then hunting with my daughters.
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Re: What Lessons Were Learned

Postby Navesgane » 11 01, 2017 •  [Post 26]

I learned that I will never again drop my pack when going after that herd bull- especially when your bugle tube is on it. :oops:
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Re: What Lessons Were Learned

Postby Lefty » 11 01, 2017 •  [Post 27]

Navesgane wrote:I learned that I will never again drop my pack when going after that herd bull- especially when your bugle tube is on it. :oops:

I still haven't learned to keep my pack with me.
My daugher and I had 4 bigger bulls in the thick at 80 yards.
I dropped my pack then ran to put a better angle on the elk. Then spent 10 minutes looking in the wrong location for my pack.
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Re: What Lessons Were Learned

Postby Swede » 11 01, 2017 •  [Post 28]

Twice this past season I was reminded of how difficult it is to navigate in the dark with only a headlamp. Once I planned to go to the road, but was actually paralleling it. Once I was with Oly's friend who was taking us back to his elk. He had a nice bull, but he did not think to bring his GPS. After wandering around a while we found it, but then were fortunate to have Stringunner come our way so we could navigate off his headlamp.

The point is, take your GPS to navigate in the dark, even in seeming easy familiar areas.
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Re: What Lessons Were Learned

Postby TennMatt » 11 01, 2017 •  [Post 29]

Additionally in regards to the GPS, I learned to use the expensive lithium ion batteries. They last much longer and don't create those stressful situations where your spare pair is running low.

Matt
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Re: What Lessons Were Learned

Postby scubohuntr » 11 01, 2017 •  [Post 30]

So far:

Leave most stuff in the truck. It does no good to have all your field dressing and packing out stuff with you if it keeps you from moving.

It always takes longer than you thought to drive to your spot. It takes longer to hike in, too. Start out an hour before you think you have to.

Get a good GPS fix and range every landmark in sight every time you stop and sit. That way if you take off and leave your binoculars or your rifle behind (haven't done it yet, but the season is young) you know where to look for it, and you'll know roughly how far off everything is if an elk shows up (right, like that could happen!) It also makes for better notes.

Straight up the mountain is rarely the best way to get anywhere. Straight down is no better.

Boots don't last forever. Just because they worked well 25 years ago doesn't mean they still do, even if you haven't worn them much in between. Boots that are great on the flats can really suck in steep terrain.

Treasure your hunting buddies, if you have any. Someday you may not have anyone to hunt with.

Elk are just a cruel hoax perpetrated by outdoor magazines. They don't actually exist.
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Re: What Lessons Were Learned

Postby Swede » 11 01, 2017 •  [Post 31]

Scubo, I sure hear you about the elk not really existing. I started to think the Idaho game commission had rounded all of theirs up and had them safely hid on some secret ranch.
I also thought I had a pair of great boots this year, but found they were not broke in well enough. They were fine when walking on the flat and uphill, but they really hurt when I was going down any noticeable slope.
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Re: What Lessons Were Learned

Postby Roosiebull » 11 01, 2017 •  [Post 32]

TennMatt wrote:Additionally in regards to the GPS, I learned to use the expensive lithium ion batteries. They last much longer and don't create those stressful situations where your spare pair is running low.

Matt

I use rechargeable batteries, I use them in my cams, flashlights, gps, e caller, etc. I have AA and AAA, and carry more spares than I could need. it has made batteries seem very cheap. I do agree with lithiums though, if I plan on not checking a cam for a long time, they are the way to fly, they last way longer.

rechargeable batteries just make sense for me because I go through so many, it would be 2 sets of lithium every 3 days in my gps alone, 4 sets of standard alkaline.
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Re: What Lessons Were Learned

Postby Roosiebull » 11 01, 2017 •  [Post 33]

another lesson I learned this year was NEVER give up tracking an animal that is hit (I could see giving up in reasonable time with a shoulder hit with zero penetration) but any that look possibly fatal, keep looking, no matter how hopeless it looks.

my bull lasted probably 20 hours alive...the thought of that is brutal in itself, that I didn't do a better job, and maybe if John hadn't come along I would have not found it, but it's still worth noting.

my lion this spring I did lose (the meat anyhow) I looked for that cat every day except one of the 6th when I finally found it. though I was unable to utilize the food, the thought of the effort, and the closure I got was well worth the effort....I guess you could call that one a participation trophy. I was at least able to rightfully put a tag on it (I knew I killed it) and check it in with fish and wildlife (mandatory here with bear and lions)
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Re: What Lessons Were Learned

Postby elkaholicid » 11 02, 2017 •  [Post 34]

Some great lessons being shared here that should help others.

One lesson I learned several years ago is that once hunting season begins, the elk no longer travel as they do the rest of the year. During hunting season they tend to walk along the treetops. That's why we can't find tracks in areas that had tons while scouting. Haha!!!

Batteries and the GPS is something that we all struggle with. Do I have enough in my pack? Do I have enough in camp as back up? I realized one day that I could combine a few items and lighten the load and clutter in my pack. I was already carrying a small solar charger on the outside of my pack for recharging my phone when I was taking a break on the mountainside so why not use my phone as my GPS also. On X Hunt is a great app for your phone that still allows you to mark waypoints, trace your steps and even share waypoints with your hunting partners. This is a great tool to keep your hunting party all on the same page. On X Hunt even gives you the option to download the map of your hunt area so that you have the full access to the map even if you don't have cell coverage.

I'll plug the solar charger into my phone, which is in the top pocket of my pack with the solar charger attached to the outside and allows it to charge while I'm hiking around. This has eliminated the need for batteries and works really well for me. On X Hunt app does run $29.99 per year so I guess you just need to calculate how much money you are spending on batteries and determine if this would be a cost saving to you.
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Re: What Lessons Were Learned

Postby Navesgane » 11 02, 2017 •  [Post 35]

I use a few apps on my phone for mapping and note taking. Twice last season I left my charging cord in my truck plugged into the USB outlet and my phone died mid-day even tho I remembered to pack my portable charger. Now I have a dedicated charging cord that I have attached to my water bladder which I've yet to forget to fill and pack.
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Re: What Lessons Were Learned

Postby Dr. Rx » 11 04, 2017 •  [Post 36]

I had a great week hunting with my friend and his family. They were a wonderful family and helped to teach me how to hunt elk. Great guys to have Elk Camp with. I didn't draw back, but was very fortunate to pack out my first elk with my buds.

Last year I hunted with my bud as well and we had a great time. This year, however, a different guy came along and I wasn't sure how it was going to work out. Needless to say..something was missing.. The chemistry was just not right. Without going into too much detail, it all came down to being a team player. In fact, the whole camp was just not the same as it was last year. The hunting tactics were not the same as last year.

The lesson I learned: Archery Elk hunting is the most selfless type of hunting in the world. If everyone in the camp doesn't work as a team, things will never work out. Everyone talks like they are a team player, but you realize really quickly who is out for their own vs helping all the team members to succeed.

Keep your ELk camp sacred with the people you know that are ALL SELFLESS and are just as excited to call, or pack out, as drawing back on an animal.

Overall I had a great week, helping packing out an elk.

Hard Lesson to learn!
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Re: What Lessons Were Learned

Postby elkaholicid » 11 04, 2017 •  [Post 37]

Dr. Rx...that is a lesson that can't come to the surface until you're in the woods unfortunately. I've had people tell me everything I wanted to hear before the season and then pack up and leave camp as soon as their tag was punched. They don't get a second chance. You are right about keeping elk camp sacred and hold on to those good partners once they are located.
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