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What's the Plan?

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What's the Plan?

Postby Indian Summer » 11 19, 2017 •  [Post 1]

Did last year's plan seem foolproof until you got your boots on the ground? Maybe you had a decent hunt but aren't feeling like you've found the place to call home? Maybe you are starting at ground zero and have no plan at all. If so now would be a good time to start thinking about your 2018 elk hunt. In 10 short weeks we will be looking at the deadline for Wyoming elk applications. Blink your eyes and the holiday season will be gone.

I know we have quite a few new members here as well as people new to elk hunting in general. So some aren't familiar with my services. Headin' West Hunt Consulting offers two things. I am a booking agent for a couple select outfitters in Montana and Wyoming. I also sell DIY hunt plans for those two states.

My DIY clients receive custom topo maps highlighted with prime areas and hunting routes to put you into elk right from the get go. Whether you are 20 years old or 60, whether you want to camp at your vehicle or pack in, my job is to provide you with a plan that suits you. Let me know your goals and abilities and lets get you off and running.

Have a look at my website for more details. You can also check out some online reviews on Bowsite. Feel free to email with any questions you may have. Thanks in advance for your interest!

Joe Ferraro
www.headinwest.net
joe@headinwest.net
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Indian Summer
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Re: What's the Plan?

Postby Swede » 11 19, 2017 •  [Post 2]

One thing that a lot of boots on the ground or services like what Joe offers does for a hunter, new to an area, is remove a much of the guess work and surprises. It has been my experience that surprises equal disappointments. I am taking a few minute break right now from searching maps and G.E. looking over a new area. I have little idea where the hunters concentrate. Where are the elk going to be in September? I have to make some guesses. I can check how many hunters went to that unit, but were they all on the public land or did most hunt the ranches? The difference is huge and if I guess wrong, I could be moving quickly.
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Re: What's the Plan?

Postby Indian Summer » 11 19, 2017 •  [Post 3]

Every year I prospect new areas. Obviously I go there because they appear to have everything I want in a hunting spot. Sometimes they pan out and sometimes they don't. Many times I find elk but not where I expected them to be. A few years ago I took the time to ride horses into an area that looked incredible. I don't mean online either I mean from the next ridge over the year before! I really liked the fact that I knew there were outfitters in both adjacent drainages but that one had very minimal pressure. The place is beautiful! Surprisingly the elk didn't agree. The place was dead! I can't figure it out. The hunting on either side of that hole is pretty darn good. It's times like those that I think man..... if I was some hunter from back east or the west coat and I zeroed in on that area with high hopes I would have been screwed! Hunts like that are not only a big disappointment but they are also a waste of money and time. Time that could have been spent learning an area that you would be hunting next year snd the year after that. Instead let me waste my time and money weeding out worthless spots like that for you! :lol:
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Re: What's the Plan?

Postby Swede » 11 19, 2017 •  [Post 4]

I have sat in camp and wondered about plan B,C, D, .... and concluded I have nowhere good to go. I could play out my season hunting familiar, but a poor area or take a shot in the dark so to speak. I not only had a wasted day or week, but the whole season was going nowhere fast. I have quite a few places in Oregon I am familiar with, but ten days into the hunt, they are all different than when I scouted them. They have ten days of hunting pressure, and going there is a pure guess on my part. It takes two days for me to make a complete move when I consider taking down stands and setting them up somewhere else. It is just two days if I the spot I go back to is looking good. That is a big if.
We have debated at length different hunting styles. None of them are especially great if you go in to a poor area.
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Re: What's the Plan?

Postby Lefty » 11 20, 2017 •  [Post 5]

Indian Summer wrote:Did last year's plan seem foolproof until you got your boots on the ground? Maybe you had a decent hunt but aren't feeling like you've found the place to call home? ,...
Joe Ferraro
http://www.headinwest.net
joe@headinwest.net

We have gotten to know the area we hunt fairly well, and the elk and where they really hang out. Some areas we expect we may run into other hunters.
Another area it is us and one other threesome that hunt the 3rd week.
Even the small bits of info about an are can change a hunt!
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