Article #5: 10 Reasons You'll Never Arrow an Elk, by Bob Robb
This was a day I was the “Agony of Defeat” guy. You know, the ski jumper who violently crashes and burns as a lead-in to the popular TV sports show. And I hurt nearly as bad, on the inside.
I had found some elk and been working them for the better part of a week, trying to wiggle in close enough for a shot at a decent bull. It was hot and dry, and conditions were horrible. At least there were no other hunters around, which made it possible for me to shadow the herd without fear of conflict with other archers. And when my window of opportunity opened, it opened quickly and just a crack. I had anticipated the elk’s afternoon movements from bed to feed and they paraded past me, the cows squealing and squeaking, the bulls growling and chuckling. A nice 6x6 bull showed himself as he glided through the brush, and when he came into a small opening I cow-called to stop him as I came to full draw. Trouble was, he stopped two steps short, his chest hidden behind brush way to thick to get an arrow through. We had a stare-down for maybe 30 seconds before he wheeled and ran, taking the herd with him.
That was all she wrote for this hunt.
Every day that I am in the elk woods and have not seen an animal or gotten a shot, I try and remind myself that this is, indeed, the golden age of North American elk hunting. After all, there are more elk than at any time in modern history, with total numbers estimated at over one million animals, and growing. Heck, there are so many elk you can now hunt them in places not thought of as “elk country” for many generations, like Pennsylvania and Kentucky. Despite outlandish non-resident elk tag fees in most western states, hunting opportunities on both public and private lands remain as abundant as the elk themselves.
If that's the case, then why do statewide success rates for firearms hunters average less than 25 percent across the board -- and half that for bowhunters?
Simply stated, it's because that, despite their abundance, elk are by their very nature a difficult animal to hunt. They are smart, have a terrific sense of smell, see very well, and have excellent ears, a package of defenses that's hard to penetrate. They are also herd animals, giving them the added protection of several sets of eyes, ears and noses to protect them. They also live in pockets of big, tough country that is difficult even on a well-conditioned person's muscles and cardiovascular system. And when spooked, they have been known to travel for several up-and-down miles before even thinking about slowing down.
Many novice elk hunters are east-of-the-Mississippi River whitetail hunters who don't understand the nature of the game prior to their first elk hunting trip. Though good hunters on their home turf, they often make the fatal mistake believing that elk hunting will be similar to the whitetailing back home. That leads them to commit one or more of elk hunting’s 10 deadly sins. Here are the most common mistakes elk hunters make, and how you can avoid them.
1) Don't research areas before the hunt. Careful, meticulous planning is the key to successful elk hunting. Spend some long-distance phone money and call state game departments, biologists, etc. for specific elk herd information in specific areas. Talk to other hunters, read books and magazines, watch videos, attend seminars at sport shows, troll the internet looking for information on hot elk hunting. The object is to shrink your focus from a certain state down into one or two drainages in a specific mountain range in that state. This planning process should begin many months before the hunting season, for one simple reason -- depending on the state, the application deadlines for elk licenses occur somewhere between late spring and early summer. You have to know where you want to hunt before applying.
2) Don't apply for special draw permits: The best public land elk hunting is found in areas where both hunting pressure and elk harvest are controlled by issuing a limited number of licenses each year. The odds of drawing one of these permits is low, but since you get your money back save a small application fee, you have everything to gain and nothing to lose by applying. Each state has its own application deadline and procedure. If the process confuses you, there are several professional licensing services that can help you separate the wheat from the chaff.
3) Don't research outfitters before booking a hunt: There are some outstanding elk outfitters in the West -- and some real bad ones, too. It's amazing how many people give an outfitter money without first checking out both his references and his competition, then are surprised when their dream hunt turns into a nightmare. Make sure there are no questions in your mind regarding price, hunt duration, the type of hunt, what the outfitter will provide and is responsible for, etc., before booking. And get it in writing.
4) Don't get into top physical condition: Elk hunting is demanding physically, even if you're on an outfitted horseback hunt. The mountains are steep, the elevation high, and the drainages huge. The more ground you can cover day after day, the better your chances for success. And once an elk is down, caring for the several hundred pounds of meat isn't easy, especially if it must be backpacked to the road. Out-of-shape hunters are the number one complaint I hear from outfitters about their clients. The number two complaint is ....
5) Don't practice with your bow: The inability to make the shot over broken ground under demanding field conditions is the elk outfitter's number two complaint with clients. By the way, this holds just as true for riflemen and muzzleloaders as it does for archers. Remember that in elk country, shots will quite possibly be at longer distances than on back-home whitetail hunts. Often steep uphill or downhill angles will be involved. Remember, too, that during a week's tough hunt, one chance may be all you get. You don't want to blow it simply because you didn't practice.
6) Set trophy expectations that are too high: Magazine articles and photographs rarely show anything but big 6x6 bulls, in all their glory. What fantasy! The odds of your taking such a trophy bull on public land in most states are so low, even Las Vegas would be embarrassed to take your money on that wager. If you've never taken an elk before, be happy with any bull you can get, or be prepared to go elkless. And don't overlook cow elk. In many areas, cow tags are usually much easier to obtain than bull tags, and offer relatively high odds for success while still offering the excitement of elk hunting. And the steaks can't be beat.
7) Don't move if there are no elk around: Hunting where the elk were, not where the elk are, is a mistake all elk hunters make from time to time. Rubs, wallows, tracks, droppings, and beds are all sign that there were elk around at one time, but unless it is smoking-hot, it's generally better to physically cover ground to try and locate elk herds than sticking close to an area where you hope they will eventually show up. If you've hunted a specific spot for a few days and nothing's happening, be aggressive and go find them -- even if it means having to hunt far from the road or moving camp.
8) Don't learn about elk habits: Elk are not deer. They live differently, prefer different habitat, have different daily habits, and even prefer different foods. For example, elk are grazers, preferring grasses and forbs to the woody browse deer prefer. In the southwest, they also love acorns. By learning as much as you can about the daily habits of elk, you'll be more in tune with the woods when you step into them, and able to make the adjustments necessary to both locate elk herds and move in for a shot.
9) Don't take enough time: Most novice elk hunters plan hunts that are too short. Often it takes the better part of a week just to figure out where the elk are concentrated and what they're doing, then who knows how many more days before you can maneuver in for a shot. For example, on one bowhunt I took a few years back on an excellent public land special-draw area of New Mexico, it took four days to locate where the elk were concentrated, then a full day of hard maneuvering to get into bow range and make the shot on a very nice 5x5 bull. It then took another full day to pack meat back to camp. And that's one of the shortest public land wilderness elk hunts I've ever been on. Simply stated, the more days you have to spend, the better your chances.
10) Don't constantly watch the wind: For some strange reason, whitetail hunters who work overtime to control their scent and keep the wind in their face often forget all about both when hunting elk. Perhaps the big country and constant moving on foot confuses their tree stand mind-set. But elk can smell at least as well as deer, if not better, and if they get a whiff of you, they're gone. Also, you'll find the wind in the mountains constantly changing, even if it's just subtly. A small puff bottle filled with unbleached flour, unscented talcum powder, or crushed carpenter’s chalk will show you the direction of the breeze both where you're standing, and how it is flowing up and down the mountain as it drifts off. Carry a couple, and use them constantly. The flame from a small butane lighter is another good wind detector.
Elk hunting is one of the most exciting and challenging adventures you'll ever experience. The majestic beauty of elk country is unsurpassed anywhere in the world. The elk themselves are a proud, regal creature, and have become a symbol of wild, wide-open spaces. The lessons that can be learned from both will last a lifetime.
