10 Best Wool Hunting Clothes

Best Wool Hunting Clothes in 2023

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Want to Fill Your Elk Tag? Mistakes to Avoid This Elk Hunting Season

Avoid these common mistakes in order to ensure that you fill your elk tag this season.

Given the explosion in elk populations throughout the past decade, that seems to be a rather low rate.

There is a simple explanation as to why more hunters aren't locating and bagging these animals; elk are just being elk, no matter how plentiful they are, they will always present a challenge to any hunter.

Any animal that lives in unroaded backcountry and mountainous areas will be an elusive quarry. You will often have to literally go that extra mile to hunt elk, and many hunters simply aren't willing. In many cases, that is sound thinking given the difficulty of transporting the carcass out of these back woods.

Penetrate the elk woods
No matter how it is approached, hunting elk in their typical habitat of the mountains won't be easy. There are few exceptions, such as elk living in accessible lowland areas such as deserts or juniper forests. Some private ranches also are home to elk due to less hunting pressures.

Unfortunately, the majority of us hunt on national forest land where elk are the hardest to come by. It is easy to spend a week hunting in prime territory and never see an elk once. They are experts at giving you the slip in the heavy woods referred to as 'black' timber.

There are some hunters that almost always get their bull each year. Getting at least three elk every five years requires you get as far away from any roads as possible. Some hunters go on foot and some employ horses. A horse can carry you well off of main roads in a short time with little physical effort on your part. Hiking, however, requires multi-day treks and elaborate extra gear. Scout out every location that could provide cover and security to these animals. Many studies have confirmed that elk prefer to stay as far from human trafficked areas as they can. It is also true that most hunters never venture more then a half-mile from the roads they came in on. Do your best to get away from the competition.

The reasons for this are that many hunters are simply out of shape and physically unable to make the required journey. Others are afraid of getting lost. And the rest will not have the means to retrieve the elk out of the deep woods over the long distance. All of these problems can be overcome with some effort on your part.

Work out and get yourself in physical shape. Become familiar with camping techniques and get yourself comfortable in the deep woods. Purchase a GPS unit and learn to read a backup map and compass. There are local packers that are available for hire if you do not think you can manage getting your elk out of the woods by yourself.

Understand elk behavior
Many hunters have no understanding of elk vocalizations or how to use bull and cow calls. Bugles are only effective during the rut, which normally happens in September and early October. On the other hand, a cow call can be effective almost any time.

Migration patterns are also commonly misunderstood. Most elk travel long distances between their summer and winter ranges. Most elk won't venture within two miles of a highway before the deep snow falls in the high country.

Daily travel of elk is also usually misunderstood. All night long elk will feed, from the late afternoon until the very early morning. In places where there is no hunting, this is the standard behavior. Putting hunters into the environment will alter their habits, however. Often, they will drift into the timberlines in the hazy grey light long before the sunrise. Competent hunters will also find themselves a high vantage point in the dark, long before shooting light. At the least, position yourself near a meadow, clear-cut, or old burn where tracks are evident. If you don't catch your elk in this time while they are in their open feeding areas, you have blown the whole day's hunt. It wont be until late afternoon until the elk will again begin to move from their bedding areas back into open foraging areas. The only available choice during the day is to get into the timber and hope to stumble on an elk. This is one of the most difficult hunting situations out there and unlikely to yield results. Your quarry will be under heavy cover where it is next to impossible to get close to a bedded animal.

Wait until dark
Watching a feeding spot during the day is one of the biggest mistakes a hunter can make. Elk will not head for these areas until night is falling. Most of these hunters are so eager to get out of the woods before night falls that they miss the last few minutes of shooting light when the elk are on the move. This situation presents it's own problems and should be avoided if possible.

First, in the failing light, locating a mortally hit elk that has run off into the timber can cause you much trouble and wasted time. Second, it will force you to field-dress your elk in the dark. Third, you will be stuck finding your way back out of the deep woods in the middle of the night.

These factors make a successful elk hunt one of the most demanding tasks you can take on. You can either face it and even up your odds of success, or ignore it and go home empty handed. It happens to 80 percent of us each year.