Elk hunting

[the blur]

I want to move up to Elk hunting.   All I see on the internet are managed hunts.  Seems to be a 10 sq mile fenced in thing.    I like fair chase, but I heard the success rate for Elk is close to zero.

 

Has anyone gone Elk hunting ?

[biggamefish]

  If you do your research you can get into some good spots out west that are on public lands.  They say bowhunting is the way to go.  The elk are not pressured as much.  There are some outfitters that hunt off of public land and they have options from fully guided to here is the camp and we heard elk over in that direction.

[pistolp71]

Well you obviously didn't look that hard. The majority of elk outfitters are fair chase. Hundreds of them. And success rates are not close to zero. All depends where. I went to Wyoming last year and missed a nice bull with the bow. I'm booked to go to New Mexico next year. It's not cheap though.

[the blur]

Please tell us about it.  I don't expect cheap, especially with all the travel involved.   I would do rifle only.   Reading about it, I'm figuring $5k

[WesternNY]

I am going in 2015 on a Montana Wilderness elk hunt....  horse back 8 hours to the tent camp.   Success rate varies, but on average just under 50%.   Friends I am going with have hunted with this outfitter before and I got a chance to meet him.

 

Hunt is 4k, flight 900  tags 750 to 900 depending on if you want just elk or mule too, tips and incidentals another 750 to 1K.

 

Then add if you are successful getting the meat home and taxidermy bill.   I view this as a hunt, but as an adventure.

 

[d-bone20917]

You can go for well under $2k if you skip the guide and much cheaper then that if you go with a group and split the gas.  There is a ton of public land out west.  Just do your research buy a tag and go hunt.  It doesn't hurt to start accumulating preference and bonus points either if you plant to hunt DIY someday.  Four of us went out to Colorado this year for archery elk and had a blast.  We had a couple good chances at nice bulls but didn't end up getting anything.  With tags, food, and travel it was around $1300 each.  I made some gear upgrades before I went which cost a little bit, but those were one time purchases.  

[d-bone20917]

If you are interested in Colorado check out the DOW website.  They have a ton of good elk hunting information on their website.  

[phade]

I love and fear the desire to go elk hunting.

 

I really want to do it and see the west and get the experience. I fear doing it and having to come back and have whitetail hunting ruined for me forever. Darn near any hardcore bowhunter I know who has went west after elk say it ruins the deer hunting for them. And, it's not cheap getting west, no matter how "cheap" you are.

[the blur]

Most of our hunting party is 60 yo plus.  So 8 hours in on horse is not happening.  That's why we need a guide, who will handle the heavy work.

[Tarheelsaint]

New poster to the site been reading posts for over a year.  Just wanted to share I did an elk hunt in 2011 in Southwest Colorado, high country, 8 hour horse ride into a base camp at 11,000.  We spent 5 days hunting and we found the only guys who had chances were those that could travel even higher (shot my elk around 12,000).  We used an outfitter and he supplied everything, it was really hard core but a great experience.  There were 8 hunters in camp (4 in my group) and 2 of the others were in their late 60's.  Out of 8 hunters 3 of us got elk with one person missing.  I would suggest checking out Colorado for your first hunt, we did ALOT of research and decided on our outfitter.  He was not a warm and fuzzy guy but he knew how to hunt elk.  I would do it again. The horse ride was not as bad as i thought it was going to be, lots of stops if needed and the horses and mules that towed your gear were easy to work with.  Would be happy to answer any questions if you have them..

[pistolp71]

The Wyoming hunt was $4k plus $1k for tags. Wilderness horseback hunt, tent camp. 8-10k elevation archery hunt. The New Mexico hunt will be $6k lower elevation and a lodge and a rifle hunt. Make sure your cardio is good for the high country hunts.

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[Nomad]

Couple guys from work drove to Colorado for elk in bow season,shot a nice bull.

DIY hunt.

Friend in Montana gets nice bulls with his bow,again public land DIY hunt.

Certainly doable with right research . I spent way under 2 k to go to Montana and whack a mullie.

Here a pic.of buddy's last elk in Montana

[BizCT]

You should be able to find a guide with decent success rates for around $5K. Everything is negotiable. I've thought many times about an Elk, but they take up a bunch of space. My dad got a nice 5x5 in the 90's for like $2K with a guide on public land.

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[Terry]

I am a DIY guy and am considering either a elk or mulie hunt sometime soon. From the research I have done, success with a DIY hunt is very possible if your willing to do the research and get off the road.

[Pygmy]

I have done 5 elk hunts, all DIY...

 

Four were bowhunts, and I missed one bull and killed one cow. The other was a MZ hunt, and I killed a 6x6 bull..

 

There are many hunts  available, from private land truck hunts to wilderness horseback hunts..

 

I would suggest contacting a booking agent and  telling them what kind of a hunt you are interested in and how much you can afford to spend..

 

PM me if you want... I have used a booking agent for a number of hunts and they have done a good job..I'll gladly share the info.

 

 

[BizCT]

Also try googling "rifle elk hunts $5,000", etc. Ask lots of questions, then Google the outfitting company, the actual outfitters name, etc. By the time I go on a hunt, I can usually tell him his kids names, how many yards he has rushing senior year in football, etc. It's amazing what u can find on the internet.

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[ATbuckhunter]

You could go with outfitters or you could go the DIY route and pick some public land and knock your self out. I would probably go with the DIY my self because i have a funny thing about paying to hunt or fish(besides licencing). 

[Adkhunter1590]

If you've never been out west or hunted elk before I suggest you go with a guide your first time. The backcountry can be a dangerous place and a newbie to the area can quickly become turned around and or get hurt and not know what to do or where to go. By going with a guide you can relax more and enjoy more of the hunt itself without having to worry about getting lost or anything like that. I guided out west and had a lot of guys who ended up doing DIY hunts just because they wanted a more rugged experience and wanted that satisfaction of doing it on their own. But they all agreed that coming out with a guide their first time was a big help and they used it as a learning experience. Either way good luck in your adventure. Have a good time no matter where you go. The west is a totally different world and the scenery is breathtaking!

[azhuntress]

My husband booked a trip through Cabela's.  He went to AZ in 2007 and had a guide named Matt Shimberg.  The hunt cost $6,000.  He drew a tag on his first try, which is extremely unusual.  The elk was a monster 6 x 6 and scored a whopping 416.  Matt knew that bull was there and told my husband not to shoot at any of the smaller  bulls.  My husband thought he was crazy for telling him not to shoot but he sure was happy after he was able to connect with the big bull.