Elk Hunts

[Five Seasons]

I would like to start researching and looking into an elk hunt for my dad and I. I don't really have any idea where to start. Still not even sure about bow or gun but want to start looking into it. This trip would not be anytime soon, but i want to start "planning".

any advice? 

[moog5050]

3 minutes ago, Belo said:

I would like to start researching and looking into an elk hunt for my dad and I. I don't really have any idea where to start. Still not even sure about bow or gun but want to start looking into it. This trip would not be anytime soon, but i want to start "planning".

any advice? 

Enter the PA lottery.  Some NY Hunter was actually drawn twice.  

[Five Seasons]

4 minutes ago, moog5050 said:

Enter the PA lottery.  Some NY Hunter was actually drawn twice.  

why chance of success is there though? I was thinking more like a western outfitter. guided. 

[moog5050]

6 minutes ago, Belo said:

why chance of success is there though? I was thinking more like a western outfitter. guided. 

I was kidding.  That guy was hit by lightening twice (while hiding in a cave).   Odds are very low.  

[tarheel95]

I have zero experience elk hunting or hunting out west so take this with a grain of salt. I have been binge watching Fresh Tracks with Randy Newberg. He seems to make it look like it’s possible, with a lot of up front work, to draw a tag and hunt public lands self guided out there. It has got me thinking at least. If it’s up your alley and haven’t watched it, take a look at the seasons he has out there. Has a lot of good advice for people that might be interested in a self guided public land hunt.

 

 

Edit: I have a Steve Rinella book that gives the likelihood of drawing an out of state tag by species and state. If I can find it I will post it as some additional info.

 

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[moog5050]

I have debated the self guided hunt before. Very doable in CO for example.  But let’s say it costs $3-4l and 10days to go self guided and $8k and 7 days on a guided hunt in a top notch area.  I think I would opt for the latter.  Different story if I planned to hunt out of state elk regularly.  But if you are going to be limited to a few trips in your life,  I will pay more for better odds.  

[hunter49]

  Is there such a thing as an easy elk hunt for older guys?  I have seen a  "Real Tree"  (Bill Jordan) show where they hunt elk from tree stands.

[Just Lucky]

Nebraska in the northwest if you can.  Thats where I would try if I was looking into it.

[Five Seasons]

19 hours ago, tarheel95 said:

I have zero experience elk hunting or hunting out west so take this with a grain of salt. I have been binge watching Fresh Tracks with Randy Newberg. He seems to make it look like it’s possible, with a lot of up front work, to draw a tag and hunt public lands self guided out there. It has got me thinking at least. If it’s up your alley and haven’t watched it, take a look at the seasons he has out there. Has a lot of good advice for people that might be interested in a self guided public land hunt.

 

 

Edit: I have a Steve Rinella book that gives the likelihood of drawing an out of state tag by species and state. If I can find it I will post it as some additional info.

 

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i dont think my dad and i can do it the randy way, i've watched quite a few of his shows and would love to do it that way, but just not sure. That lottery info would be handy thanks. 

[607 HUNTER]

Locate a state you would like to go to first. Different areas in states or seasons require different amounts of preference points. 

I did my research and decided on a DIY state land rifle hunt in Vail Colorado in 2019. I will have 2 preference points for Elk and mule deer. In Colorado applications need to be in by April 3rd, I would recommend trying to decide your state and putting in for presence points this year. In Colorado I had to pay about $800 for both tags,  the state kept around $80 and sent me the rest back in late summer. 

[nyslowhand]

Not sure of your dad's age, but when I was in my late 50s/early 60s I was thinking of an elk hunt. Never followed-up on that dream, but had really considered New Mexico, due mainly to the "milder" terrain. My theory was NOT to be able to drive up, shot an elk, load it into an ATV/truck and be done,  just did NOT want some test of my endurance while still being able to enjoy the experience. FYI - Some of those Colorado hunts look physically brutal demanding!!!

IRC, when I was researching I'd seen some states &/or zones within states required guides. Even saw some situations where guides actually had tags they had available for customers. This was 10-12yrs ago, so not sure if this is still the case??

[Pygmy]

There are lots of ranch hunts (and others)  available for older folks and folks who are limited physically...

Many of them have very high success rates also, as long as you are just looking for an average bull and not too hung up on B&C class animals....

My advice is to contact some booking agents...They  get their money from the outfitters by drumming up business for them and the good ones will work with you  to find a hunt in your price and ability range, and help you with tags and other details..

 

[peepsight]

Buddy of mine took his 85 yr. old father to Colorado a few years ago and his dad scored. Since your just now in the planning stage, I would suggest going to the Great American Outdoor show next year in Harrisburg, Pa. There are so many outfitters there from so many states that you can meet and talk to. It will at least give you an idea of how to start. And if you think about it ... your going to stay with the guy and be hunting with him or one of his guides. Wouldn't it be nice to get to know how they do things and face to face is still the best way. No matter where you go it's an investment. (Guide, License, Travel expense, etc). Your right to research it way ahead.

[tommyc50]

belo did you go to the hunting and fishing show in harrisburg?  i went yesterday [saturday]. there was a load of of outfitters for elk hunts even the penn. game commission  was there with pamphlets on elk in penn.There was outfitters and guides from every where colorado,montana[very very expensive ]utah. ect....And believe it or not some were very reasonable . I'LL  post some that i took lititure from the show and outfitters i talk to[ im a social butterfly i talk to everybody]. the show in rockland cty coming up too but its nothing compared to harrisburg

[BKhunter]

I went on my first one this year. It all depend on if you want to go do it yourself or guided. I would head over to www.Rokslide.com. It's an awesome resource. I would up doing a 1 week long solo back pack hunt with my box in Colorado. What a tough hunt but also an awesome experience. No matter which route you want to go, Rokslide is hands down in my opinion the best western hunting form out there. Tons of useful info and the forum is awesome. Elk hunting is tough hunting though, especially DIY. I struck out but can't wait to go again. 

[tarheel95]

i dont think my dad and i can do it the randy way, i've watched quite a few of his shows and would love to do it that way, but just not sure. That lottery info would be handy thanks. 

This is what I found in various books for info to get started. I know rinella put out a list some place on draw likelihood, but I can't put my hands on it. Hope this helps and if I find anything more I will post.

Moog's right, if this is once in a lifetime and your happiness is contingent on getting an elk, probably worth the money on an outfitter. Randy comes home without punching a tag a lot. Ironically, sometimes he seems happier when he doesn't punch a tag. Probably because he doesn't have to pack out an elk.

Good luck.

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[Doc]

Do it yourself hunts are much more satisfying to me, but they don't come with any guarantees. We did a DIY moose hunt way up in northern Ontario Canada, and it took us two years to get a moose. Yes that brought the total price up pretty good, but we didn't have anyone doing all the actual hunting for us and telling us step by step what to do. There are pros and cons to guided hunts vs. DIY. But it is just another thing to investigate and decide on.

[wolc123]

I am sure things have changed in the many years since my last elk hunt, when a CO elk tag could be purchased over the counter at a grocery store for $275 and a mule deer tag was $125.   One thing that has probably not changed is the way that the weather affects them.   When it is warm, they will be up high in the "dark timber", and difficult to get to and to retrieve when you kill one.   When the cold weather sets in, they move down lower and are easier to find.   A good outfitter will adjust for this based on the current conditions when you are there.   Weather conditions are a bigger concern for the do-it-yourselfers.   I had to settle for a foul-tasting mule deer on my last do-it-yourself hunt because it was too warm for the elk to come down over the week we were out there (mule deer come down quicker than the elk).   It tasted so bad, compared to a NY whitetail, that I would never consider killing another.  By contrast, all of the CO elk that I have eaten over the years has been equal to or better tasting than an average NY whitetail (a corn-fed whitetail button buck still trumps it though).   

If you want to hunt CO, you may still need your original hunter safety training certificate, and not just an old out of state licence, in order to purchase your tags.  We all needed ours back then.  My buddy could not locate his and had to jump thru some hoops to get a replacement.   We found relatively cheap lodging, getting "pre-season" rates at a Steamboat Springs ski resort.   There was lots of public land around there.   We did have to be careful on borders because they do not use posted signs out there like they do here in NY.   You had to know where you were when you were hunting.   Also, it is very important to be in very good physical condition, if you do it yourself.  That is something you and your dad should start working on now, even if you do not plan on hunting for a few more years.   Getting to where the elk are is tough, but getting the meat out is tougher still.  There is some very nice scenery out there, almost equal to what we have up in the Adirondacks.  Once I figured out how to kill whitetail consistently up there, I lost all my desire for another western hunt.           

[Five Seasons]

On 2/11/2018 at 12:59 AM, Pygmy said:

There are lots of ranch hunts (and others)  available for older folks and folks who are limited physically...

Many of them have very high success rates also, as long as you are just looking for an average bull and not too hung up on B&C class animals....

My advice is to contact some booking agents...They  get their money from the outfitters by drumming up business for them and the good ones will work with you  to find a hunt in your price and ability range, and help you with tags and other details..

 

dad and I are both in good shape, in his early 60's but still regularly at the gym with no real limitations... which is why the sooner the better I think. I'd like something that's not "DIY hike all over the world" but not one that doesn't feel like we earned it either.

[nyslowhand]

BTW - There may be a major difference between a Yankee, flat-lander being in good shape and being capable of enduring those Rocky Mtn, high altitude treks!??! You've got a great plan and like you mentioned.. the sooner the better before you regret not doing it!

[Five Seasons]

9 hours ago, nyslowhand said:

BTW - There may be a major difference between a Yankee, flat-lander being in good shape and being capable of enduring those Rocky Mtn, high altitude treks!??! You've got a great plan and like you mentioned.. the sooner the better before you regret not doing it!

haha neither of us are in rocky mountain shape. Just saying that we don't need a four wheeler to drop us off to a spot where we can just kill something. No fun in that anyhow. We've crossed off all the low peaks and some of the adirondack high peaks so at least there's a start! haha.

[BizCT]

Get over to Bowsite, you’ll get a ton of really good info.

You might want to start buying pts. I have 4 or 5 for elk in Wyoming. I spend $50 each year so when I do decide to hunt I can draw a decent tag.

Tons of options out there. You don’t have to spend $10K if you are ok just shooting a respectable Bull. There are even some places where you just pay under $3K for lodging and land access and can do it yourself.

Feel free to PM me.


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[StevieSacs]

Hey Man,

 

PM me and I can give you some good info.  I went on my first ever Elk hunt this year in Idaho.  OTC tag and hunted with M2D Camo properties.  The owner Sparky is a great guy and put me on elk every day.  I ended up shooting a cow on my last day and took home a ton of awesome meat.