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Well,
We leave in 4 weeks for muzzleloader elk, colorado gmu 62 diy public land.
So you expirenced elk hunters, what would be your #1 tip/advise to a novice elk hunter.
This will be my 4th attempt, 2 bow 1 muzzleloader.
I am 0 for 3.
I should be 1 for 3, but thats another story.
Thanks in advance.
Don't go tramping through bedding areas. I've hunted with a lot of people who have seen bulls or a herd go into the timber to bed for the day and they all thought that they could sneak in on them while bedded. It always ended the same with the elk running for a couple miles. They usually never did see the elk, only heard them crashing through the timber.
Stay downwind; elk have great smell. Are you good at calling? Cow call best for the novice (me). Finally got my first bull last year and headed back to Craig this Nov. Good luck, be safe, have fun.
What CharlieNC said, True Dat! Get a bottle of the powder type of the powder type squirt bottle wind detectors and use it, like all the time.
Try not to really pressure the elk (this can be difficult on public ground) - they aren't like deer that run 400 yards to cover and settle down- when pressured, the whole heard may relocate 6-7 miles away. That being said, if you aren't seeing elk or fresh elk sign, YOU need to relocate to where the elk are.
Elevation is your friend, gain it in the morning and give it up grudgingly. You can go downhill or sideslope faster than you can uphill, so if you have to move to get in front of a herd, you're generally better being above them than below them.
Elkbane
And if you strike out this time, you may want to rethink your general strategy. I'm 9 for 12 on elk (but one year I shot 2 so really 10/12 - the first one was finished off and claimed by a poacher/trespasser and I wasn't willing to get in an armed conflict over a shot-up elk). If you have the ability to camp/guide yourself, it may be worthwhile to pay a landowner a trespass fee and hunt private land. That's what we generally do and our group usually tags out at a 50% success rate.
I am 0-2, so take my words with a grain of salt or your fav condiment.
Elk hunting in CO is way way over rated, check the DNR harvest yields BEFORE picking your unit, your advantage is muzzleloader season.
practice calling.
go there a few days prior and place yourself way ahead of the "herd of hunters" before season starts.
Tough to give a lot of advice as each area is different and it depends on the pressures etc there as well. Generally I see the novice trying to force things to happen.
Some things are a given but here a few tips:
-be patient, think about your movements, have a plan.
-hunting bedding areas is for experts and if you screw it up, they are gone. So I agree, stay out.
-move slow, listen a lot, call quitely and NOT often.
-bugle to locate, cow call to move in.
-FACT: if you make a noise an elk will know where you are within a few feet, like a GPS. It's incredible.
-elk are shy to sight and smell, and less to noise.
-cow calling is not just simply making noise. You really need to learn the language. If you call, do it softly, and pause for periods of time and listen.
- If you suck at bugling, don't rely on it. You can get elk to respond but usually they will not be interested and learn more about you then you do them. Films make it look easy and cool, but it is much harder to use correctly.
I could go on and on. Last year in September I called in 25 bulls to bow range. That means 65 yards or less with an opportunity to shoot. Of all the bulls I hunted 3 were shooters for me. All over 360" and I could not get it done. I love bow hunting and don't care if I kill or not. Just love the challenge and thrill of it. I hunt the 3-4 stages of the rut process in September and vary my tactics. I am no expert and I make a lot of mistakes but that is why it is called hunting and not killing.