Why Most Archery Public Land DIY OTC Elk Hunts End Up......

[Stoof]

Here is my big take aways from my first trip out after elk.

1. Elk are loud in the woods. So you can be too. When your off the trail and busting brush there is no need to go all ninja. If you crack a large limb on accident send out a cow call.
2. If you start talking to cows, mimic their calls. Move towards them and break some brush along the way.
3. Bow hunting is easier in pairs. Caller and shooter. If your getting into elk the caller should drop back aways behind the shooter and not be afraid to move laterally to steer elk in.
4. Pay attention to the thermals in the mountains. They shift as it heats up and cools down and they often swirl as the shift happens.

I know this stuff is old hat to the experienced but sometime you gotta learn the hard way and when your used to shooting whitetails in Texas you gotta un learn some stuff.

[Arrowsmith]

This was to be the year for my first lesson. Harvey occurred and I volunteered to respond. While I missed out on an opportunity to learn about elk hunting, I witness a lot of human generosity/compassion that has helped restore some of my faith in humanity... If I had to do it over again, I would volunteer again and hope for an opportunity to assist folks in need.

Having stated this, I am already planning for next year, taking notes and will be asking a lot of questions. Hopefully more experianced hunters will share their experiances and insight. Here are a couple of questions that come to mind just from reading the original post:

1) Is it best to hunt the start of bow season or towards the end?? I ask due to my curiosity as to whether everyone shows up the first week or even a week prior putting all of the elk on edge and on the move. Would hunting the latter part of the season allow for less pressure and elk to have settled in to less movement??

2) I understand the concept of getting far away from the roads. I am however concerned that when I defy the odd and kill an elk I will be hard pressed to perserve the meat?? This also plays a bit in the hunting later on during the season as I imaging temps would be cooler. Some of you experianced hunters please in part and or share your wisdom...

Big thanks to the OP and the fellas that have added information...

If I could I would stay the whole season. There are days when the daylight elk movement is better than others. On most days the elk are usually bedded down by 9:00 to 10:00 am and don't get back up until right before dark. This is more true early in the season. As the rut heats up they may be on their feet a little later in the am and earlier in the pm.

With this being said.....I like to go the last week on the season. Its normally cooler and the elk are normally talking more. Note I said "normally". Some years it is still hot late into the season and some years the elk do not starting talking good until after October 1st. If the elk aren't talking it makes them even harder to find and to hunt.

As far as getting the meat out of the woods.....When you get one down way back in get it quartered up and hang the quarters if possible. It will cool faster and hopefully keep any critters from getting it. Take the back straps and tenderloins out on the first trip. Make as many trips as needed to pack it out. I know some guys that have made prior arrangements with locals with horses to pack out meat if they killed. If you ask around the towns near your hunting area you will be able to get some pack out contacts. Sometimes they are outfitters and sometimes they are guys that have horses and specialize in packing hunters and meat in and out of wilderness areas.

This can also happen late in the season. Especially at 11,000 ft.

[Jamesl]

That pretty much sums it up. We don't go with the expectation of killing an elk on public land. That doesn't mean we half *** it either. We hunt hard and have fun. If you just have to kill an elk to have an enjoyable hunt, then I would highly recommend not going public land elk hunting.

[Dusty Britches]

This phrase comes to mind:

This is not hunting, this is heavily armed hiking.

[LWC]

DIY public land hunting is tough. Can't wait to see those mountains though.

[Shake N' Bake]

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[Larry L]

Just returned from Colorado DIY. Great experience but tag sandwich is yucky !!!!

[Arrowsmith]

I posted this one year ago today. I think it has some good info so I brought it back up. If you have ever done a DIY OTC elk hunt you have probably experienced some or all of what I mentioned above.

If you were able to bring home an archery DIY OTC elk this year congratulations. If you were not successful do not feel alone. About 90% of your fellow hunters are in the same boat. To put it in perspective about 900 hunters out of 1000 DIY OTC archery elk hunters partake in tag soup. Closing the deal on any elk takes relentless pursuit, calling skill (sometimes), shooting skill (every time), and a good measure of of luck.

If you were not successful in killing an elk you still got to enjoy the mountains. Most everyone has a few sightings and close encounters which is always exciting. Most importantly great memories with great friends were made.

[tradtiger]

As one considering such a hunt, the info in this thread feels realistic and almost daunting. Yet we can glean hope from using some of these insights and strategies mentioned. Thanks for sharing the experience. Probably could knock a few more percentage points off the success rate for using trad archery equipment.

To quote Dumb and Dumber: "So, you're sayin' there's a chance...."

[slicktricker]

All good info and truer words couldn't have been spoken Elk hunting is HARD! The payoff in the end is what I'm looking for and why I keep going back.

[flywise]

I have hunted the Nat. Forest of Colorado and NM 24 times in the last 30 years and have 4 mile deer and 0 elk to show for it. Been really close several times on elk but no dice. I tell anyone who is interested that these hunts are indeed hunts. They can be expensive but no more expensive than any other type of out of state vacation and as far as I'm concerned worth every single penny I spend.

[wytex]

Interesting thread. I wish you all had the time and PP to come hunt Wyoming. With most tags valid for both archery and rifle your season is extended. You'll need the time to make it happen though.
We have a very good LQ public land tag and are looking forward to the rest of archery season and opening day of rifle, which is Oct 1.
A very good friend has hunted this area many times, us only 3 times. We've taken 3 bulls from the area. He said the elk are vastly easier to call the first week of Sept. The elk are not gathering harems yet and respond better than bulls with cows. We have always avoided early Sept hunting because of Labor Day weekend and the campers it brings out. Next year we're going first week to see for ourselves if it pays off.

Getting to know an area by hunting it several times is a great advantage if it's good elk country. Most spots here you can't get anywhere close to 5 miles from a road and yet elk are still taken. They know travel routes people take and actually just skirt around them, many elk are seen and taken near camps and roads by hunters that use pressure their advantage. It has worked out sparingly for me though.

One thing about Colorado and OTC, yes the tags are easy to get and yes Colorado has the most elk of any state. They also have many more hunters in the field at any given time too.
I am impressed by the success some of you guys have with those OTC tags.

Don't give up and every trip is a learning experience. Grabbing some extra tags if possible helps with the elk let down of tag soup, game birds, bears etc.
Go with realistic expectations. Get to know an area, hunt where the elk are, that seems like a silly comment but not all elk habitat is equal, and go have fun.
Cow tags are cheaper and imo taste much better than bulls, look into a cow hunt as a learning experience. An outfitter drop camp is a great idea if you can swing it, get a group together to offset some of the cost.

Having a bull bugling his head off at a sort distance whether or not he gives you a shot is something all should get to experience. It is thrilling to say the least.

Good luck guys I hope at least some of you connect this fall, and I know you will.

[Arrowsmith]

Interesting thread. I wish you all had the time and PP to come hunt Wyoming. With most tags valid for both archery and rifle your season is extended. You'll need the time to make it happen though.
We have a very good LQ public land tag and are looking forward to the rest of archery season and opening day of rifle, which is Oct 1.
A very good friend has hunted this area many times, us only 3 times. We've taken 3 bulls from the area. He said the elk are vastly easier to call the first week of Sept. The elk are not gathering harems yet and respond better than bulls with cows. We have always avoided early Sept hunting because of Labor Day weekend and the campers it brings out. Next year we're going first week to see for ourselves if it pays off.

Getting to know an area by hunting it several times is a great advantage if it's good elk country. Most spots here you can't get anywhere close to 5 miles from a road and yet elk are still taken. They know travel routes people take and actually just skirt around them, many elk are seen and taken near camps and roads by hunters that use pressure their advantage. It has worked out sparingly for me though.

One thing about Colorado and OTC, yes the tags are easy to get and yes Colorado has the most elk of any state. They also have many more hunters in the field at any given time too.
I am impressed by the success some of you guys have with those OTC tags.

Don't give up and every trip is a learning experience. Grabbing some extra tags if possible helps with the elk let down of tag soup, game birds, bears etc.
Go with realistic expectations. Get to know an area, hunt where the elk are, that seems like a silly comment but not all elk habitat is equal, and go have fun.
Cow tags are cheaper and imo taste much better than bulls, look into a cow hunt as a learning experience. An outfitter drop camp is a great idea if you can swing it, get a group together to offset some of the cost.

Having a bull bugling his head off at a sort distance whether or not he gives you a shot is something all should get to experience. It is thrilling to say the least.

Good luck guys I hope at least some of you connect this fall, and I know you will.

Great information. I have two Wyoming preference points. I am not sure where I am going yet. What do you know about the Medicine Bow National Forest?

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[Michael]

I posted this one year ago today. I think it has some good info so I brought it back up. If you have ever done a DIY OTC elk hunt you have probably experienced some or all of what I mentioned above.

If you were able to bring home an archery DIY OTC elk this year congratulations. If you were not successful do not feel alone. About 90% of your fellow hunters are in the same boat. To put it in perspective about 900 hunters out of 1000 DIY OTC archery elk hunters partake in tag soup. Closing the deal on any elk takes relentless pursuit, calling skill (sometimes), shooting skill (every time), and a good measure of of luck.

If you were not successful in killing an elk you still got to enjoy the mountains. Most everyone has a few sightings and close encounters which is always exciting. Most importantly great memories with great friends were made.

I wish you would have posted this a few weeks earlier...I might have stayed home and saved some money!

LOL! I went in with reasonable expectations on what defined "success", knowing the odds of packing out meat weren't in my favor. It won't stop me from trying again next year. Great post, Mike!

[MQ32Shooter]

I read your post. Great recap of your hunt. Been there, done that. No one will believe how hard it is until you have done it. You gained some hard earned and valuable experience. Keep after them!!!! Here is a picture from one of my pack in hunts in the Lizard Head Wilderness. Our camp was at 11,250 ft.
[ATTACH]873411[/ATTACH]

I couldn't breath at 11,250!