The Elk Thread

[GLM]

I am gearing up for Colorado Elk hunt this October and have a question for you veterans about getting in shape for it. Will swimming for 30 minutes 3-4 times a week get me in enough shape? Or should I be doing other exercises as well?

Get on a treadmill on high incline or a Stair-master and really push yourself. You will be climbing mountains in high altitude with no oxygen.

[El General]

Also, walk with a pack starting about 25 lbs or do the above exercises with the same pack. Having a pack works muscles that don't get worked otherwise.

[Bill]

Do bleacher climbs up and down at a local high school. Then add your pack, and next load it up with gallon milk bottles filled with water.

You need to work out until your quads (front of thighs) burn.


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[Tsnow]

Thanks for the great advise!

[justletmein]

Put in a measly 4 miles on Saturday but got up above the treeline and took a look around. Amazing to me there's still 6' deep snow drifts up there in mid-July. Think I found some moose tracks, some unidentified poo, and a ten metric ****tons of mosquitos.

What type of stuff do yall look for in July? Obviously the animals are probably in completely different areas right now.

[wytex]

Maybe old rub lines from last fall. Good grassy areas within timbered areas, they are feeding grounds.
Cow and calves are alone right now and bulls are in bachelor groups, away from those mosquitoes. They like breezy ridges that keep the bugs down, north facing.
Moose tracks are larger and more rounded than elk tracks. Moose poop looks like the little chocolate footballs that are wrapped in foil , without the foil obviously, bigger than elk. Bear poop looks like people poop somewhat. Plenty of bears where you were. Lots of moose also where you were.
Sorry lots of snow still up higher, we had a nice snow storm in June. Mosquitoes will be gone by Oct, maybe Sept with a cold snap.
Elk will be there come fall.

[Bill]

Places you can shoot an animal and there are fire roads below you so humping out the meat is downhill.




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[wytex]

Places you can shoot an animal and there are fire roads below you so humping out the meat is downhill.




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Great advice !

[justletmein]

Yes perfect why didn't I think of that LOL.

Thanks WyTex!

[Bill]

My reply was somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but something an experienced elk hunter in Oregon told me once. He said if you can hunt above or below a road in the national forest- set up and call above it.

Something to think about, anyway.


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[wytex]

We usually have a couple of spots picked out to hunt from camp, when I get to choose which spot we hunt that day it is the area we go uphill in the morning and back down to camp in the evening.

[justletmein]

It's definitely sound advice to traverse uphill to start. I'd much rather pack out downhill or at least overall more so down than up at least.

[Bill]

Last summer we hunted large drainages off a plateau in Montana. It meant hiking out, uphill, through the pines, in the dark in griz and wolf territory. Then packing out a boned elk in multiple trips. Did I say mountain lions, too?

I did an hour of hill climbs and shot my bow this am and weights at the Y this afternoon.

Still undecided if I’m getting a 10mm. Since I can get a concealed carry permit (finally after leaving CA) I’m thinking a G29.




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[Patton]

What geographical areas or feautures do y’all focus on during wetter years like this year? I always hear, ‘on dry years, blah blah blah’. But what about wet years? Certainly expect the elk to be more spread out with the availability of food and water but is the main focus still north facing slopes/benches?

[wytex]

Elk will be everywhere this fall, where numbers are good.
Hard to pinpoint a wallow when it's wet, they will wallow a puddle since they're everywhere as well.
Good grassy areas are what I would look for later, during the season.
When we start getting colder weather I think they move down a bit when the grass starts frosting up higher.
Good chance things will dry out end of summer.
This time of the year they are avoiding the heat and bugs.
When it's this green they will feed everywhere but still have their bedding spots from past years, thick timbered areas usually north facing. Hunt the travel areas to the bedding.
Some good ways to pinpoint elk movement is get up in the night at camp and listen to the elk talk and which way they are moving during the night and very early before sunrise. Full moon or not they will,bugle at night when the rut is going strong.

Good luck Bill, grizz country is a whole different ballgame. Not for me, lol.