Elk Hunting Articles
Weather's Role in Hunting
Weather conditions play a big role in where animals will be at a particular time of day. Sounds simple doesn't it? Weather conditions force wildlife to develop habit patterns to deal with existing weather. Deer seek relief from summer heat and winter cold that is outside their normal comfort range. During the extreme heat of summer animals take refuge in shaded areas to escape the heat. The animal still experiences heat, but at a lower temperature than if he was standing in direct sunlight. Ambient or prevailing conditions are measured in degrees of thermal heat.
Triple Sixes: Do-It-Yourself Colorado Hunt
Six bulls, six bucks in six days, a successful Colorado do-it-yourself hunt on a budget! New York State residents, Dan and Janet Wescott, had been hunting together almost as long as they had been married. They had been on both guided hunts and do-it-yourself hunts and the results from the guided hunts were impressive and are mounted in their living room. The do-it-yourself hunts on public land turned out to be unimpressive and more times than not they returned home tired and empty handed. It wasn't from a lack of hunting skill.
Hunting Preparations That Help Insure Post-Kill Success
Typical hunters spend months in preparation for that moment when a coveted big game animal is in their sights. Many of these same hunters, however, give little thought to what they will need to do after they have killed a dream animal. That's unfortunate, because what happens after the kill can determine whether a hunt becomes a cherished lifetime memory or a recurring nightmare. The list of potential problems that can occur after an animal is down is nearly limitless.
Horse Trails & Elk Tales
Do-it-yourself horseback hunt for elk in the vast and remote Muskwa-Kechika wilderness in northern British Columbia. Pitching camps along the way, saddling and packing the horses, crossing rivers and mountain passes, bugling and calling elk, protecting the venison from marauding grizzlies, and then making our way back along uncertain trails back to civilization.
Archery Elk Hunt: A Chase to the End
Jesse Raddon grew up in a family with a long tradition of taking trophy animals that made the record books. Evidently, it was within his genetic makeup to continue the tradition and at just 18 years old there were few hunters twice his age that had experienced anywhere close to a similar number of hours in the field. Part of the legacy is due to family tradition; one member would hunt while the others guide, scout, and assist. Black powder and archery were the family weapons of choice and when hunting elk that meant they would be afield during the rut.
Elk Hunting: Patience, Patience, Patience...
After ten years of being patient my quest for an elk began to require more persistence than patience but with any luck persistence, patience and preparation would finally come together this fall. Those are the positive thoughts that an archery elk hunter's dreams are made of. Luckily for the dreaming elk hunter, the Colorado Archery season is positioned on the calendar to coincide with the time that a bull elk's hormones change from 'hanging out with the boys' to solo aggression.
The Adrenal Gland
Lots of big elk owe their continued existence to a small piece of human tissue, the adrenal gland.  Our guide takes us through a week of archery hunting where adrenalin overload causes a number of misadventures for his hunter. Although the elk are plentiful and respond without hesitation to cow calls, our hunter's reaction to the big bulls that come way too close, ranges from pure, muscle locking paralysis to a black out caused when a fire breathing bull comes storming into close range.  Hunting experience and shooting skills are left far behind as our hunter falls victim to his own adrenalin.
Retrieving Game
Thank goodness for snow and a downhill pull! Effortlessly tugging the rope, my toboggan slid as though it were self-propelled. Ankle-deep, the powdery white stuff was a blessing. Fortuitous indeed, I'd brought my sled and it's a good thing. Not long before, I'd been hiding in my blind. Overcast skies kept things dark for a few minutes longer than usual. As daylight finally illuminated my surroundings I heard the welcome sounds of a buck grunting in the trees nearby. This would be my last deer hunt of the season. I'd decided to take the first deer that presented a shot.
Elk Hunting: The Sounds of September
Anyone who has ever listened to an elk bugle rise from the bowels of dark timber and ascend toward the painful blue of a Rocky Mountain sky knows that there is no call on this earth more captivating than that of a bull elk. So captivating is the bugle that inexperienced elk hunters can, and do, forget that the bugle is but one piece in the puzzle of hunting elk during the rut. Successfully calling elk requires a genuine understanding of the elk rut, knowledge of all the vocalizations made by elk during the rut and a comprehension of the "other sounds" that elk produce during the rut as a result of preparing to court and breed.
Do You Know Your Tracks?
Every game animal leaves its mark; imprints in soft soil, sand or snow. These calling cards reveal a historical presence. New or old, they can be read like a book. Learn to recognize them and you can glean a great deal about the game you're hunting. With practice we cannot only learn to identify the type, size, and sometimes sex of the animal, but also their direction of travel and how old the track is.
Planning a Late Season Cow Elk Hunt
Long after most hunters have left the woods and are sitting home watching football bowl games or worrying about paying post-Christmas bills, some lucky hunters are still chasing elk. Several Western states offer late season hunts for antlerless elk that extend into mid-February. Most people's mental image of elk hunting includes sweeping vistas, fall colors and high-pitched bugles. But for hunters who want to extend their season, a different type of elk hunting adventure awaits.
Nonresident's Guide to Western Hunting
A not-so concise look at the opportunities available to those who have decided to come out West for an elk, deer or antelope hunt and don't know where to start. This won't address bighorn sheep, mountain goats, or moose as those are typically once-in-a-lifetime hunts. This is also designed for DIY hunters, not for those looking for private land or outfitted hunts, as there are various other aspects regarding transferable tags that could also be addressed.
Judging Distance
Accurately judging distance is the first step toward proper shot placement. Instinctive or calculated, bowhunters rely on it for close range shooting. Gun hunters count on their ability to estimate longer distances. Over time we all learn our own tricks for calculating distance but with the advent of laser rangefinders many of us won't leave home without them. Regardless of how you go about it, determining yardage can make or break your hunt.
Communicating with Big Game
Minutes after climbing into my stand I began my calling and rattling sequence. First grunting, then working the antlers, I stared down at the mock scrape I'd been religiously anointing with doe-estrus scent for the previous two weeks. I hadn't even finished my first round of clashing antlers together when I saw a nice buck run in from the heaviest cover. In a magnificent display of dominance all four feet were planted firmly in the center of my scrape as he swung his head back and forth in defiance! My efforts to communicate had sent this buck a clear message and he responded on cue.
Lighten the Load: New Approach to Dressing Big Game
The following method of handling big game has evolved over several years. It was originally motivated by the necessity to extract animals from rugged terrain, sometimes miles from the nearest road. It has since become 'standard operating procedure', whether distant from our vehicles, or right next to. The method has also evolved as such to produce premium-tasting table fare. Basically we 'de-meat' our animals in the field. We do it to produce a minimum of weight carried out, and we do it in a way that best 'cares' for the meat itself.
Call Them, and They Will Come
Nose to the ground, the buck grunted feverishly. Scouring the woods for a doe in estrus, he was on a mission! Easing the can call from my pocket I gently rolled it over. Emulating a doe bleat, I hoped to attract the giant buck and then halt him long enough for a bow shot. At first it looked like he'd skirt my stand outside of bow range. But then, at the sound of my call, his head snapped to attention and he plodded straight toward me!
The Scoring Game
What is it about antler mass that gets hunters so worked up? I've gotta admit, I too fall victim to the bottom line score now and again. So prominent is the numbers game that it frequently defines our hunting success.
Game Eyes
The ability to distinguish shape and form, light and dark, color and texture is man's most valuable attribute. We amass and dispense knowledge, we record and communicate thoughts, we entertain and are entertained through the miracle of sight. It's true that we can exist without ever beholding the world about us, yet we are what and who we are because we, as a species, see.
The Other Hunting Rut
When the word "rut" is mentioned in a conversation among hunters, chances are the discussion will include talk of screaming bull elk, or big whitetail bucks, that for a brief period of time drop their defenses and act like teenage boys. There is another rut out there, however, that doesn't receive a lot of attention. This one affects the hunter rather than the animal and actually decreases our odds of success.
Elk Hunting High-Pressure Areas
A great deal of elk hunting here in Wyoming, and other states, is done not only on public land, but is also on lands where the hunter can simply buy a tag over the counter and head off into the mountains. Consequently these areas typically have a tremendous amount of hunting pressure and require different tactics if the hunter is to score consistently.