Guy Miner
Master Loader
- Apr 6, 2006
- 17,837
- 6,313
I am thinking serious about using the bow this year, here in Washington.
Elk hunt?
- Thread starter Wis65x55
- Start date
Greg Nolan
Handloader
- Nov 25, 2004
- 2,143
- 18
Everything suggested is correct. The good way to set up your hunt is check the regs and success #s by area. The best way is to call the Game Biologists and Game wardens in each state after you've kind of decided the states where you want to go. They have always given me good info and I've hunted DIY in several states that way. I've always felt I was on an even footing with local hunter's knowlege and have been successful enough times to feel I had a decent chance. They can also help you understand their hunt and drawing systems. They can also provide a list of guides and maybe a little helpfull info about them.
One other thing is Chronic Wasting Disease. Some states have it and they will let you know what hunting zones it is prevelent in. I don't think there have been more than a couple of cases of humans ever being affected by it but it is a factor. Also, your state may have laws like California that require the meat to be boned and frozen and checked comming in to make sure no bones or brain material is present.
It's a lot of investigating but it's fun to talk to people that like to hunt.
Good Luck
Greg
One other thing is Chronic Wasting Disease. Some states have it and they will let you know what hunting zones it is prevelent in. I don't think there have been more than a couple of cases of humans ever being affected by it but it is a factor. Also, your state may have laws like California that require the meat to be boned and frozen and checked comming in to make sure no bones or brain material is present.
It's a lot of investigating but it's fun to talk to people that like to hunt.
Good Luck
Greg
Coyote Hunter
Beginner
- Mar 9, 2009
- 60
- 0
Guy Miner is correct – DIY elk hunts are surprisingly doable. Better yet, they are far less expensive than guided hunts.
As a kid growing up in Iowa and reading Granddad’s outdoor mags, hunting elk was a dream I thought I’d never fulfill. Then in 1980 I was offered a job in Colorado and jumped at it. Since 1982 I’ve been blessed to hunt elk all but one or two years. All but three of those years I hunted public land. (The exceptions were years – 2006, 2009 and 20011 – when I hunted Colorado RFW (Ranching For Wildlife) ranches, which is not an option for non-residents. For residents, license costs are the same as public land but the hunter pressure is less.) For my first couple hunts (also my first big game hunts of any kind) I was mentored by my State Farm agent and his friends. After that I struck out on my own. I don’t claim to be a great hunter but I’ve taken 9 elk since year 2000, 5 on public land, 4 on RFW ranches. Here are some suggestions:
1. Select a state. Colorado is a good one, better than most because we have the largest elk herds and lots of public land.
2. Cows eat at least as well as bulls but are far greater in number – 40-1 in many places. Think about a cow tag for your first hunt.
3. Study the state and the area you pick. Elk populations per area, migration routes, hunter success rates compared to numbers of licenses and types per area, altitude, weather patterns, topo maps, BLM and USFS maps, standard maps, Google Earth. Talk to the Game and Fish, USFS, BLM people, anybody you can get to on the phone. Make sure you know about road closures, travel restrictions, etc., or you may notbe able to get where you want. Go online and get info from people who have actually hunted the area you are considering.
4. Get in shape – the higher you hunt the better the shape you need to be in.
5. Your .280 Rem will be fine. I recommend 150g or 160g bullets. My preference is for premium bullets. Nosler Partitions are an excellent choice. I prefer North Fork SS, AccuBond, Barnes TTSX. Speer 160g Grand Slams worked great in my 7mm RM for 20+ years. In spite of my previous recommendation, my .280 Rem loads use 140g bullets - North Fork SS, Nosler AccuBond and Barnes TTSX.
6. Spend some time scouting once you arrive. If the weather has been cold and snowy, talk to people and try to find out if the migration is on as you will likely want to change strategy if it is. We generally hunt the first couple mornings and, if we aren’t having any success, scout the afternoons until we locate elk sign.
7. Be prepared to be mobile. For years we camped high and hunted close to camp (within 4-5 miles). Later we started camping low, were much more mobile, and were able to hunt a wider area, high or low – a tactic that paid off handsomely in terms of numbers of elk taken. Last year, for example, we were camped low near Buford, CO. After two days of hunting high, I discovered the migration was on. I ended up taking my elk in the low country, public land nearly 50 miles north of camp. (Another benefit of camping low is the weather is often much better.)
8. Take a gun you are comfortable with. Although most shots are taken under 300 yards, practice out to 500 if you can – even if you won’t shoot at game that far, it will make you a better shooter at 300. A range finder and drop compensating scopes (dots, extra crosshairs, turrets, etc.) make long range shots easier. If you have a simple duplex reticle, learn how to use it as a rangefinder and use the thick-thin transition point as a second aiming point. Out to 400 yards you really don’t need much help and not much more at 500 – just learn the drops for your load. Once you have determined where your rifle shoots at 100 through 500 yards, write it down, make a couple copies and carry one with you at all times. Some folks tape them to the buttstock, I carry mine in my shirt pocket.
9. Take a backup rifle if you have one.
10. Be prepared for any kind of weather. It isn’t uncommon to experience a blizzard one day and 60 degree temps the next day. Roads can be completely dry or frozen or axle deep mud, sometimes the same day. A 4x4, chains for all 4 wheels (make sure they fit those new tires!), rubber tensioners, spare tensioners (I always double them up and still have spares) and a chain repair kit are recommended. Shovels, come-along, etc. Common sense stuff but you’d be surprised…
11. If you go it alone into bad country, don’t be surprised if it costs you. Some nutz from CA intentionally ran off the road a few years back to pick up their elk, then discovered they were in a marshy area. I got to run them an hour into town where they got a tow truck the next day. Last year a coworker decided a stretch of snow on Hagerman Pass didn’t look to bad and would save him hours of backtracking. The tow job cost him $1,000. (Worse, I had warned him not to use the pass…)
Maybe more later but for now I have to go meet my wife for dinner. Best of luck to you!
As a kid growing up in Iowa and reading Granddad’s outdoor mags, hunting elk was a dream I thought I’d never fulfill. Then in 1980 I was offered a job in Colorado and jumped at it. Since 1982 I’ve been blessed to hunt elk all but one or two years. All but three of those years I hunted public land. (The exceptions were years – 2006, 2009 and 20011 – when I hunted Colorado RFW (Ranching For Wildlife) ranches, which is not an option for non-residents. For residents, license costs are the same as public land but the hunter pressure is less.) For my first couple hunts (also my first big game hunts of any kind) I was mentored by my State Farm agent and his friends. After that I struck out on my own. I don’t claim to be a great hunter but I’ve taken 9 elk since year 2000, 5 on public land, 4 on RFW ranches. Here are some suggestions:
1. Select a state. Colorado is a good one, better than most because we have the largest elk herds and lots of public land.
2. Cows eat at least as well as bulls but are far greater in number – 40-1 in many places. Think about a cow tag for your first hunt.
3. Study the state and the area you pick. Elk populations per area, migration routes, hunter success rates compared to numbers of licenses and types per area, altitude, weather patterns, topo maps, BLM and USFS maps, standard maps, Google Earth. Talk to the Game and Fish, USFS, BLM people, anybody you can get to on the phone. Make sure you know about road closures, travel restrictions, etc., or you may notbe able to get where you want. Go online and get info from people who have actually hunted the area you are considering.
4. Get in shape – the higher you hunt the better the shape you need to be in.
5. Your .280 Rem will be fine. I recommend 150g or 160g bullets. My preference is for premium bullets. Nosler Partitions are an excellent choice. I prefer North Fork SS, AccuBond, Barnes TTSX. Speer 160g Grand Slams worked great in my 7mm RM for 20+ years. In spite of my previous recommendation, my .280 Rem loads use 140g bullets - North Fork SS, Nosler AccuBond and Barnes TTSX.
6. Spend some time scouting once you arrive. If the weather has been cold and snowy, talk to people and try to find out if the migration is on as you will likely want to change strategy if it is. We generally hunt the first couple mornings and, if we aren’t having any success, scout the afternoons until we locate elk sign.
7. Be prepared to be mobile. For years we camped high and hunted close to camp (within 4-5 miles). Later we started camping low, were much more mobile, and were able to hunt a wider area, high or low – a tactic that paid off handsomely in terms of numbers of elk taken. Last year, for example, we were camped low near Buford, CO. After two days of hunting high, I discovered the migration was on. I ended up taking my elk in the low country, public land nearly 50 miles north of camp. (Another benefit of camping low is the weather is often much better.)
8. Take a gun you are comfortable with. Although most shots are taken under 300 yards, practice out to 500 if you can – even if you won’t shoot at game that far, it will make you a better shooter at 300. A range finder and drop compensating scopes (dots, extra crosshairs, turrets, etc.) make long range shots easier. If you have a simple duplex reticle, learn how to use it as a rangefinder and use the thick-thin transition point as a second aiming point. Out to 400 yards you really don’t need much help and not much more at 500 – just learn the drops for your load. Once you have determined where your rifle shoots at 100 through 500 yards, write it down, make a couple copies and carry one with you at all times. Some folks tape them to the buttstock, I carry mine in my shirt pocket.
9. Take a backup rifle if you have one.
10. Be prepared for any kind of weather. It isn’t uncommon to experience a blizzard one day and 60 degree temps the next day. Roads can be completely dry or frozen or axle deep mud, sometimes the same day. A 4x4, chains for all 4 wheels (make sure they fit those new tires!), rubber tensioners, spare tensioners (I always double them up and still have spares) and a chain repair kit are recommended. Shovels, come-along, etc. Common sense stuff but you’d be surprised…
11. If you go it alone into bad country, don’t be surprised if it costs you. Some nutz from CA intentionally ran off the road a few years back to pick up their elk, then discovered they were in a marshy area. I got to run them an hour into town where they got a tow truck the next day. Last year a coworker decided a stretch of snow on Hagerman Pass didn’t look to bad and would save him hours of backtracking. The tow job cost him $1,000. (Worse, I had warned him not to use the pass…)
Maybe more later but for now I have to go meet my wife for dinner. Best of luck to you!
Guy Miner
Master Loader
- Apr 6, 2006
- 17,837
- 6,313
Excellent stuff there Coyote Hunter!
I'm hoping for a cow tag myself this year.
Guy
I'm hoping for a cow tag myself this year.
Guy
Coyote Hunter
Beginner
- Mar 9, 2009
- 60
- 0
Some scenery pics from DIY public land hunts, reason enough to get out there:
My hunting buddy in 2005, southeast of Buford, CO:
2005, southwest of Buford:
2005, southwest of Buford:
2011 - the elk were migrating through here by the hundreds.
2009 - We had just come off the peaks (Bears Ears) in the distance. Note the beetle killed pines.
2009 again.
2009 - There were elk in the aspens. son-in-law didn't shoot and I waited on him to get his first. Cost me an easy elk but no regrets.
I forget the year, 2007? We've taken several elk out of this area during the migration.
2003 - most of those dark dots are elk on private land. The migration was just getting started - in full swing there would be 10x that many elk.
My hunting buddy in 2005, southeast of Buford, CO:
2005, southwest of Buford:
2005, southwest of Buford:
2011 - the elk were migrating through here by the hundreds.
2009 - We had just come off the peaks (Bears Ears) in the distance. Note the beetle killed pines.
2009 again.
2009 - There were elk in the aspens. son-in-law didn't shoot and I waited on him to get his first. Cost me an easy elk but no regrets.
I forget the year, 2007? We've taken several elk out of this area during the migration.
2003 - most of those dark dots are elk on private land. The migration was just getting started - in full swing there would be 10x that many elk.
DrMike
Ballistician
- Nov 8, 2006
- 37,503
- 6,508
Great pictures that are certain to stir the blood of those who have witnessed the elk moving.
