I try to do a Chambers bow hunt every couple years and it's $300-$600 for the two day hunt. That's the only paid hunt I've done other than my year long lease

I disagree on needing to learn a unit, it’s not overly needed. Helpful yes but not needed at all. I can find elk or deer in any unit and I can probably get 5 starting points with in 15 mins of web searching.

I hunt any opportunity I can get; guided, DIY, lease Etc. Only time I see a monetary benefit to guided, is if it is required to procure a tag, you have very limited time, if you are targeting a score, and or a highly coveted tag you want capitalize all chances(this really goes back to score). In addition for certain animal species private can be more of a hindrance then a help sometimes, especially elk.

One guided hunt pretty much covers gear start up for any situation out west.

I’m in no way saying don’t use a guide or private(I do both), I’m just saying if you are on a limited budget, with the amount of resources available the barriers to entry for a DIY western hunt, get slimmer every day.

My family whitetail lease cost more then what I spend out side of Texas on 2-3 hunts a year. I can only think of 2 elk hunts in 15 years that we didn’t have an opportunity to take animal(miss or pass). I’m not anything special in any away, but I think more you go better you understand how to hunt. The How is a way bigger equalizer then area knowledge, and sometimes even guided.

Time is a huge limiting factor for me. I cant just pause life at home and go. I could get the time off work no biggie, but im not gonna take small children with me and the wife dont want to be home alone. We do very little apart and like it that way for the most part.

Im afraid to answer question even with the 1 in 1,000,000 chance that my wife would see it.

In those 15 yrs of elk hunting...how many elk have you killed on these DIY hunts?

Rifle or archery? 5 rifle, zero archery.

"Rifle or archery? 5 rifle, zero archery." ^^^^^^^^^ in the red ...guess that goose egg in archery is due to lack of a rangefinder

Somes responses would be different if the question posed was, what's the most someone else has paid to take you hunting?

It's archery hunting... [censored] happens, especially with me any any bull over 280/300. I'll kill one this year. Not having an elk tag last two years hurt especially since, I've called in two bulls last year and 7 the year before. I'm not going to archery pronghorn/mule deer this year in oct, so I can hunt more in sept.

You gonna take a back up?

What's the most I've spent?

Well, after the cost of bail/court costs/fines & restitution to the State/impound fees/gas to & from community service & probation etc.....well I don't really wanna talk about it.

kidding.

no you ain't

Nope solo this year. Txshnter won't hunt with me anymore. Last time he went with me, he was at full draw on a cow at 12 yards and I wouldn't let him shoot. We did call in two bulls later but got winded both times.

0/11

You want a random live boar raccoon put in your truck or four flats..

I am not the one bragging about how easy elk are to find on public land.....0/11

I was referring to your need to take an extra range finder as a back up.

That's always a possibility, I need a back up to a buck up

I heard that in Pecos County there is a spare rangefinder under just about every greasewood on one particular ranch....

Why I put down the rifle and really only chase archery bugling bulls now, finding them isn't hard. I helped put a tv crew on elk last year. They got their buts kicked on private and came over to public. I glassed up three bulls while looking for bears. Dropped them a couple of onx pins. They went 1/2 and were really close on 2/2. I will say I do know this particular OTC unit extremely well though. With that said they had an a Idea where elk would be (via looking at maps), and I confirmed it and showed them easiest way to get in, and where I’d seen the bulls.

And yet you are 0/11 in a easy to find them unit...amazing.

That's actually 5 different units and three states

When did killing and finding become the same? Nothing easy about killing an elk with a bow, although I did kill an public land archery bull in I think 15 or 16. If you take out passing(and I've pass a bunch of legal rags and smaller 5x5’s) and or missing more like 0/4 and then take out three years helping two didn't friends in which I didn't take bow off back, it's not nearly as blick as you poke at.

No different then you going to Matador last year. You had opportunity but you passed on smaller bucks. It didn't take you long to figure out how to hunt it. Point is the barrier to entry isn't a steep as people claim it to be.

Don't bring up Matador. He saw something special there and it jaundiced his remaining vision.

Just a little memory refresh; “good for the goose is good for the gander.”

Mr. 0/11...difference is I was went hunting with a mindset for a certain type of deer...not a sightseeing trip for 11 yrs.