Elk Hunting Tips

Hey y’all!

I have family up in Missoula Montana and they have invited me up in October for some elk hunting. Obviously they have tons of experience doing this but I have zero experience at all with elk! I’ll take any suggestions on clothing and gear. I’ll be taking my .308 they said that’s plenty to down a elk.

I know it’ll be post rut so I’ll be going for a cow and if I’m lucky maybe a bull.

Thanks in advance!

Check out Randy Newburg's youtube channel and start watching. He's a wealth of information on different seasons, locations, gear packing ect.

I'd personally start with asking your friends what average temps are like in the area you'll be hunting. Also, ask them average shooting distances up there, and get out and get extremely comfortable with your rifle and ammo. Lastly, if your not on horses, do as much hiking with weight as possible from now until you leave.

Yelp later season Newburg has best content.

My advice later up. Wool/synthetic base layer, fleece/synthetic mid layer and down outer layer

Mid layer is what changes for me from archery season in Sept to colder Oct. I just go with heavier mid layer and some times heavier base.

I recommend gaiters that time of year also

Tip #1: Never shoot an elk unless he is standing in the bed of your truck...
Adios,
Gary

Gary in here dropping knowledge.

Works okay if you can get to them with a tractor also.

Get in shape. Can't stress this enough. I host a hunt every year in Colorado at 9000 feet. The guys that are out of shape have a hard time finding the elk. The further you get from roads and other people, the better your chances of seeing elk. And to get to those places, you'll likely be on foot. I average over 25,000 steps per day while elk hunting. I'm already upping my Peloton workouts, with an emphasis on HIIT and Hills.

I typically use my .300 Weatherby, but have also harvested bulls with .30-06 and .270. I personally haven't used a .308, but your shots could easily be over 300 yards. At that distance, it's my understanding that you'll experience big drops w/ a .308.

Thanks y’all!

They said it won’t be an issue getting under 300 yards from the elk. I’m very comfortable with this rifle it’s been my deer rifle for almost 10 years and I’ve killed about everything in Texas you can kill with it.

I’ll subscribe to that guys YouTube channel! I think I’ve seen some of his videos before.

I go to the gym at least 3 times a week but I’m not any where ready for hiking in 9000feet especially living at sea level or close to it.

Any suggestions on gear I might not think of?

Good Luck!

The mid to late season here in the mountains can vary from 30's (or lower) to 80's. Be prepared for anything. Try to get there 1-3 days early, to acclimate to the elevation change. If you try to charge out the first day with your buddies, you will be pooped and miserable. A lot of people get discouraged after that, and give up or quit trying very hard. Any rifle you are comfortable with, out to 300 yards, will be perfect. They are big animals, and you have some forgiveness there for error. I would definitely try to find some gaiters to wear on the hunt. keeps your lower legs dry from the dew and wet weeds, keeps brush, seeds, and stickers out of your boots, and will really help if there is snow. Good luck.

Good bulls have big antlers, and great bulls are just good bulls, but close to the road!! Cows are almost as big, twice as smart, and eat a whole lot better.

If you don’t have premium optics, I highly recommend getting them. High quality binoculars, rangefinder, and scope are incredibly important. Especially ones that perform well in low light conditions, when a lot of the action seems to take place. Sounds snobbish, but invest in German/Austrian brands.

Best advice ever next to never shoot a Moose standing in the water.

A trophy cow is scored by its distance from the road.

Take lots of pictures and videos, extra batteries and chargers!

You are right, a gym is great but won't prepare you for hikes at 9,000.The advice to get there a day or two early is spot on. Now for the hiking.
What I do and the guys with my always ask how I can keep going when they cannot.
Put on your hiking boots. Put 4 gallon water jugs in your backpack..32lbs. Put your pack on and go to the high school football stadium.
Begin walking the stairs. Do not decide on the number of times you will go up and down. Put a time in your head and do that time.
You will find that coming down is so much harder on your legs than going up. Thats why a StairMaster in a gym is of no help in getting you ready.
I did 25 minutes every other day. First day was up and down 7 times in 25 minutes. Six weeks later it was 14 times in 25 minutes.
Good luck on your hunt. Take lots of photo's so that us old guys can enjoy the hunt with you.

308 is plenty out to all ethical hunting distances. I would recommend ammo with a quality bonded bullet (Partition Swift A frame, Accubond, etc) and zero @ 200 yards, not 100.
Depending what ammo you pick that'll put you about 8-9 inches low @ 300
You easily can holdover for that and make a reasonably quick shot if you have too.

Always know that no matter where the wind is blowing, it's going to be hitting you on the back of the neck when you are attempting a stalk.
Adios,
Gary

A multi story office building is a good option. The taller the building, the more pain, but also the more you will gain.

Shoot em till there dead.
Just because you knock one down don't start high five and woohoo, thell get up and be gone.
Stay on that animal and be ready to shoot.

You might try listening to Remi Warren's podcast "cutting the distance", his last 5 or so have been on elk strategy.

I killed my cow IN the road, sorta. A 2 track lane, that the rancher used to get from pasture to pasture. He had a pretty neat little rig, had an atv winch mounted to the headache rack in his truck, backed up to the elk,laid 4 landcape timbers down as a ramp and winched it right into the truck!

All of our Game Warden vehicles are equipped like this. Winch mounted by bed, pulley up on the top of the rack to get good angle, couple of 2x12’s laying in bed. They recover a LOT of animal every year, and they’re always by themselves.

Most of the elk hunters that I've come across seem to spend all day driving around on the roads with the expectation that one will eventually be caught out in the open long enough to get shot. I think this is why so many never get an elk.

In my opinion, you need to be on the top of a ridge, or on a very good vantage point, before legal shooting time. Usually this means waking up 3 to 4 hours before legal shooting time and hiking up the mountain. And then you need to use your binoculars and really pick apart every tree, brush and rock until you find them. I've spotted elk a hundred yards away, and a mile away. Hunting means finding them. After that, it's just a matter of sneaking up on them and making the shot count.

Elk aren't too bad to pack out. You just have to remove all of the meat from the bones, and plan on taking two trips. Usually it's all down hill, and most of the time, you can find a road to stash the meat until you can get a vehicle to where the meat is hiding and load it up.

If you are hunting public land after opening day, the elk are going to be where nobody else is looking for them. Either up high, or on private land. I climb until I find them.

I grew up hunting elk in CO. It didn't take me long to figure out that you want to hunt elk uphill so you can pack meat downhill. I shot a big bull once down in the bottom of a canyon in heavy blown down timber. Thought I was going to have to eat him down there. Never made that mistake again. I've let elk walk just because recovering the carcass would be nearly impossible. Not a big deal if you're one of those elk hunters that uses a guide but when you hunt on your own, on foot, it is something to consider before sending a round down range.

Listen to your friends, they will know the best way to hunt their property.
Good advice on the bonded bullets, I use grand slams and A Frames.
Also site in at 200 yds as stated.
One good shot will put one down, no need to keep shooting if you know you made a good shot. However they can cover lots of ground of wounded. A follow up shot on a lung hit elk will yield lots of hematoma in the meat. Trim that off asap.

Be prepared for cold and snow that time of the year. Wool and wind blocking layers work great. Take boots that are broken in, not new.

My advice having hunted elk in the Rockies for close to the last 10 years is to NOT watch any YouTube, hunting channels, etc and not listening to any podcasts. Don’t fill your head with any preconceived notions.

No matter how much you train, the only way to get in mountain shape is to live in the mountains.

Listen to your family and learn trial by error. In my opinion, most of these guys ( not Remi warren, he is legit ) are guys who really haven’t been all that successful but like to come off like they are old hats at whatever they are talking about that day. I listened to a very well known podcast the other day and they were talking avout how to pick a rifle and caliber then a few min later let it slip they this was their first season rifle hunting....wtf are you talking about it on a podcast like your giving sage advice when you have never done it?

Lean in advice from locals and friends who are taking you. Tons of elk and deer are killed every years by guys not giving it much effort. It’s not a stone sheep hunt no matter how bad people try and make it out to be

From living and hunting in that part of the west. Idaho for 6 years, get there a week ahead of time and get aclimated, those hills are not like anything you will ever see. It will wear you axx out in about an hour of walking. A 270 will do the job, but it all depends on how good a shot you are, took a few elk and mulies with it, but you gotta be within 300 yards, and when you hit one no matter the caliber, they got 4 wheel drive and will travel for a while. Also take a good side arm, cause when your quartering it out, from experience theres going to be a bear either black or brown to confront you and want what you have.