5 Tips for Elk Hunting in 2021
I have been asked many times through my years of meeting and mentoring new hunters what is the best way to be successful in an elk hunt? In short, good preparation long before your season starts. A bit of time and hard work can go a long way in pursuit of the Wapiti.
Over the years, I have made plenty of mistakes and I no doubt will make more. However, I have been able to formulate a plan to help me keep on top of my game and minimize those mistakes. After all, the success rate for a hunter harvesting an elk in any given season is less than 30 percent. So, in an effort to be in that 30 percent, here are my top 5 tips to help you in becoming more successful in the field this season.
1. Get in Elk Shape!
For me I spend a good number of days guiding folks on nature hikes, mentoring new students in fly fishing and spending some quality time fishing and hiking with friends and family. So, I generally consider myself fit. But I know if I don’t start making some serious changes, my lungs will remind me that I am not as fit as I think I am come fall. In most of my outdoor activities, I wear a hip pack or a backpack. About the time July comes to an end, I start changing what I carry in my backpack. Simply put, I start adding weight each week to my pack until I hit about 10 pounds more than I normally would in the field during hunting season. This will pay off big time when you realize that there is a lot of hiking and sometimes climbing involved in pursuing elk.
2. Clothing
Seems simple enough right? Just need warm, comfy clothing and you are good to go. Well yes, sort of. I have found over the years that having clothing you can layer and put in your pack makes for a better hunt. Temperatures can vary especially in the high country. I do not want to be overly warm in the morning, having no way of layering down, and realizing that my clothing is soaked with sweat. When the evening hunt approaches, so do cooling temperatures and you can quickly find that you are chilled. This can be dangerous and may lead to hypothermia.
I have found that wool blends or synthetic materials are the best. They wick away moisture and dry out quickly if they get wet. More importantly, they are breathable. Make sure you are comfortable in the clothing you build. A simple test is to see how mobile you are. Can you safely draw your bow and raise your rifle? You do not want clothing to be too constricting that could cause a safety issue or ruin the shot of a lifetime.
Let us not forget to talk about boots. Boots are just as important, and maybe even more important than getting your layers right. Finding boots that fit you well is super important. Keep in mind, they might feel great in the store, but you will need to put some miles on these before your hunt. Make sure you get the boots broken in to avoid blisters that no doubt will turn into raw wounds. The bottom line is that if you can’t hike for several hours every time you are out, you are more likely not to see an elk, let alone shoot one.
3. Scouting
You have picked an area or two to hunt, and now it is time to figure out where the elk might be. Start with maps and Google Earth. Reduce the unit into an area you can manage and effectively hunt. Most importantly, to an area you believe will have the greatest chance of locating elk. Understand their habitat using the formulation of food, water, shelter, and arrangement. Look for water holes/wallows and south facing slopes with good grasses and aspen. This is where elk will be attracted to, and will feed during the morning and evening. Whereas north-facing, heavy timbered areas will be places they loaf during the day.
Nothing beats boots on the ground. But if you have done the majority of your scouting online, have good notes and have isolated your hunt to “elky areas”, you are well on your way to finding them.
4. Optics and Firearm Ready
This is probably the topic that will cost you the most money. But nothing beats a great pair of binoculars for success in scouting and hunting. When selecting your binoculars, understand magnification, which is the first number of the binocular description. A 10x means the images will appear 10 times closer than viewed with the naked eye.
The second number is the objective lens. In 10x50 binoculars the objective lens is 50mm in diameter. This is the lens furthest from your eyes. Larger objective lenses will gather more light and make it very useful viewing elk in low-light conditions.
The larger the lenses, and quality of glass will normally increase the weight and the price. But your eyes will thank you and hopefully your freezer as well!
Next, sighting in your rifle weeks in advance makes for accuracy and success. During times of sighting in with my family or mentoring new hunters, I always remind them that it is important to get dialed in on the bench, but practice from the knee, or even the prone position. After all, these are likely the positions you will encounter in the field. I have found shooting sticks to be extremely useful. Nothing beats a good, steady, ethical shot.
Finally, looking at your ammo. Understanding that different manufactures loads will shoot differently in your rifle, and selecting several to practice with will help hone in what is best for your rifle. I like to purchase at least two boxes of the manufacturer I have selected for my final sight-in. If you can, try to purchase the two boxes that have the same lot number stamped on the box. This will give a consistent ballistic signature from sighting-in the field use.
And finally, before you get out to sight-in, clean your rifle. And clean your rifle after each manufacture-box of ammo you have tested. Once you have settled in on the ammo you will use, do not clean your rifle! The barrel at this point has the ballistic signature on the rounds you have fired through it. Cleaning will change that signature and could cost you an accurate shot. This is why I like purchasing more than one box with the same lot number. It equals consistency.
5. Leave the Crowds Behind
Oddly enough, part of your elk hunt might consist of looking for where the hunters in orange are. My advice would be to get past them and your success will go up. In my experience, most hunters I see nowadays are either road hunting or do not make it one mile beyond their truck. Break that one mile barrier, go for two miles or more and elk will be acting like elk rather than being chased by the guys in orange.
With these steps taken and preparation on your part, your experience chasing the “Ghosts of the High Country” will go up. Happy hunting, be safe and good luck in the field this year!
-Tony Dymek, Fall Obsession Field Staff