My first Elk hunt trip. What should I expect?

[mochosla]

Hi guys. My co-worker invited me to hunt in Colorado (Denver area) where he has a cabin near public land. I have submitted for my tags for Elk and Deer for the week of October 17th and I'm thrilled for the opportunity. Since this is my first hunt, I wanted to get both an Elk and deer tags so I was only able to get apply for a cow tag on the elk, and either sex on the deer. I really don't care as long as I get something. My friend tells me that he gets his cow every year and deer are very common to see so my chances are high. We are doing a group hunt with three hunters so we will be able to cover ground. Also, depending on the conditions, I may use my bow as I'm allowed to use either bow or rifle. As for the rifle, I have a Rugger .308 which I'm told is enough for the elk.

Any recommendations on what to do, bring or prepare would be appreciated.

Thank you very much!

 

[scottmarine]

.308 is good for elk and deer. Practice with that and your bow frequently before the trip. Shooting should become muscle memory because in that moment it's easy when everything is muscle memory. Be in shape not sure how steep but packing elk out is no easy task. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best. A couple sharp knives and good elk bags. There tons of information to share hopefully this helps a little bit.


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[signguy]

Be in really good shape- especially if you don't live at altitude.
Get some good glass (spotting scope and binoculars) if you don't already have them.
308 is perfect.

 

[Aught-SixGuy]

Glass, glass, glass!!! Good shape helps too, patience, and pay attention to north-facing slopes with benches away from roads. Be prepared to hike and pack your animal out. Get a good frame pack!

 

[Deleted member 33033]

If your first hunt is anything like mine expect thrills, spills, sweat, tears, frustration, exhaustion, pain, anguish and tag soup. But then again, I was carrying a bow.

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[mochosla]

Thank you for the replies. I would say that I'm in decent shape and can definitely shoot my bow quite well at 40 yards to a 4" grouping. Past that, I'm not as accurate. Rifle, well, I'm picking it up next week and will practice a lot! I already have 100 rounds of brass which I will be reloading and practice to up to 300 yards. Depends on how I do, I may go as far as 500. But would not take a shot past 300 if I feel comfortable. According to my friend, all his shots are under 100 yards but you never know.

As for the tag soup, I really hope that is not the case. It will suck driving 1000 miles for nothing .

Thank you again and I will definitely update you as the hunt gets closer and after the hunt.

 

[Aught-SixGuy]

Since you're reloading, I would suggest the Berger VLDs if you plan on shooting past 300 yards. They have a really high BC and retain velocity/energy well. For the .308 WIN I'd go with the 168 VLDs over Varget. I've been shooting the VLDs for a while now, and they have shot well out to 1200 yards in my .30-06, and to 1000 with my .308.

 

[mochosla]

For hunting I reload with Nosler which has had good results and they are very consistent. I will look into the Bergers though. Thank you for the advise.

 

[HuntnBrew]

If your friends hunt elk on the regular. Listen and don't say, Yah know what we should do? If you think you're in good shape, get in better shape. Altitude will tell you that you should be in better shape.

 

[HuntnBrew]

Oh, If you haven't hunted elk before there's a guy out of Idaho that makes some good stuff that may help you out. Elknutt.com He's got some videos and playbooks for what to do in different situations. It helps to know some stuff that would normally take years of being around elk to figure out on your own.

 

[augnmike]

Thank you for the replies. I would say that I'm in decent shape and can definitely shoot my bow quite well at 40 yards to a 4" grouping. Past that, I'm not as accurate. Rifle, well, I'm picking it up next week and will practice a lot! I already have 100 rounds of brass which I will be reloading and practice to up to 300 yards. Depends on how I do, I may go as far as 500. But would not take a shot past 300 if I feel comfortable. According to my friend, all his shots are under 100 yards but you never know.

As for the tag soup, I really hope that is not the case. It will suck driving 1000 miles for nothing .

You have about all the good advice here from the other guys, last piece is the last sentence you wrote. The trip will only be a waste in my opinion if you don't enjoy your time afield, learn some new things that increase your hunting knowledge, and strengthen or develop new relationships. Hunting elk can be tough, just look at the success percentages across any state. If I were going on a vacation that had a 90% rate of having a horrible experience I would probably pass. Make the trip more about the things I listed and you will be gauranteed success.

 

[mochosla]

Thank you for the replies. I would say that I'm in decent shape and can definitely shoot my bow quite well at 40 yards to a 4" grouping. Past that, I'm not as accurate. Rifle, well, I'm picking it up next week and will practice a lot! I already have 100 rounds of brass which I will be reloading and practice to up to 300 yards. Depends on how I do, I may go as far as 500. But would not take a shot past 300 if I feel comfortable. According to my friend, all his shots are under 100 yards but you never know.

As for the tag soup, I really hope that is not the case. It will suck driving 1000 miles for nothing .

You have about all the good advice here from the other guys, last piece is the last sentence you wrote. The trip will only be a waste in my opinion if you don't enjoy your time afield, learn some new things that increase your hunting knowledge, and strengthen or develop new relationships. Hunting elk can be tough, just look at the success percentages across any state. If I were going on a vacation that had a 90% rate of having a horrible experience I would probably pass. Make the trip more about the things I listed and you will be gauranteed success.

Good point. Thank you all for the great advise. I will check out elknut.com too.

Thank you again.

 

[Aught-SixGuy]

Nothing wrong with Nosler! The Accubond is a great slug. Bergers are touchy, they require special attention to seating depth and velocity, but boy are they accurate!