Nothing can be an amazingly big game like hunting an Elk. Elk is one of the largest mammals with native habitat in North America and Eastern Asia.
For the best quality and the safest hunting of Elk, you must know how to do it flawlessly. If you are an expert then it might be easier for you. However, if you are novice and didn’t hunt any giant animal ever before then properly grasp these useful aspects of Elk hunting.
For archery to rifle hunt of Elk, you must be accompanied by skilled professionals for safe, legal and humane hunting. Elk hunting is quite a popular and thrilling sport across the globe. People love earning pleasure by taking part in this one of the most exciting hunting competitions. Moreover, in United States, many individuals prefer spending their leisure time in hunting preferably Elk because of its tasty and quality meat with relatively low fat.
Another reason hunters go after Elk is that it is one of the most challenging hunt they can ever had in their lives.
Major Attributes You Must Know:
Hunting appears to be a plain job with hi-tech firearms and good expertise. However, if you talk about Elk, it is one of the toughest hunt in which hunters are required to walk for miles on rough tracks and bad conditions. From the Rocky Mountain Elk to the coastal giant Roosevelt Elk of the Pacific Northwest, you can have immense number of opportunities to hunt down your favorite specie in United States.
There is lot more involved in accurate and the safest Elk hunting. Let’s probe what you need to discern and understand for hunting an elk.
- Where you can find Elk’s subspecies of your choice?
Elk in form of herds usually live in high altitude areas or you can say high mountainous terrains like Bob Marshall wilderness in lush and timbered Swan Range, rain forests of Pacific Northwest, Rocky Mountains, subalpine forests, and in some ranges of Western North America.
For the case of point, you can find the smallest subspecies among all the North American elks named ‘Tule elk’ only in the state of California. Rocky Mountain elks as name suggests are commonly found in the Rocky Mountains and the neighboring ranges of Western North America.
During winter you can easily find elks in open forests and in low-elevated areas while in summer they usually migrate to alpine basins and subalpine forests.
- How to locate, chase and get close to the Elk?
With help of footprints, and other tracking signs in winters especially, you can easily find elk’s whereabouts. Rut calls of an elk will also help you in chasing it.
Elks appear to be talkative and very much communicative. The way these incredibly vocal animals call upon or talk to each other actually helps the hunters to locate, chase and get elk closer to their shooting point.
- What is the good time and season for Elk hunting?
From novice to seasoned hunters, knowing the best suitable time of elk hunting is the must thing. Fall and spring are considered the most favorable seasons for Elk hunting. But, some people think that no other season is best suitable as the hot temperature of the Oregon Coast for elk hunt.
- What hunting equipment and accessories you should take along?
Depending on your choice and hunting expertise, you can go for bow hunting or rifle hunting. Accordingly, you will take the hunting equipment along with you. Compound hunting bows are the optimal choice for archery hunt of the Elk.
On the other hand, for the backcountry elk hunting, you need finely accurate and typically lightweight rifle with a good rifle scope mounted on it. Binoculars will help you in finding the elk.
- How to prepare and plan for the Elk hunting?
To aim for Elk is the major part of the hunting game. You have to prepare yourself, your hunting gears and plan ahead before starting your elk shooting venture. Learn about elk and elk hunting terminologies, and get yourself trained in how to call, target and shoot an elk.
Guided or unguided hunting, in both scenarios you must realize what you are up to. Plan smartly and cover all essentials of do-it-yourself elk hunting. You can earn great success if you setup your strategy vigilantly. From selecting hunting location to scouting in pre-season and making yourself physically strong and fit enough to set out for elk hunting.
- Educate yourself on local hunting regulations.
Prior to all, you should know hunting laws and regulations. Every state has its own rules and permissible timings and seasons for elk hunting. You can consult the concerned department to collect all important information in this regard.
Commonly Used Tactics for Elk Hunting:
Presently, there are three most preferable ways to bring down the elks. These include:
- Spot-and-stalk
Use high quality optics like spotting scopes to search the landscape for elks. Dawn and dusk hours are prime times to spot elk. After reaching the spotting point, you have to wait for the first light with your ears all open because you can easily locate elks by hearing their bugling sounds before dawn. As soon as daylight arrives, set your binoculars to mark elk’s location. Once spotted, you can execute your planned stalk.
- Calling Elk
Out of two basic types including mouth calls and reed calls, you can choose the most suitable one and get your job half done. Elk in the nearby area will surely respond to your calling.
You can use different sounds made by elks to get advantage while hunting. Learning these sounds means now you can distract the elks and get them to your desired place. You can also use man-made devices in order to imitate the elk vocalizations.
You can make bugle sound to locate elk. It is a bull elk call which these animals commonly make during pre/post rut. When close to the herd, you can use excited ‘Cow elk Call’ in order to lure elk towards your shooting spot. You can also use Alarm bark sound anytime for stopping the spooked elk long enough to get a perfect shot.
- Ambushing Elk
You can trap elks using ambush from tree stands or ground blinds. Carefully setup your ambush for the premium results. Ambushing elk is commonly setup around waterholes for hunting elk during the drought periods. Ambushing elk is a good backup in case you get tired of all other tactics.
Tips for Flawless Elk Hunting:
Elk hunting might be a tough endeavor when you want to do it on public lands. But, it is not impossible at all. Practice and knowing all significant aspects of elk hunting will certainly assist you in immaculate shooting and killing the found elk down. Following the below listed tips will help you greatly in elk hunting:
- Study your Prey and learn about elk like its habitat preferences and diet.
- Select right hunting rifle or bow and do not forget taking accessories along with scopes, and binoculars.
- Shot placement is the most important thing to be practiced extensively. Your outclass weapon will be of no use if you are unable to take perfect elk hunt shot.
- For proper and humanely shooting of the elk, you should learn about the state’s currently enforced laws in defined areas of elk hunting.
- It is essential to cover your scent when locating the elk for the hunt. For, this you can use commercial scent eliminator.
- Make appropriate use of elk calls to bring elk close to the location wherein you are all set for hunting. Learn and practice different calls to bring in male or female elk. Bugle call is designed for male elk while for the female elk, cow call works greatly.
- Explore the areas before the actual hunt begins because Mother Nature is fast enough to alter the landscape of any area.
- Always do scouting in your selected hunting area no matter how many times you have been there to kill elk.
- Know the elk movement time and get to hunting location before them. Or else, elks already in the area will be startled and surely run off to the safest hide.
- Remember, Elks are more active in twilight. You can observe their maximum movement during first few hours after dawn and the few hours before dusk.
- For the perfect bringing down of an elk, your shot must be placed properly. If your shot missed the expected mark, you will only have a wounded elk that can be more dangerous.
- If you have not done elk hunting before then the best thing is to start out deer hunting and then proceed to hunt elks.
Do elk hunting yourself only if you are expert enough of hunting large land mammals. Or else, hire professional guide and this will help minimizing the odds of elk hunt and coming home with one.
Keep all the useful tools and tactics in your arsenal.
