Re: First time bow hunter planning the upcoming season, elk tips?
Good on you to try bowhunting, or was it archery hunting? It will require a lot of scouting and patience. Wherever there is an archery season is a good place. As I said, lots of scouting to first find elk and second find exactly where they move and hang out. Wallows and springs are great places to set up blinds or tree stands. Early season, they may not readily respond to calls. Calling may help in locating them. Learn to move without making a sound. practice shooting from sitting, kneeling, and elevated positions. Chances are, if you are not in a tree stand, you will be kneeling behund a blind or bush and at an awkward position when the shot presents itself. Be very choosy on the shot. Completely avoid the straight on shot. I know there will be people chiming in that they were successfull, but in my experience, most of those shots result in lost elk. Elk are VERY TOUGH. They will go far even with a perfect shot, so be prepared to track. Hydrogen peroxide in a spray bottle will reveal blood quickly. I wish you luck. It's hard enough to get elk with a firearm nowadays. Oh, lastly, go where no one else goes - again involving hours/days of scouting.
"Target archery is seeing how far away you can get and still hit the bull's eye;
Bowhunting is seeing how close you can get and never miss your mark."
"A man's got to know his limitations"