Resolute
04-29-2012, 10:05 PM
Hi All,
Starting to do some research for the fall Elk hunt and have had great input from folks here in the past so I thought I'd run a few things by you all. I'm fairly new to Elk hunting in any serious kind of way. I've gone out and randomly wandered around in Elk country in the past but more recently have been putting in the effort to learn a proper approach. I've been reading books, listening to CD's and I have all my calls laid out on the seat beside me during my commute to and from work and think I'm making some progress.
Last fall I went to an area just outside Cranbrook for 10 days. It was great because we saw a few Elk and had some really good learning experiences. On the down side, we were there too early and missed out on the rut. We also had some pretty negative experiences with some other hunters who just didn't seem to give a damn about etiquette or even ethics for that matter.
I've always been the kind of guy who wants to park the truck and get out into the bush. I'm not the slightest bit deterred by a hike of several hours to get away from everyone roaring up and down the roads on their quads and in their trucks. After all, no matter how good that guy is with his cow call, I just can't figure a 6-point bull is gonna walk right up to him in his Chevy just cause he's blowing a call out the window.
In any case, I'm thinking of heading north this year when it's time to go for Elk and had a few questions. I'm thinking of the Fort St. John, Hudson Hope area in hopes of avoiding hoards of other hunters, is that a good strategy or am I still going to be running into people around every corner in that neck of the woods? Also, I was talking to a guy yesterday about the timing of the rut in that area and he really surprised the hell out of me by claiming that the Elk in that neck of the woods are actually originally a breed from down Mexico way and that they rut late! He claimed that they would be getting into peak rut around Oct 1 in those parts which seemed crazy to me as I would have thought that far north they'd be rutting in the first week of September...Does anyone have a comment on this?
I'd also be interested in talking to anyone who's interested in teaming up for an Elk hunt in the north. I have one hunting buddy who's game but I often fly solo and would really rather go into wild-assed country with some back-up so if you're allergic to road hunting and care at least a little about treating other people and the planet fairly well, give me a shout.
Thanks in advance for your feedback, I look forward to any comments I get back.
Starting to do some research for the fall Elk hunt and have had great input from folks here in the past so I thought I'd run a few things by you all. I'm fairly new to Elk hunting in any serious kind of way. I've gone out and randomly wandered around in Elk country in the past but more recently have been putting in the effort to learn a proper approach. I've been reading books, listening to CD's and I have all my calls laid out on the seat beside me during my commute to and from work and think I'm making some progress.
Last fall I went to an area just outside Cranbrook for 10 days. It was great because we saw a few Elk and had some really good learning experiences. On the down side, we were there too early and missed out on the rut. We also had some pretty negative experiences with some other hunters who just didn't seem to give a damn about etiquette or even ethics for that matter.
I've always been the kind of guy who wants to park the truck and get out into the bush. I'm not the slightest bit deterred by a hike of several hours to get away from everyone roaring up and down the roads on their quads and in their trucks. After all, no matter how good that guy is with his cow call, I just can't figure a 6-point bull is gonna walk right up to him in his Chevy just cause he's blowing a call out the window.
In any case, I'm thinking of heading north this year when it's time to go for Elk and had a few questions. I'm thinking of the Fort St. John, Hudson Hope area in hopes of avoiding hoards of other hunters, is that a good strategy or am I still going to be running into people around every corner in that neck of the woods? Also, I was talking to a guy yesterday about the timing of the rut in that area and he really surprised the hell out of me by claiming that the Elk in that neck of the woods are actually originally a breed from down Mexico way and that they rut late! He claimed that they would be getting into peak rut around Oct 1 in those parts which seemed crazy to me as I would have thought that far north they'd be rutting in the first week of September...Does anyone have a comment on this?
I'd also be interested in talking to anyone who's interested in teaming up for an Elk hunt in the north. I have one hunting buddy who's game but I often fly solo and would really rather go into wild-assed country with some back-up so if you're allergic to road hunting and care at least a little about treating other people and the planet fairly well, give me a shout.
Thanks in advance for your feedback, I look forward to any comments I get back.