Elk Hunt Nov. 16th

[MFP308]

I'm sitting here just getting more excited about next weeks opening day of Muzzleloader elk season here in Arizona. Father inlaw brother inlaw and I got drawn for unit 6A near Flagstaff. I'm carrying a GPR .54 firing a .530 .15 wonderlube patch with 85gr of ffg. We will be camping in an area a bit off the road and will be working an area that isn't accessed by any vehicles. Oh yeah this will be my first elk hunt and my first BP hunt. Nice way to start if I do say so myself. We will be getting up high early in the morning and glassing hoping to catch the elk working up from their morning munch to their bedding area. It has been unusually warm here for this time of year so the behaviors will be a bit different from the norm.

So all you experienced elk hunts do you have any sugestions? We will be in the ponderosas and rather mountainous area.

Thanks for any sugestions.

Mike

 

[PitchyPine]

Don`t have any suggestions but good luck and post pics of your harvest. :thumbsup:

 

[MFP308]

Thanks! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I will have all sorts of pictures.

Mike

 

[jtmattison]

Never elk hunted but I wish you the best of luck. Aim straight and keep yer powder dry.
:hatsoff:

HD

 

[MFP308]

Thanks Dawg! If I have any luck you know I'll bearound to brag a bit. And if the luck is a bit spars well yeah I'll be around to learn some more.

Mike

 

[puckertoe]

done quite abit of elk hunting, this time of year i would recommend hunting ALL day. take lunch and goodies for the duration. glass, glass, glass. bigger bulls should be alone or bachelored up with a couple of others. and if you find a nice place with fresh elk sign, sit for a long time, minimum of an hour, and cow call VERY little, just a mew or two every 15 minutes. you might be surpised at the outcome. good luck and happy trails.

 

[smo]

Mike,

Never hunted elk before myself,But I plan to one of these days! Good Luck & Good Shootin'

 

[Goldhunter]

+1 agree with puckertoe. :thumbsup: Glassing is the name of the game. I wouldn't bugle this time of year, at all. It's a waste of energy IMO. But minimal cow calling can be productive. If you find a herd and can watch them for a couple days, and no one spooks them, figure out which routes they take from feeding area to bedding area. Elk like to eat in Aspen parks and meadows and bed in the timber up high. As long as it hasn't snowed very much, they should still be high. If they're not, then check the elevations of canyons high, middle, and low, make sense? You'll find them. Sneek in and put one in the boiler room. The vitals are on average 15-18 inches, roughly. They're pretty tough animals, but a well placed ball will take one down, for sure. [url] http://www.theidahosportsman.com/ArticlesReports/huntarticlesdetail.asp?ID=12[/url]

And as I tell friends that I take after elk for the first time, any elk is a trophy.

Great luck to you. :v

 

[MFP308]

Pucker and Gold thank you for the advice. It follows what I have heard or read and i would rather have it from those who have been there.

Smo I hope you get the chance. I have hunted dear for years and I am more excited about this hunt than I have been about any other for a very long time. And I love to get out there so that says something.


Mike

 

[tg]

Wish you luck, can't tell you much about hunting Elk in your part of the country I don't even cary glasses where I hunt Elk as they just get caught up in the devils club and vine maple, usually see the feet first while crawling thru the brush.

 

[BS]

Enjoy your hunt, and head into the wind! :wink:

 

[Hawken12]

Never hunted elk,goin next yr tho,alberta.
How hard are they to git close too,I'm takin a Bess with me,11 gua
Thanx

 

[Desert Rat]

Mike, got back from muzzleloader deer up in 6B a couple of weeks ago. The weather is warm and everything is really dry. Prepare for long shots cause you probably aren't going to be able to put much of a sneak on them. Even at the quietest stalk I still think I sounded like a heard of druken water buffaloes.... and I was wearing mocs that usually are pretty quiet. What the others were saying about glassing is probably your best bet. Get their habits figured out then get in a spot you can wait for them to come to you. When we were scouting we saw bunches of elk but nothing while we were hunting (didn't see all that many bucks for that matter either).

Good luck :thumbsup:

 

[MFP308]

Yep I think I'm going to find the highest hill with some sign around and plant my butt and fix some long seers to my eyeballs. The weather is supposed to cool off this week but not that much. The grass wont be any wetter thats for sure. I've been shooting at 100 yard targets alot lately so hopefully that will help. At any rate if an elk falls in my lap I would be very happy but then half the fun is just being out there.

Thanks for all the help.

Mike

 

[Goldhunter]

MikeF, so what's the scoop? Any elk tenderloins for dinner?

 

[MFP308]

The short answer is no. The better answer is I had a great time not shooting an elk! Don't get me wrong the best out come would have been steaks but just being out on a hill side looking for elk is a the best way to spend time.

As many of you know or may have guessed I am knew to muzzle loading and all though I hunted as a teen, both deer and bird, I haven't hunted much for quite some time. So this trip was the fourth hunt I have been on in thirty years. My learning curve is steep. To add the muzzle loader to the mix makes it even more interesting and I do mean more interesting. We, Tommy, Lamar and I, put in for Ml elk this year not thinking we would all get drawn. When lightning struck I knew I had some educating to get done. I have learned a great deal here on the forums from some very givng people and I appreciate the help a great deal but geting out in the woods of northern Arizona and trying to put it all together was something I will not forget anytime soon.

The weather was a bit warm for this time of year. It rained the night before opening day, which helped keep down my noise level. The coldest morning we saw was 19 but the days would get up to 60's. We saw a great deal of sign and sat on some great feed and bedding areas. I walked the noon hours and saw some beautiful country. If you haven't seen the high country of Arizona you need to make a trip.

All in all we had a fantastic time saw more deer than during deer season plus three cow elk, shot the breeze with other hunters, found some areas of the state that I would love to go back to and now can call myself an elk hunter if not a successful one yet. Will I put in next year? You bet!


Mike

 

[Goldhunter]

Sounds like you're hooked! You in trouble now. :wink:

 

[MFP308]

Yeah you got that right. I'm going to be putting in for more hunts this next year including ml dear, both white tail and mule as well as elk. Who knows I may get to know the area better in the long run.

I've even been thinking about getting a side by side ml 12 gauge for dove and quail. Both easons are pretty active around here.

Mike