Mark CochranNo doubt the best strategy of calling elk involves 2 people. One shooter and a caller positioned strategically behind the shooter attempting to call the elk upwind of the shooter. This method fools the elk to focus beyond the shooter. It is an ambush method used by most hunters today. This double team method is the most successful way to harvest an elk while calling. However, there are still those times when we are solo and don’t have the luxury of the double team. Here is a method of hunting that I have found to be very successful when going at it alone. Read the rest of this entry »
Dirk Durham Every season we look back and reflect upon what we could have done differently on a particular elk hunt. The scenario goes like this - ” I called back and forth with a bull for at least an hour. He charged in, only to hang up just out of archery range. Sound familiar? Especially those of us who hunt solo, we have all been there, plagued by this dilemma in the past. I will highlight some of the tactics that have helped me draw in stubborn bulls those final yards. Read the rest of this entry »
Dirk DurhamThe year was 1989, I was fifteen and wanted to hunt elk with a bow. My Dad had long since lost his drive to “beat the brush” as he called it. So I was on my own. Being an avid hunter I wanted to take advantage of the early season that archery hunting offered. I knew nothing about calling elk. My best friend Randy Wise (now my brother in-law) also wanted to get involved. We made a pact. We would learn to call elk no matter what the obstacles…we would learn. Read the rest of this entry »
Corey JacobsenBoise will be getting a new archery pro shop this weekend with the soft opening of Idaho Archery Company on Saturday. The new 4000sf store will be located across from Hawk’s Stadium on Glenwood in Boise. Inventory is continuing to arrive daily and the grand opening is planned for mid-March. Idaho Archery Company will be carrying Hoyt, Bowtech, Elite, Quest, and Alpine bows, along with a large variety of accessories and gear. Anyone interested in checking them out can swing by on Saturday and get a first look at the new shop and the indoor shooting range. You can also follow along on their Facebook page (Idaho Archery Company).
The Team at Elk101.com welcomes Idaho Archery Company to Boise and looks forward to working with them for many years!
Corey JacobsenWe’d like to welcome our newest additions to the Elk101.com Pro Staff – Dirk Durham and Mark Cochran. These guys bring a wealth of elk hunting knowledge to the team, as well as enthusiasm and a desire to share their experiences with others. Dirk is a 2-time World Champion elk caller and successfully hunts elk in over-the-counter units in Idaho with both archery equipment and rifle. Mark is a back-country, bivy hunting guru and brings a wealth of ideas and knowledge for archers and rifle hunters alike.
We’ll be incorporating a new format on the website for 2010 and our Pro Staff will be sharing articles, stories, and experiences following a monthly theme. For February, look for their input on “Bugling Elk”. We’ll be sharing what calls we use, tips and tactics, and about anything we can think of that relates to the topic! Please join us in welcoming these elk hunting experts to the team!
Mark CochranDreaming of a Future High Quality Elk Hunt?
Even if you don’t have the time or money for a limited entry or special Elk permit at this time, you can still set yourself up for a future dream hunt. You can do this by participating in the bonus/preference point system that many states have to offer. Most western states have established a bonus/preference point system. That is with the exception of Idaho and New Mexico. These options allow you to purchase one point annually at a fraction of the cost of the entire hunt package. This way, ten years down the road when you have the time and money, your odds of drawing that dream elk tag is not so far out of reach. It is like putting your dream hunt on Lay-a-way. Read the rest of this entry »
Dirk DurhamScreaming bulls all around. This can’t be really happening. Your every heart beat is felt as it tries to burst from your chest. You cant breath. Off in the very near distance brush is breaking, and hooves are pounding the ground, closer, and closer. The intense, up close and personal challenge bugle makes you close your eyes take a deep breath, and gather your composure.
Now, much more calm, you can see antler tips coming toward you. He is a monster, the one you’ve waited your whole life to take. At this very moment you feel very small and defenseless holding a bow. All the practice and preparation pays off when your brain kicks into auto pilot, forcing you to draw the bow, aim, and shoot, all just at the right time. Big bull down, high fives all around, and then , just then, with a small tear in your eye, you wonder where exactly that giant set of horns are going to fit inside your house………..None of this can happen if you don’t hit the books and find a unit or two to submit your applications for special hunts!
Corey JacobsenArizona is truly the land of BIG elk and there aren’t many things that can compare to the anticipation and excitement of drawing an Arizona Elk Tag. Arizona Elk Tags are available through a random draw process and the deadline for applying for these coveted tags is February 9. Arizona has a bonus point program in place for applicants who purchase a Class G hunting license. If you’re interested in applying, here are the instructions to help you get your application filled out.
To get started, go to http://www.azgfd.gov/pdfs/h_f/HuntApplication.pdf Read the rest of this entry »
Dirk DurhamSomething is wrong. The elk wont bugle. It’s too hot, the moon is full, too many people, too many wolves……….
I think I am as guilty as the next guy for using one of those lame excuses about why I haven’t tagged out yet. But let’s get real, real quick. You are ultimately in charge of your own success. Instead of packing up camp and heading home to your cozy wife and list of honey-do’s, lets try a different approach . Just think back to all those days in the off-season when you couldn’t wait until next season. This next season was going to be different. Its hard to justify all the money spent on gear and fuel to your wife if you come home empty-handed. You hunt because of the chase, and……the kill! If it was just the allure of the outdoors you would just be a hiker, not a hunter. Read the rest of this entry »
Corey JacobsenThe all-new GUTLESS VIDEO (Gutless Method for Field Dressing) by Elk101.com is now available and can be viewed for FREE by clicking here… GUTLESS VIDEO
Be sure to support the sponsors who have made it possible to offer this video for free – Sitka Gear, G5 Outdoors, Alaska Game Bags, and Idaho Archery Company.
Corey JacobsenMany of you followed along as Donnie and I tortured ourselves with 2 Triathlons in a 36 hour period a couple weeks ago. It was rough, but surprisingly, the second triathlon on Saturday was not as rough as I would have thought it might be. By Monday I was already feeling like I needed to cut back on ice cream and pizza again and start working out! Two days ago I met up with a group of friends for a 20 mile road bike ride. Coming off back-to-back triathlons, I feel like I’m probably in about the best shape of my life. Although I haven’t worked out nearly as hard the past two weeks, I still feel like I’m in pretty good shape. I was questioning that subject for an hour straight during the bike ride. They absolutely made me look silly. My legs were jello, my lungs were on fire, sweat was blurring my vision…there’s a lot of room left for improvement. Which brings me to Elk101.com’s Elk Hunting Tip #1. Get in shape.
The finish line...
Halfway there...
Read the rest of this entry »
Corey JacobsenIf you followed along on Tip #3, you have located a bull and approached him in silence. You are now at the most critical point of the sequence. Your set-up. Think back to every time you have been busted by an elk. Or, try to remember everything that has ever gone wrong when you’re elk hunting. For me, I can attribute a very high percentage of our ”un-successes” to our set-ups. Our set-ups aren’t always controllable, however. The wind can switch in an instant. The bull can stop behind a tree offering no shot. Our arrow can fall off the rest. The batteries in our rangefinder die. I could fill up all of this page and space in David Claycomb’s next article with the excuses and reasons why we didn’t get the bull. But when it comes right down to it, most of these reasons could fall under the generic classification of failures with our set-up. Read the rest of this entry »
Tony MuddAs Corey said in Tip #5 “An 18 yard, quartering-away shot on a bull that has no idea you are there is something we dream about.” Let’s turn that day dream into a real-life, action-packed elk hunting situation! In the mid-nineties, I attended one of Randy Ulmer’s seminars on elk hunting. One of many great ideas that stuck with me all these years was “there have been times when I will run right to them while they are raking”. In 2004 on the second day of the Nevada elk season Randy’s words came rushing through all the cob webs in my head as I watched a nice 6×6 start raking, whipping, or just plain trashing a pinion pine. I quickly set up the video camera on a tri-pod and started filming. I then grabbed my bow and took off down the canyon, circled around a small ridge, and worked my way to within 20 yards of the bull. The bull never looked up. As a matter of fact it was at this point that I noticed each time the bull brought his head down into the tree he would close his eyes. I can’t speak for all bulls, but this one did each time he lowered his head into the tree. Read the rest of this entry »
Corey JacobsenAs I alluded to yesterday, today’s tip would focus on locating and getting into position to set-up on a bull. This is a critical step and our approach is likely different than what a lot of hunters actually do once they get a bull to bugle. I explained the 3 primary calls we use for elk yesterday: the location bugle, the simple cow call, and the challenge bugle. We use the location bugle to, well, locate elk. I like to hike along ridgetops bugling into the adjacent drainage’s to locate a bull. Being on a ridgetop allows me the maximum mobility, providing me with the greatest opportunity to cover a lot of country in search of elk.
Ridgetop in Elk Country
Read the rest of this entry »
Corey JacobsenTip #4 covers a broad spectrum of advice when it comes to elk hunting. With a degree in Mechanical Engineering, I often find myself looking for ways to increase efficiency…getting maximum output with the minimum amount of input. Typically, this is best achieved by simply keeping it simple. This is especially true when it comes to calling elk. In my opinion, many hunters try too hard, trying to define every breath, bark, bugle, and burp an elk makes. To complicate matters even more, they then try to figure out what grunt, growl, gurgle, or glunk to respond with. Elk are simple-minded animals. A simple-minded approach as a hunter is actually more effective than you might think. Read the rest of this entry »
