Elk

Elk Tips for Beginners with Fred Eichler

Bass Pro Shops — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 15:58:10 +0000

Elk Tips for Beginners with Fred Eichler

Bass Pro Shops Fri, 09/01/2023 - 10:58

Category

Fred Eichler provides tips on elk hunting to help beginners increase their chances of being in the 15% of hunters coming back from a successful elk hunt.

Video Transcription

Hi, I'm Fred Eichler, and one thing I get a lot is people asking me for elk tips for beginners. People that want to get into elk hunting or maybe they're white tail hunters and they decided that they want to head out west and try their hand at elk hunting. Well first, I want to let you know that if you've been unsuccessful, or if you go out and are unsuccessful don't feel bad. Most people are. In the west, the average success rate runs around 15%. So, if you want to be in that low percentage there's a few things you want to know.

Get Away from the Trailheads

Public land is a great place to go out and do some elk hunting. Pouring over maps and figuring out how to get away from the trailheads. Most of the time when I've harvested elk in public land in Colorado, it's been over two miles from the beginning of a trailhead where other people could park, because to be perfectly honest most people don't want to go that far and work that hard to get an elk. So, you want to have a good pack, you want to learn a little bit about woodsmanship if you don't know it so you're comfortable camping or hiking on your own in the backcountry, and then you want to know some tips about elk hunting. And some of the tips that I'm going to tell you are pretty basic.

Be Aware of Wind Direction

A lot of white tail hunters already know it but it's even more important for elk. In other words when I'm white tail hunting it's a little easier for me to control my scent. I can keep my clothes in a bag or I can drive you know 100 yards and then you know to my tree stand or close to it put my clothes on and I'm only going to walk 100 or 200 yards to my stand and I'm not going to get too sweaty. When you're elk hunting especially early season, archery elk for example, muzzle loader elk, and even the first you know beginning of the rifle seasons, it's usually pretty hot so you're usually sweating quite a bit. Basically if an elk is downwind they're going to smell you. So always carry a quick and easy wind detector.

The winds and the thermals and the mountains are constantly changing so you can't rely on them. A lot of areas you can go, well the wind here is predominantly out of the northwest. Well when you're elk hunting and you're going up and down little different draws and things like that, it can totally change. Now you can rely on the fact that normally in the mornings the wind is going down the mountain so the thermals are moving down. As it heats up as the sun comes out and the air heats up those thermals turn around and start going up. So that is one general rule of thumb that you can rely on.

The problem is when you start dropping into little canons and creek bottoms and things like that it totally changes. So one thing I tell everybody whether you're a beginner or experienced is a wind detector or something you can check the wind constantly and I'm checking it when I'm elk hunting. Sometimes every 30 seconds or a minute when I'm guiding elk hunters because I have to know if an elk comes from this way is it going to wind us or if I heard an elk bugle over there can I move and set up on it. So a wind detector super super important.

Learn to Cow Call

Another thing that I tell people that are beginning elk hunters is everybody seeing the videos and the TV shows and I have to where somebody will call or they'll rip out a bugle and this giant six by six bugles back and he walks right out in the middle of this huge open meadow and turns broad side. Well that's just not real. That's not real for public land hunters, and it's honestly not real for the majority of the places on private land. A lot of the videos that you've seen and I've seen are on super expensive they're places that the majority of us will never get to hunt. I know that because every once in a while I've gotten to hunt places like that, and it is not like where I hunt usually and it's definitely not like the public land that I guide hunters on. So I tell guys don't even worry about a bugle because when you bugle you can intimidate as many elk as you can attract. It's just like you've got you've got a bull that's either going to fight you or he's going to run off. I don't want a bull to run off even the little ones. I want to attract all the bulls so I can make the decision. I want to see them and decide if I want to shoot them or not and sometimes even larger bulls, they're just not dominant bulls. They may not want to fight. They may they're lovers not fighters. So they're going to they hear another bull or dominant bull bugling, they're going to go the other way. So although bugling is fun it's fun to practice in the house or in your car going to work.

Read more: To Call, or Not to Call?

I tell people the best thing you can do is learn to cow call. So there's a bunch of different cow calls on the market. Bass Pro and Cabela's is carrying a ton of different ones from all kinds of different manufacturers. Some of the easier ones are the handheld ones that have a reed attached to them. You can adjust a band and you literally just blow through them. So you can take and almost anybody can blow a call like that relatively quickly. I suggest picking up an elk tape. Listen to some different YouTubes. I've got some shows out there and matter of fact I have a YouTube video that shows all kinds of different elk vocalizations you can hear out bugling and cow calling.

A diaphragm is really nice too because one it's smaller but you can also vary and do a lot of different things with a diaphragm. So I like a diaphragm a lot. Now you'll notice I'm varying those cow calls. They're not always the same distance or the same length and volume. An elk cow makes all kinds of different noises and a lot of times when she's in the peak of estrus or she's really looking for some some company she'll kind of stretch those cow calls out. So I use a small sequence a couple cow calls, and it doesn't matter you don't have to be a good elk caller. Some elk calls sound horrible like actual elk in the field. Some of them sound horrible like they have a stick in their throat. So you don't have to sound perfect. You don't have to sound exactly like the video, because elk like people have all kinds of different voices, cadences, volume, and things like that. But if you could make four to six something that sounds similar to a cow call and then just wait for 20 to 30 minutes and see if an elk comes in for a beginner that's going to be one of your best bets. It's a great way to effectively call an elk.

Be Patient After Cow Calling

A lot of people call and then move on and they don't realize especially on public land that a bull or another cow elk may be slipping in quietly, slowly to see if it's legit. But you're gone when they come in. So, I wish I would I wish I could admit to you how many times I've stood up too soon myself and blown elk out, but it would be embarrassing. It's happened to me a lot. So for beginners, I say learn from my mistakes, make a few calls sit 20 to 30 minutes. Just make sure you're in an area with elk learn to read some sign. If you're not seeing any fresh sign fresh scat fresh tracks well then you're calling blind and there's nothing close and nothing's going to come in. But if you're in a fresh sign fresh track fresh scat then a few cow calls waiting 20 to 30 minutes, move in half a mile, three quarters of a mile, and try it again. That is one of the most effective ways to call elk in for beginners.

Don't Overlook Treestand Hunting

Now another thing you don't want to overlook is the eastern style of hunting which is hunting out of tree stands. A tree stand or the tree saddles type things that they have where you can harness in and just instead of carrying a whole tree stand you can set up with that. But there's light tree stands that you can pick up.

There's all kinds of options that you can hike in and hunt over water holes super effective way in the west to hunt elk. You can hunt over wallows that's another effective way to hunt in the west. Hunting active trails, water holes, and wallows out of a tree stand or ground blind or literally just sitting in full camo and waiting by those areas can be one of the most effective ways to hunt elk, and I've harvested a lot of elk that way.

Well I've talked to a lot of other guides and their statistics match up almost exactly with mine. For me I'm one out of 10 when I'm calling and I like to think I'm a pretty good caller. So that means for every 10 elk I call into bow range, my clients or me shoot one of them. When an elk comes into a call when a bull for example comes into a call it's looking to either fight, or it's looking for love one or the other. So if it here's a cow elk call it may think there's another bull over there with that cow, and he's coming over to run him off and take the cow or if he hears a bull bugle or even if the cow calls he thinks there may be a bull with her he's running to run him off. So every single sense is alert. I mean literally everything so they're trying to see you, hear you, smell you. Every sense is alert. Now when you're set up on a trail and an elk just comes walking by you've got way better odds, because they're not alert, they're not as tense, they're not coming in. You know exactly where they're going to be they're going to be at that water hole right there or they're going to be at that wallow or they're going to be walking down that trail at 20 yards. When you're calling, that elk could come from 360 degrees. It could come in where you don't want it to, it could come in from downwind, it could come in from upwind, it could come in and see you, it could get into a position where you can't draw, it could spot you when you try and draw, but when you've got an elk walking down a trail or coming into a wallow or coming into a water hole, if you're set up in a tree stand, you've got a huge advantage, because hopefully you've already played the wind you're downwind and if they come in they're in range you've got the advantage on the wind and you've got a calm elk.

So for odds I'm one out of 10 for elk to come into bow range when I'm calling getting them harvested, where I'm seven out of 10 for clients or myself when elk come in walking down a trail or coming into a water hole or coming into a wallow. That's a pretty big difference in odds, so although I like talking about calling with people that are brand new to elk hunting, if somebody was to say, "Fred, 100% what is the best sure-fire way or the best odds of me getting an elk?" I would say get an active trail and set up over that. Get a lightweight tree stand pack it in just like you would white tail hunting, or I would say find an active water hole where there's fresh tracks especially if the weather's hot and dry and set up on that and that's going to be one of your best ways to harvest an elk.

Get Familiar with Your GPS Maps and Understand the Terrain

So another thing that I advise beginners is to get familiar with onX or Hunt Stand or you know GPS Garmin where you can zoom up. It is a great way to find little springs, water holes where you can look and see natural funnels like oh wow there's a bunch of brush here big mountain here big mountain here, and there's a little slender piece of trees it goes through this pass that might be a good funnel for elk. So learn some of that stuff, and learn to be able to read it, but don't even look within a mile or a mile a half of a parking area on public land that would be my advice. Start stretching it out a little bit further and be ready to do a little hiking if you want to be one of the 15% that harvests an elk in most western states, because that's about the odds is 15%.

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Elk Hunting

Elk Season

To Call, or Not to Call?

Bass Pro Shops Cabelas — Wed, 02 Nov 2022 14:17:11 +0000

To Call, or Not to Call?

Bass Pro Shops… Wed, 11/02/2022 - 09:17

Category

Elk

That is the question. For me, the answer is simple: silence is golden.

by Fred Eichler

Forget about what you read in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The real question when you’re bowhunting for elk should be to call, or not to call. For me, the answer is simple: silence is golden.

Whether hunting for myself or guiding, I like elk that aren’t on edge. I also prefer to be unseen, unheard and unsmelled. The problem with calling is that I’m heard, often spotted and frequently winded. It doesn’t matter if I use a cow mew or a bugle. One sound is all it takes to put every elk within earshot on high alert.

Let’s assume we are all amazing callers and that any nearby elk will be convinced we’re another elk. They will still be alert and on the lookout for the elk that made that sound.

When you blow a cow call, most bulls approach with caution, unsure if another rival bull is nearby. Most of us are well acquainted with suspicious bulls that come in downwind. Those bulls are on edge because they may have to fight or flee at a moment’s notice. Bulls also commonly circle to scent check to see if a cow is in estrus and ready to breed, and for dominant bulls they know by scent from summer bachelor herds.

I’ve watched bulls in national parks that receive zero hunting pressure do the exact same thing many times when they come in to a calling cow: they circle downwind to scent check the cow and sift the air currents for other bulls. If they can’t see the cow that is calling, it’s almost guaranteed that they’ll get downwind. As bowhunters, we are usually calling from a concealed location and unless we’re using a cow elk decoy, the elk can’t see any elk, so they are all the more apt to circle.

I think of it this way: since it would be extremely rare to have a lone cow elk just walking through the woods calling during the fall, elk usually assume vocalizing individuals are part of a herd. That causes them to be in a heightened state of awareness when they hear a call, especially during the rut.

I’m convinced it’s this increased wariness that makes killing an elk so difficult after calling. I've tracked my own statistics for years and found out that on average I had to call in 10 bulls to bow range to get a shot at one. My guides also experience similar rates of success. Colton Heward, who guides on the 220,000-acre Deseret Ranch in northern Utah, reports similar numbers. He says he calls in eight bulls for every one successfully killed with a bow. That’s on one of the most trophy-rich, least pressured elk hunting areas I have ever seen.

I’ve kept pretty thorough records of our hunting successes and failures over the past 30 years of guiding bowhunters for elk. When our hunters sit beside a waterhole, wallow or active trail, or stalk elk we’ve spotted from afar, and if we do no calling, they harvest seven out of 10 elk targeted.

I often tell clients “Would you prefer a 10 percent chance to harvest an elk, or a 70 percent chance?" Of course, a zillion variables come into play. Do bulls come into calls and offer high-odds killing shots? Absolutely. And some of them are full-grown bruisers. So much of elk hunting comes down to being in the right place at the right time. But if you play the odds, over time, shooting at calm, unalert elk will significantly increase your odds of eating elk steak every year.

It takes a near-perfect situation when calling elk for a bowhunter not to be seen drawing their bow, winded by a circling bull or heard while adjusting their position. When a bowhunter controls the narrative by choosing the ambush location, the odds increase.

I’m not saying this to keep anyone from calling elk. Having a hot bull come into your calls is one of the most electrifying experiences imaginable. My reason for sharing this is simply to help bowhunters have more success and make more clean kills, and that often involves leaving your call in your pocket.

How Far is Too Far?

Bass Pro Shops Cabelas — Wed, 02 Nov 2022 14:15:48 +0000

How Far is Too Far?

Bass Pro Shops… Wed, 11/02/2022 - 09:15

Category

Elk

Elk deserve our best shot no matter the distance.

by Fred Eichler

If you’re reading this just to see if you agree or disagree with what I write, I can’t blame you. It’s a touchy subject. But I hope this article will spark some thought on the topic of long-range shooting, both with the rifle and bow. I’ll also add that I’ve been an elk hunting guide in Colorado for almost three decades. In that time, I’ve seen a lot of elk killed from all kinds of distances, with all kinds of weapons. I’ve also seen a lot of elk missed, and unfortunately, hit poorly at a wide variety of ranges.

Dozens of variables can come into play when you squeeze the trigger or release an arrow. What if a sudden wind gust drifts the projectile? Is the shot at a steep angle uphill or downslope? Is the animal calm or on edge? Prey animals are wired to react instantly and are constantly looking, listening and sifting the air currents for any potential threat. I’ve seen elk spook from grouse flushing or ravens diving close. I’ve also seen lightning and bull snakes scare off elk when our stalk seemed sure to succeed. I bring this up to make the point that there is never a guarantee the animal you are trying to kill will still be there when your bullet or arrow arrives.

This is why longer shots are riskier even if we feel we are proficient at the distance. We often assume that the range at which we can consistently hit a target is the same range we can cleanly kill an animal. After 30 years of watching a lot of people launch arrows and bullets at elk, I can say this just isn’t the case.

Some products designed and marketed for their ability to enhance long-range rifle shooting can add to the misconception.

This appetite to take longer shots has a similar influence with archery equipment. Carbon arrows, sharper, flatter-flying broadheads, faster bows and more precise rangefinders are all great tools that can make us more proficient. But they can also dupe bowhunters, myself included, into feeling we can consistently make longer shots on game because we can do it on a stationary 3D target.

In my experience, all too often, elk aren’t stationary. Say we assume an average elk caliber with a 178-grain bullet has a muzzle velocity of around 2,866 feet per second (FPS). If you take a shot at 500 yards, the time of flight for the bullet is just over half a second. On an 800 yard shot that time increases to just over one second. When you consider a spooked elk can go from standing to covering over 10 yards in a second, you realize how much time that is. Even in just half a second, a wound-tight elk can cover a jaw-dropping distance, causing a miss or crippling hit. And that’s not counting the many other variables we encounter in the elk woods that differ from the shooting range, like sudden wind shifts and steep angles.

For archery, the amount of time an arrow is in flight before hitting the animal is even more critical. Even the very fastest bows launch arrows at a far slower speed than bulls can launch from a standstill to a gallop. That allows for more reaction time and boosts the odds of a miss or worse. The speed of sound is close to four times faster than your average arrow is traveling, so even with fast, quiet bows, the animal can react to the sound of releasing an arrow long before it hits.

For a rough example, let’s assume the average compound shooter sends an arrow at 260 FPS as it leaves the string. At 50 yards it will take just over a half-second for that arrow to impact the target. At 80 yards, it’s about one second. Again, plenty of time for a bad outcome.

Reaching any uniform answer on what is or isn’t an ethical shot distance is nearly impossible in my opinion. There are simply too many variables at play. With a wire-tight elk looking right at you, a 20-yard shot with a bow may be a low-probability shot. Whereas a 40-yard shot may be totally reasonable if the animal is at ease and unaware of danger. That's not even factoring in wind, slope, shot angle on the animal, temperature, or the presence of tsunami of adrenaline in your system. The same holds true for firearms in my opinion. Sometimes a 100-yard shot may be a low-odds shot to make. While in other cases, longer shots may have a high probability. But consistently, I've seen that closer shots just kill elk more effectively.

For me, whatever weapon I choose to carry, the hunt is about how close I can get to the elk and how sure I can be of my shot. As complicated and controversial as this topic can be, I think we can all agree that elk deserve our best shot no matter the distance.

How to Pick the Right Outfitter For You

Bass Pro Shops Cabelas — Thu, 13 Oct 2022 15:29:04 +0000

How to Pick the Right Outfitter For You

Bass Pro Shops… Thu, 10/13/2022 - 10:29

Category

Elk

A good list of questions is as important as your tag

by Fred Eichler

As an outfitter of 30 years, as well as an avid hunter who has hired multiple outfitters to take me hunting, I’ve been on both sides of the equation. Like any relationship or business deal, good communication up front can help you avoid misunderstandings with an outfitter about what kind of hunt you want. Here are some of my top tips to help improve your discussions and avoid a bad experience.

How physical is the hunt?

Physical ability varies from person to person, as do the fitness requirements of different hunts depending on terrain and altitude. Even hunters in poor shape can usually walk 100 yards to a whitetail stand, whereas a high-country elk hunt may be beyond some hunters’ capabilities. It’s a good idea to ask how much hiking is required. It’s also important to know if horses will be used. If you’re not comfortable on or with horses, and the guide tells you he or she always hunts with them, you may want to look elsewhere.

What is the guide-to-hunter ratio?

One September, I was unlucky enough to have a guide try to call in elk for three hunters, including me, rather than having one caller per hunter. You can guess how that turned out. Ask detailed questions. Will you be with a guide or dropped off in a stand? Is one-on-one guiding available? Do you have to hunt with other clients?

Make sure there are no hidden costs

I always ask this question because in the past I have been burned by charges I had not anticipated. The last thing you want to hear is, “Just so ya know it’s gonna cost you another 500 bucks to get that elk outta here, ‘cause we have to call in some guys with horses.” Or, “The guy with a fridge in town charges a few hundred a day to store your meat.” Also, check if there are extra charges for a trophy based on score or points. Always best to know all of this before you go.

Can I add days if things aren’t going great?

By agreeing to a price ahead of time it’s sometimes nice to know if you can add days to your hunt. I have turned unsuccessful hunts into successful ones by paying outfitters to stay and hunt longer, or if I was the outfitter, by allowing my clients to keep hunting after a really rough weather week. If I have already invested a lot of money and time in the hunt and if one or two more days may get me a shot, then it’s totally worth it.

What percentage of hunters are successful?

In fairness to the outfitter, I usually ask what their shot opportunity percentage is. Since many times a poor success on kills isn’t always the outfitters’ fault. There's no such thing as a 100% success rate with elk hunting unless you're hunting behind a fence.

Does the outfitter have any game violations?

It’s good to know if you will be hunting with someone who is a legal and ethical outfitter. I often call the game warden in the area. If they say it’s a good outfit, that helps me make my decision.

Get references

Most outfitters have a prepared reference list, but I will often ask for a few numbers of clients who didn’t harvest what they were after. If they still give a great recommendation and everything else checks out, then I may have found my outfitter.

Contract considerations

Make sure you receive a contract before you send a deposit. Most outfitters ask for 50 percent down when you book a hunt. If the contract doesn’t cover everything you discussed—like how much it will cost to add extra days, etc.—then ask for those items to be added before you sign and send the deposit. That way there are no misunderstandings.

The other side of the coin

No matter how much a hunt costs, hiring an outfitter or guide does not mean you are buying an animal. You are paying to hopefully have an opportunity at an animal. I have guided clients that filled every tag in their pocket, and I have also guided hunters who didn’t harvest one animal. Sometimes it was my fault, sometimes it was the weather’s fault and sometimes my client’s mistakes caused them to go home emptyhanded. If you go on your guided hunt with a great attitude and enjoy every sunrise and sunset, then you will never have an unsuccessful trip.

Elk Hunt with Traditions Vortek Muzzleloader

Mathew Brost — Tue, 25 Jun 2019 17:11:40 +0000

Elk Hunt with Traditions Vortek Muzzleloader

Mathew Brost Tue, 06/25/2019 - 12:11

Category

Elk

Mountain Hunting Success With A Muzzleloader

The good thing about catching an early-morning flight to Denver is that the plane was landing as the sun was breaking on the eastern horizon. Another short flight to the northwest corner of the state put me less than an hour's drive from my elk adventure for the next five days. With the special elk license I had under the Ranching For Wildlife program, I was able to hunt during the September rut. Though I could have brought a big magnum centerfire rifle, I opted to use a muzzleloader to make the hunt more challenging and rewarding.

Traditions Vortek StrikerFire Camo Muzzleloader

When I arrived at the lodge, I didn't even unpack my gear before heading to the rifle range. I had a new Traditions Vortek StrikerFire LDR that provided the latest technologies for quick, silent and reliable use that also extends the range if required. The LDR acronym stands for Long-Distance Rifle—the 1:28 rate-of-twist rifling and 30" barrel on the StrikerFire model I had is designed to improve accuracy when shooting greater distances. I settled onto the shooting bench and sighted in my gun at 100 yds. Because I traveled to my destination, I was not able to bring my own powder and had arranged for some to use at camp. I've been shooting Traditions muzzleloaders for decades and know how accurate they are out of the box. The groupings that I shot, however, were not satisfactory, and I immediately suspected the powder. With plenty of day left, I headed to the closest town that carried muzzleloader supplies to purchase new powder and primers. The effort proved to be well worth it as the gun shot perfect cloverleafs upon my return. A few more tests at longer ranges and I knew that I was ready to chase elk in the high country.

The next morning we traveled to a high-elevation camp and wasted little time getting out on the mountainous terrain. We weren't 45 minutes down the trail when the first bull responded to our calls. The area boasted an incredible population of elk and it wasn't difficult to find bulls in every direction when scanning the distant ridges with our binoculars. The specific license I had permitted me to only hunt certain boundaries of the ranch, which meant most of the elk would have to move before being accessible. We sat on a steep ridge and played cat and mouse with a big bull that teased us by edging up to the border of our fence but would not commit to our challenge.

Traditions Vortek Muzzleloader with Scope

The days went quickly, and on the last day of our hunt, I decided to stalk another steep ridge with some large meadows near the top. I had watched

a herd of elk filter through a fern-choked opening in the trees that morning and thought a bull must be with the large number of cows. Late in the afternoon I hiked up the ridge, and as I started to tiptoe through the stunted oak trees next to the fern meadow, a tired herd of elk stood up from their beds just 20 yds. from me. They had no idea what was happening but sensed an interloper approaching. The bull led the herd into the meadow a mere 50 yds. from where I stood. When he stopped to look around, I slid the striker of my muzzleloader to the fire position, centered my crosshairs on his vitals, and gently squeezed the trigger. As my gun belched grey smoke, there was no doubt that my bullet found its mark, and the bull ran about 70 yds. through the ferns before tipping over.

My StrikerFire LDR, which I had planned to use for a long-range shot, had worked equally effectively on my close encounter. Weighing in at just 6.8 lbs., the rifle was ideally suited for the strenuous hunt. The gun offers the newest technologies in muzzleloading, such as a cocking mechanism that does not include a hammer. The StrikerFire gets its name from the StrikerFire slide button that is pushed forward to silently cock the gun. If you wanted to put the gun back in the safe position, you simply depress the button on the mechanism allowing it to slide back to the uncocked position. Traditions is well known for its additional safety features, including a trigger-block mechanism that can be engaged when the rifle is cocked.

The gun also features a projectile-alignment system for keeping your bullet straight on the bore while pushing it with the ramrod. The barrel tolerances are ideal and produce complete gas seals when the gun is fired while allowing the user to push the bullet the length of the barrel without straining.

Hornady SST-ML Low-Drag Sabot

The screw-in breech plug of this gun makes it incredibly easy to clean and maintain. With no external nipple, the 209 primers are loaded straight into the device for positive ignition. The gun is aesthetically pleasing, with straight lines and a stock made of composite material available in black or different camouflage options. The ambidextrous stock features a soft-touch covering and is easy for anyone to shoot. Traditions has gone the extra mile and made the recoil pad removable so users can store speed loaders or other field components in the hollow buttstock. One of the reasons this gun is so accurate is due to the TAC2 trigger, which is factory set around 2 lbs. The trigger was firm and broke clean with moderate pressure making it easy to stay on target.

The StrikerFire would be considered a well-rounded gun for any type of hunting, from treestands and blinds to spot-and-stalk, or even hiking and covering steep terrain. The .50- cal. break-action in-line rifle has a 13-1/2" length of pull and an overall length of 46". The tapered, fluted, magnum chromoly barrel is protected by a CeraKote corrosion-resistant finish, which also makes the gun durable and easy to clean. At no extra cost, the gun comes with a Williams metal fiber-optic sight on the Northwest Magnum model, or, alternatively, a scope can be easily mounted as the barrel comes pre-drilled and tapped.

Shop Cabela's full selection of Muzzleloader Accessories.

Elk Calling: What You Need to Know Before You're in Elk Country (infographic)

Bass Pro Shops 1Source — Mon, 19 Sep 2016 19:55:33 +0000

Elk Calling: What You Need to Know Before You're in Elk Country (infographic)

Bass Pro Shops… Mon, 09/19/2016 - 14:55

Category

Elk

When the rut is on, you know Bull elk are tearing it up across the Rockies. You know it’s time to get out there and get after them. Our elk hunting experts have compiled a few need to know calling tips to up your odds of locating a monster bull and getting within shooting range. And remember, in calling to elusive elk, less is usually more!

SHOP ALL ELK CALLS: Find a wide assortment of elk calls at Bass Pro Shops.

FUN ELK QUIZ: Can you tell an elk bark from a bugle? A cow mew from a cow moose? Put your elk hunting ear to the test with this quick quiz. Click for the Do you speak elk? (Audo Quiz)

Primos Bull Horn Call

Bull Elk Calls

Primos Baby Hoochie Mama Elk Calf Call

Elk Cow Calls

Primos Baby Hoochie Mama Elk Calf Call

Elk Calf Calls

View Enlarge+ Elk Calling Tips infographic PDF below

Region

International

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For the Best Elk Bow Hunting: Find Food, Cover & Water (video)

Dr. Grant Woods — Thu, 24 Sep 2015 21:31:17 +0000

For the Best Elk Bow Hunting: Find Food, Cover & Water (video)

Dr. Grant Woods Thu, 09/24/2015 - 16:31

Category

Elk

Bow hunting elk with the GrowingDeer.tv team! Setting their sights on bow hunting elk the team has some close encounters and tag a nice bull! One of the best ways to bow hunt elk in Southern Colorado is to locate the scarce resources of food, cover, and water. Watch this online video featuring challenging elk hunts and beautiful scenery in southern Colorado!

Join the conversation with other hunters and land owners on Growing Deer Tv's facebook page or Twitter:@GrowingDeer. See more of Grant Woods deer and turkey hunting videos and information useful for hunters. Also follow the team on Instagram and Pinterest.

From GrowingDeer.tv
Grant Woods

Region

Midwest

Tags

Do You Speak Elk? (Audio Quiz)

Bass Pro Shops 1Source — Wed, 23 Sep 2015 22:57:49 +0000

Do You Speak Elk? (Audio Quiz)

Bass Pro Shops… Wed, 09/23/2015 - 17:57

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Elk

Can you tell a bark from a bugle? A cow mew from a cow moose? Put your elk hunting ear to the test with this quick quiz. Click each photo to listen to the associated sound or vocalization. Be sure to record your answers and click the link at the bottom of the page to find out your score!

A huge thanks to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation for providing these awesome elk audio clips!

1. What is this elk vocalization?

A. Parting Grunt — sound a bull frequently makes dismounting a cow he’s just bred.

B. Tending Grunt — sound a bull makes while herding cows straying from his harem.

C. Cow Mew — the sound often made by a cow elk staying in contact with a calf that’s out of it’s sight.

D. Donkey Bawl — sound a bull in full rut often makes at the end of a bugling sequence.

Elk photo copyright by Denver Bryan / Images On The Wildside 2016

2. What is happening here?
A. Bull is breeding a cow.

B. Bull is taking out frustrations battling a small Ponderosa Pine.

C. Two bulls are fighting over receptive cows.

D. Two bulls are sparring to establish dominance as the rut approaches.

3. When would you use this sound in your calling sequences during bow hunting season?

A. To challenge a satellite bull.

B. To cover avoidable noise during a stalk.

C. To try to reassure a wary bull that all is well.

D. All of the above.

4. This is another vocalization of the cow elk. When would you use it to entice a bull?

A. When the bull has busted you in heavy timber and you want to stop him for a last ditch shot.

B. Never. It’s a warning bark that will put every animal in earshot on alert.

C. When a yearling calf has wandered between you and the bull you’re after.

D. At the start of every bugling sequence.

5. What is the most important thing to remember when using this elk sound in your calling at any point in the season?

A. It can be a high-risk call because it’s loud, and you may have a bull very near. Plus, hard-pressured bulls may clam up as soon as they hear it.

B. It’s always the highest percentage call to go with. You’ll get a response almost every time you use.

C. It’s really the only elk sound you ever really need to learn.

D. The only time you’ll ever hear a bull make this sound is in the dark.

6. When you’re hunting with a companion and you’re hiking in before daylight, you hear an elk make this sound, what’s the first thing you should do?

A. Take off in that direction on a trot.

B. Throw up your rifle and shoot.

C. Stop; slowly separate and wait silently to see if the animal will do it again so you can get a better fix on its distance and direction.

D. Immediately respond with the exact same vocalization.

7. How much do cows talk?

A. Very little, and you should cow call sparingly at all times.

B. Cows, especially in a herd are mewing nearly all the time, so it can’t hurt you to cow call nearly constantly while you’re moving.

C. Cow calling is done in isolation, when they are away from the herd only and looking to rejoin the herd.

D. As in all calling, you need to tread carefully and determine what’s getting response from the bulls on any particular day.

Ready to see how you did? Click here to open the answers.

Your Rating:

6-7: Wapiti runs in your blood — a trophy bull is in your near future — and you ought to think about entering some calling contests, too.

4-5: Better than your average hunter — with just a little more practice you’ll have every bull on the mountain running to you.

2-3: Needs work—get out there and listen, then practice, practice, practice.

<2:Ummmm; hire yourself a good guide and let him (or her) do ALL the calling.

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High-Tech Hunting Gear Every Backcountry Hunter Secretly Wants

Randy Newberg — Sat, 15 Nov 2014 20:09:52 +0000

High-Tech Hunting Gear Every Backcountry Hunter Secretly Wants

Randy Newberg Sat, 11/15/2014 - 14:09

Category

Elk

From the time humans started hunting for food, they have been improving technology to increase their chance of success. We each develop our own creed as to what works for us.

A Garmin handheld GPS device and HuntingGPSMap chips by OnXMaps can give hunters a huge advantage in finding out-of-the-way public hunting lands, especially when there’s private land nearby that hunters must navigate around.

As a general rule, if it increases the likelihood I will make a better shot, resulting in a quicker kill, I am going to look into it. That is not to be confused with the notion that I am a “long-bomber.” For me, hunting is about getting as close to an animal as I can. The closer I get, the better the animal’s senses are at detecting me. And thus, the greater the reward when I am successful.

But no technology can replace common sense. When I’m hunting on public lands out West, I look for the places other hunters don’t want to go. Where hunters like to go, elk don’t. It’s that simple.

I look at a map of a unit and the first thing I do is cross off all areas within a mile of a road or ATV trail. I look for sections of steep grades, maybe only 300’ of vertical that will cause hunters to avoid the benches on top of those steep slopes.

They say 90 percent of the elk are taken by 10 percent of the hunters. I’m not sure if that is true, but the hunters I see taking public land elk on a regular basis don’t rely on luck. They rely on hard work to get away from other hunters. They invest a lot of map time to find those places other hunters don’t want to go. And when they get there, they usually find elk.

Here are a few advanced technologies you might want to consider next time you are in the backcountry on your DIY hunt.

1. Google Earth must have been created by a hunter. It is by far the most useful tool for e-scouting.

2. GPS Mapping/Chips - I was slow to come around to the GPS idea. I was always a map-and-compass kind of guy. Yet, many places I hunt have a mix of public and private lands, so it is not always possible to tell how close you are to private lands with just a compass. A few years back I bought a handheld GPS device and started using the HuntingGPSMap chips by OnXMaps. It is hard to explain how much that changed my hunting and my strategy for tag applications. Those units I previously avoided due to private land are now at the top of my list. I use a Garmin Montanan GPS. I have every map chip from OnXMaps for every state I hunt. If you buy a chip from OnXMaps and use promo code – hunttalk14, you will get a free DVD of our TV show.

3. As much as I strive to get as close as possible before a shot, either rifle or archery, I have grown fond of another piece of technology; the rangefinder. Some may say rangefinders serve to increase shot distances. Maybe, but not in my case. For me, rangefinders serve the purpose of providing accurate ranges, increasing the likelihood that my shot will be true and improving the odds of a quick, humane kill. The vast backcountry where I hunt is not the place to be tracking poorly hit animals.

In the elk mountains, a true ballistic rangefinder is a must for the uphill/downhill shots I often face. My personal favorite is the American-made Leupold RX-1000i TBR rangefinder. It makes distance and elevation a certainty, not a guess and a hope. We owe it to the animals we hunt to do all we can to improve the accuracy of our shots, whether they be arrows or bullets.

Check out this article to see the 7 pieces of must-have hunting gear recommended for your next do-it-yourself public land big game hunt at Bass Pro Shops 1Source.

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Forget What You Know About Elk Hunting and Use These Tips Instead

Michael Faw — Tue, 21 Oct 2014 17:35:43 +0000

Forget What You Know About Elk Hunting and Use These Tips Instead

Michael Faw Tue, 10/21/2014 - 12:35

Category

Elk

Silence is sometimes golden, and when the woods are full of loud bugling and constantly mewing elk hunters, pressured elk simply go silent—and hunker deep into thick cover. Maybe you should also go silent and move less. The less you do, the greater your chances of filling an elk tag.

Staying silent and moving less while scouring the area for antler tips, moving ears and shiny eyes can help elk hunters fill their tag.

1) Know the Turf:

Study all available topographical maps and carry a handheld GPS unit (with fresh batteries in your pocket), so you know what’s ahead and over the next ridge. Use the maps and info to pin point pinch points in the terrain that could funnel elk into a narrow area. Next, select a vantage point overlooking that area and settle in, then quietly wait and watch. The tales are many about hunters who were sitting quietly when a herd of elk came loping by—with a bull bringing up the rear

2) Be Alert and Stay Put:

Bring a seat cushion or small lightweight packable stool and take a comfortable seat where you can observe a large amount of elk turf. Use a binocular or tripod-mounted spotting scope to study the surrounding terrain and forest shadows to spot hidden elk. Look for antler tips, moving ears and shiny eyes. Settle in instead of aimlessly wandering about and possibly bumping a hidden elk herd and pushing them on to other hunters.

3) Conquer the Call Shy:

During the bugling period in the fall, bulls think about two things: cow elk and other bulls. Their thoughts about other bulls are focused on whether to give chase—or take the herd of cows and run. While an elk call can help you locate a bull, keep calling and you could turn that bull and his herd into runners. Hunters everywhere find this situation when they call too much and too often—the elk move away. Make contact, go silent and move ahead slowly. Pause often to look for elk.

4) If Your Go:

If you are just beginning your elk hunt or are hunting a new area, you need to quickly find clues such as wallows, feeding areas, trails, river crossings and other clues that point to where the elk have been, where they are going, and what they are doing in the region. Move quietly through the hunting area, study the clues from afar with a binocular when possible, and stay ready and alert. When you see tracks, determine which direction the elk that made them went—and possibly where it came from. Then study the region and determine the best area you have to make contact with an elk. You have greatly increased your odds of success by studying the many clues.

5) Go Back There:

It’s a fact that most hunters will stay near roads and trailheads, and if they move, they often take the path of least resistance, such as following a meandering logging road. This activity can push elk. To find success, move as far as you can beyond where most hunters dare to venture—generally a mile away from the parking lot trailhead. Let other hunters aimlessly wander about, and push elk back to you. Take a predawn hike and begin your hunt back there beyond other hunters. If you will become sweaty on the hike, stash dry clothing layers in your daypack and change out of sweaty clothes before you seriously begin hunting. Find a vantage point and settle in.

Not sure when you should move on elk? Check out these tips 5 Tips for Deciding If, When and How to Move When Elk Hunting at Bass Pro Shops 1Source.

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