Elk Hunt

[Dog Soldier]

Well I am over the Bear River Divide from Fort Bridger. We had a real bad wreck on the 3 Sisters yesterday. Over 39 people injured. They had to use school buses to bring the wounded in. Some didn't make it. The little clinic could not hold everyone. So they use the local gym. Yep, it is winter in Wyoming.

 

[horsey300]

I'm a bit south of the black hills, closer to the pine ridge, had a friend from Evanston but the closest I got was Riverton Shoshoni area. Too bad about the wreck, I'm just close enough to a bad curve that in winter, we've gotten to house quite a few stranded/wrecked travelers, always coffee waiting by the fire this time of year. On packing the elk out, I've got something that would not be in a day pack, but if I didn't have my horses handy, it'd be worth having I reckon. Have you fellas ever heard of the Lewis multi-winch? (I think that's the proper name). Sorry it's the Lewis Winch. Got the multi drill for post hole diggin too. http://us.lewiswinch.com/shop/lewis-winch/lewis-winch-400-mk2 it ain't light but you can put it on a ten lb saw and anchor to the ground or nearest tree. Only take it to base camp or out of the truck after you've gotten your quarry dressed out......

 

[HB]

I'll keep the toboggan in mind, people use them out here to pull out whole deer. We quarted a deer out this bow season for practice as well, if you don't mind leaving a little meat behind its the way to go... gutless too.

 

[Dog Soldier]

Horsey, We used one of those to pull and elk out. We were hunting the rugged canyons near Saratoga, Wyoming. A 3 year old bull was shot on Murphy's ridge.
It was impossible to get a horse into the hole. We used the chain saw winch it is slower than a cold snail. We kept tying off to the Lodge Pole Pine until we topped out. The little winch is slow but a great tool.

 

[horsey300]

Horsey, We used one of those to pull and elk out. We were hunting the rugged canyons near Saratoga, Wyoming. A 3 year old bull was shot on Murphy's ridge.
It was impossible to get a horse into the hole. We used the chain saw winch it is slower than a cold snail. We kept tying off to the Lodge Pole Pine until we topped out. The little winch is slow but a great tool.

That's my thoughts, the new model has 2 speeds and my 10 lb 5105 dolmar puts out almost 4 horsepower, I can get the 73 cc cranking instead if I need it, but while slow, it'd sure beat dragging (even quartered) by hand out of a steep draw/slope/canyon and I always have enough straps and chains to reach a bigger tree if I need to I think even a high quality 40cc would do it well and save weight, love the dolmar there too! (Makita redheaded brother)

 

[Dog Soldier]

Yep, It is amazing how fast your internal battery runs down working at 8,000.' Dragging is a killer. Many years ago 2 of us had to drag a Bull off Shirley Mountain. We divided it into 3 bags from the elk's hide. And the antlers.It took 3 days. We left our sweaty shirts around the meat at night to keep the Lions away.
We wore the skin off our feet. Damn one of those little chain saw "Come Alongs" would have been great.

 

[CB900F]

HB;

Buy the gym membership if you don't already have one. Build cardio & aerobic capacity. When you think yer doin' good, put 25 lbs. on your back & get started again. You are going where it's perfectly possible to hunt both sides of the same acre. And you'll get to do it at altitude!

By the way, I live in what I call "Outer Montana" & my I sleep at a mile high. Oh, & NCHS '65.

900F

 

[gspn]

I'm aware I have 9 months of intense physical training ahead of me.

-HB

Depending on the altitude at which you hunt, the training may not make a difference. I live just south of you near Memphis which is 400 feet above sea level. I could hike for 5 hours here non-stop with a 50 lb pack. Above 5,000 feet I couldn't go two minutes uphill without needing a break. At 7,000 feet with a light pack I was having to stop every 20 steps on the steep stuff...and it took everything i had to make it the 20 steps (and i was in great shape). My conditioning helped only in that there was no lactic acid pain in my legs during the trip. My legs weren't sore the next day. The muscles and tendons were all conditioned to the load, but nothing can be done about the lack of oxygen at altitude, you're either used to it or you're not.

If you'll be hunting high, you probably won't need 9 months of conditioning. you could probably do 2 months since much of it won't make a difference in you ability to breathe. Better than 9 months of conditioning at sea level would be two weeks of acclimatization in the hunt area. I know that's difficult to pull off, but if you're hunting on foot it'll mean more miles covered every day.

 

[HB]

I'm in decent shape for a 25 year old but have a beer gut. Maybe 9 months of "intensive" workouts is a little much but I plan on hiking extensively on the bluffs of the Mississippi and shooting squirrels until the season. I figure better to be in good shape here and let the altitude be my biggest hurdle then go in blind.

We are going to to try to take a few days to get acclimated. If it all works out as planned I'll have 2 weeks of vacation, +/- 1 for scouting and 1 for hunting.

I shot matches at the Olympic Training Center in CO Springs twice in high school... lets say I was glad I wasn't there for Junior Olympic swimming or wrestling. The altitude didn't effect me at rest but the hikes I took after matches were brutal.

HB

 

[X-Rap]

My home is in the Rockies but work has turned me into a flat lander for much of the last 4 years. Last year I transitioned from San Antonio Texas elevation to NW Colorado about as fast as I could drive for draw season I waited 19 yrs for.
I put on 45 miles that week, wasn't as good as I once was but I got by. Did hundreds of steps each day on the job instead of the elevator.
Working at 5000'+ definitely helps but I'd get in as good a shape as possible before you go and use whatever time you have on the mountain to get acclimated.

 

[DownInTheDark]

I don't see much for elk during rut, as I don't bow hunt due to a bad arm. During rifle season rut is over, and the elk stay high. They come down at night for water usually. They will stay low once winter hits, but that isn't till middle of November, at least around here (Deer Lodge/Helena, Montana). Out in the woods, the best way I have found elk is by the smell of their urine. The smell lasts about 30-45 minutes, and can smell it about 50 yards away. It smells like a musky cow piss/crap.

The area I go, I know where they occasionally cross in the morning, so I get there before sun up, and stay hidden. After that I might drop a bag, pack light, keep quiet hug tree lines and keep moving. Winter didn't hit till early December this year, so I wasted a lot of time staying low. I had one elk in my sights, but couldn't tell if it was legal or not, and didn't take the shot. I figure I got 30 more years of elk hunting left in me and there is no reason to lose my hunting rights shooting a spike instead of a bull.

As for calling them in during rut, I have no experience, though my friend called in a moose once that suggested he leave promptly. I might get some paperwork filled out allowing me to have a line lock on my bow, so I can bow hunt. But then I am required to have someone come with me.

 

[H&Hhunter]

HB;

Buy the gym membership if you don't already have one. Build cardio & aerobic capacity. When you think yer doin' good, put 25 lbs. on your back & get started again. You are going where it's perfectly possible to hunt both sides of the same acre. And you'll get to do it at altitude!

By the way, I live in what I call "Outer Montana" & my I sleep at a mile high. Oh, & NCHS '65.

900F

Oh you're a low lander.....