Wanting to go on a public land non guided elk hunt

Status
Not open for further replies.
X

xmanpike

Member
Joined
Feb 25, 2009
Messages
452
Location
Houston, TX
So I have been hunting whitetail, hogs, dove, squirrel, turkey, and the occasional exotic for quite awhile now and have never had the opportunity to kill an elk as they are just not plentiful in East Texas.

My friend and I were both planning on taking a guided elk hunt in Montana a few years ago until we both lost our jobs. The price was outrageous, but we fogured it was a once in a lifetime type deal.

We have now decided to try and find a place we could draw a publlic elk tag and go camp and try to kill our first bull oursleves. This has proved to be extremely confusing.

It seems like these states have numbered codes for every region and all sorts of different dates and licenses.

Was wondering here if anyone has any information on drawing an elk tag, and which states seem to be easier to get but still have decent chances of success. Both my friend and I are fairly adept hunters and I feel confident if we could draw a tag with an area that has elk, we could each harvest one.

Any ideas, thoughts, comments, advice, etc would be greatly aprreciated.

Thanks

MC
 
Ok, start here:
http://www.biggamehunt.net/sections/Elk/Nonresidents-Guide-to-Western-Hunting-02081010.html
But to summarize, people seem to like Colorado for their OTC tags so they don't have the uncertainty of a drawing. However, those are also the most crowded seasons. You could also do Montana, but you still have to draw and applications are due next week.
The OTC tags in Colorado and Montana's general tag allow you to hunt most of the elk country during a specified season, with very few restrictions.
Colorado has the most elk, and has pretty good success rates. But, it can get crowded if you hunt OTC. It's not rocket science, we'll be happy to walk you through the application process.

Oh, and I think a DIY public land bull is far more of a hard earned trophy than a guided, outfitted bull, where someone else did all the work for you and all you have to do is keep up with the guide and shoot the bull he found. So good on you. Go for it, it's fantastic.
 
Oh yeah, and I hate to break it to you, but don't have delusions of both of you harvesting on your first time out. You'll be in for a big let down. You might not realize this, but rifle season success rates in places like Colorado and Montana hover around 20%. You have to assume that the vast majority of those hunters have hunted before and have some semblence of a clue about how and where to hunt, yet 4 out of 5 go home empty handed.
 
Yeah, I would agree. Don't bother entering a drawing, just by an over the counter tag and get up in them hills. You really should try and make a trip or few up to scout some public land too. Also, you can save a good bit of money by buying cow tags for the first couple seasons. It'll get your feet wet, and you can grow more knowledgeable about the area and where the elk are, before you invest in the bull tag. You just might put a cow in the freezer too! Good luck.
 
Good point, cow tags are now $350 versus $540 for the bull tags. But there are no OTC cow tags, so you'll have to apply or wait for leftovers.
 
Oh that's right; they are actually leftover tags. That's what I was thinking of because you can then buy them at Walmart. Some units never come close to selling out their leftovers. The units I hunt will start out with hundreds of leftover cow tags, and they maybe sell half of them by the season opener.
 
I might take some slack for this, but I would steer you to another state besides Montana. It appears, at least from my experience and from reports from friends and family members that the wolves have had a devastating effect on the elk herd, at least in Western Montana.
 
You might also try for a few states where there isn't as much pressure - Utah, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and Wyoming all offer non-residents chances for tags and the amount of public land is enormous.

There is also decent elk hunting in places like Michigan.
 
Great advice so far. I love this forum. I thank you all for your comments. Sounds like Colorado seems to be the easiest so far. I appreciate the reality checks as well. I kind of hope this will be hard. I'm up for a challenge.

Are their time constraints for how long the tags are good for?

Also, I would love to try an archery hunt as I have taken quite a few deer with a bow. Are there better seasons available for this?

There seem to be a bunch of diiferent "areas" all numbered. Which ones should I be looking to get into?

Thanks MC
 
Right. The tag is only good for one specific season. Archery season is basically the entire month of September. Other seasons only last anywhere from a few days to over a week.

If you are an archer, go for that season because you can do a bit of calling (it's not that hard) and might get lucky with the bulls being out of their right mind, during the rut. Try and find a map of Colorado that shows the large public parcels. Hunt those units. There are a number of "wilderness areas" and whatnot. Plan to hike far in and away from all the 4wheeler hunters.

Do your homework in regards to calling. There are tons of videos that will give you an idea of how it goes, and the equipment is cheap enough to give it a try.
 
Actually, pretty good. There are a lot of reclaimed strip mines as well as some WMA that are open to the public. I guess now that they are doing more permits, and it is getting more popular, some of the private land that used to be accessible with permission is now leased to some of the guiding companies.
 
Both my friend and I are fairly adept hunters and I feel confident if we could draw a tag with an area that has elk, we could each harvest one.
Click to expand...

I guess it's good to be optimistic. Who knows, hunting is 75% luck anyway.

I'm not sure I'd want to pack out 2 bulls in one week from where I hunt. Actually, I KNOW I wouldn't.

Do the elk a favor and buy a wolf tag instead.
Click to expand...

Yes.
 
Know why guided Elk hunts are so expensive? Because it's really hard work! Be prepared for long hikes, heavy packs, high altitude, cold nights, getting lost, and even more long hikes with heavy loads. You should definitely try it out, just be mentally prepared to work hard. A couple years back I lost 10 lbs during a 1 week hunt.

FWIW, 2nd season seems to be popular for out-of-staters because the odds of getting caught out in a snowstorm are less & there are lots of tags.
 
"You might also try for a few states where there isn't as much pressure - Utah, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and Wyoming all offer non-residents chances for tags and the amount of public land is enormous."

There is alot of public land out here but dont be fooled, theres PLENTY of pressure on them and they are pretty hard to find. I was on a limited opportunity cow hunt last year and hunted 20 days and only saw one cow elk the entire time in an area that i know well and hunt often. She was out about 1/4 mile and i couldnt close the distance as she just dissapeared. If you wanted a big trophy bull out of arizona the best options for you are going to be the early hunts in the units 1,27,10,and 8. 10 and 8 hold more BIG bulls but have fewer elk. 1 and 27 you have a better chance at finding a 350 class bull but less chance at a real monster. If you want a better chance at harvesting one though it might not be quite the monster units 6a 5bsouth and 7 are good choices.
 
Both my friend and I are fairly adept hunters and I feel confident if we could draw a tag with an area that has elk, we could each harvest one.
Click to expand...

This isn't something you do by driving to a farm and ask permission. When I lived in CO, the average success rate for out of state hunters (both guided and on their own), was 15%, and in state folks who had time to scout and really knew the Western Slope were at 55%. If you're going to "road hunt" that rate drops significantly; which means packing or hiking in. Just turning a downed elk on a mountain side so you can gut it, let alone field dress it, can be a chore by itself. Then packing it out is even more fun.

Not saying to NOT do it - go ahead, just realize this isn't a TX or East coast white tail hunt
 
I dont know what the draw stats are for non residents in Nevada, but I know it took me 8 years to get an archery tag, and my grandpa 22 years to get a rifle tag in NV for elk. And I believe the non res tags are somewhere in the $1300 range. Best of luck.
 
Try Colorado or NM. Both offer excellent opportunities. Probably bigger bulls in NM, but more opportunity in CO.

If you're after a trophy buy a subscription to Eastman's Hunting Journal. It has a good breakdown of trophy units.

If you're just looking to shoot a bull go through the state's harvest and draw statistics. Pick one with good draw odds and the best statistics. (I think you can still buy and OTC archery tag in CO...not sure about NM. Both draws are coming up, so you need to get on the stick. Especially if your wanting to do rifle.

Archery Elk would be a good choice. You'll be traveling to rugged, high altitude country. It will be warmer in archery season. There are lots of good vids on calling elk. It's also easier to get a tag. Rocky Mtn elk go heavily into the rut toward the end of Sept. in most areas I've hunted, but I've never hunted CO/NM

Choose an area based on statistics and public access. Buy maps. Look at google earth. Try to find NFacing pockets. Calling Bios is always a good Idea.

Elk are tough, but they're not invincible. Go for it. Try to prep for mountains. Don't spend all your time on a treadmill or track. Hit the stairs. An average bull has 200# of MEAT (Sans bones/hide, etc)...be prepared for it.
 
I have made a living guiding most of my life. From one state to the next, changing species as seasons open and outfitters need another guide. One thing remained consistent, and that was no matter what other outtfitters offered for guides to do other species, I ended up at elk camp every fall. Everything else was filler. I have to agree with the post by GJgo. The reason for the price tag, is elk in high country are tough to hunt, and experience is everything. That said, begin conditioning your body early in the season.........now would be a good start. One place I did not see metioned, was the Sawtooth mountains in Idaho. I haven't ventured out that was in the last couple years, but last time I was out, you could buy combo tags for $200.00 over the counter. Looks like the prices went up, but tags are still available over the counter. Also, this country is beautiful, but I have never dealt with harder terrain. Rent a mule, there are places that do that out there. I couldn't even walk up and down that loose shale. If it wasn't for the mule, it would have been rough going. Good luck
 
Last edited:
I might take some slack for this, but I would steer you to another state besides Montana. It appears, at least from my experience and from reports from friends and family members that the wolves have had a devastating effect on the elk herd, at least in Western Montana./QUOTE]
Exactly, a few years ago I would have recommended coming here, but the wolves have killed a lot of the elk and the ones that have survived are the smartest of the bunch.
Do the elk a favor and buy a wolf tag instead./QUOTE]
AMEN
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

H
  • Locked
Some good elk & deer hunting still available:
Replies
2
Views
616
Art Eatman
A
Grayrock
  • Locked
Edumacate me on Utah elk permits
Replies
8
Views
1K
grizz
G
M
  • Locked
Texas Elk Hunting
2
Replies
31
Views
2K
rodwha
R
wankerjake
  • Locked
Early Elk Hunts 2015- A Successful Bust
Replies
6
Views
987
MCgunner
M
wankerjake
  • Locked
2013 Antlerless Elk Hunt
Replies
10
Views
687
Lennyjoe
Lennyjoe
Back
Top