First Elk Hunt

R

rookie wildcat

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Alberta
Okay, I have hunted bear, white tail, muley, and moose. I have yet to hunt elk.
Seems this year I will get the chance with a buddy who has also never hunted elk. Farmer friend in Grand Prairie area has a problem. Elk on his farm eating his feed. Apparently, I will still need some assistance.
I now need some advice. I am not really interested in driving 10 hours each way to come up empty. I need some advice on blinds, stalking techniques, calls, and scents. Working on a general tag so I have to get a bull 3 points or larger. Also, does that mean on BOTH sides or just one? I have a bit of difficulty here since points are counted differently than back in NS. What I would call an 8-point they call a 4-point here.
There is also a slight chance of wild boar. Increasing sign on this guys farm in the last few years, I guess.

so... any advice will be appreciated.
 
I have found calling to be extremely effective. In Sask, the rifle season coincides with the rut and both cow calls and bugling work well. I usually use a bugle to locate bulls and then bring them in close with cow calls. I also work extremely hard, covering as many miles as I can walk in a day.

Elk are creatures of habit to some extent and will use the same trails year after year on a fairly regular basis. Perhaps the farmer can point out these trails the elk are using to access his crop. Watching these trails can be productive as well.

Good luck.
 
If the elk are a problem for your farmer friend, then it should be fairly easy to find the access point from bedding areas to where they are feeding. Set up downwind from the entry point and be there for first and last light. Unless the animals are completely nocturnal you should be able to get them coming or going from feed. See if your farmer friend can pattern their fields and feeding times before you arrive.

Calling shouldn't be necessary, but if you decide you need to, bugles with built in reeds and reed type cow calls are the easiest and quickest to master compared to diaphragm calls. Bugling can be hit or miss, depending on the bull and time of year. Bugling is usually good for locating bulls, but not always. Sometimes they will clam up and come in silently to see who their competition is. Cow calling will probably be the more productive of the two. Even after the rut you might be able to call in a satellite bull that is still hoping to score on an unbred cow. If you are calling in the timber have your shooter set up 50 yds or so upwind of the caller, but bear in mind many times a bull will come in and circle downwind to scent whatever is calling first before breaking cover.

Straight from the online Alberta regs.

Three-point Elk - A male Elk bearing an antler that is composed of a main beam from which project not fewer than two tines, each of which is at least 7.6 cm (3 in.) in length.

Note: The tip of the main beam must be at least 7.6 cm (3 in.) from the base of the last tine counted.

"An antler" would mean one side to me, so a 3X2 would be a legal 3 pt. bull.

Best of luck with your hunt. Elk hunting is extremely addictive, it is hard to beat the sound of a pissed off bull, screaming his head off and raking the crap out of the alders, less than 50 yds away. Even the sound of a lone bull bugling from somewhere up the mountain at first light stands every hair on your neck straight up. It's incredible. The meat is nothing to sneeze at either, some of the best there is IMHO.

A part of the addiction.
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Thanks to all so far. WW, I did find that info in the regs, but I wanted to see if my interpretation matched anyone else's. Although not nocturnal, my friend's farm is large enough that patterning them would be a chore since most sightings are a fair distance from the house (they own 2 parcels of 5 sections each).
Guess I need to spend some money and time. I wish I had known about this 6 months ago instead of last week... and I'll need to build a bullet...currently using 150gn ProHunters on whitetail and mulies so a step back up to my 165gn Moose loads should be prudent.
 
2 parcels of 5 sections! lol, you have your work cut out for you!!:D Are there specific "problem" fields or areas that could narrow things down for you? If there is a vantage point where you could see large areas of the farm (or problem areas) at one time you would be well served by glassing at first and last light. A good spotting scope would be helpful.
 
i was out scouting this past weekend and found elk numbers to be pretty damn healthy by the looks of things.

the month of september and bowhunting elk is my time. No other alberta hunt compares for me. A bugling bull coming through the timber in the morning fog off the river is an unmatched experience.

I am beyond pumped to get out there again. I wait 11 months for this hunt. Hunting hog whitetails is just a bonus come november LOL

Advice? forget the blind. you sound like you will be there during the rut. Elk move a LOT during the rut. Locate them early. Before first light in the dark is what i do. Get inside of 400-500 yards before shooting time. Since you are new leave the bugle at home. You will just hurt your odds by bugling without experience. Cow calls are easy and very effective. Hoochie Momma and Hyper Lips bite calls are like magic still to this day. For what its worth...i called in my first bull with a primos cow girl 10 dollar bite call.

Last piece of advice i can give is about you saying you dont want to drive 10 hours and come home without an elk. Drop that thought right now. Thats not an easy hunt. Its a tough one and some guys go 10 or more years before they tag a bull. Its possible to tag out your first year but dont put too much pressure on yourself. Get out there and burn the boot leather. Once you hear a bull chuckle inside of 50 yards and demolish a sapling it wont matter if you close the tag. Thats a success on its own IMO.

Have fun!!
 
wapitiwhacker said:
2 parcels of 5 sections! lol, you have your work cut out for you!!:D Are there specific "problem" fields or areas that could narrow things down for you? If there is a vantage point where you could see large areas of the farm (or problem areas) at one time you would be well served by glassing at first and last light. A good spotting scope would be helpful.
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There are specific problem areas and consistent sightings and apparently lots of it is in pasture.
I have a nice spotting scope and tripod that will be going along.
Thanks again.
 
Jamie Black R/T said:
i was out scouting this past weekend and found elk numbers to be pretty damn healthy by the looks of things.

the month of september and bowhunting elk is my time. No other alberta hunt compares for me. A bugling bull coming through the timber in the morning fog off the river is an unmatched experience.

I am beyond pumped to get out there again. I wait 11 months for this hunt. Hunting hog whitetails is just a bonus come november LOL

Advice? forget the blind. you sound like you will be there during the rut. Elk move a LOT during the rut. Locate them early. Before first light in the dark is what i do. Get inside of 400-500 yards before shooting time. Since you are new leave the bugle at home. You will just hurt your odds by bugling without experience. Cow calls are easy and very effective. Hoochie Momma and Hyper Lips bite calls are like magic still to this day. For what its worth...i called in my first bull with a primos cow girl 10 dollar bite call.

Last piece of advice i can give is about you saying you dont want to drive 10 hours and come home without an elk. Drop that thought right now. Thats not an easy hunt. Its a tough one and some guys go 10 or more years before they tag a bull. Its possible to tag out your first year but dont put too much pressure on yourself. Get out there and burn the boot leather. Once you hear a bull chuckle inside of 50 yards and demolish a sapling it wont matter if you close the tag. Thats a success on its own IMO.

Have fun!!
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Hey if one of us three gets an elk, I'll be happy. I just don't want go there and not even see one close enough to shoot. I can do that in Jasper when they run through the campground.
 
Nothing is guaranteed when hunting, do the legwork, stay upwind and not in the open, a nice elk spotted will be obvious that it is a "shooter".
 
rookie wildcat said:
Hey if one of us three gets an elk, I'll be happy. I just don't want go there and not even see one close enough to shoot. I can do that in Jasper when they run through the campground.
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ive been to MANY elk camps and have seen more than five tags go into the soup bowl in a season....its a challenging hunt as you are about to find out....but thats what makes it so rewarding....if you only measure success in a used tag...maybe your time is better spent at the safeway meat department?

or maybe im just taking your posts the wrong way?

the GP area is ripe with elk.....and its infected with a hoard of hunters every year for the rifle opener....if you have exclusive permission on private land i suspect the other hunters wont be an issue. You SHOULD see elk and have opprotunities. But ive gone entire seasons and only heard them never to get a glimpse of the things. Its not easy....but nothing worth doing is easy.
 
I need some advice on blinds, stalking techniques, calls, and scents. Working on a general tag so I have to get a bull 3 points or larger. Also, does that mean on BOTH sides or just one?

Ok, It is two weeks till bow season and I am frothing at the mouth, calling the girls in and chasing off pesky nooobs off the heard. A ground blind with a rifle is a great idea, especially down wind of my entry points to the alfalfa. I like to hold back until near dark, and leave the field in the dark. But if I get caught off guard chasing off those little guys. You have to scope my rack before we play because you need to clearly count tines on one antler. I like to be counted 6X6.

Stalking fields is sketchy, so I would spend time with a spotting scope to find out where my entry points are. Then set up down wind about 2-400m in from the field, that is where I will be waiting for dark. Look for me near a shady hollow or dense patch of brush where its cool. Even better if a small lick or water source is near by cus I like to drink lots of water to quell the heat of the day. Keep the calls in your pack, field hunting for me is made by stealth, like me sneaking in at dark.

My nose is better than anything you can put on or wear. I can smell your stinky breath at 100 yards, so better cleanse yourself and brush your teeth. Shower each day with a non fragrant soap, and wash your gear daily with non fragrant soap. This will give you a few precious seconds before I bolt for the rockies. Down wind my friend! And even when you figure the prevailing wind, a swirl may give you away. No problem, my buddy 3 point will be near by to fill your need.

Off to rake a tree now and polish up those pearly tips for the girls. .........I cant wait.
 
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Jamie speaks truth, but I'm thinking if you are hunting private land with known problem areas the elk should be pretty easy to locate and a little less spooky if they haven't been pressured. As long as you have some time to put in and you don't expect to drive out and do this in a day or a weekend I think you stand a reasonable chance of having an "opportunity". Every opportunity doesn't end with success, but usually leaves you with a grin you can't wipe off for a week. 23 sleeps for me, and I'm getting twitchy already!:D It will take forever to get here, and be over way to soon.
 
wapitiwhacker said:
Jamie speaks truth, but I'm thinking if you are hunting private land with known problem areas the elk should be pretty easy to locate and a little less spooky if they haven't been pressured. As long as you have some time to put in and you don't expect to drive out and do this in a day or a weekend I think you stand a reasonable chance of having an "opportunity". Every opportunity doesn't end with success, but usually leaves you with a grin you can't wipe off for a week. 23 sleeps for me, and I'm getting twitchy already!:D It will take forever to get here, and be over way to soon.
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No, we are taking a week for this. I have hunted other species enough to know that you are not going to fill a tag a day. Why some years it has taken my wife and me the whole 3 months to fill our 6 whitetail tags.
I'm not quite that naive, really, to think that I am just gonna drive there Thursday night after work, get there about midnight, go out 4 hours later with no sleep and no actual idea of the lay of the land then shoot, gut, and hang 3 elk that morning before sunrise, let them cool overnight, load them in the truck and bring them home to season before butchering Saturday morning.;)
I am sure i t will be difficult. Although I can almost guarantee to fill my 3 tags each year for whitetail, and ALMOST guarantee to fill my moose tag when I get one, I know that that is because I have already done the leg work, scouted the areas, seen the animals in previous years. Luckily, I still retain the ability to walk away from the shot if I need to. I don't always shoot the first thing I see...:D
 
rookie wildcat said:
No, we are taking a week for this. I have hunted other species enough to know that you are not going to fill a tag a day. Why some years it has taken my wife and me the whole 3 months to fill our 6 whitetail tags.
I'm not quite that naive, really, to think that I am just gonna drive there Thursday night after work, get there about midnight, go out 4 hours later with no sleep and no actual idea of the lay of the land then shoot, gut, and hang 3 elk that morning before sunrise, let them cool overnight, load them in the truck and bring them home to season before butchering Saturday morning.;)
I am sure i t will be difficult. Although I can almost guarantee to fill my 3 tags each year for whitetail, and ALMOST guarantee to fill my moose tag when I get one, I know that that is because I have already done the leg work, scouted the areas, seen the animals in previous years. Luckily, I still retain the ability to walk away from the shot if I need to. I don't always shoot the first thing I see...:D
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sounds to me like you are about to become an elkaholic like us....dont worry though...it sure is fun :runaway:
 
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