Hunting newbie!

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mdblough

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Hi All,
I apologize in advance if any of my comments or questions sound ignorant! I have been shooting for a number of years, everything from pistols to ARs to rifles, but have never hunted. My uncle recently BBQd elk steaks for me that he had received from a friend that hunts and I was amazed by the taste! Probably some of the best steak I had had. He suggested I take up hunting, so after much thought I thought I would try it out. The problem is I don't know anybody that hunts, so it is something that I would have to endeavor on my own. I would be purely interested in hunting elk - no interest in deer or larger animals like bear.

I live in Calgary and know there are lots of great regions for hunting elk, I just don't know where to begin. I looked up outfitters but they cost a fortune and you are gone for 5 days. I am an 'all weather' guy and experienced camper that loves the outdoors and hiking, so I don't mind hunting in rain, snow or sun.

Some of the questions I have had are about when elk hunting season runs, and if there are areas close to Calgary. I also wondered about butchering.

I was wondering if any of you that live in the area might be able to point me in the right direction. I am curious if there are any clubs that I could join to get me started.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Cheers,
Mike
 
Some mentoring threads here, that is a good start. If you shoot at range, ask there too. Handling as elk by yourself is not easy, recommend going with another hunter. Watch a few videos on field dressing to learn.
 
Does Alberta have a hunters' web site like huntingbc.com?

I don't know about the process for getting accredited as a hunter in Alberta as far as hunter education courses and hunter number registration goes, but I think that you are probably looking at preparing to go big game hunting in 2017 unless you get all that sorted in the next two weeks.
 
You are making a big mistake by only wanting to target elk IMOP........ yes, they are a blast to hunt, yes they are deliciosus..... but that describes 90% of wild game....... to me, what you are doing is like trying chicken for the first time and deciding "I only want to raise chickens on my property" while ignoring delicious pork and beef.....

You can get that same satisfaction from hunting small game and deer and you will learn a lot along the way, get more opportunities and enjoy every minute.....

You already have the elements of a good hunter..... you like the outdoors.... you are willing to "suffer" weather and adverse circumstances conditions with a goal in mind and you have a taste for wild game......
 
If you have a local fish/game club, find them, drop in and say hello.

Now, nobody is going to trip over themselves to take you out hunting to "their spot", but you might find another guy or two who wouldn't mind having another hunter along (with a tag) on their hunt.

Somewhere to start...
 
Superbrad said:
You are making a big mistake by only wanting to target elk IMOP........ yes, they are a blast to hunt, yes they are deliciosus..... but that describes 90% of wild game....... to me, what you are doing is like trying chicken for the first time and deciding "I only want to raise chickens on my property" while ignoring delicious pork and beef.....

You can get that same satisfaction from hunting small game and deer and you will learn a lot along the way, get more opportunities and enjoy every minute.....

You already have the elements of a good hunter..... you like the outdoors.... you are willing to "suffer" weather and adverse circumstances conditions with a goal in mind and you have a taste for wild game......
Click to expand...

I agree 100%!!!

Elk is great, but DO NOT limit yourself! Moose, mule deer, white tail, grouse, peasant, and YES EVEN BEAR is friggin delicious! The list goes on... Consider yourself lucky to have been introduced to the wonderful world of natural meat.

The learning curve will be big at first, but in a year or two you will be looking back and laughing!
 
mdblough said:
Hi All,
I apologize in advance if any of my comments or questions sound ignorant! I have been shooting for a number of years, everything from pistols to ARs to rifles, but have never hunted. My uncle recently BBQd elk steaks for me that he had received from a friend that hunts and I was amazed by the taste! Probably some of the best steak I had had. He suggested I take up hunting, so after much thought I thought I would try it out. The problem is I don't know anybody that hunts, so it is something that I would have to endeavor on my own. I would be purely interested in hunting elk - no interest in deer or larger animals like bear.

I live in Calgary and know there are lots of great regions for hunting elk, I just don't know where to begin. I looked up outfitters but they cost a fortune and you are gone for 5 days. I am an 'all weather' guy and experienced camper that loves the outdoors and hiking, so I don't mind hunting in rain, snow or sun.

Some of the questions I have had are about when elk hunting season runs, and if there are areas close to Calgary. I also wondered about butchering.

I was wondering if any of you that live in the area might be able to point me in the right direction. I am curious if there are any clubs that I could join to get me started.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Cheers,
Mike
Click to expand...

Superbrad said:
You are making a big mistake by only wanting to target elk IMOP........ yes, they are a blast to hunt, yes they are deliciosus..... but that describes 90% of wild game....... to me, what you are doing is like trying chicken for the first time and deciding "I only want to raise chickens on my property" while ignoring delicious pork and beef.....

You can get that same satisfaction from hunting small game and deer and you will learn a lot along the way, get more opportunities and enjoy every minute.....

You already have the elements of a good hunter..... you like the outdoors.... you are willing to "suffer" weather and adverse circumstances conditions with a goal in mind and you have a taste for wild game......
Click to expand...
Brother, you are making a grave error. As stated above, elk is nice, but you live in heaven! AB is a hunter's paradise. Pick a North American game animal. You can hunt that here. You can literally hunt year-round, if you go for varmints. Every year, I get a white tail tag, a muley tag, an elk tag, a bear tag, and a moose tag (actually only every second year for draws). My freezer is full, every year.
If you are adventurous, you can get a tag for the CFB Suffield elk hunt. I don't suggest it for first timers, it's a bit of a slaughter and lots of illegal stuff going on. They have a couple of COs and at least one biologist, as well as military guys to maintain the rules, but they can't be everywhere. Still, they fine dozens of people every season and confiscate the animals. If you are a careful man, you could probably do well.
 
You local farmers/rancher is a grate place to start there realy are experts wen it come to dealing with the field care and buchering
Most farmer/rancher are hunters with generations of experience local knowledge
Go help a older farmer clean a barn or two you'll be surprised at how far a little bit of kindness will get you
 
You can check out AHEIA or the AFGA and their associated clubs and try to find a mentor. You will also need to take a hunter safety course if you want to hold a tag of your own. There are online or classroom courses available at the AHEIA website.

You can check out the Alberta Relm website and download the hunting regs for areas with general elk WMU's and the dates because there are plenty west of Calgary and since you have missed the draws for this year.

I love hunting elk but I wouldn't exclusively hunt them because you can learn a lot from hunting other critters like deer reducing your learning curve.

As for a butcher there are a couple around, I've used one in Sundre, Longview and one in Calgary.
 
I am one year two hunting, I also don't know anyone that hunts so I go at it alone, the learning curve is very steep :) I wouldn't consider elk as a first hunt if you are going at it alone, there is so much you have to learn about animal movements, proper stalking techniques etc. I myself love bird hunting, upland and waterfowl. This year I am planning on a whitetail hunt as well.
 
I'm a newbie to hunting as well. My first Elk season starts today. I would recommend you not start with Elk. While I agree they are fun to go after there is a lot to know and learn about going after an Elk (as I'm finding out; thanks to good connections I was able to find it's becoming easier).

I'm in Southern Alberta; a little further south than you in Calgary. There are plenty of Elk around but finding land owner permission to go out across sections is proving to be the more difficult part. I suggest getting familiar with your area, find a land owner map and then start applying for draws while making calls and contacts to people around.

I've gone gopher and coyote hunting around here and have made some contacts with some of the bosses at Hutterite colony's. They are fantastic people to talk to and work with. Farmers and Ranchers appear on Land Owner Maps that you can usually purchase from your county - it typically includes phone numbers or contact info combined with land locations and descriptions. Example -- http://warnercounty.ca/PDF/Wall%20Map%20June%202015.pdf

Take time to do some truck hunting as well; you don't have to shoot anything, just drive around and look for nature. Get familiar with where your deer and elk are. For instance there is around here a boundary where really one side of the road is excellent for hunting mule deer but on the other side of the road you won't find a mulie but you'll be sure to see white tail and coyote.

The Alberta hunting regs split the elk season up. You have seasons that range from sept 1 to end of december just before christmas. They are all special draw and you have to apply. Some WMU's are known to draw for antlerless in as little as 3 years (prairie). Check up on and read through http://albertaregulations.ca/huntingregs/wmu/wmu100.html

Good luck and have fun but don't pass up on hunting deer just because you like elk. Deer around our areas can be excellent. A nice grain fed white tail will hardly ever treat you wrong.

-KingPin-
 
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