About Hunting
About Me
The 10 Commandments
The Hunt
Rifles & Calibers
The .270
The .308
The .30-06
The 7mm Mag.
The .300 Mag.
The .338 Mag.
Sighting In
Conditioning
Dealing With High Altitude
Clothing & Gear
Tips
Learn About Elk
Elk Calls & Bugles
Shot Placement
The Rut
Your Friend The map
After It's Down
Field-Dressing
Quartering
Quartering Without Gutting
Camping Equipment
Self Guided Hunt
Guided Hunt
Elk Hunting In Jackson Hole
The National Elk Refuge
Predator Or Prey
The Grizzly Bear
The Black Bear
Bear Identification
Precautions In Bear Country
State & Federal Agencies
Taxidermy
Dedication To My Wife
Photos
Scenery From Where I Hunt
Elk Meat & Nutrition
Helpful Links
Elk Hunting Message Board
Guestbook
Read my Dreambook!
Sign my Dreambook!
Find these missing children
Hunting Rings
Your condition and physical ability will play a big part. You will have to set up your own camp, hike miles and miles on foot, handle your own elk should you get one, cooking your own meals, and don't forget you will have to pack in and out all of your equipment.
Planning your own hunt will require you to do a lot of researching . Not just on elk but also research on the area you select and the type of terrain you will be hunting in. You should know basic survival skills, how to properly use a compass, and how to properly use a topo map. You should also make sure that you obtain topo maps for the area you select for your elk hunt. After you have done all the research, make phone calls to hunting clubs and seek hints from the local population, and also from the states area Game & Fish Department. You should do this prior to your hunt so you will not lose valuable hunting time once you arrive. If you are going with your hunting buddies, have them also do the same research and compare notes. While comparing notes, set goals for yourself and the hunting party.
Before applying for your elk tags, you will have to decide which state you would like to hunt in. Contact all the western states for regulations and also ask for the harvest statistics. Read them well and watch the numbers and see what they are actually for. The total numbers may include both archery and rifle, and may include black-powder as well. Find out if the numbers are for total elk and if there is a breakdown for antlered and anterless as well.
Order your forest maps and topo maps and study them in over and over, Learn the area before you get there. Learn where the access roads are, the basins, the open fields for grazing, and where the watering holes are. And these may differ depending on the weather patterns for that area. Find the draws and the trails that are accessible. Find out what the local vegetation is like and what the movements and habits of the elk are. Ask if the area is also used heavily for livestock and if it is heavily grazed by them.
The Guided Hunt