Elk Backpacking Hunt Coming Out Light

Took my first guided backpacking elk trip this past week. 6 days in the backcountry was no joke. Camped at 11,100 hunted everywhere between 10,300 to 12,000 ft. I'm not sure how to sum up the hunt. The guide we hired seemed to have a lot of experience under his belt and guaranteed us shots, now he did not specify on cows or bulls however neither showed for the opportunity. I would have been glad to stick a cow for my first trip out there. Lord knows I've hunted long enough to know in hunting it is never a guarantee, in which why we call it hunting and not killing. I've hunted all my life and know how it works, yet after preparing and getting in shape after 4 months and not having a chance of even seeing an elk leaves me feeling disappointed. I will be definitely be back to chase the majestic dinosaurs. But wanted some input to see if we had be had.

We hunted hard and with non stop swirling winds which were a challenge all by its self, but not sure if we hunted too hard or the guide just didn't set us up properly. With the morning thermals after the first two days we elected to hike up with winds in our face and try our best to stalk some elk higher elevation did present us farther viewing, as what we mostly hunted visibility was limited to 30-50 yards. After 3 days of not fresh sign up high we elected to not hunt the morning to keep our wind from blowing straight down to the elk or at least where the guide said they were bedded.

The afternoons we tried to wait until the thermals switched in our favor but basically still hunted with cow calling every now and then. Now real question comes into play as to how many real bulls we heard vs hunters bugling. I reckon we did hear a handful of real bulls just based on how quick they covered ground uphill, not to mention the few adolescent squeals we heard.

One thing the guide said which I felt that was a little odd, one being nobody can stalk an elk, and two being bugling at a bull is the most ridiculous way to kill one since the bull will just gather his cows and leave. Looking to hear some others thoughts on these tactics. Was the guide too old school? Should we have moved locations after 2 days of no action/ bugling?

If anything try to figure out as to what I can do better next year to seal the deal or at least put myself in a better position. I can't help but feel disappointed to put in so much effort into a hunt and not see an elk for over a week.

What state?

I think all guided hunts are being had. Even if you were successful, the amount of money spent is usually laughable.

It's a big reason I refuse to get a tag in Alaska for my sheep grand slam. I will never pay a guy to do my hunting for me. As a guy who's lived and grown up hunting out west.

Last thing on my guide soap box is IMO, they did not do their job if you did not see one. That's like, litterally why you hire them, besides the ones that hold tags hostage.


As you probably figured, you can in fact stalk elk. I have. People do all the time. In my person opinion, bugling is not always the best way to bring in bulls, sometimes cow calls work better more often. This is even more dependent on the season…so there is some validity there.


As a guy that pretty much tags out every year, yes, sometimes stuff happens. Archery and stalking is very hard. You will miss more opportunity than not.
Best I can say is get out and hunt.

That's how you get better at it. Instead of relying on a guide pointing at the animals, it's more useful to learn why they are where they are, when they are. What food they need. Water. Elevation bans in your unit. Things like that.

Keep at it, and you'll get er dun, no doubt.

It's hard to say on moving locations without knowing the terrain. The dark timber and stuff with 30 yard vis can be a little tougher determining if elk are in the area at that time but in 2 days you should have a pretty good idea just off noise, tracks, wallows, poop etc.

If you're hunting stuff you can glass then it shouldn't take real long. I'm not talking glassing stuff 400 yards away, I'm talking getting to the best glassing spot you can in the area (might be the top of a 13'k scree covered peak) and getting the big glass on tripods and looking at sq miles of country.

If the wind is super shifty I'm still gonna hunt the morning even if it just means finding a spot on google earth I can glass somewhere off of so i have something to hunt that evening.

The still hunting and cow calling isn't a great technique in hard hunted OTC units. Cold calling setups can certainly work but some thought has to go into them.

Bugleing can still work but you have to be good at reading a bulls mood at the time which I would say the guide more then likely isn't if he won't do it because the bull rounds up and leaves.

Sounds fairly odd to me? Which state/region were you hunting?

VERY GENERALLY SPEAKING, bugles are used as locator calls, but depending on the timing (rut) and area, you can certainly call in bulls with a bugle.

Yes, there are times a bull will just gather his cows and head over the hill when he hears a bugle, but certainly not always.

I know many successful hunters who move around, use a bugle just to see if a bull is in a particular draw/drainage, stalk that bull, and take him. Pretty common practice…

NFW said:

Took my first guided backpacking elk trip this past week. 6 days in the backcountry was no joke. Camped at 11,100 hunted everywhere between 10,300 to 12,000 ft. I'm not sure how to sum up the hunt. The guide we hired seemed to have a lot of experience under his belt and guaranteed us shots, now he did not specify on cows or bulls however neither showed for the opportunity. I would have been glad to stick a cow for my first trip out there. Lord knows I've hunted long enough to know in hunting it is never a guarantee, in which why we call it hunting and not killing. I've hunted all my life and know how it works, yet after preparing and getting in shape after 4 months and not having a chance of even seeing an elk leaves me feeling disappointed. I will be definitely be back to chase the majestic dinosaurs. But wanted some input to see if we had be had.

We hunted hard and with non stop swirling winds which were a challenge all by its self, but not sure if we hunted too hard or the guide just didn't set us up properly. With the morning thermals after the first two days we elected to hike up with winds in our face and try our best to stalk some elk higher elevation did present us farther viewing, as what we mostly hunted visibility was limited to 30-50 yards. After 3 days of not fresh sign up high we elected to not hunt the morning to keep our wind from blowing straight down to the elk or at least where the guide said they were bedded.

The afternoons we tried to wait until the thermals switched in our favor but basically still hunted with cow calling every now and then. Now real question comes into play as to how many real bulls we heard vs hunters bugling. I reckon we did hear a handful of real bulls just based on how quick they covered ground uphill, not to mention the few adolescent squeals we heard.

One thing the guide said which I felt that was a little odd, one being nobody can stalk an elk, and two being bugling at a bull is the most ridiculous way to kill one since the bull will just gather his cows and leave. Looking to hear some others thoughts on these tactics. Was the guide too old school? Should we have moved locations after 2 days of no action/ bugling?

If anything try to figure out as to what I can do better next year to seal the deal or at least put myself in a better position. I can't help but feel disappointed to put in so much effort into a hunt and not see an elk for over a week.

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I've guided a pile of hunts over 30 plus years and nothing is more frustrating than being skunked.

I can only say a few things about your experience. 1. I would never go back to that outfitter. 2 Repeat #1.

I primarily bow hunt and I've killed or filmed elk every year and September is my favorite month. Bugling and cow calling is a method of many methods, not the only method. Spot and stalk via glassing is very effective for big open country and alpine terrain. So his bs about calling elk is absurd on a basic level but glassing is effective for sure. If there is elk sign, you are in the right spot, no sign, move. I will say this, I never hunt the elevation you did. Here there is no vegetation, water source, cover....... most all the elk I hunt are 5000-8000. I wouldn't even think about hunting that high unless I knew for sure there were elk there. Another ding against the guide and outfitter in my opinion, he should know where to go and when and how to get around thermals just fine. Most of the time thermals drop in the morning and switch around 9-10, but playing the wind is nothing new and to be expected. I would get to a perch and glass if it was too much of an issue but man, sounds like a lot of excuses......

My thoughts as a part time Texas guide and elk hunter for fun.
Ive guided WT, Exotics and hog dog hunts in Texas and been "first mate" on saltwater guided several fishing trips as well. That may be why I love elk hunting so much because it is even less predictable as our Texas stuff. That being said Ive had plenty of things blow up on me that I figured would have been automatic. Normally because of animal behavior but sometimes client errors as well. Guiding is a tough job trying to coordinate animals and clients to be in the same place at the same time.....HA!

I would assume the guide knows his stuff and did what was required of him to put you in an area he felt would give you the best opportunity to be successful. Unfortunately it didn't work out

FACT: you HEARD real elk bugles
Me: If I hear elk bugles then I wouldn't leave either as there are elk in the area. Ive tripped on bulls before in dark timber when I didnt think there were any elk around!

FACT: Bugles bring in bulls sometimes but also bring in OTHER hunters.
Me: When I have been successful at calling in a bull it was with a cow call, I rarely bugle unless its to locate

As others have stated, now you have seen how its done with camping, hiking and hunting. Either try another guided trip or get out there on your own and learn the woods.

Without knowing your state and what you paid and what was promised I would assume the guide was legit. An old guide told me when I was younger that "guiding is 60% about managing relationships with people and 40% about hunting." I figure, If you can take care of one the other will take care of itself.

In conclusion, I dont think you were had but learned tons of valuable info that will set you up better for next time!
I hope to hear about your next hunt what was learned. Hopefully it will have some lessons on how to pack meat!
James

All I can speak for is how we have hunted elk, we'll kill elk from 5600-10,000 ish feet, I've had years when it was hot those bulls would lay 30 yards in timber below the top saddles, I'd be looking down on mountain goats so elevation is what it is, 8500 is my median.
I have some timber trying to stalk a bull in anything other than a rain is an act of folly but in the right conditions and right spot stalking is a very workable tactic.
Any more the go to is maybe a locator bugle early and that's the end of bugling unless a bull is locked and loaded for ya.
Some cow talk maybe, no hoochie mama or easy operated calls. We'll go hell bent for leather into a bull that answers, then just a little cow talk to warm him up, glunk or rake a little but no bugling or they pick up and roll up, once you get one foamed maybe a scream and chuckle but only once their committed.
When the stars align we can still pull a bull the old fashioned way but mostly it'll just pull the camo horde and send bulls into the next county but this is Montana and bow season is as bad if not worse than rifle for people running all over bugling everywhere they drive, and stalking evey elk they see regardless of wind or number of cows watching. It's a bit comical to watch anymore.

Sounds like the guide didn't do his job pre-scouting the area. 6 days in the same location is not a smart idea.
Best of luck in the future! Sooner or later you will get your elk. Don't get too discouraged.

This was last week. This is the outfitter I've guided for and clients with muzzleloader and archery tag. Calling is the only way to go in this area. It is pretty thick. I tagged a big bull last year in the same area with my recurve. People who don't have success calling during the rut generally don't know how to call. Sure they can make sounds but you've got to speak the language. Pro callers produce vids every year in heavy hunted public lands and have success.

I've been hunting elk for 9 years, both DIY and guided. If I were able to start over, I'd have started with guided before I tried DIY as there is a lot to learn hunting elk... so you did the right thing there.

As others have stated, most of the bugle calls we've done over the years was to locate. We'd then hike and use cow calls to try to bring the elk in bow range. You have to get the right bull and circumstances regardless.

In CO a couple weeks ago, most of the bulls were not yet very responsive to the cow calling. They'd answer, but had no interest in investigating. Interestingly, we had several bulls come in to bugling. Closest came to about 70 yards (in dark timber) but busted us when the weather caused the wind to shift. Had cows and spikes within 10 yards 4 separate times.

Despite what others have said, guided hunts are the way to go for non-residents. For many of us, this is more about fulfilling a dream than a financial math equation. Trying to figure out public land against hunters that know the terrain and elk that are highly educated on hunting pressure is a low odds and frustrating game. I'd highly recommend finding an outfitter that guides on private land where the pressure is properly managed. Your odds will go way up and you will have a great hunt, kill or not.

It was the last day of my 5th year hunting elk that I finally succeeded. I am still working on getting my first bow kill (heading west again tomorrow morning!). I can relate to the feeling of driving home empty handed, thinking about nothing except next year.

Feel free to PM me for outfitter recommendations.

BrentM said:

This was last week. This is the outfitter I've guided for and clients with muzzleloader and archery tag. Calling is the only way to go in this area. It is pretty thick. I tagged a big bull last year in the same area with my recurve. People who don't have success calling during the rut generally don't know how to call. Sure they can make sounds but you've got to speak the language. Pro callers produce vids every year in heavy hunted public lands and have success.

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Nice. Turkey calling is the same. Knowing when to call and when not to is very important.

I have hunted DIY in CO and used a guide in ID, AZ, and NM and killed elk in all these states. The only time I didn't get an elk on a guided hunt was a NM muzzleloader (when scopes were legal). I borrowed my guides muzzleloader and shot it a few times. He had a BDC reticle and said turned all the way up the bottom hash was 275. I turned down a 6x5 on day three. On the last day, we saw a bull at sunset. I ranged him at 286 or so, turned the scope up until it didn't move, held on that hash, and shot right over him - he didn't even move. But by now it was too dark, so he took the rifle. As he did, I could see the scope was at 9X, not 12X - my holdover was 33% too much! It was just at the end of legal shooting light when we saw him, so I was in a hurry, but it was a dumb mistake on my part for not checking.

Are there "guides" out there that are clueless? For sure. A few years ago in CO I glassed a bull in a small open meadow but it was too late to go after them. The next afternoon I climbed up there and set up about 450 yards away. Much to my dismay, I glassed an orange hat about 100 yards away. It was too late to move. At dark, I saw three lights come on. I met up with the group; all young guys. One guy was a guide and there were two guys from Indiana on their first elk hunt. I asked what they were looking for and they said, "Any bull." I told them I had glassed a 5x5 the day before in there along with a spike (four pt minimum in this area) and some cows. I got the guides number and we agreed to coordinate. The next day I asked where they were going to hunt - he said they were in the same place, and had been there since sunrise. He had those guys sit watching that meadow all day - the winds are super shifty up there and I can only imagine their stink got blown all over. And with warm weather that day and no storm front coming in, I couldn't imagine he thought they might come out in the middle of the day. The two guys went back to Indiana without seeing an elk.

The OP didn't post where he lives, but hiring a guide for your first elk hunt is not "stupid money" assuming you can afford it. Did you use a booking agent? I have only been on one hunt through a booking agent that was a disappointment, and that was an Alaska grizzly hunt in which I ended up with a guide who was 70 years old and a former 3 pack a day smoker. Guy could not walk 100 yards uphill without taking a break.

Some questions for the OP:
Did you ask your guide how he was going to get an elk out of the backcountry? If he didn't respond with "by horse or mules" that would have been a huge red flag.
What state were you hunting? In Colorado, at least where I live, elk do not bugle at all. In AZ, they go crazy, as they do in NM. In the Selway, they used to bugle but not so much the last few years I hunted them. My guide on those hunts could suck a bull in from miles using only a cow call.

would still like to know where you were hunting?