Montana Wilderness Elk Hunting (photo heavy)

[fm027]

Another terrific thread Kev.. awesome hunt

Big congrats on that bull!

[kevshell]

I had not finished this post yet. I may add another with some additional pictures. But I did want to add another bit of information that would be observations I've made regarding increasing your odds of success for hunting like this. And these are no particular order. I think it's one of those things where everything comes together and works. Yet any one of these things could seriously diminish your odds of success. Hunters have come from every corner of the country and bring varying levels of experience.

-Cartridge selection - I think we all like to overcomplicate this at times. This is nothing more than a fuel delivery system. All we need is something that delivers a projectile with enough horsepower to do the job.
-Bullet selection - hunters might pick a proving cartridge like a 300 win mag but then end up selecting the wrong bullet for the application. 3 years ago I watched a guy losing elk that would have been the monster of the week purely because he brought a 30-06 rifle which is more than adequate, but he selected ammunition that was suitable for whitetails in South Carolina not elk in Montana. The crazy thing to me is the man was shooting a $12,000 rifle but yet he went with cheap ammunition. I see the same thing with other guys spending so much money on their clothing, boots, the rifle, but then they want to cheap out on the ammunition. My thought process here is that it is a "system" when you combine the horsepower with the proper projectile for the application needed. I'm sure most here understand that but it is lost on the average hunter that I have seen in elk camp.
-Accuracy vs field positions - I guarantee you the groups that hunted this camp this week would have doubled the number of elk taken if they had practiced shooting field positions. Sadly there were a number of elk that were missed at ranges under 50 yards to less than 75 yd. And elk are not a small target compared to a whitetail. There's no bench in the field the way we hunt. And I think some are used to shooting from the bench to sight in and then have a box blind or something else to rest on when they hunt in their hometown. I'm not knocking it. It's just not the way it works on a trip like this.
-Staying focused and anticipation - these are two concepts that I think cost far too many elk as well. I'm shocked to learn and see how often people are playing on their phones, playing games on their phones, etc. If you're looking at your phone you're not going to be scanning the countryside looking for the flash of an antler, a feeding elk, etc. And with the point above about shooting from field positions, I personally believe you should always be thinking about what if one pops out here and where would I set up to shoot. Always be scanning and thinking.
-Physical shape and mental fortitude - these are two completely separate things but intertwined. And I fully believe one can mask the other. You can be in fantastic shape and it might compensate for not having the same determination as another individual. But at the same time you can have someone who's not in great shape yet has no quit in them And they will go twice as far as someone in great shape.

It's funny where people put their time and money prior to a hunt. As a few have mentioned above, this might be considered on the hardcore hunting end of the spectrum. However in my mind when you have spent a minimum of $10,000 for hunt like this (And it could easily be $20,000 depending on how much you had to invest before the hunt) you should be doing everything in your power to make sure that you turn that week long hunt into a success. You only have 7 days on a hunt like this. And in reality you can break that down into how many hours of hunting time you get. And it doesn't seem like a lot when you start looking at how many hours it really is. Personally I don't understand how some people can spend so much money on a expensive rifle then buy cheap ammo, spend so much money on a trip yet not be remotely prepared for the trip, etc. It's a tremendous amount of money to spend to not be prepared. It also baffles me that guys will sit out a day or two because they need a rest. Again, if I've spent that much money and I've got one week to enjoy this opportunity and also tag out with my elk, I'm going to spend every last bit of my energy making it happen. I can sleep when I get home. This is not a rant nor a finger pointing session at any of the other hunters. It's more of an observation where you have people who sign up to do something like this and have super high expectations for success yet focused on many of the wrong things prior to their home. Much of the success and hunting is focusing on some basics.

And if you know me, I am not even beginning to proclaim I am God's gift to anything. I am harder on myself than most anyone else will be.

[bigbrowndog]

Cheap optics on expensive rifles is another one. Sometimes i think people just look at the caliber and are told or think “a 30-06 is great for elk” and give no thought to the projectile or ammo. I saw it happen on a bison hunt when a father purchased 240gr HP ammo for his son to use from his 44mag. His reply was it’s a 44mag, you’re using one and you feel it’s adequate. The difference was I was using 320gr. JDJ cast bullet, he found out when his son placed a cylinder full in the neck with no ill effects. I loaned my 44 and after a long chase and several more shots and calibers from rifles and handguns the bull went down. Upon skinning, the neck shots were discovered fully expanded all in a 6” group embedded in the neck musculature not making it to the spine. One of my 320’s broke the hip as it walked away and that allowed a coup de grace to be delivered. It was discovered in the paunch after breaking the hip, so 24” of penetration???

Trapr

[45MAN]

MY EXPERIENCE IS THAT MOST HUNTERS ARE DARN NEAR 100% IGNORANT ABOUT BULLETS. THE INTERNET HAS HELPED A LITTLE FOR A FEW.

[x101airborne]

Your wife finished out a trip with a broken ankle and ribs while horseback?
As the ankle is your shock-absorber on a horse and your core muscles support your back, aint no way in Hades I am picking a bar fight with her! No Sir! That's some tough stuff right there. Congratulations to her for finishing the trip!

Thank you for the thread and the stories. Very much appreciated from this flatlander (0 to 130 feet in elevation). And congratulations on your very well earned bull!

[Fowler]

In days of old I remember guys who would spend $1K on a scope and then carry $40 binos when hunting out west, I would shake my head every time I saw it.

The single biggest failure I see of people coming out west to hunt the high country is they don't get in really good shape from the hunt. I used to be guilty of it as well, walk on the treadmill for 2 weeks before the hunt and think I was good. Id hunt hard for the first day and then be too worn out to be effective or be able to enjoy the hunt after that. The distance I would get from camp, the thought of having to pack the animal out of places that held them held me back.

The new fad is for guys to go to the other extreme and be cross-fit style monsters, the Cam Hanes guys who see this as a complete lifestyle, lift, run, shoot everyday. God bless them but who has the time for that? I workout 4-6 days a week for 60 mins a session or so hard, I carry a few more pounds than Id like because I am not diligent enough with my eating habits. But I enjoy it and every year in elk camp I wish I had done more to get in shape. But I workout these days for my mental health as much as anything else.

Luckily there are a lot of great sources of back country style workout programs that can be scaled very well for anyone's time and physical ability, Mountain Tough out of Bozeman has some fantastic programs with minimal equipment requirements.

I do a "functional strength training" program at my gym, classes everyday and we see people at all levels of fitness, a lot of the beginners get into it and try their first couple of classes and get intimidated. I tell them you are not here to complete against anyone else only yourself. The goal is to be better tomorrow than you are today, and that you can get whatever you want out of any of the classes by how much effort you put into the class. I have looked at what should have been nasty classes and paced myself and at the end thought that it wasn't very hard really and other easy classes that I just ground hard in that completely destroyed me for the day.

The point is to enjoy a elk hunt you need to be in reasonable shape, have the ability to carry a 40lb pack all day in rough assed country, at high elevation, and do it for multiple days. Know that you can kill your elk and still pack it out from whatever hell hole he was dug into, and enjoy the freedom of the hunt. A wilderness hunt is expensive, in money and physical toll, better start saving early and making deposits into the piggy bank to withdraw on the mountain.

[kevshell]

Oct 10, 2023 7:59:12 GMT -5 Fowler said:

In days of old I remember guys who would spend $1K on a scope and then carry $40 binos when hunting out west, I would shake my head every time I saw it.

The single biggest failure I see of people coming out west to hunt the high country is they don't get in really good shape from the hunt. I used to be guilty of it as well, walk on the treadmill for 2 weeks before the hunt and think I was good. Id hunt hard for the first day and then be too worn out to be effective or be able to enjoy the hunt after that. The distance I would get from camp, the thought of having to pack the animal out of places that held them held me back.

The new fad is for guys to go to the other extreme and be cross-fit style monsters, the Cam Hanes guys who see this as a complete lifestyle, lift, run, shoot everyday. God bless them but who has the time for that? I workout 4-6 days a week for 60 mins a session or so hard, I carry a few more pounds than Id like because I am not diligent enough with my eating habits. But I enjoy it and every year in elk camp I wish I had done more to get in shape. But I workout these days for my mental health as much as anything else.

Luckily there are a lot of great sources of back country style workout programs that can be scaled very well for anyone's time and physical ability, Mountain Tough out of Bozeman has some fantastic programs with minimal equipment requirements.

I do a "functional strength training" program at my gym, classes everyday and we see people at all levels of fitness, a lot of the beginners get into it and try their first couple of classes and get intimidated. I tell them you are not here to complete against anyone else only yourself. The goal is to be better tomorrow than you are today, and that you can get whatever you want out of any of the classes by how much effort you put into the class. I have looked at what should have been nasty classes and paced myself and at the end thought that it wasn't very hard really and other easy classes that I just ground hard in that completely destroyed me for the day.

The point is to enjoy a elk hunt you need to be in reasonable shape, have the ability to carry a 40lb pack all day in rough assed country, at high elevation, and do it for multiple days. Know that you can kill your elk and still pack it out from whatever hell hole he was dug into, and enjoy the freedom of the hunt. A wilderness hunt is expensive, in money and physical toll, better start saving early and making deposits into the piggy bank to withdraw on the mountain.

100%
I was in good shape for my 2020 hunt but this year I'm in not the greatest of shape but that's changing. I'm with you on functional strength. My preference is dumbbells, kettlebells, etc. The ranchers son took my 1/2 elk slab off the mule by himself and laid it on the pallets to be hoisted in the tree. He's a strong man. However for my lack of conditioning this time, I made up for it in mental game.

[kevshell]

Oct 10, 2023 7:33:17 GMT -5 x101airborne said:

Your wife finished out a trip with a broken ankle and ribs while horseback?
As the ankle is your shock-absorber on a horse and your core muscles support your back, aint no way in Hades I am picking a bar fight with her! No Sir! That's some tough stuff right there. Congratulations to her for finishing the trip!

Thank you for the thread and the stories. Very much appreciated from this flatlander (0 to 130 feet in elevation). And congratulations on your very well earned bull!

Yessir. She didn't know her ankle or ribs were broke until the end after we packed out. We thought the ankle was sprained and that she bruised herself when she came off the horse. When we rolled her elk over I believe she separated the broke ribs. That's where it all went downhill. Luckily we were hunting on the way out. She was in such pain that evening I took her to the ER. Once the story filtered around the ER there were doctors and nurses dropping in to see the blonde woman who tagged out with a broken ankle and 2 broken ribs. Oh.....and we recently found out she had a second break from that hunt that went undetected until now.

That's the mental part I'm talking about. Other hunters take the day off because they're tired or their butts are sore. Other hunters continue with far worse.

[bigbrowndog]

Ever since my retirement day, I have not had the opportunity to maintain my physical fitness. Or better, have failed to make the opportunity. I noticed it on last years western hunt and still I failed to make workout opportunities for this year, my excuse is the extreme heat we had here in Texas this summer, but it’s still just and excuse. I did learn many years ago that it’s best to pick a pace you can sustain than try and keep up with others. It does suck when you realize you are the slowest one of the group and the one you would be complaining about around the campfire when you were younger.

The lack of air seems to be my biggest hurdle when I’m above 4000ft. Being a sub 1000footer most of the year, perhaps I need to spend the summer out west fishing and rockchucking in preparation for fall western hunts,…..that sounds like my best idea yet.

Trapr

[sixshot]

Yes, back country elk hunting will test you to the limit. You have to be in shape, get your sleep, be alert & have your butt seasoned to a saddle, have a quality rifle, scope & loads & be able to place a shot from multiple positions, sometimes in a small amount of time. Do all that & you can be in the winners circle. Fail at any of them & you go in the whiners circle.

Elk hunting is as fun of a hunt as you can have if you do it out of a camp on horseback in the backcountry as mentioned, but it can also be a test. That lady just put a lot of men to shame with her grit & determination, she fought through a lot of obstacles to make it happen, yikes! Tough, tough lady for sure, I tip my hat to you again!

Dick

[bula]

The toughest gals, still deserve, appreciate a hug at appropriate times. I've known a few. 

[kevshell]

Oct 10, 2023 11:01:33 GMT -5 bigbrowndog said:

Ever since my retirement day, I have not had the opportunity to maintain my physical fitness. Or better, have failed to make the opportunity. I noticed it on last years western hunt and still I failed to make workout opportunities for this year, my excuse is the extreme heat we had here in Texas this summer, but it’s still just and excuse. I did learn many years ago that it’s best to pick a pace you can sustain than try and keep up with others. It does suck when you realize you are the slowest one of the group and the one you would be complaining about around the campfire when you were younger.

The lack of air seems to be my biggest hurdle when I’m above 4000ft. Being a sub 1000footer most of the year, perhaps I need to spend the summer out west fishing and rockchucking in preparation for fall western hunts,…..that sounds like my best idea yet.

Trapr

I will admit that excuses have gotten in the way of staying fit as well. And that is changing.

And although fly fishing and prairie dogging during the summer would be fantastic, just showing up days or a week before a big hunt would also make a big difference. That's why a lot of people end up getting altitude sickness. Arriving a little early and drinking a ton of water will do a lot to compensate for being a lowlander.

[Snyd]

Epic! Thanks for sharing! What part of Montana were you in? I'm from Missoula.

[kevshell]

Oct 14, 2023 0:05:18 GMT -5 Snyd said:

Epic! Thanks for sharing! What part of Montana were you in? I'm from Missoula.

We are just south of Livingston. I feel like I'm home.

We were hunting in the Absoroka Beartooth Wilderness. We go in outside of Gardiner. But the mountains you see behind the house are they Western edge of the same wilderness area.

[reflex264]

Thanks for posting this. Absolutely awesome write up and pics.