Why do you elk hunt?

[speedgoat]

I want to start this blog by saying that I really do not think there is a right, or wrong, answer to the question I pose above.... honestly. I truly believe we all come from different hunting backgrounds with varied experiences and successes. I ask the question in a response to all of the discussion of the spider bull. I ask this question to baseline some frustration that I feel about the continual focus in the sport surrounding numbers and anything but the actual experience of what I consider elk hunting.

For me.. it about heritage, or at least it was. I hunt because my dad hunts, my family friends hunts and they let me wade my way into the deep end but did not push me, name me hunter (no offense Tred), put me in a day pack at the age of three of anything that would have almost made me feel as though I should hunt because they enjoyed it. I actually did not carry a rifle for the first 2 years because I was not sure if I liked it.

At the ripe old age of 30, after moving to Colorado 5 years ago, I am hooked. I love hunting, I lay in bed in January dreaming of the hunts that will come the following fall. I even spread my wings and bought an over under to get in upland game and waterfowl. I look forward to the laughs that will be shared, poking fun at each one of the ten guys in our group that look forward to spending a week away from cell phones, computers and the daily life of responsibility beyond waiting for game to cross our paths. Since moving to CO from PA, I enjoy seeing game, even if I do not have a license, I love seeing a big mule deer chase does knowing that it is going to take me longer than that buck has left in life to draw the tag to take him home. I feel honor in being able to fill a freezer with elk meat. While visitors to our house have not always wanted elk and we have purchased a pound or two of beef in the last few years, we did not need to and I find myself sharing elk meat with those who cannot, or do not, get out into the field. I have joined the elk foundation. With little ones at home, I have not taken the time to help with projects but I pay my dues, read the magazine and attend as many banquets as I can to see and share the stories throughout elk country.

I hunt for the experience, fresh air, beauty in nature, gift of the harvest when I fortunate enough to get one and memories that our group makes every year by spending the time and money to enjoy a quality hunt.

I read an article about the disaster that it is becoming to hunt elk in AZ. 15 people show up to a site where they have scouted for months with 1 tag in hand for the group because someone saw a bull that thy just have to have. It sounded like there was almost no contentment with just the hunt itself, the fresh air or the possibility of what could come their way... it was about a big bull or nothing. It sounds like ATV's have changed everything, would they push so hard if they all had to do it on foot and hike the quarters out?

That being said I find myself changing focus, I find myself diverting from the beauty of the hunt and all it offers in the success I have found by getting 4 elk in 4 years, the biggest bull almost 300.. now I want more, bigger, how do I do it, where do I go, forget wandering among the woods, I need strategy, scent control, a better scope, lighter boots, more research on the unit, trail cameras, better maps, a GPS.... what? Would I be happy with a cow this year, I say that I would but would I feel like I settled? I never got into elk hunting because of a number, antlers, or a mount on the wall.. now I am finding that my focus.

Is this a process of evoultion due to hunting success? I still enjoy the fresh air but it sounds like the others have found the same in the spider bull. They will focus their hunt on one animals due its antlers... will they remember who was with them, what the air smelled like that day or the work that went into the hunt if they come home empty or just say the hunt sucked?

Why do you hunt?

[DeadI]

+1 to alot that you have said.

I two was packed around by my dad on hunts. I know he probably could have got a nice animal if it wasn't for me being with him. But I do appreceiate that he took me. I too eat, sleep and breath hunting. I can not wait to take my little boys with me (hopefully there will be animals to hunt when they are old enough)

For me the thing that I enjoy most is being with my Dad and brothers (occasionaly my wife if I can get here to come with me) in the mountains, hill, feilds. Sure a nice big buck or bull is nice but it is not everything. Would I like to shoot a bull this year over 400" for sure I would, but that is not my driving factor. The fact that I am doing it my self, on public land. It is about the preseason scouting, the reasearch, the freindships that are made with fellow hunters that feel the same way.

I love that there are people out here on the net that are willing to give people tips and hints on occasions, I have been helped a ton buy people on this site.

It is to bad that it has turned into a $$ sport, and point game, It is awsome that these bullare getting this big. Can it last? I sure hope so, they are incredible to watch. I hope that the lucky hunter who puts that magnificent animal on the ground is not some high money payer, but chances are that will not be the case.

I hunt because of the love of the challenge. I don't care if I kill a B&C bull, that fact that I have done it my self is worth it. In fact my favorite animal to date is a 4pt bull I took in the Uintahs that we packed in 15 miles on horses to get. It was truly an amazing experience.

[79Ford]

I'd say I hunt for a lot of the same reasons. I too find myself in the same rutt, that each year the antlers have to be bigger than the year before.

Honestly for me it's about spending the time with my dad. I dont really care if we tag an animal or not. I have been my dads hunting partner since I could walk. He'd carry me in those toddler backpacks so I wouldn't make noise stumbling over rocks and limbs. When I got too big for that he'd walk a few feet and turn around to tell me the legs of my levi's were rubbing together and making too much noise. When it would snow he'd take shorter steps just so I could step in his tracks and keep up.

My dad will be 70 this year. Almost exactly a year ago we found out he had a malignent tumor under his arm. In August of last year he had it removed. October rolled around and he still couldn't shoot a rifle. Not wanting to miss the hunt he borrowed a 357 magnum revolver from a friend and carried it with him. He ended up taking a decent 3x3 with a single shot to the lungs on the 2nd or 3rd day of the hunt. As much as he hurt he still rode his ATV every day trying to help me get on my deer. I couldn't ask for a better hunting partner in the world. Most years we dont even tag an animal because we get frustrated and would rather spend the day sitting out on the lake catching fish. It's never been about the animals, it's always been about Father and son spending time together.

On May 8th of this year I got a call from my dad telling me he went in for his routine cancer screening and they found a bleeding tumor in his brain, tumors in his lungs, and cancer in his bones. Talk about being hit by a speeding Peterbilt. One day everything is going fine and the next the doctors are telling us he only has a matter of months to live. With the tumor in his brain they took him off his blood thinner meds, which caused several blood clots to form and get caught in his lungs.

I guess what I am getting at is there are more important things than antlers and inches. If we get caught up so much in it that we forget the real reason we started hunting then we are really missing out.

I hope that my dad is around for many more hunts, but in all honesty it's not likely. All I'll have left then is the memories. Will I continue to hunt when he's no longer here to go with me? I honestly dont know. I dont know if I could hunt with anybody else, let alone sit in our grove of pines watching our meadow. I love my Dad more than I love hunting and without him I dont know that I could do it. My Dad and I were talking the other day and out of the blue he says "I'm not afraid to die. I'm looking forward to seeing my parents again. I'm looking forward to going deer hunting with mother again." All of this going on and he's thinking about hunting. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. If heaven is paradise then surely there must be hunting grounds right?

I guess what I am getting at is there are more important things than antlers and inches. If we get caught up so much in it that we forget the real reason we started hunting then we are really missing out.

I dont mean to make this a "pitty me" post, but this is the reason I started hunting and the reason I put up with all of the rule and regulation changes every year. I hope that someday I will be blessed with children that I can instill the same love for hunting that my Dad instilled in me.

Thank you SpeedGoat for starting this thread, even though it did make me tear up. It's a good topic and I'm interested to read what others have to say.

[AJ]

I too grew up with hunting in my family in Pennsylvania. My Dad, Uncles, and Grand Dad all hunted. I could not wait till I was 12 to go hunting with them. I have hunted in many places since my beginnings. My Grand Dad and my father have passed on to the happy hunting grounds and now and I have moved to the west. I hunt solo these days. While I am out there, I reflect on the old times.

As to nostalgia of wilderness, it means very little to me. Doing it the way mountain men did back in the 1800s has no apeal. Maybe I am not a "true elk hunter". I don't know, I don't ride in a truck looking for an easy kill, but I have no intentions of a pack in hunt. I don't have horses and have not spent much time around them. Also I am not big into guided hunts. I would rather match my wits and skills against the critters, not paying someone else to do it for me. I have nothing against those that are or use guides. I'm a DIY kind of guy.

Growing up in Elk County, PA, I was lucky enough to watch elk most of my early years. We could not hunt them but they were there. I would see them in archery season back in the early 1980's. It's tough waiting for a whitetail to show up while watching a bull and some cows browse nearby. I would only long for the time I could finally hunt them. The big majestic beasts with a crown of spears was a sight to behold. I had not been able to draw a tag in PA as they are very few and far between.

I have hunted elk one time in Colorado, while I had tag soup at the end of the hunt, I did enjoy it. Now that I live in New Mexico, I can draw an elk tag easier. This year will be my first elk hunt in New Mexico. I will be chasing bulls with my muzzleloader. Maybe once I get one of those beasts on the ground, my appetite will be satisfied. Then it will be either a bigger bull or a big muley. I will be hunting muleys a month after my elk hunt.

[Buckmaster]

First of all let me start by saying I hope all the best to 79Ford and his family!

My wife and I just buried my father-in-law last week, He has been more of a father to me than my own was. My parents divorced when I was just out of high school and my father moved away and re-married to a wonderful lady that has three children, so with a new marriage and family we see very little of him

I too grew up with a strong family involvement in the outdoors, both hunting and fishing. My dad was the fishing fool, and my wonderful grandpa who was my mentor and teacher of most of my youth for hunting. My most memorable thoughts are with my family camping and enjoying the elements only mother nature could provide. I have never taken the out of doors for granite, and with that I have self taught myself most of what I know about Elk and Deer hunting, I have been very fortunate to have been able to harvest many western trophy animals and still guide for those that are less fortunate that cannot afford to pay the high price of a guided hunt.

I had the great opportunity to experience a thrill of a life time last year. Now I know most of us will say year after year that we just had the hunt of a life time, after having a successful hunt or outing and for some this is true. I am turning the big 50 this year and my oldest son and I have hunted together from the first week he was born (Aug 10) bowhunt baby, one week old and we went road hunting, I was able to harvest a nice 3x3 and from that day on I have called him my hunt-n-buddy. Shooting, and archery has come very easy for him as he was growing up, 2007 was a very special year for me. I was able to accompany and watch him harvest a LE bull elk, his first and then a week later again being able to witness him taking his first P&Y buck.

Because of what I got to experience with my son last year I now elk and deer hunt to spend the most valuable time of my life with family and friends. Not to harvest or fill that tag,(that now is a bonus) but to take in every minute of every day and everything that's around me. I look forward to packing the video camera and witnessing my destiny going forth through my son, knowing that some day he will pass this great heritage on to his offspring. I now have a granddaughter that has passed her hunter safety and would love to try bird hunting this year....... I can't wait, I have been looking for a 4-10 or 20 gage for her to start off on, so if any of you have a good used one Please let me know......

We hunt for meat when it comes to Elk. It is a different story with Deer, we don't enjoy it as much so I trophy hunt for Mule Deer, This has been very rewarding for me through out my years. If god willing I am looking forward to many more years in the outdoors with my family and friends.

[Avs man]

I hunt for the same reason I breath, Its what sustains my life. With all the hussle and bussle of everyday life its the one place, one time a year I truely enjoy my life for every minute, and dont take anything for granted, you could ask my family, friends and co-workers, Im much more plesent when its hunting season because there is something to look forward too every weekend and the week days just cant go by fast enough. Its not about the kill for me its just about escaping to the back country and being alive.

[elkhunter49]

Great topic Speedgoat,thanks for posting. I'm not much of a writer
I'm usually hard pressed to put my thoughts to written words so
please excuse my errors.
I've loved hunting ever since I was a small boy hunting birds and
such with my bbgun. It always seemed like a very natural part
of my life. My Dad never hunted but would always let me hunt
around our house because we lived outside of town and the
neighbors never seemed to mind.
I started Elk hunting with a buddy I met at work.We were
looking for something cheaper than whitetail hunting in our
home state of Texas. It's really unfortunate that it's priced
alot of the average Joe's out of hunting for good. We started
Elk and Mule deer hunting in New Mexico because at the time
you could get an over the counter tag and have a decent chance
at being successful.
Elk hunting quickly became my passion and it remains as strong
today as it was the first time I saw a group of cows in the Lincoln
National Forrest out side of Ruidoso,New Mexico.
I've really enjoyed reading your stories and I could totally bore you guys
with my old war stories but I'll finish by telling you what Elk hunting has
done for me.
I'm 47 years young and until 2006 I've been very healthy as have my wife
and children. In June of 06 I started to have trouble swallowing my food and
started getting an earache in my right ear daily. Short version is I had Squamous
Cell Carcinoma. I had surgery 6 times, 10 Chemo, and 37 radiation treatments and
missed 11 months of work.
My wife and Children and Friends Prayed for me everyday. My hunting buddy talked
to me about our next Elk hunt like it was never in doubt and low and behold the good
Lord spared my worthless soul. Everyday I'd think about my wife and kids and friends
and my next Elk hunt.
I'm getting overcome with emotion just writing this.
My buddy Roger and I will be hunting Colorado GMU49 1st rifle this October and I can
tell you it's going to be a very special hunt. We have rented some horses for our first ever
horseback elk hunt. I'm not able to do what I could before so were going to try the horseback
thing.
I trully love being in the mountains in the fall and killing a big old bull would be great but
it's not a requirement for a successful hunt. God bless you gentlemen !!! I better get busy
I've got another couple hours of work left tonight before time to go home. Sorry about
the ramblin on but I'm sleepy and a terrible writer to boot. Later Baker

[speedgoat]

Thank you everyone.... I think you can see after 6 posts that it is not about the inches or antlers. I forgot to say that we need to have respect for those who do it for a business and when you have paying clients looking for antlers and inches it is a whole different business as opposed to Joe Hunter who cares about nothing more than the wonderful memories that each of us has from sitting in the woods next to a father or mother who will one day not be here to make another memory.

For me, it's the same. I dread the day that my dad either chooses to hang up the rifle or cannot do it anymore. After 50 years of smoking he is at the point now that I have to get him in place and that's about as far as he goes in elk country. His hunting partner of 40 years (celebrated their 40th year of friendship on the trip last year) decided to not come this year after he got his first elk last year. It kills me to see that generation deciding that they can't do it anymore. But now it's our turn to lead the way, his son and I spend all year making sure out trip is as carefree as it can be for them, we care of every detail so all they have to do is show up and enjoy. I enjoy doing it almost more than the hunt because they enjoy it so much and they know it our way of saying thank you for getting us into the sport.

I have asked the same question of myself "will I still hunt when my dad does not come on the trip anymore". I guess it depends on the day and it hurts that knot in my throat to think about. The first time I got an elk he was not on the trip, I had to call him on the phone from the mountain to let him know and it was just not the same as seeing his face.

This last year he got bull-fever, funny for someone after 60+ years of hunting but it still happenes and he shakes like a leaf when the big one comes by. Anyway, he blasted the bull in the hind end, knocked him over and laid the gun down. Just then the bull gets up and heads north into the thick scrub. The younger guys found the bull 1.5 miles later - it was a 5x5 almost 300 score. It was my father biggest and the look on his face when we drove him to were we could get it to the road. It was priceless, mostly because he thought we would never find him. I will never forget it. I will never forget a lot of memories and as I digress I just want to let everyone know, we hunt because of the passion for the outdoors and the memories. If animals come our way it makes it even better but please keep it in mind.

[JLROOT]

Although I never hunted elk with my dad while he was alive, I know he is with me when ever and what ever I hunt.

Cant write any more than that! Am getting watery eyes from just that little bit.

[one hunting fool]

I hunt elk for the meat period. I have never been much for eating horns I hunt general because you are not limited in the size of elk you hunt any that walks in front of my bow in range is going down. I have scored a few spikes a cow and a nice 6x6 in 2001. I have had a bit of a dry spell sense then. That’s why talk of closing meat hunts like spike units bugs me so bad. Guides like Pro and Doyle do not make there living on guiding meat hunters to the elk. They get paid for racks and spreads. They are nice don't get me wrong. But we are not like white tail states that have deer like mice. We only get one deer a year one elk a year unless you are lucky enough to draw an antlerless tag for your area.