7 Practical Tips to Improve Your ELK Hunting Skills

For any whitetail hunter, the bulls branching antlers are appealing. With all the different range expansions available, the hunt becomes more attainable than ever.

Setting up your canvas wall tent with the sound of creaking leather and frosty mornings calling to them in the soaring mountains is like romance.

However, some useful tips can help improve your ELK Hunting making it easier for you to catch this majestic buck standing miles away. We also recommend you to study about the elk habitat and this blogpost explains it the best. Combining the knowledge you will get from this job and the ones you read about the habitat of the elk, you will definitely improve your hunting skills.

Therefore, if you want to develop your hunting skills today to make that whitetail deer your trophy read on. 

1. The Importance of Optics

You do not want to end up in the mountains and not be able to spot the deer miles away. You need a quality scope. If you are using AR 15 rifle, pick a hunting scope for AR 15 rifle to make those short to long-range shots effectively. With the best rifle scope, you can see a clear picture of the elk.

Furthermore, it needs to provide you with a comfortable aiming to shoot from dusk to dawn. We recommend when scouting for elk to take your rifle and scope unloaded and look out for the deer from early too late to spot them better.

By using your weapon and optic, it helps to know what the animal looks like in different lighting conditions before you start hunting.

2. Be Proficient Using Your Bow or Rifle

Whether you are hunting with a bow or rifle, you need to spend some months before the hunt shooting with it.

Make sure the sights distances are set. When using a bow, make sure the draw weights comfortable. If you use a rifle, go to a shooting range, and find out how accurately and far you can shoot.

You want to make sure when squeezing the trigger that the bullet will land precisely where you want it to fall in the center of the sight picture.

You do not want to be in the countryside, see the deer, and try to push the limits. As a bowhunter, you need to practice to shoot out to 60-yards. However, if you are a firearm hunter, you need to shoot accurately out to 300-yards.

You can achieve this when practicing with your optic making you ready for anything in the mountains.

3. Dress Properly and Take Care of Your Feet

When pursuing elk, your base layer is the essential piece of your hunting clothes. We suggest you get Merino wool for your base layer. The coat available in different weights and depends on the weather you plan to hunt. The wicking quality is excellent, and you can control the odor as it keeps your scent neutral even when sweating.

Depending on the weather the clothes you wear varies from lightweight rain suits you can fold up. Other considerations are wool pants with a warm jacket with waterproof structure when hunting late season. Another crucial thing is to wear quality boots and socks.

Wear boots made for backpacker, climbers, and mountaineers. Buying the best hunting boots provides a lightweight feel with excellent arch support. Match the shoes with quality Merino wool socks as it will help keep the feet dry and prevent blisters from forming.

4. The Calling

Now that you have your riflescope and clothing sorted, the next crucial thing is the calling. There are many calling tactics available, but three of them stand out. You get the simple cow call, practical challenge bugle, and a simple location bugle.

Learn when to use each of them, as these calls are outstanding and the sound needs to be perfect. Once you know how to call an excellent tip is to move closer to the bull quietly before you use a call as it magnifies the effectiveness of it.

Keep things simple, and you will be amazed at how you can put a tag on one.

5. Know Your Area Where You Plan to Hunt

Before you plan to hunt, you need to do some scouting. Visit the area months before your hunt. Study your maps to see where your camp is, the terrain you need to hike through, and where you can expect to find the whitetail. So familiarize yourself with the region to make your hunt more successful. Furthermore, search for wallows before your early-season hunt and locate them on the map.

6. Bring Your Shelter and Sleeping Gear

Make sure to take a shelter and sleeping bag that rolls up as you may end up far from the camp while hunting elk. You do not want to end up outdoors for the night when it rains or snows. Furthermore, if you scouted and found a herd of deer, you want to spend the night near to them. You will get a better chance of making an accurate shot in the morning. Leave your high-quality camping gear at the base camp to return to for a good night rest after walking for miles.

7. Be Mentally Fit and in Shape

To hunt elk successfully, you need to be mentally tough whether on horse or foot. You need a positive attitude even if you are not finding the elk. You must be in shape as well as climbing mountain trails deprives you of oxygen the higher you go. Make sure to hike at least six miles per day as the better your physical condition, the better the odds of having a successful hunt.

Final Thoughts

We hope that the tips for hunting elk help you to take your trophy home. With the right hunting gear, being in shape, and mentally prepared will make your trip to the mountains, an enjoyable one. Lastly, always stay hydrated, no matter if it is warm or cold. 

If you do not stay hydrated, even your fit body will cramp, and you will end up miserable. Get yourself a straw filter enabling you to drink water out of streams to provide you with clean water? With the purification filter, you do not need to haul around water containers making it difficult to hike.

So plan your trip with the right set-up, the right amount of brush with enough coverage to hide, and shooting lanes providing you with the best shot. Happy elk hunting, as we know you are going to bring home the trophy.

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