Research; Big Bulls and Success Rates
A look at the Boone and Crockett book shows that between 1970 and 1978 there were only 51 bulls taken that scored over the 375 B7 minimum. That is an average of 5 Boone and Crockett bull elk a year. Of those bulls, 15 came from Montana, 9 from Arizona, 8 from Alberta, 6 from Colorado, 5 from Idaho, 4 from Wyoming and 1 each from Washington, Oregon and Manitoba. These are old statistics, but they give a good indication of how rare it is to connect with a really big bull. However, any bull that scores over the Pope and Young minimum of 260 inches is generally a 6x6 and is a good bull, even for a gun hunter.

Looking at a more recent edition of the Pope and Young book shows that between 1985 and 1986 115 bulls scored over 300 points - a nice bull by any standard. That's 57 bulls per year. A closer look at the books shows that 35 of those bulls came from New Mexico, 18 from Montana, 13 from Arizona, 7 from Idaho, 5 each form Colorado, Wyoming and Oregon, 4 from Washington and 3 from Alberta. While Montana still has a good showing the best bet for a 300 score bull is definitely New Mexico.

By looking at a more recent record book you can pinpoint which unit or county in each state the big bulls are coming from. There are some differences to consider when analyzing these numbers. Montana has a lot of public land that is open to hunting. On the other hand New Mexico contains a lot of private land managed for elk. Most guided hunts in these states start around $3000. If you consider that the price includes lodging, meal, transportation, skinning, capping, and about double the chance of getting a good bull with a guide than you can expect without a guide, it's a pretty good deal.

Obviously things have changed since I checked these records. Colorado is now producing more big bulls than in the past because of minimum point restrictions. This, coupled with the fact that there is abundant public land, and some licenses are available over the counter, makes Colorado the choice of many hunters. Arizona, on the other hand, still produces many big bulls. But, most of the hunts are on private land or reservations, where prices are high and licenses hard to come by in a drawing.

If you are looking for good success rates you should obtain a copy of the Big Game Harvest Report of the state you are interested in. This will tell you how many elk the state has, how many elk there are in each unit, the bull to cow ratio of each unit, and the hunter success for cows and bulls, by hunting method, and the success rates by unit. When you are researching this information, check the size of the herd. The more animals there are the easier it is to find them. Next look at the bull to cow ratio, the higher the bull to cow ratio the better your chances of seeing a bull. Then look at the hunter success rate. If hunter success rate is high the elk may have been easy to hunt; there may have been a high bull to cow ratio; or the area was easy to hunt. It may also mean that most of the good bulls were taken during the hunt.

Locating Elk Habitat
After you choose a unit to hunt elk, get a topographical or forest service map of the area to see what the terrain and habitat look like. Look for areas that are well of the road, with access by foot or horseback only. The harder the habitat is to get to, the fewer hunters there will be. Because elk prefer to stay near water and feed on succulent forbs (wild flowers), sedges and grasses in the fall (after much of the food has dried up) you should look for finger ridges with drainages containing water, aspen groves and meadows, near evergreens that offer escape and thermal cover. If there are connecting saddles over the tops of the ridges to other drainages, meadows and forests, you have found a likely place to hunt.

One thing that needs to be considered when you are looking for elk in the fall, particularly after the rut when the large cow/calf herds begin to breakup, is that the larger the herd, the larger the food source needs to be. Large cow/calf herds, which often occur during September and October, use large meadows. Small cow/calf herds, which occur more frequently in November and December, can use smaller meadows. Solitary bulls or small groups of bulls, that are not with cows, or that have left the cows, can use smaller meadows. The number of animals in the group, the sex of the group, and the phase of the rut you are hunting determines the size of the meadows and the type of habitat where you should look for elk.

This article is an excerpt from the Elk Addict's Manual, by T.R. Michels (computer readable CD $14.95 plus $5 for s&h). T.R. Michels is a nationally recognized game researcher/wildlife behaviorist, outdoor writer and speaker. He is the author of the Whitetail, Elk, Duck & Goose, and Turkey Addict's Manuals. His latest products are Hunting the Whitetail Rut Phases, the Complete Whitetail Addict's Manual, the 2008 Revised Edition of the Elk Addict's Manual; and the 2008 Revised Edition of the Duck & Goose Addict's Manual.

If you are interested in more elk hunting tips, or more deer biology and behavior, log on to Trinity Mountain Outdoor News and T.R.'s Hunting Tips at www.TRMichels.com. If you have questions about deer, elk, turkey or waterfowl log on to the T.R.'s Tips message board. To find out when the elk rut begins, peaks and ends in your area click on Peak Elk Bugling Dates Chart. For a catalog of books and other hunting products; or for information on a wide variety of Natural History Eco-Tours, viewing and photographing regional and national scenic areas, birding, big game animal, elk bugling, wolf howling, sandhill crane, swan, prairie chicken, sharp-tailed grouse, wildflower or other tours contact: T.R. Michels, Trinity Mountain Outdoors, E-mail: TRMichels@yahoo.com, Web Site: www.TRMichels.com.

Information Network
Once you've found a unit where you think you'd like to hunt make a call to the local conservation officer or forester, to find out how many elk they see and where they see them. You should also call the local taxidermy shops and locker plants to find out how many elk they take in and how big the bulls are. Check with the local fly shops and trout fisherman - they often see elk when they are out fishing; when you can't be there. Talk to anyone who might see elk in the area. Put together an information network of local people and let them do most of the observing and scouting for you. Then record all the information in your journal.

Pre Season Scouting
If you plan to hunt that year, and you have the time scout in late August or early September, look for drainages and meadows the elk are using at that time. By this time some of the older bulls will begin bugling in preparation for the rut which makes them easy to locate. Older bulls begin bugling earlier than young bulls, so they can attract cows earlier and breed more cows. Even if the bulls aren't bugling you may spot them, or a herd of cows, and find the areas they use. If the bulls are bugling it helps you find them and their favorite bedding and feeding areas. From August to November the forage patterns of the elk remain relatively the same, and they use many of the same areas, which means you may find elk in the same areas where you saw them when you scouted earlier that fall.

When you are scouting you should also look for areas the cows use, because when the rut approaches the bulls will travel to those areas to find the cows. You should also look for wet wallows near streams, rivers and other wet areas, and dry wallows along ridges and in low-lying areas where bulls wallow and bugle to attract cows. Do a lot of listening and observing on these early scouting trips. Then use your maps to determine where the bulls are, even if you can't see them. When you hear a bull shoot a compass heading, then look for good habitat along the heading on the map - that's probably where the bull is. If you spot bulls feeding or bedding mark the area on your map for use when you hunt later on.

If you can't scout before you hunt be sure to contact your information network when you arrive in the area. Find out where the best places to look for elk are. This cuts down the amount of time you have to scout yourself; the less time you spend scouting for elk, the more time you have to hunt. For this reason you may want to arrive 3-5 days ahead of your hunt, so you can scout, observe and pattern the elk yourself. The more time and effort you put into locating elk and their high use areas before the hunt, the more time you will save locating the elk once you arrive, which will give you more time to hunt, and the better your chances of a successful hunt will be.

Scouting
Scouting is important for hunting any animal. Unfortunately most non-residents, and many residents, do not have the luxury or time to scout an area for elk. For those who cannot scout there are some ways to increase their success rates. The most obvious way is to use the services of an outfitter. By using an outfitter you eliminate the need to scout, because the outfitter does it for you. They scout the area before the hunt, choose the best places to hunt and do the guiding. If you like to become more involved in the hunt you can choose a semi-guided hunt. Some guides offer pack-in and pre-scouting services to lessen the amount of time you have to scout during the hunt. A semi-guided hunt usually involves one guide for each four hunters, with the guide telling you where to hunt, rather than actually guiding you and going along. In this case you do your own daily scouting.

Another option for those who like to do their own scouting is a drop camp. A drop camp is exactly what the name implies: you are taken to the area by the guide, usually on horseback, and dropped off in an area where the camp, tents, cooking gear and firewood are ready for you. You provide your own sleeping gear and food, cook your own meals, and field dress, quarter and pack your game into camp, where the outfitter will pack it out to his headquarters. Usually you will not have horses in camp, and you have to do all of your scouting and hunting on foot. If you choose this type of hunt you should be in good physical condition, have First Aid, CPR and survival training.

If you have the ability and the time to do your own scouting, do it a couple of weeks before the hunt. For archery hunters this may be as early as late August. By this time some of the older bulls have begun to shed their velvet; making rubs and wet or dry wallows; and they may be bugling and associating with the cows. However, many of the bulls may be in bachelor herds by themselves in high alpine meadows.

If you are hunting private land that you can drive on, be sure to stop far enough away from where you expect to see elk that you don't disturb them. If you are using ATV's to get into back country on National Forest land realize that it will alert the elk and drive them out of the area for you and every other hunter who has worked so hard to get into the area without disturbing the elk. If you really want to be successful as an elk hunter don't go into elk country with a motor vehicle. To do a thorough job of scouting you will have to cover a lot of territory; elk home ranges may cover as much as forty square miles. Because of these large home ranges elk don't leave a lot of sign in some of the areas they use. Not finding recent elk sign doesn't mean there are no elk in the area, or that they won't be using it the next day, or the next week.