Guided or DYI elk hunt?

W

wisconsinteacher

New member
Hey guys, I need some honest advice. I am looking at going on an elk hunting trip in 3-4 years. I narrowed it down to WY so I can start building points for a limited draw area. My question is very simple, do I try the DIY hunt or hire an outfitter with guides? I have never hunted elk or in the mountains. I have antelope hunted and was successful and had fun. One part of me says save some money and go DYI and hope for the best the other part of me says, work some extra jobs/hours and pay for the guided hunt and hopefully be more successful. My expectations on the DYI hunt would be to hopefully shoot any elk but on the guided hunt, I would hope to shoot a respectable bull and maybe have the hunt of a life time. What are your honest thoughts on a flatlander being successful?
 
if money was not a factor i would hire a guide. they do all the hard work you have all the fun. most new elk hunters have no clue how much work it really is if they do kill one. if money is a factor you can be successful on a diy hunt. to me it would come down to money. i never had the money and had to do it all on my own. good luck and hope you have fun.
 
Money is always a factor but I don't just want to waste time. I guess my example is from this summer. We paid for a charter out of Homer, AK to fish halibut and hammered them. We filled our limits in less than 2 hours and kept fishing until our arms were on fire. My buddy went to Alaska and fished with a guy for free and in 5 days caught one halibut and 3 salmon. To me, it was worth the money we spent to watch my dad and wife have the time of their life.
 
Here's a look fronm the other side. I guide.

I've been hunting elk since 1971. I started hunting them with a couple buddies who also were new to elk hunting. We had no guide as there was no draw system in place.

First year we killed deer and no elk. Second year we missed a couple good bulls on the last day of a three week hunt. We had our own horses and hunted the mountains.

It took about 5-6 years before we consistently killed elk. By about 10 years we could tell you which tree to stand next to at what time of the day to see elk most of the time.

We still had days when we got skunked.

Having a guide does not guarantee a kill. It can take years of being skunked off your learning curve, but it is still hunting.

I've sent people into my elk areas with specific instructions as to where and how. They came back successful for the most part. Those that didn't simply didn't put the effort in.

Some kill elk first time out, but it usually is much harder. You have to learn the area, the pattern of movements and how weather affects them, etc. etc.

So in my case the client got the benefit of 35+ years of experience and mistakes. What is that worth in dollars.

Some hunters are all excited about all the money a guide/outfitter charges. The one day or week that a client hunts is not the only thing he is paying for. When you add in all the time and miles a gude spends scouting and tuning his skills, the cost of the hunt and accommodations is cheap.
 
Thanks for the great read Redfrog. I agree that it is still hunting and nothing is guaranteed but it will take years off the learning curve. The guy at home that I talked to has hunted with this outfit 2 other times and his friend has hunted with them 4 times. So far they have filled all tags but one and that hunter left the mountains 3 days early due to a bad back. Today I am leaning more on the guided hunt because I want to learn from others and hopefully be placed in an area where there are animals. Again, I know it is not a slam dunk, but I have seen guys travel west for 10 years only to shoot one cow.
 
try colorado OTC for elk. some very good bulls killed without waiting for points/draw. a friend is a guide/outfitter he has good success with hunts that are not super difficult. no giant bulls with over the counter tags, but a good hunt for sure.
 
You could always do a Hunt for a cow elk in Wy on a draw or left over tag.
You would get a lot of ground time and might get some meat for the freezer.
I killed a lot of doe's before I finally killed my first buck.
Like my grandfather all ways said you can't eat horns.
Carson
 
I agree with Redfrog. I've done both. To me, they are too different hunts. I spent 3 days hunting elk in Montana before killing a nice elk. It was a blast because the guide got us on the elk fairly quickly. The hunting, stalking, etc started on the first day and ended on day 3. Last fall, I was in the Frank Church in Idaho without a guide. It was difficult in an area like that to find elk. Lots of sign but just too many places to look. After 7 days, we found some but passed up the rag horns. Couldn't find the big ones. The hunt was good but not necessarily successful. I saw some absolutely incredible country I've never seen before so in that aspect it was great but my freezer remained elk-less.

So, I guess what I'm saying is that if you want a good hunt, do a ton of walking, see a lot of country, and it doesn't matter if you get one or not, go without a guide. If it's important to fill your freezer, go guided.
 
There are easier to get tags in CO, ID, and some other states.. Also there are tags that you can just buy in NM from the land owners.
Given that you don't know the area, you might be well advised to pay a guide since you are not used to the area.

I started hunting Elk 7 years ago, and have been drawn for a tag 7 years and in each case have filled my tag every time.
I think that if you are a hunter its a case of using those skills and adapting them to the new game. If you hunt Deer, and do well, then as long as you have a tag to an area that has open land for you to access then you should be able to get in there and hunt it. There is a difference between getting out there and hunting and scouting the land and finding them, vs. what i see on TV with east cost guys that sits in a tree stand each year on the corner of a farmers land. Elk Cover ground and a few trail cams might not be something that will work well for Elk.

I have noticed that each year the elk hunting gets a lot easier.. I attribute that to Coyote hunting.
Just remember that Elk are a lot bigger than a deer. Plan, and figure out ways to handle the harvest if you don't have a guide.

Either way.. GOod luck, and don't wait. Get out there and do it.
 
Pay for the guide if you've never hunted elk before. They can be like hunting ghosts at times. And you should probably consider lowering your expectations all the way around.

Areas 7 & 45 for big bulls

Everything else is a crap shoot. Although, I did receive a pic last night of what may be a new world record from near Baggs.

Anything in the Sniwy Range is nice. I killed a bull there last Fri morning.
 
It depends on several factors one of which is how good of shape you are personally in and what kind of equipment and experience you have. I watched the Eastman's Hunting show and see the go in light come out heavy advertisement and laugh when I see the dude with the pack walking like it weighs 30lbs instead of 130 lbs. I have hunted like that and packed an elk out over 7 miles with part of it the most hellish uphill on the planet when I was in my 30s. It took me two days and three trips to get the elk and my camp. I was loaded to the max each trip. I was running 4 to 5 miles a day prior to the hunt. So yes it can be done but are you committed enough to be in shape to do it. Second question is are you willing to spend the time to get to know the area? Elk love rough country you will get rim rocked out, unable to cross steep deep canyons, and in some cases blocked by fallen and heads up falling timber in old burns and blow downs. Finding water, cover, food, space and arrangement of elk habitat is the key to finding elk. Last year at a family get together in Iowa a neighbor of my sister-law asked about hunting elk here in Wyoming. I told him I could give him a fantastic unit to draw for but I didn't have the time to take him hunting. I would point him in the right direction and could share lots of area knowledge but he would have to guide himself. He said no problem. Well unbelievable odds of 100-1 he drew a license. He asked to come out in the summer and asked if I would show him around. I took him on a 4 mile hike to a great saddle between two drainages. After the hike he told me he had no idea it would be that physical. He ended up hiring a guide with access to a large private ranch in the area. Killed a 350 class bull 2nd day of the hunt and was thrilled. Elk was packed out for him and caped. He called me and told me it was the best money he had ever spent. So its up to you either way can work. Also remember here in Wyoming nonresidents have to hire a guide to hunt in a wilderness area.
 
Keep in mind you're a first time elk hunter and I think a guide will save you lots of time and effort locating good hunting and camping areas, but the good guides have loyal customers who have hunted with them for years because they are good at what they do. You will be hard pressed to hire a guide from scratch who will take you into the prime hunting areas on your first hunt. They don't know you, don't know if you can walk all day, if you can shoot as good as you say you can, if you like to drink allot at camp, if you're truly an "Elk Hunter" willing to do what it takes. You might get lucky, but you might not too. I hired a guide on CO to take me and my buddy up to a spike camp and drop us and check on our progress. We arrived a couple days early to get used to the country and get in there to do some scouting. He took us up the entrance of a valley bordered on both sides by some of the best Elk country there is and dropped us at camp. We thought we were in heaven. Then for the next three days we watched group after group of elk hunters ride past us on up the valley. I'll bet thirty hunters were "bussed in" above us. Learned a little lesson about guides and new customers that trip.
 
I think elk hunting is easy. But I live in elk central and spend the year out in the mountains so I can usually go right to where elk are. Not having "local knowlege" of the country is really tough to overcome. Without being able to scout the area and never elk hunted before id hire a guide. Can you do it without a guide sure, will your odds increase with a guide yes.

Elk hunting is tough. GET IN SHAPE.You may think your in shape, but the elevation will get you. They live in ruggged high elevation country usually (at least here they do)the best hunting will be several miles or more from your truck (and you better have a 4 wheel dr) AND they are LARGE. So get in shape. Plan to move 500+lbs of dead elk from point A to point B. Better learn how to at least quater one and better yet bone one out in the field. If you go unguided this will most likly involve 5 or so trips with hvy backpacks. oh yea get in shape and make sure if you take someone they are in shape too.
 
Excellent advice here from a lot of different sources. Another factor that I did not see you mention is if you plan to archery hunt or rifle hunt. Makes a huge difference. Locating Elk in a prime area during archery season is not near as difficult as finding them during rifle season. Local and/or guide knowledge during rifle season is worth the price of admission. Trust me on this. Cant speak for everyone but the units I hunt in, it is far easier to pull a bull out of the mountains during archery season than during rifle season. During the archery season (pre rut and full rut phases) the Elk are scattered over large areas where they have food, cover and water. Those same Elk, during rifle season and once they been shot at and pressured, are a whole different ball game. They become bunched and isolated in much smaller pockets and if you dont know where to look, you can walk your feet off and never find one. If you plan on rifle hunting, hire the guide or search for some local knowledge that is willing to point you in the right direction. I would be more inclined to recommend a DIY hunt for archery if you are willing to learn how to call (Primos Mastering the Art is one of many good sources) and are willing to get in the kind of shape necessary to cover a lot of ground at elevations between 8,000 and 11,000 feet. Also worth noting that archery hunting with a partner increases the odds when calling. I have called in and killed some Bulls while alone but it is a very TOUGH endeavor.
 
L-arganine as a quick tip for those not used to the elevation you usually see for an elk trip. It's a supplement you can find at wallyworld. It converts to nitrous oxide in your body which increases your bloods ability to carry oxygen. In the gym I can tell when I've had it and when I haven't by how my runs go. In the mountains where oxygen is already in short supply it will help you keep going without feeling like you're dying from lack of air.
 
I live here and I would certainly get a guide. You want to be in the area with critters quick. I bow hunt 36 and I pack my camp on foot. I know where to go and I forced marched in the USMC infantry. You best save the boot leather and get some local help. The zone you'll hunt is a big factor. You have any experience with grizzlies? Having a grizzly take a disliking to the crease in the press of your pants wouldbe a good time to have some help.
Last I checked non-res elk tags were bout $750, that's high dollar tag soup if you don't connect.
 
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