Bowhunting for Elk: tips needed

[Tony]

next year in sept i will be going to Montana for a elk/mule deer hunt. any tips for going elk hunting would be great. i wont be changing my hunting set up very much. maybe add a Muzzy 3 blade 125 to up my arrow weight and turn the bow up to 65 lbs.

right now im in the get into shape mode. right now i can do 13.5 min miles for 3 miles. im doing cardio and circuit training. once it warms up a little im going to start hiking with a pack and my bow.

is it best to have arrows on the bow in a quiver or a hip quiver?

Thanks

Tony

[elkoholic]

Tony, I hate to say it but you are about to become addicted. If you get into some good bugling action, you will be hooked. About the quiver, it may come down to preference or the area you are hunting. Here in the northwest corner of the state I found that a hip quiver just did not work for me. In more open terrain a hip quiver may work just fine, but in dense cover I found that it tends to get hung up more than it was worth. Sometimes you have to move fast to get in position and as you are moving you tend to steer the bow through the brush and a bow mounted quiver (may depend on brand) seems to work better. I will note that you can also get brush jammed in between the bow and quiver.

Getting into shape is probably the best thing you can do to enjoy the hunt and you are ahead of the curve there. When it comes to the shot, stay away from the shoulder. I use a 100 gr 3 blade muzzy and it will get the job done, so I'm not sure you need to go to 125 gr. When it comes to the actual hunt it is quite simple. Find the elk, pay attention to the wind, get as close as possible and then cow call them in. It is best to use a bugle to locate a bull and once you get a response, move in close and cow call. You can also hunt them like deer by setting up along a well used trail or overlooking a water hole or wallow. Shooting them out in the alfalfa fields like the sweepstakes hunt on the Buckmasters site is another option. I prefer the bugle and cow call method. Elk country is big country and unless you are hunting on a ranch just finding the elk can be a daunting task and if they are not "talking" they may be close and you might not even know it. When you find them, they may move a dozen miles away overnight and leave you scratching your head the next day. The wolf packs here in the western part of the state have been keeping the elk herds on the move.

Enjoy the hunt and best of luck!