Table of Contents

Part I: Introduction
1. Howdy
2. Who Doesn't Want to Hunt Elk in the West?
3. Hunt Budget
Part II: Where to Hunt
1. Elk Distribution in the Western U.S.
2. Elk Harvest in the Western U.S.
3. Public Land in the Western U.S.
4. The Lay of the Land
5. National Forests and Hunt Units
6. State Licenses Info; Permits, Tags and Lingo
Part III: Preparation for the Hunt
1. Training
2. Scouting
3. Gear, Camp and Clothing
4. Field Dressing and Packing Out
5. Transporting Meat Back Home
Part IV: Safety
1. Wilderness and Remote Areas
2. Altitude Sickness
3. Temperatures at High Elevation
4. Safety in Bear Country
5. Gun or Pepper Spray in Bear Country?
6. Safety in Cougar Country
7. Safety in Wolf Country

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Part V: Finding Elk & Hunting Strategies
1. Elk Habitat Models
2. Hunting Strategies Before the Rut
3. Hunting Strategies During the Rut
4. Hunting Strategies After the Rut
5. Your Scent and the Wind
6. Elk Sign
Section VI: Lists of Figures and Tables
1. List of Figures
2. List of Tables
Section VII: Resources
1. Ecoregion Descriptions, Mountain Ranges and Links to Photographic
Examples
2. Example of Level IV Ecoregions
3. Habitat Descriptions and Photos from Tarleton State University
4. Additional Information about Forest Types by State
5. Additional Resources
Final Words

©BackcountryChronicles.com iii
 DIY Elk Hunting Guide: Planning a Hunt, State Selection, Hunting
Strategies, Training, Logistics, Budget, Backcountry Safety & More
3rd Edition
Copyright © 2017 by Dan Allan, BackcountryChronicles.com
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applicable laws. Thank you for your attention to this message.

iv
 Part I: Introduction
Howdy
I grew up in the South, so I know the sugar is supposed to go in the iced tea

and not in the cornbread. My favorite childhood memories are outdoor

activities with my friends and family and especially hunting and fishing with

my Grandfather.

Like most small town kids, I hung out with a small group of good friends. We

mostly played sports and occasionally some of my friends would go fishing

with me. But none of my small town friends came from families with hunting

backgrounds, so few of my friends ever hunted. As a teenager, I gladly gave

up Saturdays with friends to hunt or fish with my Grandfather and I still miss

that old man!

I have lived in the Intermountain West since 1992. I love the access to public

lands for hiking, camping, fishing and hunting. I hunt with limited entry tags

when I can, but mostly hunt on public lands with general season tags. I

usually hunt with a muzzleloader since there are fewer hunters and most of

the time I hunt by myself and as far from roads as my old knees will take me.

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Mule deer, elk, moose, big horn sheep and mountain goats live in the

mountains that surround the valley where I live. I'm not bragging (but I am

showing off). I know places I can usually find elk, mule deer or moose with a

10 minute drive and a 20 minute hike. I watch elk most of the winter and mule

deer almost everyday with a spotting scope from my bedroom window. I can

also hunt antelope and bison (if I can draw the tag) within a two to four hour

drive.

Like Forrest Gump, I have worn lots of different shoes. I've owned a horse

breeding and training facility and I've sold insurance and cars. I taught

Biology, Physiology, Anatomy and Ornithology at Universities and Community

Colleges. I lived in West Africa for almost three years where I taught local

farmers to build fish ponds and raise Tilapia. I also spent 15 years as a “low

level” wildlife biologist for a state wildlife agency here in the Intermountain

West.

I emphasize “low level” biologist because in wildlife agency work, every

promotion means you spend less time in the field and more time in the office.

Another promotion meant I would have to sit in an office, attend meetings and

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balance budgets. No thanks.

I may have been the oldest living field tech, but that's what I wanted. I want to

be outside everyday where I can enjoy the outdoors and wildlife. Nothing

wrong with working in an office, someone has to do it, but I already rejected

that life once. If a job was nothing but about making money, I would do

something where I could actually make money.

I am a Hunter
I grew up hunting small game in the southern Piedmont of North Carolina, but

have lived in elk country for almost 25 years now. For this transplanted

southern boy, there is nothing like watching elk in the backcountry unless it’s

watching elk with a tag in your pocket.

Before I say anything about my personal philosophy on hunting, I believe

hunting is like any of our "unalienable rights", especially the "pursuit of

happiness". It's your hunt, you do with it as you see fit. It's not my place to tell

anyone how to hunt, but like most hunters, I have some strong opinions.

The importance of hunting to me is not just about killing. Hunting includes

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everything from the anticipation of drawing a limited tag to preparation for the

hunt with general tags. Preparation includes many days of scouting, shooting

and logistical planning for finding, getting into hunting areas and packing the

meat back out.

Hunting is also about spending time outside and having great backcountry

experiences. The only thing better than a great day outside is sharing it with

good friends or family.

The bonds made with our grandfathers are started with the stories told of

hunting and fishing trips and “the way things were” before our fathers were

born and these bonds are strengthened when we are old enough to take part

in our family traditions.

At first we listen to the stories, then we are included in the stories and finally

we start making our own stories. One of my proudest moments as a teenager

was when I heard my Grandfather tell one of our hunting stories to my

younger cousins.

Non-hunting families have similar stories, but their stories just don't include

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hunting. We can no more take hunting memories out of ourselves than they

can take memories of their Mom’s apple pie out of themselves. But as hunting

families, we have memories of hunting stories and apple pie.

Pulling the trigger is just a single moment in time out of the entire process.

Shooting and killing an animal is ultimately the culmination of any hunting trip,

but it is not the entire purpose, only a small piece of a journey.

I hunt primarily for the fun and challenge of participating in nature's

continuous cycle of life and death. I get a unique satisfaction when I harvest

meat from the wild whether it's fish, grouse or an elk. I might add; the only

source of meat not riddled with hormones, antibiotics or other chemicals in

our modern, “wrapped in plastic” world.

I bought a recurve bow in 1981, but never practiced enough to feel competent

to hunt with it. Therefore, my education as outdoorsman is incomplete and it's

one of my few regrets in life. So, I am a gun hunter. I envy the bow hunter's

primitive skills, the need to get close, the long hunting seasons and the

chance to hunt during the rut in most states every year.

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I split my time between the muzzleloader and rifle hunts, usually hunting mule

deer bucks and bull elk with muzzleloader and cow elk with a rifle. I started

shooting a muzzleloader by pure luck. I was looking for a new elk rifle and

found a local add with a 7mm for sale. The Thompson Center included a 50

cal. muzzleloader barrel. I instantly loved shooting the muzzleloader and I

love hunting the muzzleloader seasons because I like trying to get close and

there are few hunters in the field.

I do not consider myself a trophy hunter, but I don't pass on trophy animals

when I have the chance. I am just as happy to harvest a cow elk as a trophy

bull, but I sure like to watch and listen to the bull elk during the rut.

I am past the age of screaming like a little girl and "high-fiving" everyone in

sight because someone exploded a ground squirrel's head with a high dollar,

high tech, high power scope and rifle. I wanted to do such things as a child,

but was taught by my mentors the only reason to kill something was because

you planned to eat it. I wish more people agreed with that philosophy today.

Do what you must to protect your private property, but I don't see the point of

killing lowly prairie dogs and ground squirrels for sport on public land. As a

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raptor biologist, I view it as a waste of food for raptors and other predators

and another example of our uneducated tampering and unnecessary

molestation of the natural world.

Enough about me, let's get you excited about and prepared for an elk hunt.

Who Doesn't Want to Hunt the West?

Many people spend lots of time, effort and money to hunt elk and mule deer

here in my backyard. And for good reason; the West has the last big sections

of undeveloped land that support large populations of big game.

I would like to think it will last forever, but the West has its development

problems and growing pains. As I was writing the first draft of this book in

early spring of 2014, I saw the first bulldozer on a low ridge where I watch elk

from the house. The elk couldn't leave the area because the high country had

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too much snow, so they depend on the lower elevations for food. They were

still coming down into the valley to feed at night, but moved higher on the hill

to find undisturbed places to rest during the day. I counted 250 elk in a photo

(Figure 1) I took through a spotting scope at about 3,100 yards. I can't

imagine the herd can maintain these numbers if they loose this wintering

area.

Figure 1. 250 Elk on Wintering Grounds @3100 yards thru scope.

The elk still return (as of Jan 2017) despite the development, but I know their

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days of wintering here are numbered once more houses are built. If they can't

winter here, that particular herd will dwindle. The wildlife managers have

already been culling them because they damage the golf course and eat the

rancher's hay.

A lot of people are excited about the jobs and tax revenue that an exclusive

golf course and luxury homes will bring. I will miss watching the elk and the

hunt will suffer.

The Western states are scrambling to maintain mule deer populations. There

is no secret why populations are down. There are many reasons, but the

dominant reason is because of development and habitat abuse. More people

need more places to live, work and play. Every new road, every new building,

every new parking lot and every new reservoir removes vital winter habitat

and fractures or cuts off access to what remains.

We claim to be a nation that values wildlife and wild places, but we show our

true colors when conservation conflicts with jobs. We obviously care more

about what we have now than what will remain in the future.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 9
I stopped elk hunting in one of my favorite areas because of energy

development. Not because the elk have been driven away, but because the

oil and gas wells are too ugly, too noisy and too many trucks drive up and

down the roads. I can still find elk, but no longer enjoy hunting there. Luckily, I

have many places to hunt and I assume that once the oil and gas is gone, the

elk will remain or return as long as there is no permanent damage to the

habitat.

Enough doom and gloom. For now, elk populations are still very good and are

even increasing in many Western states (including my own). How long will it

last? Who knows? If elk populations can be restored in places like North

Carolina and Pennsylvania, there should be elk in the West for a long time.

There won't always be enough elk for everyone to hunt every year with

general season tags, especial non-residents, but now there are still plenty of

hunting opportunities. I plan to take advantage of it as long as I'm able.

Anyone that has ever wanted to do a DIY, fair chase, elk hunt in the West

better make plans to do so while they have the chance.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 10
Will you take Me Hunting?
Recently, the son of an old friend was in my area visiting friends. He called to

see if we could meet. We met for dinner and he brought along the friend he

was visiting in the “city”. Eventually the conversation turned to hunting and

fishing. My friend's friend mentioned that he wanted to hunt elk and claimed

to have many years of big game hunting experience in another state, but just

didn't know where to start in his newly adopted state. He had applied for tags

and like everyone else, was waiting to see if he got lucky. If not, he planned

to hunt during the general season.

I knew it was coming and he finally got around to asking me if I would take

him hunting. I hesitated because my first impressions of him were not very

favorable. He was a negative kind of guy and complained about everything

between his work and the price of the beer. Though he was only in his mid to

late 30s, he was not in good physical shape and I know he slipped away from

the table for a smoke. Not good signs of a serious elk hunter.

I explained that I like to hunt alone and being on the wrong side of 55 years of

age, my years of hunting elk are limited. Truth is; I don't know how many

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more years my knees have left in them, so each day in the field is far too

precious for me not to be doing my own thing.

He said he totally understood, but I know he was disappointed. The idea for

this book started with the conversation I had with him that evening and similar

conversations I have had with others, especially with my relatives in the South

that are hunters. I tried to convince him he didn't need me to take him hunting

and about how much more satisfying the adventure would be if he did it on

his own.

It's not that I'm anti-social. In fact, I get a big kick from showing wild things

and wild places to people not used to seeing such things. It's just that I don't

want to take everyone hunting with me.

I've been asked if I would guide people for money. That is a whole different

story. I hunt for enjoyment and for the meat, so am not sure how that would

mesh with people who pay serious money and expect serious results. I'm

sure it would work fine with certain people, but other people would be my

worst nightmare and I might be tempted to leave them somewhere in the

woods.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 12
My wife can go hunting with me any time she wants. She never carries a gun

and I have given up hope that she ever will, but I always ask if she wants to

go. Yes, it changes the hunt. It changes the places I hunt and I definitely don't

"cold camp" when she is with me, but she is a trooper and has stuck it out

enough to enjoy the experience of watching monster bull elk screaming at the

top of their lungs at extremely close range. She has become my lucky charm

as she has spotted the last two elk I harvested.

I will also take any of my family that wants to hunt and have invited two of my

oldest non-hunting friends that are still in good enough shape. I know they will

enjoy the experience even if they don't carry a gun. They have not yet

accepted my offer. Mike and Barry, we don't have forever.

Most first timers in the West are awestruck with the vast expanses of sage

flats, Pinyon-Juniper covered hills and rugged, forested mountains with snow-

capped peaks. I was and I know you will be as well.

But first, you need an elk tag.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 13
There are four ways to get elk licenses, permits or tags and there are

basically four different ways to hunt elk.

Four Types of Elk License or Tags:

1. Draw Limited Entry Tag - may take 10 - 20 years
2. Buy tag from land owner - may cost $5,000+
3. Buy left over Limited Entry tag - very rare & first come first serve
4. Hunt General Elk Seasons - Over-the-Counter (OTC) tags

Four Basic Ways to Hunt Elk:

1. Hire a guide and/or outfitter to hunt public or private land
2. Expensive private landowner tag (guided or DIY)
3. Have permission to hunt private land
4. DIY public land hunt

Hiring guides or outfitters or buying land owner tags is an option if you have

the money. Even an unguided “Drop Camp” is about $1,000 per person. I

occasionally wonder what I would do with a spare $5,000 - $15,000. I would

probably go fishing in Alaska, but I already have the opportunity to hunt elk

every year. (My wife says we would travel and lay on warm beaches during

the winter).

Hiring guides and outfitters makes planning a hunt easy. You can buy

©BackcountryChronicles.com 14
complete hunting packages with “5 star” service and accommodations. Just

hop on a plane, they will pick you up at the airport, take you to your cabin,

feed you a first class dinner in the lodge, provide a nice place to sleep, wake

you up in the morning, feed you breakfast and take you hunting in a heated

vehicle with a thermos full of coffee.

You don't need to bring any equipment or do any scouting. You won't even

have to dress and pack out your own animal after you shoot it. You can even

have someone else do all the butchering, make the jerky or sausage, grind

and add fat to the burgers, wrap the roasts and steaks and have the whole

thing packed in dry ice ready to transport home.

If you find the thought of that experience to be lacking, you may be a DIY

public land hunter. Welcome to the club.

I'm here to tell you can do it. You will not always be successful, but you will

remember every trip long after you are capable of hiking into the backcountry.

All you need is time to take 5 - 10 days off and enough money to buy a tag

and get out here to elk country. What else are you going to do? Drink beer

and watch TV?

©BackcountryChronicles.com 15
Of course everyone should apply for limited entry hunts, but if you want to

hunt every year, plan on hunting in states with General Season tags or apply

for tags in areas where you have nearly a 100% chance of drawing one.

Think about it this way. If it takes you 10 years to draw a limited entry tag and

you do not hunt any of the general season hunts while you wait to win the

lottery, you will be 10 years older, but you will not be 10 years wiser. You will

finally have the great hunting opportunity, but you will still be an elk hunting

rookie. You may not even be physically able to hunt in 10 years.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 16
 Hunt Budget
I've heard too many people complain about never having enough money

while watching them piss away money everyday.

People say they want to take great hunting trips, fishing trips or vacations, but

never do. But they always have beer money and are always going out to eat

and always have some kind of new toy. How they choose to spend their

money shows their real priorities.

I used to have a neighbor that always complained about not having money,

but spent $7 every morning on coffee at Starbucks on his way to work in the

city and also spent $9 for a fast food lunch every day.

If we ignore all his other spending choices, that costs $4,250 every year. I

made my own coffee and packed lunch everyday and made my 2nd trip to

Africa later that year. And my neighbor had the nerve to call me a lucky

bastard.

That neighbor also had a big boat and camper and a truck to haul them, but

only used them about once a year. I have a new neighbor now because the

©BackcountryChronicles.com 17
bank repossessed his house. An example of what my grandfather used to say

about people that confused the "high cost of living" with the "cost of high

living".

I learned years ago, my budget allowed me to eat fast food or I could eat

steak and lobster at home for the same price. Better yet, I can eat simple, but

good food at home and put money in the bank for something special. I live

frugally, but that has allowed me to do what was really important to me.

Years ago while I was still young and lived in the South, I used to spend most

of my vacation time and extra money on hunting trips to the West and the

Midwest. Between 1982 and 1992, I made five trips to Colorado, Kansas,

Nebraska, Utah & Texas. Money was tight, so I had to scrimp and save and it

took about two years to save enough money for the next trip. I also had to

share vehicles and gas for the trips. It was all worth the sacrifice and I would

do it again in a heart beat.

So, what will it cost you to hunt elk in the West? Let's make a budget.

First, let's assume you are not going to fly or rent a vehicle and that you plan

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to drive. Driving costs depend on how far you have to go, the gas mileage

your vehicle gets, the price of fuel and how many people are sharing the cost.

In the U.S., about the worst case (time consuming and most expensive)

scenario for driving from the East to the West would be some place like

Portland Maine to Portland Oregon, which is 3,188 miles and takes about 47

hours. Luckily, you don't have to drive all the way to the West Coast to hunt

elk. The distance from Portland Maine to Yellowstone National Park is 2,431

miles and 36 hours, which is a long way, but much more reasonable.

I made a list of Eastern and Mid-western cities that are between 1,600 - 1,800

miles from elk hunting areas with drive times between 24 - 26 hours:

• Atlanta, GA to Buffalo, WY
• Austin, TX to Butte, MT
• Birmingham, AL to Sheridan, WY
• Cedar Rapids, IA to Pendleton, OR
• Charlotte, NC to Leadville, CO
• Columbia, SC to Glenwood Springs, CO
• Columbus, OH to Richfield, UT
• Davenport, IA to McCall, ID

©BackcountryChronicles.com 19
 • Jackson, MS to Ferron, UT
• Kansas City to Vancouver, WA
• Knoxville, TN to Vernal, UT
• Little Rock, AR to Helena, MT
• Orlando, FL to Monte Vista, CO
• Pittsburg, PA to Craig, CO
• Richmond, VA to Breckenridge, CO
• Tulsa, OK to Kalispell, MT
• St. Louis, MO to Boise, ID
• Syracuse, NY to Denver, CO
• Washington DC to Laramie, WY

I'm sure most of you know how to find mileage and estimated drive times up

on the internet, but if you don't, go here and enter your home town and

destination. You can add destinations in case you want to visit your Uncle Joe

on the way out or back.

Anyway, unless you live north and east of Syracuse, N.Y. or south of

Orlando, Fl. you can get to elk country in about 1,600 - 1,800 miles and with a

24 - 26 hour drive.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 20
I will use 1,600 miles for the example budget which doubles to 3,200 miles

since you also have to drive back home and add an extra 20% (640 miles) for

additional miles for scouting or whatever for a total of 3,840 miles.

The average pickup truck gets 23 miles per gallon on the highway, so 3,840

miles divided by 23 miles per gallon equals 167 gallons. The Average gas

price when I recalculated the budget for 2017 was $2.365 (down from $2.761

in 2015 and $3.649 in 2014) for a total fuel cost of $395.

Table 1 shows an example of a hunting budget with fuel and elk tags as the

most expensive items. If you are closer to elk country than about 1,600 miles,

the biggest expense will the be the non-resident hunting license and elk tag,

which for 2017 ranges from $458 in Utah to $851 in Montana. The average

cost of Tags and license is close to Colorado's cost at $639 for bull elk or any

elk tags, so I use that as an example. Plus, Colorado is the closest place to

hunt elk for most of the Eastern and Central U.S.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 21
Table 1. Elk Hunting Budget

You will notice I included $100 for two boxes of ammo. Buy the good stuff or

load your own. Some ammo will cost more but others will cost less. I joke

about using 39 bullets for practice and keeping one bullet for your hunt, but

you do what you think is best. Keep two bullets for the hunt if it makes you

feel better.

The only other items on the budget list are $45 for dry ice and $100 for game

©BackcountryChronicles.com 22
processing supplies and miscellaneous expenses. You may not need that

much dry ice to start and you can always buy more dry ice in larger towns as

you drive home.

I only include $100 for game processing and miscellaneous, which is very

cheap because you are going to do everything yourself. Don't know how? If

my grandmother were still alive I would send her with you. But she's not, so

you need to learn how.

It is like surgery, but it's not like brain surgery. The patient has already died.

Your first time will be slow and your butchering will not look professional, but

that's O.K. because you're going to turn most of the meat into ground meat

and sausage anyway, which you are also going to make yourself. You should

care more about quickly cooling the meat, not how professional the

butchering and packaging looks. The people you share the meat with won't

know the difference, but will be impressed that you did it yourself. There are

dozens of good videos available online on how to field dress and butcher a

carcass, but more about that later.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 23
What no food costs?
No. When traveling, I don't count food costs, because I was going to eat

anyway. If you are on a tight budget, just buy good bread and good sandwich

meat or peanut butter and skip the fast food and the chips and drinks at the

gas station.

For the price of a single burger, fries and drink, you could eat lunch all week

long. Buy groceries and cook when you get to camp and drink water. Don't

like that? Then stay home and eat what ever you want.

What no hotel room?

If you are still young, driving across country with a buddy through the night is

an adventure. You don't need a hotel room. If you are too old to miss out on

sleep, you probably have money for a hotel. Two people, each driving 11

hours per day and resting two hours can cover 1,500 - 1,600 miles. An extra

passenger is even better to make sure the driver stays awake. Remember

that speed limits on Interstates increase to 75 mph once you get west of

Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri and Arkansas and the speed limit is 80 mph in

South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Utah and Idaho.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 24
I'm not young anymore, but have personally driven solo for 13 hours (860

miles) straight, stopping only for bathroom breaks and fuel. I wouldn't and

couldn't do that every week, but once in a while is no big deal, especially for a

hunting trip of a lifetime. But after you do it once, it won't be a trip of a lifetime,

because you will keep coming back.

Obviously, the fuel cost is the only cost that doesn't change by taking an

additional person. (Technically, additional weight of each person and gear

decreases gas mileage, but that difference will be small unless there is lots of

weight).

Everyone needs tags (licenses) and ammo and everyone that gets an elk,

needs dry ice and supplies.

The bottom part of the budget in Table 1 shows the total cost for 1 - 4 people

all sharing the same ride. Since fuel costs are shared, the price per person

goes down with each additional hunter. In this example budget, three friends

can hunt 1,600 miles from home for just over $1,000 each and four can hunt

for under $1,000. That amount of money can be raised by saving just $3 per

day for a year.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 25
So, who doesn't want to hunting elk in the West? I can't imagine any DIY

hunter that can still climb a few hills that wouldn't want to hunt elk in the West.

My Goal for This Book

A book, a lecture or a conversation can not teach a person how to hunt, fish,

ride a horse or learn to play basketball, but they can help answer questions,

provide ideas and encouragement.

Knowledge is not generally useful to a person unless they already have

questions. The best questions come when a person is already trying to learn

to do something and is searching for answers and solutions to problems.

Then, ideas instantly “click” as the person recognizes an answer to a

question.

I aim this book towards the DIY person that would like to hunt elk, but has

little experience with the vast areas of the West. This book is for the person

that has the desire, but needs a little encouragement to plan a hunt trip. I

hope to convince you that you can hunt elk on public land with general tags

and have an amazing experience. I also will try to make sure you are aware

©BackcountryChronicles.com 26
of logistic and survival issues you may not experience in other areas. No use

having all that fun, then coming home dead.

I also hope to encourage you to learn more about the plants and terrain that

make up the habitats used by elk and to learn more about the different wildlife

that share those habitats.

I also hope this one-sided conversation puts ideas in your head and answers

your questions, even the questions you may not yet know to ask.

This Book Is:

• Information about where to find elk on public land
• Logistics - get to camp, find elk, pack meat out & getting it home
• Backcountry Safety Tips
• Different habitat types you can expect to find in different areas
• Hunting strategies for different times of the season
• The best seven states to hunt elk every year
• Important information needed to decide which state to hunt
• Where to find important information necessary to Hunt Elk
• This book also includes other resources to help you find places to hunt

©BackcountryChronicles.com 27
This Book Is Not going to show you a secret strategy to draw limited entry

tags in each state.

This book includes many links to photos, websites and PDF documents,

which requires an internet connection to view them. I originally embedded

many of my personal photos in this book, but the file size was too large and

made the cost of the book too expensive.

I am amazed by how often state wildlife agencies and other web sites re-

organize their websites. In the past, every change to a website broke the links

in the book, but I found a way around this. I have created links to my website

first, which then redirect to the proper sites, photos and documents.

All links in this book worked at publication and I fix broken links when I find

them and when they are reported to me. In the past, that still didn't fix the

links in the book, but now, as soon as I fix the link on my website, the book

will point to the correct source.

Please report broken links to me here.

And check here at my website to see all links: associated with this book.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 28
I have also been adding additional photos and reference materials on my

website that are not in this book. The links at the website are organized by

the same Sections and Chapters as this book. Since I do not allow Google to

index these pages, they are not advertised to the public except through this

book.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 29
 Part II: Where to Hunt?
There are several basic things I want to know before deciding where to hunt.

(Not necessarily in this order)

1. Where are the elk?

2. Where is the public land?
3. What is the terrain and habitat like?
4. What is the name (or number) and boundaries of particular hunt units?
5. Where are the access points/trail heads?
6. Can I hunt in more than one unit?
7. What are the season dates?
8. What weapons are allowed?
9. What licenses and/or tags and/or habitat fees are required?
10.What are the costs of all tags and licenses?
11.How easy or difficult is it to get a tag?
12.How many elk were harvested in the unit?
13.How many hunters were in the unit?
14.What was the harvest success in the unit?
15.Are there any special restrictions?

I can answer the first three questions about where the elk are, where the

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public land is and what the terrain and the habitats look like. I also match hunt

units with National Forests in each state and provide information such as

which states restrict you to hunting one unit and which states allow you hunt

many units.

I provide a general introduction and show you where to find the information,

but you will have to take the time and learn about season dates, weapons,

licenses, tags, fees, harvest reports, hunter use and special restrictions for

each state. I provide all the necessary links, but this where you will have to do

some of your own homework.

How difficult is it to get a tag? You can hunt every year if you want. I will show

you the five states that still have resident and non-resident General Season

tags available over-the-counter (OTC) and two states that still have OTC tags

for residents, but not for non-residents. But these two states still have many

units with 100% draw.

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 Elk Distribution in the Western U.S.
Historically, elk lived in almost all habitats of North America except the driest

deserts and the wettest swamps and bayous. They still live in a variety of

habitats, from moist coastal rainforests of the Pacific Northwest to dry Pinyon-

Juniper woodland (AKA piñon-juniper, pinion-juniper or PJ) and sagebrush

areas such as those found in the Wyoming Basin and Colorado Plateaus.

Figure 2 shows a map of current elk distribution in the Western U.S. Areas

with elk are shown in red (dark grey for black & white viewers). This map is

based on maps provided by each state wildlife agency and by the Rocky

Mountain Elk Foundation.

It is not surprising, that most of the elk habitat is in the mountains and valleys

on both private and public land. Elk can also be very common in grasslands,

shrublands and riparian areas that are near the mountains. Where elk are not

disturbed, they are moving back into open country of the Wyoming Basin and

into some areas of the Great Plains of Wyoming and Montana.

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Figure 2. Elk Distribution in the Western U.S.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 33
 Elk Harvest in the Western U.S.
Most Elk are Harvested in Colorado, Wyoming and
Montana
In 2017, the latest harvest data available for all western states was 2015.

Colorado has still the largest elk population and the largest elk harvest as

shown by the 2015 elk harvest (Table 2). But with twice as many hunters in

Colorado as any other state, so they should harvest the most elk. In fairness,

Colorado has many different hunting seasons, so hunting pressure is spread

out among the different seasons.

In 2013, Wyoming was ranked 2nd and Montana was ranked third for the

number of total elk harvested, but those states have switched places by 2015.

Montana has almost twice as many hunters as Wyoming.

The elk harvest in Wyoming dropped from over 26,000 in 2012 to just under

25,000 in 2015, but still claims an amazing 41.9% overall success rate (down

from 46.0% in 2012), which included over-the-counter (OTC) tags (no longer

available to non-residents).

©BackcountryChronicles.com 34
Table 2. 2015 Elk Harvest in 9 Western States

Elk harvest in Idaho climbed from about 16,000 in 2012 and 2013 to almost

24,000 in 2015.

Now take a minute and think about the changes in the elk harvest in

Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. These are the states we were told would be

devastated by wolves, but elk harvest has increased in Montana and Idaho

and only slightly decreased in Wyoming.

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Sure, there have been some big elk population changes in some units, but

more of the changes have been to elk behavior than to overall elk

populations.

Utah, Oregon and New Mexico were fairly close in total elk harvest at 5th -

7th place. In this group, the success rate was lowest in Oregon at 16%.

Success was very high in New Mexico, but all elk tags in New Mexico are

limited entry hunts or private land hunts.

The elk population is still growing in Utah and more antlerless permits are

being issued so more elk are being harvested. This fact allowed Utah to pass

Idaho and Oregon for total elk harvested in 2013 (see Table 3). Hunter

success in Utah has climbed to over 27%. The cow elk harvest in Utah has

increased because Utah DWR began issuing special antlerless elk-control

permits in 2014 to reduce the elk population. These special permits are still

available in some areas.

Elk harvest in Arizona and Washington were a close 8th and 9th place, but in

Arizona all but a hand full of elk were harvested with limited entry or

landowner tags. Washington has many OTC tags, but hunting in Washington

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must be tough since the overall harvest success ranged from 13.5% in 2012

to 10.6% in 2013 (was 11.5% in 2015).

Table 3. 2013 Elk Harvest in 11 Western States

California and Nevada had the least total elk harvested and both states have

only limited entry tags. I don't bother following those states anymore, but was

surprised at how few elk were harvested in California. By looking at elk range

©BackcountryChronicles.com 37
maps, it appears that California has much more elk habitat to support a much

larger harvest than a mere 236 elk. In 2012, California issued only 375 tags

for 81 hunts in 25 units and issued only 353 tags in 2013.

South Dakota issued more licenses (570 in 2012) in the Black Hills and

harvested more elk (291 bulls & 125 cows) than California.

Let's think about hunter success for a moment. Colorado and Montana both

had almost 20% success in 2013 and while success in Colorado has climbed

over 20% by 2015, it jumped to over 27% in Montana. That means the

average hunter went from one elk harvested every five years to one elk every

3.7 years. So at 11.5% success, hunters in Washington harvest an elk every

8.7 years.

It seems overall hunter success has been improving in most states, but don't

we all think we can do better than average?

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Six Western States Offer a Good Chance for Non-
residents to Hunt Elk
There used to be eight states with general elk tags, but you can still hunt elk

every year without winning the lottery in six states:

• Colorado - Over-The-Counter Tags (OTC) for residents and non-

residents
• Idaho - OTC Tags (res. & non-res.)
• Montana - no longer OTC for non-residents (but non-resident
combination tags have not sold out the last 3 years)
• Oregon - OTC Tags (res. & non-res.)
• Utah - OTC Tags (res. & non-res.)
• Washington - OTC Tags (res. & non-res.)
• Wyoming - no longer OTC for non-residents (but many units have
100% draw)

All six states listed above except Montana and Wyoming have general

season elk tags that can be bought Over-the-Counter (OTC). These are not

the coveted limited entry tags, but still offer a chance to hunt and harvest an

elk, especially with an either sex elk tag.

Wyoming no longer has OTC tags for non-residents, but there are many units

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with 100% applicant success for drawing tags and some left over tags that did

not sell can be bought online or on the phone.

In Montana, non-residents have to apply for 17,000 elk or elk/mule deer tags,

but these tags have not sold out the last three years, so everyone that applied

got one and then they went on sale over-the-counter.

Most of the large tracts of elk habitat, highest elk populations, most public

land open to hunting and most available elk tags are found in seven of the

eleven Western states.

So, I eliminate California and Nevada as good options to hunt because

hunting opportunities are very limited. I also omit New Mexico because all

hunting is limited entry and Arizona because only a handful of OTC tags are

available in areas where the state want elk removed. If you have contacts in

Arizona, you might want to consider Arizona's OTC tags.

The seven Western states that offer the best chance to DIY hunt elk on public

land are Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington and

Wyoming. These are the seven states that I concentrate on and refer to

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throughout the rest of this book.

Table 4 shows the seven states ranked by the number of acres of open public

land per elk hunter. The table includes total Elk Habitat (acres), Public Elk

Habitat (total acres of elk habitat on public land in the state open to hunting)

the number of elk hunters in 2015 and the number of acres of elk habitat on

public land available per elk hunter in 2015 (all seasons combined).

Table 4. Elk Habitat and Elk Hunters in Seven Western States

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I overlaid elk habitat over the public land map to determine the amount of elk

habitat on public land that allows hunting. I removed public land acres that do

not allow hunting. Public Elk Acres per Hunter is simply the acres of Public

Elk Habitat divided by the number of hunters in 2015, which are reported by

each state.

Note that these data comes from maps drawn by biologists to indicate where

elk can be found at some time of the year. It does not indicate that all elk

habitat is the same quality, supports the same number of elk or supports elk

year round.

For someone used to exclusive rights to hunt white-tailed deer on their

grandfather's 500 acre farm, 98 to 318 acres per hunter may not seem like

very much, but these numbers are a serious underestimation of what you will

actually find each day in the field, because some people only hunt private

land and never hunt public land. Also, there are many different hunts (youth,

archery, rifle and muzzleloader) and different seasons that spread the hunting

pressure out. In addition, many people never get far away from roads and trail

heads. Still, the data give us a way to compare hunting pressure between

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states.

I wish I had time to separate the various hunt seasons (bow, muzzleloader,

Rifle 1, Rifle 2, etc.), to determine the amount of public land and elk habitat

for each individual unit and season to find the amount of land available per

hunter, but that simply takes too much effort. I have done this for some of my

local hunting units.

For example, back in 2012, I collected harvest and hunter data from my local

general elk unit (1.1 million acres of public land) to calculate the number of

acres per hunter per day for the rifle, archery and muzzleloader seasons:

• Rifle ---- 3,617 hunters hunted 15,915 days /13 day season =
1,224.2 hunters per day = 898.5 acres per hunter per day
• Archery - 2,747 hunters hunted 12,636 days /21 day season =
601.7 hunters per day = 1,828 acres per hunter per day
• Muzzleloader - 248 hunters hunted 924 days /13 day season =
72.5 hunters per day = 15,174 acres per hunter per day

I never ran into other hunters during a muzzleloader hunt until magnified

scopes were allowed in 2016. And remember this is a general season (OTC)

hunt.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 43
It's probably hard to imagine for most hunters from other parts of the country,

but think about hunting a single unit with over a million acres of public land.

How big is a million acres? A million acres as a square block is 39.5 miles on

each side.

Also consider that each of the seven states has between 10 - 24 million acres

of elk habitat on public land (Table 4).

If Washington State's meager 10 million acres of public elk habitat were in a

single square block, it would be 125 miles on each side. The hypothetical

blocks of public elk habitat in Idaho, Montana an Oregon would be 191.1 –

195.5 miles on each side.

We saw that Colorado ranks first in total elk harvest (Table 2), but ranks last

in Table 4 with 99.2 acres of public elk habitat per hunter. But remember,

Colorado has five different rifle seasons, so hunting pressure is spread out. If

we take only the 1st rifle season, which has about 30,000 hunters, the acres

per hunter during that season increases to over 733 acres per hunter.

Montana ranks 2nd for elk harvest but only 5 th for the number of public elk

©BackcountryChronicles.com 44
habitat per hunter. Montana no longer has OTC tags for non-residents, but

the 17,000 tags allocated for Bull Elk or Elk/Deer tags have been sold out for

the last several years, meaning everyone that applied for a tag got one.

Wyoming ranks high for elk harvest (3 rd) and first for the amount of land per

elk hunters to hunt. Another consideration is the fact that OTC tags are no

longer available for out of state hunters.

Wyoming also requires non-residents to have a guide to hunt in the

designated wilderness areas. I'm not sure how or why that law passed, but it

must be due to corruption at some level. I plan to hunt in Wyoming with a

friend, but will not hire a guide and there are plenty of elk outside of the

wilderness areas.

Utah and Idaho are starting to look very attractive for elk hunting. Both states

have over the counter tags for mature bull or spike elk and cow tags are

relatively easy to draw at about 50% chance.

For elk harvest, Utah and Idaho are in the middle of the pack for the number

of elk harvested in 2015, but rank 2nd and almost tied for 3rd for the amount

©BackcountryChronicles.com 45
of public elk habitat available for each elk hunter.

So, if you want to hunt elk on public land, I don't think you will regret hunting

in any of the seven states (CO, ID, MT, OR, UT, WY or WA).

©BackcountryChronicles.com 46
 Public Land in the Western U.S.
We have seen where most of the elk habitat is in the West and where most

elk are harvested. Now let's look at the amount of public land in those states

and which agencies administer our public lands.

Seven Most Common Public Lands:

• BLM - Bureau of Land Management - hunting allowed most areas including
Wilderness and Wilderness Study areas
• USFS - U.S. Forest Service - hunting allowed most areas including
Wilderness and Roadless Areas
• BOR - Bureau of Reclamation - hunting sometimes allowed
• DOD - Dept. of Defense (U.S. Military Lands - bases, bombing ranges, test
ranges) – access and hunting generally not allowed
• DOE - Dept. of Energy – access and hunting generally not allowed
• FWS - Fish & Wildlife Service - Wildlife Refuges - hunting sometimes
allowed
• NPS - National Park Service - National Parks and Monuments - hunting
usually not allowed
• State Lands - State Trust Lands (STL) & Wildlife Management Areas
(WMA), etc - hunting generally allowed

BLM and USFS lands make up the bulk of public land in the West. The

National Forests are usually higher elevation and include most of the forested

land and the BLM land is usually lower elevation and includes most of the

©BackcountryChronicles.com 47
open rangeland country like sagebrush and grasslands, but also includes

much of the Pinyon-Juniper (PJ) woodland habitat.

So generally, most of the elk habitat is on USFS lands, but there are still lots

of elk on BLM land, especially during winter.

Figure 3 shows a map of federally owned public land in the Western U.S.

Private, Native and State lands are shown in white on the map. The vast

majority of public land open to hunting is USFS, BLM and State Lands.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 48
©BackcountryChronicles.com 49
Figure 3. Federal Land in the Western U.S.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 50
The next largest public land owners are the State Trust Lands. When the

Western states were formed, the Federal government owned all the land.

Land was given to the new states so they could raise money. These lands are

often still found in a very regular pattern interspersed between Federal lands.

For example, in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and

Wyoming, sections 16 and 36 were granted to the states, but sections 2, 16,

32 and 36 were granted to Utah. These sections are dispersed over the entire

state and are interspersed with other public lands and with private lands.

Many times you can pass onto state lands from BLM or USFS land and never

know.

Most of these state lands today are held in trust for the benefit of schools and

universities. In all the states in Table 5 except Colorado, almost all of the

State trust lands (STL) are open for hunting. Montana requires a recreation

permit to hunt on STL.

In Colorado, STL are considered as private property. The Colorado Division

of Wildlife leases 550,000 acres for the purpose of hunting and maps of these

areas can be found on the Colorado Division of Wildlife website;

©BackcountryChronicles.com 51
(see State Licenses Info; Permits, Tags and Lingo chapter.

Other public lands that usually allow hunting are State lands owned by the

wildlife agency usually called Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs). These are

usually areas acquired and managed specifically for certain species and can

be very good hunting areas. In 2016, I harvested an antlerless elk on a

Wildlife management Area. Washington is the only state that requires a

permit to hunt on their WMAs.

Table 5 shows the total land area, USFS, BLM, State Lands and Total Lands

that are open to public hunting. The last column (Total Open Public Acres)

includes other public lands I found that were also open to hunting.

Examples of other public lands that may be open to hunting:

• FWS lands where National Wildlife Refuges allow big game hunting,
such as the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge system in
Montana
• Teton National Park (Wyoming hunt units 75 & 79) allows elk hunting

©BackcountryChronicles.com 52
Table 5. Total Land Area and Total Public Hunting Area for Seven
Western States

Table 5 is divided into five sections for comparisons. The top section is the

seven Western states with the highest elk populations and with the most

available elk tags. The next section shows the totals for all 50 states

©BackcountryChronicles.com 53
combined. Since Alaska dominates all states with the most public land, it is

shown separately. Following Alaska is the average for the seven Western

states and how that compares to the average of the remaining 42 states (the

42 states excludes Alaska and the seven Western states).

With over 271 million acres of land open to hunting, Alaska is obviously the

state with the most public land to hunt, but Alaska is better known for bear,

moose and caribou hunting. There is no need to travel to Alaska to hunt elk,

so I focus on the seven Western states.

The seven states make up only 19.1% of the total U.S. area, but hold 49% of

all USFS lands, 34.5% of all BLM lands and 12.3% of all state lands open to

hunting. Compared to the 42 states, each of the seven states average just

over 29 million acres of public land open to hunting and the 42 states average

only 5.4 million acres, over five times as much.

The seven states average over 13 million acres of National Forests and the

remaining 42 states average only 1.8 million each (over 7 times as much).

In addition, but not shown in the table, the seven states average population in

©BackcountryChronicles.com 54
2016 was just over 3.3 million people (up 300,000 from 2010) ranging from a

low in Wyoming with just over 585,000 people to Washington State with over .

7.2 million people. The 42 states now average 7.1 million people (up form 6.7

million in 2010) and ranged from a low in Vermont with over 624,000 to a high

of over 39 million people in California.

Now that Utah has more than 3 million people, four of the seven states have

now reached that mark (including Washington, Colorado and Oregon). The

large states of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming still have less people than

states like Arkansas, Iowa or Mississippi.

Looking back at the elk harvest shown in Table 2, the total harvest from the

11 states in 2012 was 171,813 with 149,280 (86.9%) coming from the seven

states. Only 22,533 (13.1%) elk were harvested in Arizona, California, New

Mexico and Nevada combined. The total elk habitat in the 11 Western states

is over 250 million acres with about 209 million acres (83.5%) in the seven

states.

When choosing a place to hunt, consider the fact that public land close to

large cities gets more hunting pressure than areas farther away.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 55
Some city folk in the West also hunt and many people only hunt on the

weekends. Lots of other people go picnicking, hiking, snowshoeing, fishing,

horseback riding, bike riding, snow skiing and camping on public land, but

again most traffic is on the weekends and most of these people except those

on horses stay close to the roads and trails.

Also be aware there is a complication when hunting "checkerboard" areas.

Some areas look like a checkerboard on the map with alternating sections

(square miles) of public and private land. Checkerboard lands occur in each

of the seven states, ranging from 43,000 acres in Idaho to 724,000 acres in

Montana.

You might think it is legally to cross the corner from one section of public land

too another, but you would be wrong. You can not cross from one corner of

public land to another without permission of the private land owner, so public

access is denied too many sections of public land.

This is a travesty that should be corrected, but in the mean time, be very

careful if hunting in these “checkerboard” areas.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 56
 The Lay of the Land
Now that we know where the elk are and where the public land is, what does

the terrain and habitats look like?

I call this chapter the lay of the land to simply mean what the land looks like

and what habitats are found there. The more you understand about the lay of

the land, the better you can appreciate the habitats and the more you will

understand about the animals that live there and where to find them. This

knowledge will help choose areas to scout and hunt at different times of the

year.

By definition, habitat is nothing more than an area that provides food, water,

shelter and space, but in reality habitat is everything. Good habitat does not

guarantee elk, but no habitat guarantees no elk. Most elk are found in

mountainous habitats that provide a mix of trees for cover, open meadows or

shrublands for feeding and water. Their ability to eat a variety of foods allows

them to exploit a variety of habitats and is the reason elk are called "habitat

generalists". Another reason elk may do better in the long run than mule deer.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 57
I grew up playing and hunting the woods and fields of the Piedmont area in

North Carolina. The word "Piedmont" (Link shows photos of habitat, but you

must be connected to the internet) might not be familiar to everyone, but the

habitat will be familiar to everyone that spent time outdoors in the Piedmont

region that lies between the coastal plains and the mountains and stretches

from southeast Alabama to northern Virginia.

Within different areas of the Piedmont, the temperature, rainfall and growing

seasons may vary a little from one place to another, but if you are familiar

with the Piedmont, I could kidnap and blind-folded you and drop you off any

where in the Piedmont region between Virginia and Alabama and it would still

look like "home cooking".

You would recognize the smell and look of the fields and forests. You may not

know their names, but the plants, the insect sounds and bird songs would be

familiar. You would know what animals should be there and where to find

them. You would know what kind of weather to expect and how to dress.

Same is true for anyone familiar with other regions such as the Southern

Coastal Plains, the Blue Ridge, Central Appalachian or Ozark mountains.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 58
The Piedmont and other regions mentioned above are called ecoregions.

Ecoregions are ecological and geographically defined areas that cover large

areas of land and have broad, but distinct assemblages of plants and

animals. These ecoregions have different levels or "fine-tuning". For example,

the Piedmont is a part of a larger ecoregion known as the Eastern Temperate

Forest, which also includes the Southeastern USA plains, the Ozark,

Ouachita-Appalachian Forests and the Mississippi Alluvial & Southeast USA

Costal Plains.

So, the Piedmont is part of the Southeastern USA plains, which is in turn part

of the Eastern Temperate Forest. The largest, most general habitats are

known as Biomes.

For a little background, the simplest scheme divides the Earth's habitats into

five major biomes:

• Aquatic
• Deserts
• Forests
• Grasslands
• Tundra

©BackcountryChronicles.com 59
There are other schemes that divide these Biomes into more tightly defined

units such as aquatic habitats are divided into fresh, brackish and salt water;

Deserts into hot or cold deserts; Forests into tropical or temperate and/or

conifer and/or broadleaf types and Grasslands can be split into temperate,

tropical or montane grasslands.

The system I prefer for North American habitats is a revision of older version

by Omernick of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Not that I

am a fan of everything the EPA says or does, but they do have a good

classification scheme because the information is easy to find and download

and the classifications take current land use into consideration. No use

getting me all excited about going to an area that was once a large shrub-

steppe, but is now mostly wheat farms.

If interested, you can download ecoregion info here.

1. Open folders for each State.

2. Download PDF Files - "Front" has maps, "Back" has descriptions and
information.
3. Some states also include MS word docs and other files include GIS type
"shape" and "layer" files if you have software that can open them.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 60
Omernick's classification system divides habitats into Level I, Level II, Level

III and Level IV ecoregions.

• Eastern Temperate Forest is an example of a Level I ecoregion

• Southeastern USA Plains is an example of a Level II ecoregion
• Piedmont is an example of a Level III ecoregion

Level III ecoregions can be broken further into smaller Level IV regions such

as the Northern Inner Piedmont of Virginia, the Sand Hills of the Carolinas

and the Dougherty Plain of Alabama, Florida and Georgia.

There are 15 Level I ecoregions in all of North America. Figure 4 is a map

showing 10 Level I ecoregions in the U.S.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 61
Figure 4. Ecological Level I Regions of the U.S. (modified from U.S.
EPA publication).

As you move from one Level I ecoregion to another, you will quickly realize,

(as Dorothy did), "you are not in Kansas anymore". That's why the hunting

and fishing (and the habitats) are very different in states like Georgia,

Michigan, Nebraska and Utah, because they are in different ecoregions.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 62
If I kidnapped and blind-folded you and drop you off in a different ecoregion, it

would NOT look anything like "home cooking" and you might think you were

on a different planet. Imagine sitting in a boat in a Louisiana bayou one

minute and then being plucked by aliens and dropped into a dry, treeless

plain in Nevada, Utah or Wyoming.

Years ago, I was driving through a desert section in the Colorado Plateau and

an advertisement for the Arbor Day Foundation came on the radio. The

speaker asked, "Can you imagine a world without trees?" I laughed out loud

because I could not see a single tree. I could see mountains about 50 miles

away and knew there were trees on the mountains, but I could not see any

trees.

The Eastern U.S. has three ecological regions; Northern Forests in the North,

a small section of Tropical Wet Forests in southern Florida and Eastern

Temperate Forest everywhere in between.

The entire Central U.S. is basically the Great Plains ecoregion and the

Western U.S. is made up mostly of four ecoregions; Marine West Coast

Forests on the Northwest Coast, the Mediterranean California ecoregion on

©BackcountryChronicles.com 63
the Southwest Coasts and Northwestern Forested Mountains and North

American Deserts that are between the West Coast and the Great Plains.

Figure 5 shows a closer view of the Level I ecoregions of the Western U.S.

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Figure 5. Ecological Regions of the Western U.S. (modified from
U.S. EPA publication).

©BackcountryChronicles.com 65
I used the example of the Southern Piedmont to show how the Eastern Forest

is sub-divided, so now let's zoom in on the major ecoregions of the West.

We have seen that the East Coast (except the tip of Florida) is entirely made

up of Eastern Temperate Forest and the Central U.S. consists of the Great

Plains, the West has more diversity with seven ecoregions.

The Pacific Northwest states of Washington and Oregon have Marine West

Coast Forest, which are very wet and relatively warm, North American

Deserts are hot and dry in the summer and cold during the winter. The

Northwestern Forested Mountains support a variety of habitats at different

elevations and rain/snowfall amounts. Notice the small isolated mountain

ranges in the Great Plains regions in Montana and Wyoming.

California has marine and mountain forests, but also has the Mediterranean

California ecoregion.

Idaho, Utah and Nevada only have the mountain forests and deserts.

Montana has almost no desert at all, but has mountain forests in the West

and the Great Plains in the East.

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Colorado and New Mexico have three regions; deserts, mountain forests and

the Great Plains.

Arizona only has deserts, Temperate Sierras (warm mountains) and semi-arid

highlands.

As I mentioned before, most of the elk and most of the OTC elk tags come

from seven states. If we concentrate on those seven states, we only need to

learn about habitats in four ecoregions; the North American Deserts,

Northwestern Forested Mountains, the Great Plains and the Marine West

Coast Forests.

The Great Plains region is along the eastern boundary of the seven-state

area and the Marine West Coast Forest is only on the Northwest Coast. The

entire Intermountain West, which is basically everything between the West

Coast mountains and the Front Range that borders the Great Plains in the

east, has only two ecoregions; The North American Deserts and the

Northwestern Forested Mountains.

This is where most of the public land is and where most of the people are not.

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Most elk habitat is in the Northwestern Forested Mountains and higher

elevation areas of the North American Deserts and in areas of the Great

Plains in Montana and Wyoming that are near mountains. The wet Marine

West Coast Forests are home to the Roosevelt Elk.

Now let's fine tune and split the Level I ecoregions shown in Figure 5 into

their Level III ecoregions shown in Figure 6. The four Level I ecoregions of

the seven states break up into 26 Level III ecoregions. The numbers on the

map in Figure 6 also correspond to the Level III Ecoregions in Table 6.

In addition to the ID numbers, Table 6 has both Level I and III ecoregion

names and the number of acres (rounded to nearest 1,000 acres) of each

Level III ecoregion in the seven western states.

I omitted three Level III regions from Figure 6 (gray color) and Table 6 that

are outside the seven-state area. I also eliminated the Puget Lowlands and

Willamette Valley, because they are highly populated areas of Washington

and Oregon and the Mojave Basin & Range because it is a small area in Utah

and is not elk habitat. That leaves 23 Level III ecoregions shown in Figure 6

and in Table 6.

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Figure 6. Level III Regions of the Western U.S. (modified from U.S.
EPA publication).

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Table 6. Level I and Level III Ecoregions of Seven Western States

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The Coastal Range (and parts of the Cascades) are the only remaining Level

III regions within the Level I Marine West Coast Forest region and is found

only in the states of Oregon and Washington. At just over 10 million acres, it

makes up just 2.4% of the seven-state area.

The Northwestern Forested Mountains is the largest Level I region with over

165 million acres (39% of the 7-state area). At least one of the 11 Level III

regions is in each of the seven states. Two states (Idaho and Washington)

have as many as five different forested regions.

The Great Plains is the next largest area with a total of over 105 million acres

and 24.7% of the seven states area and each of the "front range" states of

Montana, Wyoming & Colorado have two of the four Great Plains Level III

regions.

North American Deserts include over 144 million acres (33.9% of the seven-

state area) and at least one the seven Level III desert regions are in every

state. Both Idaho and Utah have five different desert regions.

These Level III ecoregions names in Table 6 may be names you have heard

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before and they are better suited for deciding where to hunt because they are

more specific in terms of area and the types of habitats that can be found.

They are similar in many ways, but different enough to justify their separation.

There may be similar habitats in the different Level III regions, but we can

learn to recognize the many differences when looking at pictures and movies.

It should be obvious that most “old Westerns” were not filmed in the Coast

Range, the Cascades or the Canadian Rockies. They were mostly filmed in

various parts of North American Deserts, except for the "Spaghetti Westerns"

that were filmed in the Plateau Region of Spain, which looks a lot like areas of

our North American Desert basins.

I like to try to figure out exactly where pictures were taken or where movies

were filmed. I can tell you that High Plains Drifter was not filmed in the High

Plains.

The internet makes it easy to find out where a movie was filmed if you want to

know more about an area. To get a good look at Utah's Wasatch Mountains,

watch Jeremiah Johnson. To see the Sawtooth Range and parts of Idaho's

Boulder Mountains, watch Pale Rider. By the way, the town of Lago in High

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Plains Drifter was filmed in a low elevation basin of the Central Basin &

Range in Nevada.

When I talk to other hunters about their hunting trips, I don't just want to know

which state and unit they hunted, I want to know specifics like which mountain

range and which slope and at what elevation so I can determine which

ecoregion and which habitats they hunted. Sometimes, it takes a little

prodding to get more out of some hunters than "the pines" or "the quakies".

And all conifers (evergreen trees) are not pines.

Elk can be found in each of these regions and elk habitats are basically all of

the areas of the marine forest and the forested mountains that are

uninhabited by people. Elk habitat is also primarily around the edges, higher

elevations and riparian valleys of the Great Plains and in the desert areas,

especially in areas next to mountains.

If you have contacts in the Great Plains or desert regions that can guide you

to elk, by all means, have at them. There are lots of elk in areas like the

Colorado Plateaus and in the Wyoming Basin, but for a self guided DIY hunt,

I suggest you start by hunting elk in the mountain forests.

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For those interested in learning more, descriptions of the Level III Ecoregions

with links to photographic examples of the mountain ranges and habitats in

those regions are included in the Reference Section (here).

Habitats
Now that we've seen examples of different ecoregions where most elk live,

let's look at some examples of the different plant associations called habitats

(also called habitat types or cover types).

The ecological definition of a habitat type is a unit of land having equivalent

structure, function and response to disturbance. Forestry and Range

Biologists have invested lots of time and energy into understanding and

describing very specific habitat types. More specifically, they use terms like

Series, Habitat Type and Phase. Series describes the plant species that will

dominate the site if left undisturbed. Habitat Type includes the dominant

understory plants and Phase describes a second understory plant.

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An Example of a Habitat Type (using common names):
• Series - Ponderosa Pine can be the dominant tree at certain elevations,
aspects and rainfall amounts
• Habitat Types - Ponderosa pine/ bitterbrush or Ponderosa pine/ Idaho
fescue - Ponderosa Pine with an understory of shrub or grass
• Phase - Ponderosa pine/ bitterbrush/ Idaho fescue - the dominant shrub
understory also includes Idaho fescue grass

The purpose of having this information is to allow us to know what this site will

look like in the future if not disturbed by fire, flood or logging. We also know

what vegetation will grow on this site in different stages after the area is

disturbed by logging or by fire, so the information is used to make

management decisions about land uses that affect habitats and wildlife.

All good stuff to know, but before we get too engrossed in all the scientific

habitat stuff, let's take a step back. What good is all this for hunting elk?

I don't think elk care about what specific species of tree they rest under. They

simply use vegetation (and terrain) as places to hide, find shade, shelter from

the wind or to eat. They instinctively move toward or away from different

habitats as they feed, drink, go to rest or flee from predators.

But that tree the elk is resting under is only there because of a combination of

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circumstances (slope, aspect, elevation, moisture) that can be fairly

predictable.

Elk also learn about their habitats and choose favorite places to eat, drink,

rest and travel based on experience and not just on instinct.

Ever noticed how fast the neighbor's cat can shoot through that hole in your

fence? Every young, agile cat in the world is capable of that same feat, but

only your neighbor's cat has learned where the hole is and has tested it

enough to know how fast he can squeeze through. Chances are, a hundred

cats released in your backyard would escape in a dozen different places, but

only a few would escape through the same hole.

So, knowing something about different habitat types of forest cover types is

useful. If you know enough to recognize the make up of different habitats

where you have found elk before, you can learn to find similarities when

looking for elk in other areas.

Even humans, with our poor senses can see, feel and even smell the

differences between certain habitats. Isn't that the best definition of habitat? A

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set of resources and conditions we can learn to recognize that are

consistently used by elk. Many experienced hunters already know this even

without being able to accurately name but a few plants.

The knowledge of local habitats and local elk movements is also important.

Just like the neighbor's cat knows where to make the fastest exit from your

backyard, the local elk know where to make the fastest exit over the ridge.

They also have favorite trails for traveling between resting areas to food or

water.

The more time we spend in “the woods”, the more elk and elk sign we see

and that helps us learn what habitats they are using and when they use them.

Elk live in a variety of habitats in the different ecoregions and states. Within a

year's time, they probably visit almost every habitat within their range except

for the highest elevation scree slopes and cliffs and the lowest elevation

desert scrub, but they are fairly predictable about where they will be at certain

times of the year.

I think every serious outdoorsman should try to learn as much about all

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aspects of the natural world as possible. Personally, I have never learned

anything that hurt me and it won't hurt anyone to learn a few of the local trees

and plants. In fact, after you are able to distinguish between different forest

and shrub types, you will start noticing other things you never noticed before.

Before we discuss particular habitats or cover types, there are a few clues we

can use to help predict where the more specific habitats will be within the 12

forested ecoregions.

Elevation
The first thing we should recognize is that shrub and tree species changes in

a fairly predictable manner with elevation as we move from the valley bottoms

to the top of the mountain. If you have lived in the mountains of the West, you

already know this, but may not know why or what plant species are showing

up and fading out at different elevations.

Changes in tree species cause changes in habitats. Some changes may be

important to elk and others may not be. These gradual changes in plants are

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primarily due to increasing moisture as elevation increases. As we near the

top of the mountain, trees are unable to grow due to extremely short growing

seasons and harsh winters, so the habitat changes again into alpine habitats.

Figure 7 is an example of how tree species and habitats are distributed in the

Northern Rocky Mountain ecoregion in Montana (≈46°North Latitude).

Figure 7. Forest Distribution by Elevation in the Northern Rocky

Mountains of Montana.

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Below 3,500 feet, you will find mostly grassland habitats. As you climb the hill,

you start to find a few ponderosa pines scattered in the grassland. As you

climb higher, the ponderosa pines become denser and as you continue to

climb in elevation, the pines start to be invaded and then they are eventually

replaced by Douglas fir.

The arrows in the diagram (Figure 7) represent the minimum and maximum

elevations that each tree species is able to survive, so ponderosa pine is

found between 3,500 - 5,000 feet. The tree species written horizontally

between the elevation bands show the Habitat Series or the habitat's

dominant tree species.

Eventually, as you continue up hill, Douglas firs are gradually replaced by

larch and lodgepole pines. The middle elevations are dominated by the

maritime tree species (meaning species influenced by the wet Northwest

maritime climate), such as grand fir, Western redcedar and Western hemlock

that require more water, then they gradually give way to subalpine fir,

mountain hemlock, whitebark pine and eventually to subalpine larch.

Timberline in this region is at about 8,000 feet, so above that you can expect

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to find alpine shrublands and meadows or even bare rocks or scree slopes.

Figure 8 is a similar diagram showing the forest distribution in the Wasatch

and Uinta Mountains of northern Utah (<42°North Latitude).

Figure 8. Forest Distribution by Elevation in the Wasatch and

Uinta Mountains of Northern Utah.

Since the Uinta Mountains are about 500 miles south of Montana's Northern

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Rockies, tree line is about 11,000 feet instead of 8,000 feet and Ponderosa

Pines start growing at about 6,500 feet instead of 3,500 feet. Also in Utah,

below the elevation where Ponderosa Pine begins to grow, we find Pinyon-

Juniper woodlands (PJ) and/or mountain shrub, which can be either shrubs

and scrawny trees like service berry or mountain mahogany or can be oak

brush (Gamble oak) or maples depending upon aspect and moisture. The

mountain shrubs usually grow at higher elevation than the PJ, but below the

Ponderosa Pine. The maples usually grow on east or north faces where there

is more moisture.

Below the PJ zone, we expect to find sagebrush, but sagebrush is not limited

to low elevation and extensive open sage areas can be found up to about

9,500 feet.

As we climb above the ponderosa pine, aspen and Douglas fir start to

appear. Aspen forests are more common in the Wasatch and Uinta

Mountains and in the Southern Rockies than the Northern Rockies or any

other forested mountain regions.

In the Uinta Mountains, individual aspen trees can grow at a wide range of

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elevations, but complete stands usually occur between 8,000 - 9,000 feet.

Aspen stands are usually the first to regenerate after a fire, but are eventually

replaced by conifers if there is enough time before the next fire, resulting in

mixed stands of aspen and conifer with varying proportions of each.

Stands very from are almost pure aspen with a few young conifers to stands

that are mostly conifer with a few large aspen still living.

In the Uinta Mountains, there are no maritime tree species, because the area

does not receive enough moisture. Mixed Conifer (Douglas fir, lodgepole

pine, spruce, fir) lodgepole pine and spruce-fir (mostly subalpine fir &

Engelmann Spruce) dominate the forest from about 9,000 feet up to treeline

in that order.

The tree and elevation association seen in the Wasatch and Uinta Mountains

are similar to those in the Southern Rockies. There are also similarities with

the southern part of Idaho Batholith region, but the northern part of the Idaho

Batholith is more like the Northern Rockies (Figure 7).

The Blue Mountains (mostly in Oregon) have dry areas that contain forest

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species similar to Utah and Colorado and also have wetter areas that include

the maritime species like the Northern Rockies.

Aspect
In flat country, aspect has little effect on the plants that grow there, but in hilly

and mountainous terrain, the aspect has huge effects. Aspect simply refers to

a particular side of a hill or mountain. We all know the Sun comes up in the

east and sets in the west. We also know the Sun is low in the sky to the south

during the winter and high in the sky during summer.

If you were cold on a winter day, would you look for warmth on the north or

south side of a hill? The south side of course and the opposite would be true

if you were looking for a cool place in the summer.

Why does moss grow on the north side of the tree? Because it gets less heat

and sunlight and therefore dries less, so in many places, moss grows on the

north sides of trees and rocks. In very wet areas, like the rainforests of the

Marine West Coast Forest region in the Pacific Northwest, moss can grow on

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all sides of a tree.

Sunlight provides heat which also tends to dry the soil and plants. The south

side of a hill simply gets more sunshine and more drying. The north side gets

less light and heat, so the snow lasts longer and so does any moisture from

rain.

Are the east and west sides of a mountain equal? No, because the east side

gets sunlight in the coolest part of the day and the west side gets sunlight

during the warmest part of the day.

In very wet areas, many species of trees grow on all sides of the hill. In less

wet areas, trees that require the most water grow on the north side and trees

that can survive on less water grow on the south side.

In drier areas, the only place trees can grow is on the north or east sides of

the hill, with trees that require the most water on the north side and trees that

can grow with less water on the east side.

In even drier areas, trees can only grow on the north sides of the hill and in

the driest areas, very few plants may grow on the south side, but a few

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shrubs may grow on the north side.

As we climb higher up the mountain or as we move farther north toward the

arctic, the rules start to change again. At altitudinal treeline, trees may survive

only on the south side of the hill. As we approach the latitudinal northern limit

of tree growth along the border of the boreal forests and the tundra, the only

trees may be on the south sides of little mounds that get a little more

sunshine and warmth.

Grassland, Shrubland, Savanna, Woodland or Forest?

We all have a picture in our minds when someone talks about grassland,

shrubland, savanna, woodland or a forest, but these terms have specific

meanings. Figure 9 shows an example of the definition and also how one

cover type can transition into another.

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Figure 9. Graphic Example of Grassland/Shrubland, Savanna,
Woodland and Forest.

The top part of the diagram is a top down view of the land and the bottom part

is a view from the side. Grasslands and shrublands can cover large areas

with absolutely no trees, but they are only considered as grasslands or

shrublands as long as tree cover is less than 10%.

Normally, we think of an African savanna, but the term “savanna” is also

applicable when discussing certain habitats like Ponderosa pine or pinyon

pine and/or juniper habitats.

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One tree in the middle of miles of grassland is just a lone tree, but a few

scattered trees start to change the habitat. The term savanna recognizes the

fact that there is still mostly grass or shrubs, but trees cover 10 - 20% of the

area.

Woodland is the term to describe tree cover of 20 - 50% and once tree cover

is greater than 50%, it is considered a forest. Many areas of the west never

have true forests, because tree cover is less than 50%.

A Little Fragmentation is a Good Thing

In many places, forest fragmentation may be a bad thing. Fragmentation

refers to the holes that have been cut or burned into the forests. For many

species in eastern forests, tropical rain forests and the wet forests of the

Pacific Northwest, fragmentation gives edge species an advantage and puts

deep forests species at a disadvantage. But fragmentation is a natural fact of

life for many forests of the western mountains because of changes in

elevation, aspect and moisture. It is the way the forests evolved and not

something that has been recently been done by man.

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Fragmentation is part of the reason the area provides such good habitat for

elk. The edge of two separate habitats is called an ecotone. Many species

including elk that use of a variety of habitats use these edges as much or

more than they use the centers of each separate habitat.

Within a few steps from the edge of a clearing, they find shade and relax in

cover while they chew their cud. If they get hungry, they simply stand up,

stretch and take a few steps back into the clearing to start eating.

The many different patches of forests, open meadows and shrub areas create

many different complex edges that many wildlife species use.

Habitats Used by Rocky Mountain Elk

Shrublands
There are several types of shrublands used by elk and shrublands are found

in all seven states. The most common and wide spread are the sagebrush

dominated shrublands. These can be mostly shrubs or include grasses and

forbs.

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What is a forb? If you saw one in your yard, you would probably call it a weed

or a wildflower. Forbs are all kinds of non-woody flowering plants. Most native

forbs make good deer and elk food.

Sagebrush dominated shrublands can be found at low elevations below the

level where the first trees start to grow, but also can be found on southern

exposures even over 10,000 feet.

Elk will use open sage areas where they are not disturbed. Look for them in

the sage in draws, washes and behind ridges where they can not be seen

from a road. Also look for them where the PJ or Mountain brush meets the

sage.

If you have an internet connection, click on the links at the end of each

segment to see examples of the habitats.

Photographic examples of Shrub habitats:

Sagebrush, Sage & Pinyon-Juniper, Sagebrush 2, Elk in sage

Remember If any of these links are broken report them to me or look for other
examples on my website here.

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Mountain Shrub
As elevation or moisture increased, other types of shrubs appear and are

usually referred to as Mountain Shrub habitats or communities. They can

include the oak brush and maple brush types and/or mountain mahogany or

serviceberry types.

Mountain shrub usually includes lots of grasses and forbs, making them

excellent feeding and resting areas for elk. In some cases, low elevation sage

shrubland can transition into mountain shrubland, but in others, the mountain

shrubs occur much higher and the two shrubland types are separated by

another habitat such as Ponderosa pine. These areas are very important for

elk.

Photographic examples of Mountain Shrub habitats:

Oak Brush habitat, Mixed Mountain Shrub habitat, Serviceberry habitat,

Mountain Mahogany, Elk in Oak Brush

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Pinyon-Pine and/or Juniper Woodland (PJ)
The true PJ woodlands and other juniper dominated woodlands usually grow

above the low sagebrush areas, but below any of the Ponderosa pine or other

low elevation tree types.

These trees are usually spaced far enough apart to be classified as savanna

or woodland, but occasionally, trees are very dense and can be classified as

forests. In some cases, trees are stunted and are called pygmy forests. These

woodlands usually include a few shrubs, forbs and grasses and make

excellent resting places for elk during the winter, but look for them in shady

areas on warm days.

I know of mixed PJ/sage areas that hold elk all year round, so if there is

permanent water and food, they may not move to higher elevations.

The last elk I harvested (Dec. 2016), was standing in open sage in a mixed

Sage/PJ habitat.

Photographic examples of PJ habitats:

Pinyon-Juniper habitat, PJ and sage, Elk in PJ and sage

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Ponderosa Pine
Ponderosa Pine habitats are found in each of the seven states and are

usually the lowest elevation tree. In some areas, they grow very thinly and

occur only as savannas or woodlands, but in some cases they can form true

forests. Ponderosa pine can be very valuable trees, so in areas where they

grow densely, they are usually harvested. Ponderosa pines usually grow

along with many different grasses and shrubs.

I love hunting in Ponderosa Pine woodlands and forests and always find lots

of elk sign there. These areas provide cover, shade and food for elk. The

open nature of the forests and woodlands allow us to see long distances, but

also allow elk to see long distances as well. Approach these open woodlands

from behind ridges or behind cover of dense shrubs or trees.

Photographic examples of Ponderosa Pine habitats:

Ponderosa Pine habitat, Ponderosa 2, Elk in Ponderosa Pine

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Lodgepole Pine
Lodge pole pine habitats are also very common and have a unique look. The

trees are usually evenly spaced and are all about the same size. Very young

stands can be very closely packed "dog-hair" stands and older stands can

have large well spaced trees. Lodgepole pines usually grow at relatively high

elevation and are usually on fairly flat areas and not on the steepest hillsides.

Like all conifer forests, if canopy cover is dense, little light reaches the

ground. This makes for good shade and hiding places, but has little food.

Photographic examples of Lodgepole Pine habitats:

Lodgepole pine habitat, Elk in lodgepole

Interior Douglas Fir and Mixed Conifer

Mixed conifer is simply that. It is a mix of different conifers species where

none can really dominate the others. They can include every conifer tree

species found in an area. I include Douglas fir with mixed conifer in the

interior forests even though they can dominate in many areas. Douglas-Fir

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and mixed conifer forests are usually found at middle elevations. This means

at warmer temperatures than found at the highest elevations, but also with

less water. It also means deeper soils to support grasses forbs or shrubs in

areas that sunlight can reach the ground. Elk can use these areas for shade

and cover, but can usually only find enough food in open areas and along the

edges.

If we combine Douglas-Fir and Mixed Conifer forest, this makes this one of

the most common types found in all Northwestern Forested Mountain areas.

Photographic examples of Douglas fir and Mixed Conifer habitats:

Douglas fir habitat, Mixed Conifer habitat, Elk in Mixed Conifer

Aspen
Aspen habitats are unique in the fact that they provide shade and cover, but

also allow enough light to filter to the ground so grasses and forbs are also

available. Like mountain shrub habitats, they offer a mix of shade, cover and

food all in the same area. Studies on elk show that elk search out aspen

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habitats and use them more than would be expected based on their

availability. It should be no surprise that elk management plans often

recommend preserving or creating aspen and mountain brush habitats for elk

at the expense of clearing out conifers.

Aspen are often the first trees to grow back in an area after a fire. Aspen

colonize and area and grow quickly, but are rarely the climax trees. They are

always in danger of being over taken by other conifers, so patches mixed with

old aspen and young conifers are very common.

Aspen can be found in all seven of the states, but extensive aspen forests are

most common in the Wasatch and Uinta Mountains and the Southern

Rockies. I like hunting aspen and mixed aspen conifer forests.

Photographic examples of Aspen and Mixed Aspen habitats:

Aspen Habitat, Mixed Aspen/Conifer/Open habitat, Mixed Aspen/Conifer, Elk

in Aspen, Elk in Mixed Aspen/Conifer/Open habitat

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Spruce-Fir
Spruce-Fir forests and woodlands are at the highest elevations up to treeline

in the Wasatch and Uinta Mountains and the Southern Rockies. These areas

can be very dense, but can also be mixed with high elevation meadows and

can share borders with alpine grasslands and shrubs. Soils may be very

rocky, so they support fewer grasses and shrubs, especially if shaded.

Elk seek out these areas in summer, especially if mixed with open areas

where they can find grass, forbs and shrubs. The growing season is very

short at high elevation and these areas can be covered by snow in late

September or early October.

Photographic examples of Spruce-Fir habitats:

Spruce-fir habitat, Spruce-fir Alpine habitat

Grasslands, Mountain Meadows and Alpine Habitats

Grassland habitats are found in the Great Plains right up to the base of the

Rocky Mountains. Mountain meadows can open up anywhere the land is flat

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and moisture can accumulate allowing grasses and forbs to out compete

shrubs. Depending on the altitude, meadows will be surrounded by different

forest types. Alpine habitats are tundra and shrublands that grow above the

treeline. All of these usually provide good quality food and water for elk, but

depending upon how much pressure they receive, the elk may or may not

venture far from cover.

Photographic examples of Grassland, Meadow & Tundra habitats:

Grassland Habitat, Elk in mountain meadow, Elk on alpine tundra

Habitats used by Roosevelt Elk

Roosevelt elk live in the wet rainforest areas of the Coast Range and the

Cascades. These are very productive forests and are major logging areas.

Forests types here include Spruce-Cedar-Hemlock, Hemlock-Douglas-fir,

Hemlock-Sitka Spruce, Larch and Western Hardwoods. As with Rocky

Mountain elk, Roosevelt elk also avoid roads and active clear cut areas.

Logging may not be good for Black-tailed deer, but elk have learned to take

advantage of the increased forage that grows back after logging. Roosevelt

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elk have relatively small home ranges that are used exclusively and separate

from other bands. In un-logged areas home ranges are about 1,200 to 2,400

acres (1.9 - 3.8 square miles) and in timbered areas, home ranges can be a

small as 740 acres (1.3 square miles). For comparison, Rocky Mountain Elk

have home ranges of about 2,500 to 10,000 acres (3.9 - 15.6 square miles).

Look for Roosevelt elk along the edge of clear cuts, away from roads,

especially cuts that have a year or two of growth. They also prefer areas with

southern exposures.

Photographic examples of Coastal Forest habitats:

Coastal Forest Habitat, Elk in Coastal Forest, Elk in Coastal Forest 2, Elk in

clear cut

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 National Forests and Hunt Units by State
Earlier, I suggest that first time DIY elk hunters in the West should start by

hunting the forested mountain areas, which are primarily in the National

Forests. If we ignore all other public lands, that still leaves almost 94 million

acres in 12 forested ecoregions in the seven states.

The forested ecoregions range in size from 3 million acres in the Klamath

Mountains of Oregon to the Middle Rockies with almost 40 million acres in

Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. You just have to decide if you want to hunt the

Coast Range of Oregon or Washington for Roosevelt elk or one of the 11

Northwestern Forested Mountain areas for Rocky Mountain elk.

The amount of USFS lands in the seven states ranges from 8.1 million acres

in Utah to over 20.4 million acres in Idaho. I took the Federal lands map in

Figure 3 and removed everything except USFS lands (green if you can view

in color) to create the map shown in Figure 10.

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Figure 10. National Forest Lands in the Western U.S.

I also included some National Grasslands in Idaho, Oregon and Wyoming

that have elk, but removed National Grasslands in Colorado that have few

elk. I also show the National Forest in Nevada and California on the map, but

will not cover any forests outside the seven-state area.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 101
We already know much of the elk habitat is in the National Forests. We could

probably pick any forest at random, throw a dart at a map, go to that spot and

start hunting. But we can fine tune our hunting strategy.

This section will help match state, ecoregion, National Forest and hunt units

that you can use for reference to help decide where you want to hunt. The

even numbered tables between 6 - 18 show the number of acres of each of

the 23 Level III Ecoregions for each of the seven states and how much of

each ecoregion occupies in each state and the seven-state area as area as a

whole.

If you've tried to find a place to hunt in one of the Western states before, you

have probably already learned the state wildlife agencies don't make it easy.

They seem to want you to choose a hunt unit without knowing anything about

it. All the locals know which units they want to hunt, because they already

know the habitats and where the public land is in each unit.

I took the time and matched some of them up, so the odd numbered tables

between 7 - 19 list the National Forests in each state and matches the state

hunt units to the National Forests. These tables also show the primary

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ecoregion for each National Forest. There may be more hunt units not listed

in the tables that may include sections of a particular National Forest, but

enough units are listed for each forest to put you in the right place when you

start seriously searching for a unit to hunt.

Keep in mind as you look at the names of the National Forest or as you

search for more information later, that many of the National Forests have now

been joined with others as a way to reduce administrative costs. But much of

the information was found in old documents when the forests were still

separate units. Some of the forests in the tables are joined together and

others, such as the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest, are split apart.

Because the Medicine Bow NF is in Wyoming and the Routt NF is in

Colorado.

Colorado
Colorado has six ecoregions (Table 7), three desert regions, two prairie

regions and only one forested mountain region, the Southern Rockies. The

best chance at finding elk here would be in the Southern Rockies, Colorado

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Plateaus and the Wyoming Basin. Most (70.6%) of the Southern Rockies are

in Colorado and that ecoregion makes up 38.4% of the state.

Table 7. Ecoregions of Colorado

Table 8 shows that all 12 National Forests in Colorado are in the Southern

Rockies ecoregion. The largest in Colorado is the White River National Forest

(NF) with over 2.2 million acres.

It is in the high country west of Denver and is in Colorado Hunt Units 24, 33

and 34. Grand Mesa is the smallest complete NF in Colorado (east of Grand

Junction) in units 41, 52 and 421. The very small section of Manti-La Sal NF

is part of the La Sal's in eastern Utah near Moab in hunt unit 60.

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Table 8. National Forests & Hunt Units in Colorado

Links to Photos of Colorado National Forests:

• Arapaho NF • Routt NF
• Gunnison NF • San Isabel NF
• Grand Mesa NF • San Juan NF
• Pike NF • Uncompahgre NF
• Rio Grande NF • White River NF
• Roosevelt NF

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Idaho
Idaho is a very diverse state with 10 ecoregions (Table 9); five forested

mountain types and five desert types. Elk can be found in good numbers in all

regions except the Snake River Plain and the Central Basin and Range. A

quarter of the state is made up of the Idaho Batholith and the Northern and

Middle Rockies combined make up another quarter of the state.

Table 9. Ecoregions of Idaho

Table 10 shows 13 National Forests and one National Grassland in Idaho,

with forests spread over six different ecoregions. The Idaho Batholith region

contains the most acreage, followed by the Northern Rockies and then by the

Middle Rockies. The other regions are small sections of the Wasatch that

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continues north out of Utah and the Blue Mountains that extend eastward

from Washington and Oregon.

I included the Curlew National Grassland because elk can be present there.

The grasslands are considered to be part of the Northern Basin and Range

Ecoregion.

Idaho has the most total National Forest lands of any state with over 20

million acres and has four separate forests (Salmon-Challis, Payette and Nez

Perce) each with over 2 million acres.

It also includes three forests, the Coeur d'Alene, St. Joe and Kaniksu that

were joined into the Idaho Panhandle NFs that has almost 2.5 million acres.

Notice that the Salmon-Challis is listed in both the Idaho Batholith and the

Northern Rockies Ecoregion. The Salmon NF makes up most of the northern

part (Northern Rockies) and the old Challis NF is in the Idaho Batholith

Region.

Idaho manages groups of hunt units (numbered) into groups called Elk

Zones, which have names instead of numbers. Both general OTC tags and

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Controlled (Limited Entry) hunts are available in all Elk Zones. National

Forests in Idaho are large and most are broken into many different pieces, the

reason for many of the National Forests being in four or five different Elk

Zones.

The population of many elk herds in Idaho has decreased since the re-

introduction of wolves, but currently only five Elk Zones; the Lolo, Selway,

Middle Fork, Sawtooth and Diamond Creek, are below the population

objectives for cow elk and seven Elk Zones are below objective for bull elk;

Dworshak, Lolo, Selway, Middle Fork, Sawtooth, Salmon and Island Park.

Links to Photos of Idaho National Forests:

• Boise NF
• Clearwater NF
• Caribou-Targhee NF
• Idaho Panhandle NFs
• Nez Perce NF
• Payette NF
• Salmon-Challis NF
• Sawtooth NF

©BackcountryChronicles.com 108
Table 10. National Forests and Hunt Units in Idaho

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Montana
Montana is made up of seven ecoregions (Table 11), four forested mountain

types, two Great Plains prairie types and a very small section of the Wyoming

Basin (desert).

While the two largest plains sections make up over 65% of the state, most of

the elk are in the western mountains on public land because most of regions

42 & 43 are private ranches and farms. The remainder of the state consists of

the Middle, Northern and Canadian Rockies at just over a third of the state.

There is also a small piece of the Wyoming Basin.

Montana is the only state that has Northwestern Glaciated Plains and the

Canadian Rockies ecoregions and half of the Middle Rockies are in Montana.

Half of all elk harvested in Montana are harvested in Region 3, which is in the

Middle Rockies, just north of Yellowstone National Park.

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Table 11. Ecoregions of Montana

Table 12 shows Montana has 10 National Forests in three different

Ecoregions, the Northern, Middle and Canadian Rockies.

The Canadian Rockies are in Flathead NF, which is in Montana's Elk Hunt

Region 1. There are 19 hunt units in Region 1 (all numbered in the 100s).

The largest amount of NF acreage is in the Middle Rockies with over 10

million acres located mostly in southwest Montana along the borders of Idaho

and Wyoming in Regions 2, 3 and 4.

Half of the elk harvested in Montana comes from Region 3 with 45 hunt units.

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Three National forests with almost 4½ million acres are in the Northern

Rockies bordering Idaho, Mostly in Region 1, but also with the Lolo NF in

Regions 2 and 4.

Table 12. National Forests and Hunt Units in Montana

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Links to Photos of Montana National Forests:
• Beaverhead-Deerlodge NF • Helena NF
• Bitterroot NF • Lewis & Clark NF
• Custer NF • Lolo NF
• Flathead NF • Kootenai NF
• Gallatin NF

Oregon
Oregon is a very diverse state with nine ecoregions (Table 13), with one

temperate rain forest type, four forested mountain types, three desert

ecoregions and the populated Willamette Valley.

The Blue Mountains take up about a quarter of the state and the Northern

Basin & Range is another quarter. The Cascades, the Coast Range and the

Eastern Cascade Slopes and Foothills combined make up another quarter.

The best places to find Rocky Mountain elk are the forested areas of the Blue

Mountains. The Cascades, Cascade Slopes and Foothills and the Klamath

Mountains have Roosevelt Elk.

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Table 13. Ecoregions of Oregon

Oregon has 13 National Forests (Table 14) and as we saw earlier, Oregon is

a very diverse state and so the National Forests in Oregon are in five different

forested ecoregions. The largest region includes four National Forests in the

Blue Mountains with over 5.6 million acres near the Washington and Idaho

border.

There are almost four million acres of both the Cascades and the Eastern

Cascade Slopes and Foothills ecoregions and also the Klamath Mountains

ecoregion along the border with California

©BackcountryChronicles.com 114
Oregon has 67 elk hunt units numbered from 10 - 77. Oregon is one of those

states that make it hard to match hunt unit with a particular National Forest.

Yes, they have maps that show public land, but unless you are very familiar

with forest boundaries, it's hard to know exactly which forest.

I did not include the Crooked River National Grassland in the table, but elk

can be hunted on over 112,000 acres there.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife website has more information on

ecoregions and habitats. See website to download PDFs of Ecoregions and

Habitats

©BackcountryChronicles.com 115
Table 14. National Forests and Hunt Units in Oregon

Links to Photos of Oregon National Forests:

• Deschutes NF • Suislaw NF
• Fremont-Winema NF • Umatilla NF
• Malheur NF • Wallowa-Whitman NF
• Mount Hood NF • Willamette NF
• Siskiyou NF

©BackcountryChronicles.com 116
Utah
Utah has seven ecoregions (Table 15), five of which are desert regions and

two forested mountain ecoregions. The largest two ecoregions are the

Colorado Plateaus and the Central Basin & Range, which together make up

over 75% of the state.

The Wasatch & Uinta Mountains cover about 20% of the state and that is

where most of the elk habitat is in Utah. The remaining four ecoregions make

up only about 4% of the state.

Look for elk in the forests of the Wasatch and the Uinta Mountains and in

higher elevations with PJ or other conifers in the Colorado Plateaus,

especially around the isolated Southern Rocky Mountain areas around Moab

and Monticello and in the Raft River Mountains (Northern Basin & Range) in

northwest Utah.

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Table 15. Ecoregions of Utah

Table 16 shows the eight National Forests in Utah. There are only two

ecoregions represented; Wasatch & Uinta Mountains and the Northern Basin

and Range. I split the Wasatch and Uinta Mountains where appropriate.

Utah uses names instead of numbers for elk units. In areas with Limited Entry

Bull Elk Tags (LE), only Spike elk can be hunted during the General (OTC)

season. In areas without LE hunts, the general OTC elk hunts allow the

harvest of any bull elk.

Utah's largest National Forest is Dixie NF with over 1.8 million acres. Parts of

the Dixie include the Panguitch Lake, Mt. Dutton and Plateau-Boulder LE

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units, so only Spike Elk can be hunted during the general season there. Part

of the Dixie also includes the Pine Valley Unit where Any Bull Elk can be

hunted during the general elk season, but more specifics about the hunt

areas later.

The 1.3 million acre Manti-La Sal NF includes both the Manti section which is

in the Central Mountains hunt unit and the La Sal and Abajo Mountains in

southeastern Utah (La Sal and San Juan hunt units), which are actually part

of the Southern Rockies ecosystem.

The only desert ecoregion (Northern Basin & Range) with a National Forest is

in the Raft River mountains of northwest Utah in the Sawtooth NF. This is a

small section with just under 72,000 acres, but it has enough quality elk to

justify the LE hunt, so the general season there is a Spike Only Elk hunt.

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Table 16. National Forests and Hunt Units in Utah

Links to Photos of Utah National Forests:

• Ashley NF • Manti-La Sal NF
• Dixie NF • Uinta-Wasatch-Cache NF
• Fishlake NF

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Washington
Like Oregon, Washington is a very diverse state with nine ecoregions (Table

17), one temperate rain forest region, five forested mountain types, one

desert region and two valleys I omitted because of development.

The largest ecoregion in Washington is the Columbia Plateau desert region.

The three wet forests ecoregions (North Cascades, Cascades and Coast

Range) in the West cover 35% of the state. The drier interior mountains and

foothills (Northern Rockies, Blue Mountains and Eastern Cascade Slopes and

Foothills) make up just over 18% of the state.

The best places to find Rocky Mountain elk are the forested areas of the Blue

Mountains. The Cascades, Cascade Slopes and Foothills and the Klamath

Mountains have Roosevelt Elk.

Like Oregon, look for Rocky Mountain elk in the forested areas of the Blue

Mountains and look for Roosevelt elk in the North Cascades, Cascades and

Cascade Slopes and Foothills and Coast Range.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 121
Table 17. Ecoregions of Washington

Washington State has eight National Forests (Table 18) in six forested

ecoregions. There are about 4 million acres of North Cascades habitats in the

Mt Baker-Snoqualmie and Okanogan NFs.

The Wenatchee and the Gifford Pinchot total over 3 million acres of

Cascades and Eastern Cascade Slope and Foothills. The Colville and the

Kaniksu portion of the Idaho Panhandle NFs add another million acres of

Northern Rockies and there is small, but very productive elk habitat in the

Blue Mountains. The Olympic NF surrounds the National Park (does not allow

hunting), so the hunt units in Washington form a ring around the park.

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It is very difficult to align hunt units with national forest boundaries in

Washington, so the hunt units in Table 18 may not be a complete list, but they

will put you in the right neighborhood.

In fact, I have yet to find a complete list of Washington's GMUs to make sure

they are all accounted for. To further complicate things, instead of units,

Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife sometimes lists Elk Areas (which are

also numbered) which include all or part of one or more GMUs.

I did not include Mount St. Helens Volcanic National Monument in the Table,

but hunting is allowed on 111,000 acres there.

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Table 18. National Forests and Hunt Units in Washington

Links to Photos of Washington National Forests:

• Colville NF • Okanogan-Wenatchee NF
• Gifford Pinchot NF • Olympic NF
• Mt Baker-Snoqualmie NF

©BackcountryChronicles.com 124
Wyoming
Wyoming has seven ecoregions (Table 19), two desert regions, two prairie

regions and three forested mountain regions.

Two thirds of Wyoming is covered by the Wyoming Basin and the Middle

Rockies. About a quarter of Wyoming is Northwestern Great Plains or High

Plains prairie. The Southern Rockies on the Colorado Border make up only

6.1% and the remaining two areas are very small.

Look for elk in all mountain areas of the Middle Rockies, Southern Rockies

and the small portion of the Wasatch and Uinta Mountains on the Utah Border

and where the Wyoming Basin meets any of those forested mountain regions.

Table 19. Ecoregions of Wyoming

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Table 20 lists seven National Forests and Thunder Basin National Grassland

(NG) in Wyoming. Most National Forests in Wyoming are in the Middle

Rockies Ecoregion, with a total of over 7 million acres.

The Medicine Bow NF on the Colorado Border is the only Southern Rockies

region with another million acres and the small piece of the Wasatch-Cache

on the Utah border is in the Uinta Mountains region. Thunder Basin NG is in

the Northwestern Great Plains.

Wyoming hunt units don't seem to be in any particular order, but most hunt

units that are found in the National Forests are listed in Table 20.

Also, hunt units 75 & 79 are at least partially in Teton National Park, where

elk hunting is allowed.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 126
Table 20. National Forests and Hunt Units in Wyoming

Links to Photos of Wyoming National Forests:

• Bighorn NF
• Bridger-Teton NF
• Medicine Bow NF
• Shoshone NF

©BackcountryChronicles.com 127
 State Licenses, Tags and Lingo
We can look at maps of where the elk are and where public land is, but

sooner or later if you really plan to hunt, you will have to pick a state to hunt.

People argue about which state is best to hunt, but since there are seven

states that has good elk hunting and we can almost always get tags, I say

pick a state you like or that you already know. If you don't know which state

you like best yet, pick a different state each year until you find a favorite.

If you have friends or relatives that live in one of the seven Western states,

you should probably start there. They can help you with information and

logistics, and in Wyoming, they can even be your required guide if you want

to hunt in Wilderness Areas.

If you are planning a DIY hunt in a state where you don't know anyone, be

advised, the state wildlife agencies don't make it easy. The first thing they

want is for you to pick a hunt unit.

How the hell are we supposed to choose a hunt unit when we don't know

anything about it? Hopefully I've given you enough information about elk

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distribution, elk harvest and public land that you are encouraged to pick a

state and a hunt unit and give it a try.

As you saw in the Tables 7 - 20, some states have names for their hunt units

and others use numbers. That is an example of what I mean by "lingo". Every

specialized trade or group has its own lingo and State Wildlife Agencies are

no different. Each state is different, but there are similarities between

neighboring states.

For example, to hunt you need a hunting permit or license and an elk tag/

permit/license and depending upon the state, you may need additional

permits to hunt on state lands. Though Arizona is not one of the seven states

I recommend hunting for elk, it actually has something called a "non-permit

tag". Leave it to government bureaucrats.

More examples of lingo; Different names for elk permits and seasons:

• Limited Entry Permits - Utah

• Limited Entry Multi-Season Hunts - Utah
• Antlerless Elk-Control Permits - Utah
• Controlled Permits - Idaho

©BackcountryChronicles.com 129
 • Type A and B General Permits Idaho
• Quality Permits - Washington
• Full Price (Bull)/Reduced Price (Cow/calf)- Wyoming
• Multi-season Permits (Archery, ML & Rifle) - Washington
• Shoulder seasons - Montana
• General Season - unlimited & limited number of tags - in 5 of 7 states

Choose Your Weapon

I've tried to summarize the most important information for each state for the

General Elk hunting seasons (OTC) in Table 21 (Archery), Table 22

(Muzzleloader) and Table 23 (Rifle or Any Legal Weapon) below.

Five of the seven Western States have General Season Archery Hunts for

non-residents. Montana and Wyoming still have General Seasons, but non-

residents have to apply and draw these tags.

Archery seasons can be very long and most occur before or during the rut.

Two states (Idaho and Washington) have late season archery hunts (Table

21). Archery tags usually allow the taking of either sex elk but many hunts are

bull elk only or antlerless only.

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Some states stipulate the age of the bull elk to be taken, such as: “Spike

Only”, “True Spike Only”, “Brow-tined Bulls Only” or “Bull Elk with at least 3

Points”.

Muzzleloader seasons for elk are usually after the rut and after elk have

already been shot at by other hunters. Only three states (Idaho, Utah and

Washington) have OTC muzzleloader elk hunts (Table 22).

The General Rifle Seasons (AKA Any Legal Weapon or Modern Firearms)

occur in all seven of the Western States, but remember non-residents can no

longer buy these tags OTC in Montana or Wyoming.

There are many choices for the rifle season ranging from early season hunts

starting in August (Idaho and Washington) to last season hunts that end

January 31 the following year (Colorado, Washington and Wyoming).

Another thing to consider when choosing a state to hunt is the size of the

areas that can be hunted. Usually, Western hunt units are plenty big. You

could spend the entire hunt in a single unit and never run out of places to find

elk and avoid most other hunters, but some units can be small.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 131
States like Colorado, Montana and Wyoming only allow hunters to hunt only

in one unit, but with general elk tags in Idaho, Oregon, Utah and Washington,

in many cases, hunters are allowed to hunt in more than one unit (Tables 21,

22 and 23).

Idaho has units grouped by what they call Elk Zones. Each zone has between

1 - 9 units which can be hunted (all or part) depending upon the weapon, sex

and season.

Oregon has many options to hunt, with two seasons for Coastal Elk

(Roosevelt), two seasons for Rocky Mountain Elk and a season each in the

Cascades and the Columbia Basin, which can include between 2 - 12 units.

Utah has two General Season options for hunting elk. You can hunt Any Bull

Elk units or Spike Only Elk units. There are 18 Any Bull units in areas that do

not have limited entry tags. If you have an Any Bull tag, you can hunt any or

all of the 18 Any Bull units. If you have a Spike Only tag, you can hunt any or

all of the 22 Spike Only units, meaning you can hunt about half of the state

with each tag.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 132
Washington allows you to hunt the entire eastern or western half of the state

during early or late seasons. These hunts can range between 1 and 83 units

depending upon the weapon, area and the season.

Each table (Table 21 -23) includes the state, the name of their OTC season,

the approximate dates of the hunt season and hunt season options or

restrictions such as the sex and the number of hunt units that can be hunted.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 133
Table 21. General (Over-the-counter) Archery Seasons

©BackcountryChronicles.com 134
Table 22. General (Over-the-counter) Muzzleloader Seasons

©BackcountryChronicles.com 135
Table 23. General (Over-the-counter) Rifle Seasons

©BackcountryChronicles.com 136
As another example of state-specific rules and lingo, the definition of bull elk,

cow elk and calf elk should be fairly simple (despite the fact that people have

been known to shoot moose by mistake, claiming they it was an elk). I've

even heard of people shooting horses, thinking they were moose, but that is

another story.

Antlered and antlerless elk should also be self explanatory, but the definition

of what bull elk is legal to shoot can be different. In some states anything with

an antler is a bull, in other states the bull must have four points, bow-tines not

included. Oregon also has brow-tined elk restriction and antlerless is anything

with antlers less than 6 inches.

And then there are differences about which spikes are legal. The intent of

spike only tags is to remove some of last year's baby boys to allow people to

hunt and harvest, without hurting the population or the quality of the mature

bulls. But the definition of what is a legal spike elk is different between states.

In some states, a spike is any elk with a single un-branched antler (Idaho,

Oregon & Utah), but in other states, a spike must have two un-branched

antlers (Wyoming).

©BackcountryChronicles.com 137
Washington State has two different spike tags; Spike Bull and True Spike Bull

and you better know the difference. (Spike Bull has at least one antler with no

branches originating more than four inches above where the antler attaches

to the skull and True Spike Bull has two).

In Montana, a spike is defined as "an elk with antlers that do not branch, or if

branched, the branch is less than four inches long measured from the main

antler".

Colorado does not have spike only units, but spikes are legal to shoot if they

have a "5 inch spike on one side". Also be aware the length of the required

spike may be different.

So make sure you read the rules in the state you plan to hunt and don't be

shy about calling or emailing the state's wildlife agency if you have questions.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 138
But we still need more information before we can first choose a state to hunt

and then choose a hunt unit and season:

1. Where are the elk?

2. Where is the public land?
3. What is the name or number of the hunt unit?
4. What Hunt Units or on that National Forest?
5. What are the season dates?
6. What weapons are allowed?
7. What age or sex elk can I hunt?
8. What licenses and/or tags and/or habitat fees are required and what are
the costs?
9. Are there any special restrictions or advantages?

I spend many hours each year looking through the various state wildlife

websites and reading the regulations. I have learned most of their

idiosyncrasies and deciphered most of the different rules and lingo. But rules

change, new regulations are created and season dates change each year.

For me, this is the hardest part of elk hunting.

I have learned that customer service, clear, concise and easy to find

information and state bureaucracies do not belong in the same sentence. But

©BackcountryChronicles.com 139
if you want to hunt in their state, there is no alternative. If you really want to

hunt elk, you must deal with it, so cowboy up and get on with it. The

challenge is find the process fascinating instead of frustrating.

Key information about elk and hunting are shown for each of the seven

Western states in the section below.

The section includes where to find information about the official state laws

and rules, hunt unit and season info and license, permit or tag costs,

application dates to apply for limited entry tags or to buy OTC and left over

tags.

I also included links to previous harvest reports and drawing odds, so you can

see how many elk are harvested from each unit, how many people hunt there

and see the hunting success. You can also see how difficult it is to draw

limited entry or restricted tags.

There is also information about the state elk management plans and

distribution maps. I also include links that help find public lands (USFS, BLM

& State Lands) and links to public access programs where private land

©BackcountryChronicles.com 140
owners allow hunting.

In the earlier versions of this book, I put all of these links here on the next few

pages. This was very problematic because the links constantly changed or

disappeared everytime a state webmaster tinkered with the website.

To solve this problem, I maintain the links to the State Wildlife Agencies on

my website here.

This way, I correct the links as soon as I notice or am notified they have

changed. I can also add new information so everyone reading the book can

find the most current information.

Important Hunting Information for Each State:

• Colorado • Utah

• Idaho • Washington
• Montana • Wyoming
• Oregon

Information & Data found at the links are shown on next pages

©BackcountryChronicles.com 141
Colorado
• Official Rules, Season Info, Big Game Guide – See Big Game Hunting
Brochure (Scroll down to hunting, select Big Game)
• Hunt Units - Interactive Hunting Atlas, or see Maps Library page or
download KMZ files (For Google Earth)
• Big Game Season Dates and Fees - See page or Download Big Game Hunt
Planner
• Buy OTC & Left Over Tags - OTC on sale July 25; Left over Tags Aug. 1,
2017
• Harvest Reports & Draw Odds – including top 10 General Archery & Rifle
units for both harvest and success
• Top 20 OTC Hunt Units - total elk harvested & hunter success - read post &
see tables.
• Elk Plan - See Individual DAU Reports (See map first, match DAU with GMU
- lots of good info in reports; 2004 - 2016)
• State Elk Map -View Interactive Hunting Atlas (Select game species and
then elk options) or download KMZ file
• USFS, BLM, State Lands -- View Interactive Hunting Atlas (Select land
management and/or CPW Public Access)
• State Recreation Lands - See State Trust Lands Page or download
Colorado Recreational Lands Brochure
• Colorado Wildlife Management Areas - Select and Filter by County,
Hunting Species or GMU
• Walk in Access Properties (new for 2017) - see Walk in Access page or
Download KMZ file
• Regional Hunting Guide Books - Choose by Region
• KMZ Maps Page - see All KMZ Maps
• Famous Elk Area - White River National Forest

©BackcountryChronicles.com 142
Idaho
• Official Rules & Guides & Season Info - (Download all or part of newest
Big Game Guide)
• Hunt Units - See Idaho Hunt Planner or download Big Elk Zone/Unit Map or
download Elk Zone KML (for Google Earth)
• Coming Soon – Top 10 OTC Hunt Units by Harvest & Hunter Success
• Season Dates - See Elk General Zone Seasons
• License, Permit, & Tag Costs
• Buy OTC & Left Over Tags - OTC available now for 2017
• Previous Harvest Reports
• Previous Draw Odds
• Elk Plan - Download PDF (2014 - 2024)
• State Elk Map - In Elk General Zone Seasons Guide, or Download Game
Distribution Map (KML)
• USFS Map - Idaho Hunt Planner and in PDF download
• BLM Map - BLM lands included same PDF above
• State Lands Map - See download options
• Idaho Wildlife Management Areas - View WMA page or Download PDF
• Idaho Access Yes Public Access Program
• Famous Elk Area - St. Joe National Forest
• Big Game Outlook - 2016 Big Game Hunting Outlook

©BackcountryChronicles.com 143
Montana
• Official Rules & Guides - See Regulations
• Hunt Units - View Hunt Planner Map or Download KML
• Season Info
• License, Permit, & Tag Costs
• Cheat Sheet - See online book
• Residents Buy OTC & Left Over Tags - Deadline Mid March
• Non-residents apply for Elk Combo Tags & Left Over Tags - Deadline
Mid March
• Previous Harvest Reports
• Previous Draw Odds
• Elk Management Plan, Population Objectives - (2004)
• State Elk Map - Download Distribution Maps and Objective Maps or
Download elk distribution KML
• BLM, USFS and State Lands Map – Hunt Planner Map or download PDF
maps
• Montana Wildlife Management Areas - View Map of WMAs or Download
KML
• Public Access Program - Block Management Program
• Famous Elk Area - Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest & Lee Metcalf
Wilderness
• Note - half of elk harvested in Montana are from Region 3.

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Oregon
• Official Rules & Guides - See Big Game Regulations
• Hunt Units - Select Map by Name, Number or Location or Download KMZ
• Coming Soon – Top 10 OTC Hunt Units by Harvest & Hunter Success
• Season Info - Choose Big Game Regulation Booklet
• License, Permit & Tag Costs
• Buy OTC & Left Over Tags
• Previous Harvest Reports
• Previous Draw Odds - No Odds report, Must compare Number of
Applications to Number of Tags in Regulations
• Elk Plan/Distribution Map - Download Elk Management Plan (2003 - 2010)
• Elk Objectives (Rocky Mountain Elk) - Download PDF
• Elk Objectives (Roosevelt Elk) - Download PDF
• USFS, BLM & State Lands Maps - Shown in Unit Maps
• Oregon Wildlife Management Areas - View WMAs in Google Map or
choose WMAs
• Public Access Program - Access & Habitat Program
• Famous Elk Area - Siuslaw & Alsea Units in the Siuslaw National Forest
(Roosevelt Elk)

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Utah
• Official Rules - Choose Big Game to Download
• Hunt Units - See Map of Hunt Units or Choose Hunt Units (can download
KML for each unit)
• Season Info, Hunt Units, License, Permit, & Tag Costs - Select Big Game
or Antlerless Guide Book
• Coming Soon – Top 10 OTC Hunt Units by Harvest & Hunter Success
• License, Permit, & Tag Costs
• Buy OTC & Left Over Tags - Available Mid July
• Previous Harvest Reports - Select Year & Species for Limited Entry or in
Big Game Report - Latest 2015 (PDF)
• Previous Draw Odds - Select Year & Species
• Elk Plan - Download PDF (2015 - 2022)
• State Elk Map - See Figures 1 & 2 in Elk Plan (pp 23-24) (PDF)
• USFS, BLM & State Lands Maps - Select Land Ownership Map or See App
(More Data Options)
• Utah Wildlife Management Areas - See App (Selection Options) or PDF:
◦ Source 1 Entire Document; Access to Wildlife Lands
◦ Source 2 (Cover, TOC (needed to find page), Part 1 (p 12-74), Part 2 (p
75-142)
• Public Access Program - Walk-in Access Program, also in App (Selection
Options)
• Most coveted limited entry units - San Juan, Monroe & the Book Cliffs.

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Washington
• Official Rules & Guides - Select Regulation Pamphlet
• Hunt Units - Load Go Hunt Map & Select Units, also in Regulation Pamphlet
or choose elk areas from page
• Coming Soon – Top 10 OTC Hunt Units by Harvest & Hunter Success
• Season Info - Regulation Pamphlet
• License, Permit, & Tag Costs
• Buy OTC & Left Over Tags - Buy Online
• Previous Harvest Reports - Select Year & Species
• Previous Draw Odds - No info
• Elk Plan - Select Game Management Plan (2015 - 2021)
• State Elk Map - View JPG Map
• USFS, BLM & State Lands Map - Load Go Hunt Map & Set Base Map to
Public/Tribal Lands
• Washington Wildlife Management Areas - Select WMA by Name, County
or Region
• Public Access Program - Load Go Hunt Map & Select Private Land Hunting
Access
• Famous Elk Area - Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness

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Wyoming
• Official Rules & Guides - Elk Hunting Seasons & Brochure
• Hunt Units - Elk Hunting Map
• Season Info, License, Permit, & Tag Costs - Select Species
• Residents Buy OTC & Left Over Tags - See Available Tags or Buy Online
• Non-residents Apply for tags - Apply Online
• Previous Harvest Reports - Select Year & Species
• Previous Draw Odds - Select Year
• Elk Plan - See Job Completion Reports
• State Elk Map – Some Range Maps in Job Completion Reports
• USFS Map - Select USFS Map to Download
• BLM Map - Select Field Office for Maps
• State Lands Map
• Wyoming Wildlife Management Areas - Select Sites to see maps
• Public Access Program – Access Yes Page and View Public Access Areas
• Famous Elk Area - Bridger-Teton & Shoshone National Forests - Big Horn
Mountains
• Hunting Forecast - See latest elk hunting forecast by region

©BackcountryChronicles.com 148
 Part III: Preparation for the Hunt
Some of my favorite memories as a teenager involved grabbing my .22 and

heading out the back door to look for squirrels. Squirrel hunting behind your

house doesn't require much preparation as long as your rifle is already

sighted in, so each hunt takes very little preparation.

The stakes go up a little if you hunt out of state in an area you have never

been before. Putting a couple of squirrels in your pocket can not compare to

de-boning and packing out an elk, then driving home more than a thousand

miles. Elk hunting requires a little more thought and planning about logistics.

This section on preparation includes a little information about physical

preparation, shooting basics, ballistics and realistic shooting practice. I also

include information on shot placement and ethical shots and how to pack the

elk out and how to get the meat home in good condition. I also include a little

information about gear, camp and clothing.

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 Training
A study on hunter activity in Montana showed the average elk hunter walked

6.6 miles per day (more about the study later). The average elk has about

200 lbs of boneless meat to be packed and despite all the heroic shots shown

on TV and the internet, most shots on elk with a rifle are probably less than

100 yards and the vast majority of shots would be less than 300 yards.

What abilities do you need to be able to hunt elk?

• Can you walk 6.6 miles every day at 5,000 -12,000 feet?
• Can you make a 300 yard shot?
• Can you pack out 200 lbs of meat? (not all in one trip)

If not, you need to train just to be an average elk hunter. We all know that

older hunters and hunters with below average physical abilities can still hunt

elk. If you can't pack an elk out yourself, plan on bringing enough help. But to

be a better than average elk hunter, you need to prepare for the hunt. You

need to train your body, train with your weapon and some say most

importantly, train your mind.

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Mental Preparation
I've heard many hunters and read many articles talking about the importance

of mental toughness for a successful hunt.

Mental toughness simply means don't allow "stinking thinking" or negativity

and don't quit. Don't quit on your training and don't quit on your hunt. Your

body may be tired, but it's your mind that quits. Your body doesn't decide to

climb a ridge or not. It's your mind that decides to go back to camp early.

After the hunt is over, the state will ask you how many days you hunted. We

can see the data in the harvest reports, but we know hunting effort is not

equal. One hunter day means different things to different hunters. For some,

it was a few hours riding around looking for an easy oportunity. For others it

was a few hours hunting in the morning, back to camp, then a few hours of

hunting in the afternoon. Others are before sunrise and don't get back to

camp until after dark. If you try harder and hunt longer, you have to be more

successful in the long run.

I will always bet on people that never quit, but I also think part of life's

challenge is to learn to enjoy every part of every hunt and not just the

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successful hunts. Enjoy the entire journey, don't just look forward to the

destination. This is obviously another of those "this is your hunt" cases, so

you do as you wish, but I've seen hunters put so much pressure on

themselves to succeed they are not fun to be around and it doesn't seem like

they are enjoying themselves.

All you young fellows that drive a thousand miles to hunt elk should be out

there hunting elk all day everyday. But we can excuse an old-timer if he

wants to take a break to fish a mountain lake or stream for a day. He just has

to admit he's an old-timer.

Physical Preparation
You don't have to be able to run a marathon to hunt elk, but it wouldn't hurt. I

am 60 years old and staying active is a must for me now. I am at the age that

if I don't continue to do a physical activity at least three times per week, I will

lose the abilities I have. I given up playing basketball years ago and I don't

run at all anymore because it hurts my knees. I have to save the last miles left

in my knees for hunting and hiking. I am still able to walk many miles in rough

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country at high elevation and you can too or at least you should be able to

work up to it.

For years, my work as a wildlife biologist required walking 20-30 miles every

week in rough country and I still try to walk at least two - three miles every

day. Since I live in the mountains, I sleep at 5,700 feet. I regularly hike at

elevations above 9,000 feet and occasionally above 10,000 feet.

If you are exercising at that same level, but live at less than 1,000 feet, I have

a head start on you. When friends and relatives visit from the East, the

altitude takes its toll on those that are not fit.

Some start preparing by running and/or carrying very heavy packs in the field

and others also spend hours in the weight room working on their legs.

I don't do any special physical preparation except walking. When I scout, I

carry a pack with most of the same weight that I use when hunting. I also

count wading in my local stream on slippery rocks for five or six hours trying

to entice trout to bite as good preparation.

The medical and physiology books say it takes about two weeks for a healthy

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person to produce the extra blood cells needed to adapt to higher elevations.

The young and fit aren't slowed down much and only need a day or two to

acclimate, but even the NBA players talk about having to deal with the

altitude in places like Denver and Salt Lake City.

The older, the less fit and those that are slightly over weight take a few more

days to move comfortably at lower elevations (<7,000 feet), but will continue

to huff and puff and move very slowly for at least a week at 7,000-8,500 feet.

Many would have to live and exercise here fulltime to ever get comfortable

above 8,500 feet. Some might be able to walk enough to hunt, but they would

not be able to pack anything out.

Those that are seriously overweight and the heavy smokers have no business

walking very far off the trail at all. Anyone that takes them is responsible for

them. (See Signs of Altitude Sickness)

Until I moved to the West in 1992, I had been above 6,000 feet only four or

five times on earlier trips to the West. During the move, I stopped in Colorado

to see an old friend. I was in my mid-30s and was in reasonable shape since I

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had been playing full court basketball three nights per week.

I helped my friend drag a deer off Mount Evans and went on a ptarmigan

hunt, both places above 12,000 feet. I moved slowly out of necessity and I

remember getting headaches, but I recovered when we rested and felt normal

after we came down off the mountain. I was not able to climb hills fast enough

to make my legs burn, because my lungs were always gasping for air.

But before you let these warnings scare you off, I remember a story about a

local family that took grandpa hunting. He was in his 80s and was dependent

on an Oxygen tank. They set him up in a blind near an active trail and sure

enough, he shot a very nice buck. I doubt he was hunting above 9,000 feet

and he obviously needed help to get in and to pack the deer out, but he

showed up, gave it a try and was rewarded. Never bet against heart and

determination.

The point is, get in shape so you can hike around and enjoy the hunt. If you

need to lose 20 lbs, let this be your motivation to lose the weight. You know

you need to lose the weight for your long-term health anyway. If you get

winded easily at your elevation, you need to work on that. If you can't walk 6.6

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miles at home, you can't be an average hunter here, so you need to increase

the distance you can walk.

The better shape you show up to hunt, the more you will enjoy your time in

the field and the better chance you have to see animals and to get close

enough for a kill. As Vince Lombardi said, "Fatigue makes cowards of us all".

If you're not in shape, you will not be able to climb the next ridge to look for

elk and you will probably be tempted to hang around camp too much. It's your

hunt, so there is nothing wrong with taking a break to fish for a day, but that's

not why you bought an elk tag and drove 1,000+ miles.

One thing that seems to be a constant is the longer I keep hunting and the

harder I work, the luckier I get. I'm not going to tell you your hunt is a waste of

time if you don't make a kill, but get in shape, so you can keep hunting and so

you can enjoy your time in the field. As long as you stay in the field and hunt,

you always have a chance, even on the last minute of the last day.

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Weapon Training
We all like to think we could perform a heroic act if called upon, but truth is we

always fall to our lowest level of training. Shooting is a perishable skill so to it

requires practice to become a good shot and it requires practice to stay good

at it, no matter if you are shooting a bow, muzzleloader or center-fire rifle. I've

known some serious bow hunters that try to shoot every single day, even

when they have to travel. That takes dedication.

By no means am I a shooting expert, but I am a decent shot and I practice

enough to know my limitations. When shooting at paper targets, I take

chances and test those limitations, but I never take chances when shooting at

live animals.

I include this section because most of us can improve our shooting skills.

Mostly we need practice, but we may also need to correct bad habits. I intend

this section for those that want or need to improve their shooting. If this

section is beneath you, I apologize in advance.

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Shooting Basics
The Marine Corps used to teach a shooting method called BRASS. Like all

things military, BRASS is an Acronym for Breathing, Relax, Aim, Stop

(Breathing) and Squeeze.

I learned something similar from my father when I was a kid. Since I had been

shooting for over 40 years, I though I knew a little about basic shooting, but I

got a chance to learn some new tricks from an ex marine sniper that is a

safety officer at my shooting range. He stresses six things that are necessary

to shoot accurately:

• Cheek weld
• Relaxed posture
• Sight Picture
• Breathing
• Finger Control
• No flinching or anticipation allowed

Cheek weld- rest your cheek on the comb of the stock. You should be able to

close your eyes and relax your neck muscles. When you open your eyes, you

should be looking straight though the scope or down the sights. You should

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not be straining to see through the scope. Your eyes should be parallel to the

ground and your head should not be cocked over with one eye higher than

the other.

Factory guns are made for the masses and may fit the "average" person

without adjustment. Since the length of our arms, the height of our cheek

bones and the distance between our cheek bones and our eyes differ, the

one-size-fits-all rifle will not fit everyone perfectly. That is why high end and

tactical guns have adjustable stocks.

We can also add adjustable cheek pieces or use stock packs. At the range,

you can also use towels or pillows to add some height and width to your

stock. Simply lay the towel over your stock and rest your cheek on the towel.

Use as many thicknesses as you need. A towel is also useful to lift the stock

off the shooting bench when you need a little more elevation on the stock

end. Anything you can do to keep from having to use muscle adjustments, the

better. Obviously the perfect situation for sighting a gun or testing loads at the

range is a bench rest or gun rest, but you still have to shoot the same way

while hunting.

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Relaxed Posture- There is a saying, that all tension finds its way to the gun.

If you are straining any muscle to make up for a poor alignment, a poor fit or a

poor posture, that strain will cause the gun to move and effect the shot. If you

can not relax, you need to fix something. It may be seat height, it may be

adding sandbags or adjusting a bipod, it may be padding the stock or

changing the height of your scope, but if you can not relax, your shot groups

will suffer.

Sight Picture- generally refers to the proper alignment of open or iron sights,

but I assume you will be using a scope, so sight picture also means a proper

alignment to eliminate any parallax error. You should be looking down the

center of the scope and there should be no black areas, no "crescent moons"

or strange reflections showing anywhere in the view. Just like a passenger in

a car can't accurately read the speedometer because they are not lined up

properly, you can't shoot accurately if your eye is wobbling around the outer

margins of the scope. You should be able to totally relax your eye muscles. If

you can't also relax your neck muscles and see clearly down the center of the

scope, you may need to change the height of the scope. You may also have

to change the distance of the scope from your eye or get a scope with more

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eye relief.

Breathing- I was taught as a kid to take in a deep breath, let all the air out of

your lungs, then take in half a breath and hold it until you squeeze the trigger.

But this may not be the best breathing method for shooting.

Our hearts are always beating. The more air we have in our lungs helps

transfer the pulse from the heart to all parts of our torso. The movement of

our chest while breathing probably has the largest effect on experienced

shooters. For me, this is especially noticeable in prone and sitting positions.

Obviously, holding your breathe for more than a few seconds could not be a

good technique, as the body feels the need for fresh air, the heart starts to

beat stronger and faster.

Breathing is in fact a two part process for two separate reasons. We need to

control our breathing to relax and calm down. We also need to time our

breathing to coincide with a good trigger pull, so trigger control and breathing

must work together.

A newer breathing method being taught is to take a few deep breaths and

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then and long slow exhale. Then try to relax and breathe naturally again.

Many people can use this "breathing down" technique to quickly calm their

breathing and heart rates similar to other meditation and relaxation

techniques.

The trick is to time the trigger pull to match the natural pause in our breathing

that occurs after we finish breathing out and before we start breathing back in

again.

This old dog is learning new tricks. I have been using this breathing and

trigger pull technique when I shoot.

• Take several deep breaths and exhale

• Start normal relaxed breathing
• Start building pressure of the stock against the shoulder as you start
breathing out
• Simultaneously start slight pressure against trigger
• Shot should break unexpectedly while you are between breaths

Finger Control- Most everyone tells you to "squeeze" the trigger.

Sometimes it's "pull" the trigger. Maybe we should change from using the

words squeeze and pull and start using the word "press" the trigger. This is

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not just semantics. The point is to smoothly apply pressure that is straight

back on the trigger without any sideways or jerking motions.

If I do not concentrate, I have a habit of having too much hand contact on the

stock, which causes the stock to rock when I pull (press) the trigger. I have to

practice by dry firing and have worked on changing my habit of squeezing my

entire hand into more of a pressing motion of the finger.

From a pure physics standpoint, we get the most mechanical leverage when

our finger is as low as possible on the trigger. Test your trigger pull by dry

firing. Try to notice which part of the pad of your index finger makes it easiest

for you to pull straight back. For right handed trigger fingers, if your finger is

barely on the trigger, you may have a tendency to push the trigger to the left

at the same time you are pulling. If you have too much of your finger on the

trigger, like using the fold behind the first joint, the trigger may have a

tendency to pull the gun left at the same time you pull. It is very instructive to

dry fire your gun and watch to see if there is any other movement of the gun

during your trigger pull.

Obviously, if we practice a lot, we do learn where to expect the shot to break

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on a familiar gun. We still want the shot to break as unexpected as possible.

Most modern hunting rifles use a single stage trigger. There is very little

trigger movement until the shot breaks. Some rifles will have two stage

triggers, where the trigger will give with increasing pressure until it breaks.

Unless the pressure is too stiff on a two stage trigger, the technique we use

should be the same.

No Flinching or Anticipation- Flinching is simply a bad habit. Kids shooting

22's rarely flinch because there is no reason to flinch, but great big burly men

shooting high powered rifles flinch all the time. The kick of some guns is

ridiculous and they aren't much fun to shoot more than a few times. I have

heard of back injuries and detached retinas due to rifle recoil.

We have varying tolerances for recoil, but anyone that shoots a gun with

recoil above 20 ft-lbs could develop a flinching habit. That would be anyone

shooting common calibers like 30-06, 7mm Rem. Mag. and 300 Win Mag or

larger. That also applies to shooting 250 grain or larger bullets from average

muzzleloader loads. Recoil from my 10.5 lb Thompson Center Encore (weight

includes scope, sling and bipod) shooting normal 120 grain loads and 290

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grain bullets certainly rivals the recoil from my 7mm Rem. Mag.

I don't have a big problem with recoil, partly because the stock on my TC

reduces recoil considerably. I have also learned to relax, so my shoulder

flexes easily with the recoil and makes it feel more like a push than a kick. If

we are using proper trigger control, the moment the trigger breaks should be

a surprise, so the bullet is away before we can flinch. This is not really the

case, because with practice, you know when that trigger will break.

If you want to test if you are flinching, have someone else load (or not load)

your rifle. The test is that sometimes they leave the chamber empty, so you

don't know if the gun will fire or not. It is very obvious when you flinch but the

gun does not go “bang”.

Some people worry too much about recoil. I was at the range one day and a

man brought his two boys (age 10-12). They didn't seem to know anything

about guns except that they kick. They were watching their father attempt to

sight in his rifle and at every chance; they asked him and every other shooter

"How bad does that gun kick"?

©BackcountryChronicles.com 165
Where do you think they learned that? From their father. And what do you

expect them to do the first time they ever shoot that rifle? They should be

informed, but not scared.

I offered to let the two boys shoot my muzzleloader, but their father declined

on their behalf because "That gun kicks too much for them". I wouldn't do that

to them, I would have used a very light load. Their father had a hard time

trying to sight in his gun because, as you probably guessed, he had a bad

flinching habit, because he was afraid of the kick!

Realistic Field Practice

After your gun is sighted in, you need to leave the range to practice realistic

hunting shots. Don't just shoot the same target at the same distance at the

same angle in the same position every time. Set up targets at various

distances up to the maximum distance that you would actually shoot. Practice

shooting both uphill and downhill. Practice from standing, kneeling and from

prone positions. Also practice resting on your backpack, bipod or resting on

tree limbs, just like you might have to during the hunt.

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For field targets, I like to use milk jugs. Lay jugs on their sides (bottom

towards you) for a 6 x 6 inch target. If you stand jugs up or place them with

the long side exposed, a jug is about 6 x 9 inches. If you fill the jugs with

water, you get instant feedback on hits and misses. Just don't be that guy that

leaves all the trash when you are done.

As you move from one shooting position to the next, you will have to estimate

distance, angle and windage to each target just like in real hunting situations.

To make it a more realistic practice, if you miss a shot, run away from the

target about 30 yards, do 10 pushups and shoot again.

Practicing like this has fine tuned my ideas about the distances and

conditions I can realistically shoot and what shots I consider to be ethical.

I am deadly on 6 inch targets out to 150 yards with my muzzleloader and out

to about 350 yards with my 7 mm Rem. Mag. if (and that is a BIG IF), the

wind is not blowing too hard or too gusty. I tend to miss more targets than I

want to admit when farther than about 350 yards especially if the wind is more

than about 15 mph or if it is gusting. So wind is a big factor and estimating the

wind accurately has proven to be my weakness on longer shots.

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If you can hit the milk jug only about half the time at a certain distance, would

that be an ethical shot at a live animal? I say no. You need more practice.

The Kill Zone of an Elk

A conservative estimate of the kill zone on an elk is about a 12 inch circle that

guarantees a hit on the area of the lungs. A tighter circle is required if you

want to hit the heart or the aorta.

Figure 11 shows where the heart, lungs, shoulder and leg bones are located.

In reality, the lungs probably extend a little higher than shown in the photo

and the heart extends a little lower in the brisket, but I want to be a little

conservative and show the vitals a little smaller than they may actually be. I

also think it is better to be able to put all hits into a 6 - 8 inch group instead of

a 12 inch circle. The circle on the photo is scaled to 10 inches (assuming the

elk is 58 inches tall at the withers).

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Figure 11. Kill Zone of an Elk.

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Obviously, the broadside shot is what we want because it presents the best

target to hit heart and/or aorta and both lungs without hitting a big bone.

Notice how conveniently the leg bone looks to be bent out of the way, but

depending on how the elk is standing, the heart may be tucked in behind the

elbow a little more than shown.

But what should we do if we don't have a broadside shot? We may be

presented with a straight-away or rear shot, a quartering-away or quartering-

to shot or a straight-on or frontal shot.

Rear shots are to be avoided for both rifle and bow because the hip bones

are likely to protect the vitals and a shot in the rear is guaranteed to ruin large

portions of the best meat. A shot from above and behind is possible, but you

risk ruining the best portion of the backstraps.

Quartering-away shots are preferred by many because it lessens the

possibility of hitting the leg or shoulder as the bullet enters, but depending

upon your elevation in relation to the animal, it also increases the chance of

ruining the opposite leg or shoulder on the way out. Sometimes you may want

to hit a shoulder to keep the elk from running too far, such as when you are at

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the edge of a steep canyon or next to a private property line. But you will lose

some meat if you shoot into the shoulder.

A problem with the quartering-away shot is the possibility of hitting only one

lung. If you only hit one lung and the bullet or arrow is stopped on the

opposite shoulder, it may be hard to find a blood trail.

The quartering-to shot puts the leg and shoulder in front of the heart, which is

still a likely kill shot for a rifle if you are willing to chance ruining a front

quarter, but that shot is probably better to pass on if shooting a bow.

The head on or front shot is also an easy kill for a rifle, but think about the

path the bullet might take. It is possible for the bullet to pass through the gut

and into a hind quarter. If you are above the elk, the frontal shot may put the

head in the way. This is a difficult shot for an arrow because all the ribs and

sternum come together and close this area off. It could be a tricky shot to get

an arrow in below the head, but above the sternum

I am sure you have heard that taking a head or neck shot should be avoided

because the head and neck can be move very far and very fast. All true, but I

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think a neck shot is a good option for a rifle at close range if the animal

appears relaxed and isn't jerking it's head all around. Animals I have seen

killed with a neck shots drop instantly and no good meat is damaged.

I have never personally seen or taken a head shot and nobody plans to shoot

at the head of a trophy animal, but a cow could be shot in the head. But

again, I would be very careful. A head shot might seem to offer a chance at a

clean kill or a clean miss, but a head shot could end up with a broken jaw and

an elk that dies next week, but no meat for you. Not a good story to tell.

It makes more sense to me to shoot at the larger, less mobile neck in front of

the shoulder. Just remember the spine is in the upper quarter of the neck, not

in the middle. The goal of a neck shot is to break the spinal cord or hit close

enough to shock the spinal cord tissue.

I urge you to study more about elk anatomy and shot placement before your

hunt. This is another case where your training will fall to the lowest level when

you are presented with a shot. Most of us don't get that many chances to look

at a live elk through the sights of a gun or bow. The more we can visualize

where the shot should be placed on animals in different positions, the better

©BackcountryChronicles.com 172
prepared we will be when we get the chance.

When you see pictures or video of elk standing broadside, remember that a

bull elk averages 34 inches from withers to belly and that 12 inch kill zone is

in the lower third straight up the leg. Visualize placing your aiming point on

that spot as often as possible. Do the same thing on animals quartering- to or

away. How far forward or back should you aim to hit the heart area? Is the

bullet going to hit bone or guts on the way in or on the way out?

Making the "go" or "no go" decision with an animal in front of you is where

you need to be the practical, calculating meat hunter and not the excited head

hunter. I know, easy to say and hard to do. It's hard for me too, but I don't

want to risk wounding an animal or ruining the meat if I can help it.

Maybe I'm too conservative, but my main goals are to have fun and harvest

good meat. I can live with passing on shots in order not to risk losing a

wounded animal. I can also live with a clean kill that ruined some meat if I had

no other choice.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 173
Why Do We Miss?
I'm not surprised when a guy that shoots less than a box of cartridges a year

misses his shot at a trophy of a lifetime. Think of all the mistakes you've seen

people make on TV hunting shows when the adrenaline kicks in. Think of the

number of guys (and gals) you've seen get "scope bit" while hunting,

compared to how many times you've see it happen at the range where there

is no pressure (not counting rookies). Why do fathers and friends let rookie

shooters get scope bit?

At 100 yards, that 12 inch kill zone only requires a 12 Minute of Angle (MOA)

shooter (actually it's 11.5 MOA), at 200 yards, the accuracy is 5.7 MOA, 300

yards requires 3.8 MOA accuracy, 400 yards requires 2.9 MOA accuracy and

500 yards requires a 2.3 MOA shot.

I can shoot sub MOA groups at the range with any of my scoped, center-fire

rifles and can shoot 1 MOA groups more than half the time with my 1X (non-

magnifying) scoped muzzleloader. But the ability to shoot sub MOA groups at

the shooting range does not translate to sub MOA groups in field shooting

conditions. But why is that true?

©BackcountryChronicles.com 174
Shooting at paper targets at the range and shooting at a live animal in the

wild offers very different circumstances. We need to practice at the range or

some other reasonably flat area at a known distance in order to zero our

scopes. But we also need to practice the shots that simulate real hunting

situations, so when we get an opportunity to shoot at an animal, we are able

to take advantage of it.

How does shooting at the range differ from hunting? The list in Table 24 is a

short list, but each item can have huge effects on where your bullet impacts in

relation to your target, even at close range.

As the shooting distance increases, the bullet slows down, which allows wind

and gravity to have a greater and greater effect on the bullet's impact point.

Most quality rifles today are capable of shooting sub-MOA groups. But not all

shooters are capable of making the correct windage and elevation

adjustments.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 175
Table 24. Different Shooting Variables at the Range and Hunting

©BackcountryChronicles.com 176
Elevation Effect on Ballistics
Hunters that don't live or regularly hunt in the mountains don't have to

consider how elevation changes their bullet's trajectory. If all of your shooting

and hunting is within a 500 foot elevation range, you will not notice much of

an effect. I have sighted-in my scope at 5,500 feet one day and hunted at

10,000 feet the next, so elevation had to be considered.

The good news is the air is thinner at higher elevations and has less affect on

your bullet. You will like the flatter trajectory and that wind affects the bullet

less, but you will have to keep track of the elevation and know how to adjust

for it.

For example, at sea level and 40°F, a 20 mph cross wind only moves a 160

grain 7mm Rem. Mag. bullet 1.2 inches at 100 yards and 11.8 inches at 300

yards, but that jumps to 35 inches at 500 yards. Compare to 8,000 feet (same

40°F & 20 mph wind) where the bullet drifts 0.9 inches at 100 yards and 8.5

inches at 300 yards and 24.9 inches at 500 yards. The difference is only 0.3

inches at 100 yards, 3.3 inches at 300, but a whopping 10.1 inch difference at

500 yards.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 177
For hunting elk, I zero my rifle at 200 yards, so at sea level it would shoot 1.6

inches high at 100 yards, 6.8 inches low at 300 yards and 39.7 inches low at

500 yards. At 8,000 feet that changes to 1.5 inches high at 100 yards, 6.4

inches low at 300 yards and 36.1 inches low at 500 yards.

So, to take a 500 yard shot at 8,000 feet at 40°F in a 20 mph wind, I need to

adjust 24.9 inches into the wind and move the impact point up 36.1 inches.

The same shot at sea level has to be adjusted 35 inches into the wind and

39.7 inches high, a difference of 10.1 inches horizontal and 3.6 inches

vertical.

Why do I assume a 20 mph wind? I researched average wind speed for

several states (Colorado, Montana, Utah and Wyoming) and about 60% of

area averages wind speeds between 10 - 20 mph. We can hope for a calm

day, but better be prepared to shoot in the wind and just be glad when it's not

laying the grass down and blowing at 35 mph.

Table 25 shows the effect of elevation on wind drift and bullet drop of a 160

grain 7mm Rem. Magnum at 40°F and with the rifle sighted in at 200 yards.

You can see at distances of 200 yards or less, the difference between sea

©BackcountryChronicles.com 178
level and 12,000 feet is only 2.0 inches for 20 mph wind drift and almost no

difference in bullet drop.

At 300 yards, the difference in wind drift is 0.6 - 0.9 inches for every 2,000

foot change in elevation and bullet drop changes only 0.6 inches in 12,000

feet.

At 400 yards, the difference in wind drift is 1.2 - 1.7 inches every 2,000 feet

and bullet drop changes about 0.5 inches.

At 500 yards, wind drift changes 0.9 - 2.8 inches and bullet drop changes

between 0.6 - 1.0 inches every 2,000 feet.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 179
Table 25. Effect of Elevation on Wind Drift and Bullet Drop of 160
grain 7mm Rem. Mag. at 40°F

Wind Effect on Ballistics

Since wind speed has such a big effect on where a bullet impacts, how do we

accurately estimate wind speed? I've used hand held anemometers, but do

not like using one when I am hunting alone because of the extra movement

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and its one more thing to carry and one more thing I have to do when I should

be trying to line up a shot. I would consider using one if I had a spotter to hold

and read the anemometer.

Otherwise I suggest learning to estimate wind speed using the wind

conditions described in the old Beaufort scale. We don't care what the

Beaufort number is; we just want an accurate estimate of wind speed based

upon the clues.

Beaufort Scale for Wind Speed Estimation

• Wind 1 - 3 mph - Smoke rises vertically or shows direction of the wind,
leaves do not rustle
• Wind 4 - 7 mph - Wind felt on face, leaves rustle
• Wind 8 - 12 mph - Leaves and small twigs in constant motion
• Wind 13 - 17 mph - Small branches begin to move
• Wind 18 - 24 mph - Medium branches begin to move, small trees sway
• Wind 25 - 30 mph - Large branches in motion
• Wind 31 - 38 mph - Whole trees in motion
• Wind 39 - 46 mph - Twigs start breaking off trees
• Wind 47 - 54 mph - Branches start breaking off trees; Why are you still
hunting? Head for cover.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 181
Table 26 is an example of a range card or "cheat sheet" I carry when I hunt. I

limit the distance to 500 yards, because I rarely practice at that distance, so I

will probably never take a shot that far away. I also mark wind drift greater

than 12 inches in grey, since I usually don't risk those shots.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 182
Table 26. Range Card for Wind Drift of 160 grain 7mm Rem. Mag.
at 9,000 feet and 40°F

Table 26 also shows the Beaufort scale ranges in miles per hour and the

actual wind speeds used to calculate bullet wind drift. Wind drift is in inches

based on the wind speeds and distances for a 7mm Rem. Mag. with a 160

©BackcountryChronicles.com 183
grain bullet.

If you do not have a ballistics calculator, there are several free ballistics

programs to downloads online: (more options here)

• Federal Ammunition ballistics calculator - shows Federal cartridge data

• Point Blank ballistics calculator - input your own data

I also put the bullet drop on the back of my range card/cheat sheet. When I

set up to watch an area, I range all the potential shooting lanes and start

thinking about how to adjust for wind and drop if an animal suddenly walked

into view at several different places.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 184
What is an Ethical Shot?
I have passed on many shots other people would have taken, but I practice

enough to know my limitations and I have no regrets. Sure I want meat in the

freezer and I like to brag to my buddies as much as anyone, but not at all

cost. I know how I would feel if I blew the jaw off an elk and watched it run

away to a certain slow death.

I've seen some amazing long distance shots (mostly on TV) and there are

many people that practice those shots enough to have a realistic expectation

of making them. I just wonder how many bad shots aren't shown on TV.

I also know far too many people do not put in the practice and just zing one

out there to see what happens. At long distances, you may even hit an elk

and never know especially if you hit a different elk than the one you shot at. In

2014, I shot a cow elk at 115 yards with a 160 grain 7mm Rem. Magnum

copper bullet and she just slowly walked away without any signs of being hit. I

knew I didn't miss and she only walked about 35 yards, but if the distance had

been 500 yards or more, many people would have thought it was a clean

miss.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 185
A few years ago, I talked to some young hunters after they shot and

presumably missed a spike elk running at over 500 yards. Knowing (see

cheat sheet) that the holdover for my 7mm Rem. Mag. would be about 36

inches, I ask one of the teenagers what his holdover was at that distance. His

answer was "What's holdover?"

A local TV hunting show featured an antelope hunt where the hunter took a

700 yard shot in a 30 mph wind (at least). The host actually had the nerve to

call the shot ethical. The first shot was a full antelope length behind and about

two feet high. He was lucky not to hit one of the does that was standing

behind the buck. Ethical? Not in my book.

I also watched another TV show where a guy shot an antelope at 700 yards

with a muzzleloader. Do I believe the distance? I don't know, but I will leave

the trick shots and the "mine's bigger than yours" contests to the experts.

If you are not capable of hitting a target at least 80 - 90% of the time, you

have no business taking that same shot at a live animal.

For anyone that has actually looked at an elk through a high power scope at

©BackcountryChronicles.com 186
500 yards, it doesn't appear as close as you might think.

According to the Nikon manual, the field of view (FOV) of my scope set at 9X

is 59.5 feet at 500 yards. A bull elk is about 58 inches high at the shoulders

and has an average chest depth of about 34 inches and is about 62 inches

from the chest to rump. That means about 12 elk could line up across the

FOV. Same is true for the same scope adjusted to 6X at 333.3 yards and set

to 3X at 166.7 yards.

If the FOV is 59.5 feet, the scope is viewing an area over 2,780 square feet.

At 500 yards, the body of a very large elk will only fill about 0.6% of that area.

Think about it another way; 166 large elk bodies could fit into one field of

view.

Figure 12 shows a scaled view of an elk as viewed through a 9X scope at 500

yards. I am confident my original photo is scaled correctly, but since I have no

way of knowing how your computer or reading device scales the photo, the

viewed size may not be correct, but the proportions should be correct. The

photo should help you get an idea of the challenge presented by a 500 yard

shot.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 187
Figure 12. Scaled View of Elk as Viewed through a 9X Scope at
500 yards.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 188
Without adjustments, a 7mm bullet will drop about 36 inches below the

crosshairs (sighted in at 200 yards) and a 20 mph cross wind would push the

bullet 24 inches. Those combined effects are marked by the white cross hairs

near the elk's front feet in photo, but this all assumes I have an accurate

estimate of range and wind at 9,000 feet.

FYI, the exact same perspective view is also applicable for 333 yards at 6X

and at 167 yards at 3X.

With the 20 mph cross wind, I don't like this same shot much better at 333

yards. The bullet still drops 9.5 inches and the wind pushes it 11.3 inches. I

do like the shot at 167 yards, where the bullet will be an inch high and the

wind should push the bullet only about 3 inches. That would be an ethical

shot and a clean kill.

I have passed on shots as close as 315 yards. Several years ago, a cow elk

stood broadside at that distance, but the wind was gusting between 15 and

35 mph, making it hard to estimate the drift. Several cows came out of cover

at sunset and I had about 30 minutes to get a shot.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 189
I got into a good position and waited for the wind to die down as it usually

does as the Sun goes down. The cows fed on the hillside in the open until it

was too dark to shoot, but the wind continued to gust, so I was never

comfortable with the shot.

The whole point being this, if you don't work extremely hard at practicing long

range shooting, work hard at getting close so you can make a clean kill.

Plus, do you really want to spend the time and effort to come all the way out

West to hunt and kill an elk on the first day? Think about how much more you

would learn, the fun you would have and the stories you could tell if you shot

an elk at 50 yards the last hour of the last day.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 190
 Gear, Camp & Clothing
I am not going to get into much detail about gear or how and where to camp

or what to wear, but I will make a few comments about each.

I assume you are going to camp and public land is open to camping in most

areas as long as you don't stay more than 14 days in one place. This is

strictly enforced in some areas and not at all in others.

Local folks start leaving campers to reserve their traditional spots weeks

ahead of time, so if you find a camping spot that you like, take it. If the locals

show up, you might have to share it. Like fishing, many people will respect

the fact that you were there first and give you space. Others will elbow right in

there with you as if you were saving that little spot just for them.

4-Wheel Drive
You will want a high clearance, 4-wheel drive vehicle. You can drive on many

BLM and USFS roads in your mini van, but many roads have not been

maintained in years. In fact, the USFS may never maintain some of these

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roads again. Also, many soil types in the basins turn into “snail snot” when

wet. It may not happen often, but when it's wet, you're not going anywhere

until it dries out.

Full sized 4WD trucks can navigate most roads and are good for hauling large

trailers, but some roads are narrow and overgrown and will scratch paint,

break windows and poke holes in trailers. My hunting truck is an old 4WD

Toyota. I can squeeze into most places because I stopped caring about the

paint years ago. If you want to drive all the small roads, you will need a

"beater" like mine or an ATV (4-wheeler).

But don't stay home just because you don't have 4-wheel drive. Most of the

elk are in the woods, not on the roads and you can still access lots of country.

ATVs
Many forest roads do not allow ATV traffic (unless street legal), so you will

need to get local travel maps from USFS to see the travel restrictions. People

used to drive ATVs anywhere they wanted including sensitive areas to hunt

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and to retrieve game, but after years of habitat damage, it is now illegal in

most places.

Registered and licensed "Street legal" ATVs can be driven on all BLM &

USFS roads. If your ATV is not street legal, you may have to trailer it to the

trail head everyday. Enforcement is generally very lax on public lands, but

they are enforced during hunting season as much as any time. You don't

want to get caught with an ATV in the wrong place. Many states will require

that you obtain a non-resident permit for your ATV, off-highway motorcycle or

snowmobile, brought into the state. Some states offer reciprocity with your

state, so check the rules for each state before you travel.

ATVs are a very useful tool for getting around on smaller roads, but there are

those that will never be satisfied until they can drive on every square foot of

public land. I have seen where "hunters" had cut fences with a chain saw to

drive into closed areas. I report everyone I see doing this and I hope it costs

them lots of money.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 193
Wall Tent vs. Camp Trailer
We've had big snow storms during four of the last 11 elk seasons here and

many hunters spent days trying to get their trailers back off the mountain. I've

seen traffic jams so bad that other hunters couldn’t get up the mountain to

hunt. As soon as I heard the weather forecast, I changed plans and hunted a

lower elevation site. The snow usually melts in a day or two and the higher

areas are usually accessible again, but don't count on it.

September and October are usually the driest months of the year, but anyone

taking a trailer into the higher elevation mountains after mid October is taking

a chance that the trailer will spend the winter on the mountain. This is not

usually a problem if you stay close to the major roads, but who wants to camp

near the major roads? During that time, it’s important to pay close attention to

the weather forecasts on the radio.

For truck camping, it is easier to haul a wall tent than a camper, especially on

small winding mountains roads and when roads are sloppy. Tents are the

only choice when packing in by horse. A camp trailer is easier to set up and

offers slightly more security, but both can be warm, dry and comfortable.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 194
Clothing
Base Layer/under garments - Your base layer should be a form-fitting,

moisture-wicking garment made from synthetic blends or wool. Leave those

old cotton long johns at home. Some days may be too warm for base layers,

but pack them with you just in case.

Middle Layers - This depends on where you are and the expected

temperatures. Expect a 40° - 50°F swing in temperatures from sunrise to the

hottest part of the day and expect to be warm in the sunshine at high

elevation and expect to be cold in the shade. Many times you will start the

day wearing everything you have and end up in a tee shirt. I generally use

wool, fleece or down, but a layer of cotton is O.K. here as well, as long as you

have something else to wear when it gets cold again in the evening. Also

make sure the outermost layers are quiet. No “swish-swish-swish” as you rub

against shrubs.

Top Layers and Rain Gear - I don't use special rain gear during the elk hunt.

We are not duck hunting. Generally, if any precipitation falls during elk

season in the mountains, it will be snow. Most of the time the snow is dry and

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falls off your clothing instead of melting and soaking you. But I have been

soaked too and was glad I had extra clothes with me. I like a Gore-Tex coat

which sheds rain if necessary and is breathable. Since this is a top layer, it

must be quiet. Sometimes you only need a light windbreaker instead of a

heavy coat top layer, but it must be quiet.

Hats and Neck Gators - By now, everyone should know that our heads lose

80% of our body heat. It's nice to have a hat that both insulates the head and

shades the eyes. The law may require you to wear orange. I like a hat with

ear flaps when it's cold and have a variety of wool neck gators and balaclavas

if I want to cover my neck and/or face.

Gloves and/or Muffs - Ski type gloves are great at keeping your hands warm

and dry, but you have to take them off to shoot or do anything else. If you are

constantly putting them on and taking them off, you will lose them unless you

tie them to something. Wool fingerless gloves are good unless it is real cold.

The wool mitts that allow you to slip fingers in and out are also good. Hand

muffs are the best when you are sitting. There is something about being able

to rub hands together that keeps them warm and loose.

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Socks - In my opinion, there is no substitute for thick 100% wool socks. They

are warm, comfortable, wick away moisture, insulate even when wet and

provide extra cushion. They are expensive and they tend to wear out quickly,

so I have learned to repair holes with wool yarn and better yet, I reinforce the

heel area of new socks before I wear them.

Wool socks are also good for sneaking around for short distances because

they are quiet. When I need to sneak up on an animal or simply want to

quietly move along a ridge for a short distance, I take off my boots, drop my

pack and put on two or three pairs of wool socks to go take a look.

To stay comfortable in the mountains, you will constantly be adjusting layers.

Take a layer or two off before climbing a hill, put a layer on after you catch

your breath on top. Take a layer off when the Sun comes out and put a layer

on when you move into the shade. Don't wait until you are cold before you put

on another layer or a warm hat and gloves. If we can keep our core

temperature up, our hands and feet don't get cold. By the time your hands are

cold, a hat and gloves probably won't warm them back up.

Cold hands makes for bad trigger finger control and cold feet makes for a

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miserable day. If you are comfortable, put on a hat. If you are cold add

another layer and put on gloves. If you are hot, take off the hat and one layer.

Also remember to wear orange on your head and outer layers if it is required.

I like the simple little cotton vests, because they meet the legal requirement

and I don't have to buy many different middle and outer layers with orange. I

wear one vest and wrap my pack in another. I have one orange cap and one

insulated orange hat with ear flaps.

If you are hunting when orange is not required, just make sure your outer

layers are camo or earth tones (except in snow) and keep any light or bright

layers covered up. Personally, I like camo, but we all know elk can not see all

the colors, but they see movement very well.

To an elk, (UV reflectance or not), camo is no better than earth tones as long

as they don't contrast with the background. Elk won't see camo or blaze

orange if it isn't moving, but they see everything that is moving.

If there is lots of snow, the snow camo is good, but I have never bought any. I

simply wear an oversized white shirt I got at the thrift store as an outer layer.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 198
Day Pack
Even if you are staying in town with friends, you will need a day pack. The

challenge is taking everything you will need and want without having to pack

80 or 100 lbs. A 60 lb pack is a pain on flat ground at low elevation. It will

exhaust you on steep hills at high elevation. I think this is the main reason

many people don't get too far off the roads.

I have to make a list or I forget things. There is nothing worse than hiking to

the top of the ridge and then learning that you just forgot something very

important like lunch. My list differs depending upon if I plan to be back at

camp at night or not. But if you don't plan on being out, you have no choice

but to come back.

I have separated the list into two parts; a "Must Have" list and a "Should

Have/Nice to Have" list.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 199
Pack List - Must Have
• Hunting Tags & Licenses
• Weapon, Ammo and accessories (arrow release, bipod or shooting
stick)
• Blaze Orange - if required
• Water
• Food
• PLB (Personal Locator Beacon - more on PLB later)
• Day Pack
• Pack frame for meat
• Knives & sharpener
• Game bags or pillow cases
• Latex or rubber gloves
• Lighter, matches & Sterno
• Flagging/trail markers
• Headlamp & spare batteries
• String or zip-ties for tagging
• Pepper spray if in bear country

©BackcountryChronicles.com 200
Pack List Should Have or Nice to Have
• Side Arm
• Binoculars and harness and/or spotting scope and tripod
• Range Finder & spare batteries
• GPS and spare batteries and map & compass
• Cell phone - turned off
• Two-way radios - check state hunting law!
• Extra layer of clothes and socks - appropriate for conditions
• Gloves, Muffs or hand warmers
• Water filter and/or Iodine tablets
• Sleeping Bag & pad
• Pruners
• Small tarp - 6 x 10 ft or large enough to cover you in rain or shade elk
• Paracord - 50 - 100 ft
• Wet wipes
• Toilet paper
• Camera & spare batteries
• Bugle, cow/calf calls or diaphragms

©BackcountryChronicles.com 201
Don't forget your weapons, ammo or any of the accessories you need to

shoot, like range finder, bipod, arrows or release. You will need your hunting

licenses and tags and depending upon the season, you may need to wear

blaze orange. That is the bare minimum required to go hunting. You may

want to take binoculars and a bugle and/or cow and calf calls with you to

increase your chances.

If you actually shot an elk, you will want more stuff like knives and

sharpeners, game bags and don't forget the string or zip tie to tag your

animal. You may even want a wet wipe or two to clean your hands and it is

recommended that you use latex or rubber gloves as protection from Chronic

Wasting Disease. And I bet you'll wish you had a camera for that hero shot to

show the folks back home.

If it was a hot day, you might need paracord to help drag the animal to shade

(need lots of help to drag an elk) or a small tarp and cord to make shade.

Paracord can also be used to build a travois to drag the meat out and cord

can be used to tie legs back out of the way or tie to a tree to help you climb

up or down steep hills when packing meat out.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 202
If it took you past lunch time to shoot your animal, you would probably want to

take food and water. In addition to any lunch I may pack, I always keep

enough granola bars in my pack so I can go at least 24 - 36 hours. I normally

carry 4 liters of water, but with the new water filters, I carry a filter and 2 liters

of water (if I am certain water is in the area).

If you had to walk more than a half mile off the road to shoot your elk, you

probably need a GPS and/or flagging so you can get back to your vehicle and

return for the rest of the meat. Last time I packed out in the dark, I also

wished I had some type of “chem lights”, “glow sticks” or flashing fish bobbers

to mark both piles of meat.

If you were still in the woods when it got dark, you might want your sleeping

bag so you could stay out and you may wish you had a head lamp. The tarp

would be useful if it rained or snowed and you may need another layer of

clothes.

Well that should about cover it right? What about safety equipment? Anytime

you go out in the backcountry, you should ask yourself a few more "what if"

questions (More detail in next section Part IV: Safety).

©BackcountryChronicles.com 203
Obviously, we can't carry everything for all situations, but for safety, we better

pack the PLB and a cell phone just in case there may be a signal, but

remember to turn the cell phone off until needed. If you are in grizzly country,

you better have a magnum sized can of pepper spray (in a holster).

Now, I think the only things not covered are the pruners and Sterno. I used to

carry a machete to clear brush, but on more than one occasion, I needed to

clear away a few sticks and limbs, but I needed to be quiet and a machete

makes too much noise. There is no better blind in the world than a juniper,

oak brush or some other big mountain shrub or the base of a conifer tree, but

you will need the pruners to make space and cut a few shooting holes. These

natural blinds come complete with a variety of bench rests.

Sterno is a brand name of an alcohol based canned heat. You've seen them

used to keep buffet trays warm. They are inexpensive and light weight and

are guaranteed to burn if fresh. They can fit into a little stove so you can

warm water or heat a can on them, but I carry them just to be able to start a

fire when everything is wet. Fire could mean life if you are a long way from

camp and get cold.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 204
Pack Animals
At one time, I owned or took care of more than 30 horses, so I know what it

takes to safely haul them around, handle them and to take care of them. If

you already have horses, you also know what it takes and you know how bad

it can get if something goes wrong on the trail. Believe it or not, the USFS

published a method showing how to use dynamite to blow up dead horses to

remove them from a trail. There was a note about removing horseshoes for

safety reasons (View part of the original document).

There are people that will rent horses, mules or alpacas to pack into and out

of the backcountry. I would never rent one of my horses for that purpose

unless I personally knew the person's skills as a horseman, so I don't know

how that works.

I once asked a guy that rented alpacas about concerns for his animal's well-

being at the hands of inexperienced handlers. He said alpacas were so mild

mannered that anyone could control them and didn't seem too concerned.

Apparently, alpacas can eat almost anything they find along the trail and can

go long periods of time without water, so food and water does not have to be

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packed in for them. The downside is they can only pack about 75 lbs., but

that's 75 lbs you don't have to carry.

Since I no longer keep horses, I pack kills out on my back, with a travois

(more about that later) or in a sled, but I do know a few local people with

horses that I can call for help in an emergency.

A book is not the place to learn how to use pack animals, so if you want to go

that route, hire a professional. If you have your own pack animals, there are

things to consider when taking them across state lines or on public land:

1. Health & Vaccination Certificates

2. Import Permits
3. Certified weed-free hay or alfalfa cubes required on Public Lands

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 Scouting
There is no substitute for having time to scout an area yourself, but nobody

knows an area like a person that has spent hundred of days in the area. If

you can't spend time doing your own scouting you may have to ask for help.

Some people will be helpful but others will just give you the "stink eye" for

asking.

I always talk to the sheepherders. They have been working in the mountains

all summer long, 24 hours per day. They don't always speak English and the

type of guy that searches out this type of job is not usually the most social

person, but they will know where elk have been hanging out. I also talk to

them, because I want to know where they intend to move the sheep during

the hunting season. No point planning to hunt an area only to find a herd of

sheep there.

I've seen many cases where people ask for help on public hunting forums. Be

prepared to take a lot of grief from some about being lazy and how you are

cheating them or yourself, but many times, one of the locals will offer to help

you out, especially if you offer to trade a hunt or fish trip in your "neck of the

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woods". I know hunters that traded help on an elk hunt for an invitation for a

hog, alligator or a redfish trip.

In a perfect world, you will be able to scout at least a week before the hunt

starts. If you don't know the area, you should be scouting roads to find the

best access to roadless areas as much as actually finding animals. In the old

days, topo-maps were the only option. I would lie on the floor and go over

maps for hours, searching for isolated forested areas or potential watering

holes.

Now, I use Google Earth for the same purpose, which also automatically

shows the boundaries for all National Forests lands. Some of the best hunting

areas are on the National Forests adjacent to private lands, especially where

there are no roads, but you must know where the boundaries are.

After looking at maps and/or Google Earth, just get out there and start

scouting. You can learn a lot in a short period of time even if you don't get any

help. Chances are, if you get off the roads you will learn things most of the

locals don't know.

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Every year, I hunt areas I know and also go to new areas just to see what I

could find. I used to say it's never taken me more than two days to find elk,

but in 2016 I found lots of fresh tracks in the snow, but didn't see an elk for

three days in a new area. But finding elk and getting a shot at an elk is not the

same thing. I finally got my elk in that new area on day seven.

Scouting before the limited entry seasons (during the rut) is very useful. The

elk are pre-occupied and the pressure is low. Scouting is not so useful before

the general seasons, because the elk will move based on the hunting

pressure. You can start the opening day with a good strategy, but will most

likely have to adjust you battle plan after that.

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 Field Dressing and Packing Out
It is one thing to drag a 100 lb white-tail across your grandfather's pasture. It

is another thing to pack a mule deer back to your truck in rough country at

9,000 feet and it turns into real work when you have to pack out an elk or

moose.

The pack out is something that has to be planned for and it is much simpler

and faster if you have experience field dressing and butchering.

This book is about hunting elk, but I include this information from the

University of Wyoming (UoW) about mule deer. According to the publication

The Mule Deer Carcass (PDF file), a field dressed (viscera and feet removed)

mule deer weighs 70.4% of live weight. The average field dressed weight of

bucks aged 1.5 - 2.5 years is 102 lbs and the boneless meat weighs 49 lbs

(see Table 27).

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Table 27. Average Mule Deer Live Weight and Boneless Meat

The UoW publication also states that the average mule deer head weighs

about 8.4 lbs and the average skin weighs 9.3 lbs. So, if you had to pack out

a small buck and you kept the head and skin and boned out all the meat, you

will be packing as much as 67 lbs.

A similar UoW publication The Elk Carcass (PDF file) gives live weight and

the weight of boneless meat from elk of different ages. The field dressed

weight of Elk is 70% of the live weight (See Table 28).

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Table 28. Average Elk Live Weight and Weight of Boneless Meat

You can quickly see that packing an elk is whole "nuther" ballgame than

packing a deer, as even elk calves weigh more than 4½ year old mule deer

bucks and can have as much boneless meat as a 6½ year old buck. Luckily

from a packing standpoint and despite many stories of 1,000 lb elk, the vast

majority of bull elk weigh less than 750 lbs. A 750 lb live weight would field

dress to about 525 lbs.

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A friend of mine has a good elk packing story and I still have fun at his

expense about it. About 15 years ago, while he was in the prime of his life, he

killed a cow elk about three miles from the road. He left the head and hide

behind, but packed the meat out in two trips. When he got back home about 2

a.m., I asked him if he had any luck. The first words out of his mouth was "I

will never do that *#*% again!"

It was too warm to hang the carcass in the garage that year, so early the next

morning we butchered and wrapped some steaks and roasts, but the majority

was made into sausage. I estimate there was at least 160 lbs of boneless

meat. Counting his initial hike in to where he shot the cow, he had walked

over 20 miles and the last 6 miles was in total darkness. He lives in another

state now and continues to hunt elk, but now has a horse to pack into camp

and pack out the meat.

I give him credit for making that last trip, because many people would have

left that last load for the predators. I wish there were more hunting shows that

actually show butchering and packing out more than just the head and

antlers.

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In a perfect world, you will shoot your elk within 100 yards of the road, but

don't bet on it. Chances are you won’t be able to drag it out in one piece, so it

will have to be cut into smaller pieces. I prefer to cut an animal up into the

largest pieces I can carry and that is four quarters plus backstraps, loins and

as much neck and rib meat I have time to salvage.

How Much Meat to Pack?

I shot a young cow elk in 2014. It was only about 750 yards from a road at

6:00 pm in the evening. My wife was with me that day so she went back to

move the truck to the closest point using GPS and to retrieve our pack

frames. By the time she returned it was almost dark, but I had the elk almost

ready to pack (see gutless quartering method below). By the time we were

ready to pack the quarters out in four game bags, it was dark.

Its one thing to walk in the dark with a heavy pack, but it is another thing to

return to your kill site in the dark unless it is marked with a light. In the past, I

have wasted too much time trying to find a kill site, or the place I left my pack

or spotting scope in the dark (even using GPS). So, we moved the elk in

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stages keeping everything closer together. It would have been useful to have

“chem lights” or some way to mark both piles of meat as we moved

everything towards the truck.

You should have seen my wife with an elk shoulder sticking out the top of her

REI backpack. I couldn't have been any prouder. I wish I had taken the time

to take pictures.

We packed the quarters only 50 to 100 yards at a time. We had headlamsp,

but it was easier after the moon came up. I only moved forward as far as I

could see back to the last stash of meat. When we moved though thick cover,

my wife stayed at one pile and I shuttled loads to the new stash area and

then we both made the last trip forward.

Because I still had my rifle and day pack and she still had her day pack, it

took three trips to move everything. But that is the same number of trips it

would take if we had walked all the way to the truck with a load and then

returned with empty pack frames.

Anyway, we had the entire load in the truck by midnight, 6 hours later. Not

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bad for two “old folks”.

The next morning when I started butchering, I weighed the quarters without

the pack frames.

Weight of Cow Elk Quarters and Back Straps:

• Hind quarters (hide on, but feet removed) weighed 65 lbs each.
• Front quarter (hide on, but foot removed) weighed 44 lbs.
• Front quarter (hide and foot removed) weighed 38 lbs.
• Back straps - weighed 8 lbs each.

So, including the loins and some additional meat that I salvaged, we packed

out 233 lbs. The heaviest loads were the two hams at 65 lbs each. The heavy

shoulder with the hide plus one backstrap weighted 52 lbs. The light shoulder

(hide removed), one backstrap plus about five lbs of rib & neck meat weighed

51 lbs.

We could have saved additional weight by removing the hide and de-boning

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the meat, but I wanted to keep some pieces of the hide. The hide on the hind

quarter weighed 7 lbs and the bone weighed 6.5 lbs, so I if I took the time to

skin and de-bone each ham, I could have saved 13.5 lbs. The hide on the

shoulders weighs 6 lbs and the bone was 4 lbs, so you could save 10 lbs for

each shoulder if you skinned and de-boned them.

You can save weight by de-boning the meat, but it is easier to tie-down and to

carry rigid quarters with the bone in than lose bags of meat. It's also easier to

throw a rigid quarter over your shoulder than a loose bag of meat. Lose meat

is very hard to secure to a pack frame, a travois or a pole unless you lash

everything very securely.

After butchering, we packaged 132.5 lbs of meat which meant we lost 59.5

lbs to scrap and water/blood loss.

The easiest elk I ever packed was an elk calf. In 2016, I had an Antlerless elk

tag for late December. I hunted hard by myself in at least a foot of snow for

six days. I had seen lots of fresh track and sign, but only saw one elk. I

tracked that bull in the snow until I found him and tried to use him a “Judas” to

lead me to a herd, but I couldn't keep up. The tracks and other sign got

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thicker and more confusing over the next few days, but I never saw another

elk.

Then I brought my good luck charm. My wife told me she would hunt with me

the next day if I could wait until after lunch. I chose a totally new area and we

hiked to a ridge about 600 yards from the truck where she first spotted elk

about 1,000 yards. As we made our way down the slope, I saw two calves

and a cow through the trees. They were feeding in the open sage at 135

yards and I had good shots on the cow and one of the calves. Sonia asked

me take a calf.

While I started skinning the calf, Sonia went back to the truck (now at 1,050

yards according to the GPS) to retrieve our pack frames and an ice fishing

sled.

We only needed the sled for the calf. We were able to put all the meat, the

hide and our pack frames on the sled. It was a tough haul to get over the 125

foot high ridge and the entire trip back to the truck took about 2½ hours. I

estimate the trip at about 1,200 yards, so we set a blazing speed record of

0.27 mph, but it only took one trip.

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We had dragged 96.7 lbs of elk, which turned out to be 58.7 lbs of packaged

meat, 26 lbs of bone and 12 lbs for the hide.

Definitely consider a sled to haul out your elk if there is snow on the ground

and the terrain is not too steep.

Trophy Mounting Considerations

If you plan to have a mount moade of your trophy, make sure to talk to your

taxidermist before the hunt so you will know how to cut the cape and preserve

it the way they recommend.

Consider doing a European mount, which you can do yourself. Also, if you

want the entire hide, it should be removed in one piece, salted, rolled up and

then kept cool or frozen with the rest of the meat.

Gutless Quartering Method

Personally, I like the gutless quartering method because it is simple, quick

and if the animal was not shot in the gut, removes the risk of contamination of

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the meat by gut contents and reduces the risk of exposure to Chronic

Wasting Disease (CWD) (see handling precautions) because you do not

touch spinal tissue. The gutless method can be performed before or after

skinning. There are many good videos online showing this and other

methods. Watching a video will be more useful than reading about it.

Youtube videos:
• Gutless quartering with hide on
• Gutless quartering after skinning

I have used the gutless method and then because I had time, removed the

guts anyway to salvage the heart and liver. Obviously salvaging the meat in a

timely manner is the first objective. Salvage the leg quarters, the backstraps

and the loins (under the backbone, inside the body cavity) first. After you are

sure you can salvage and transport these choice parts, then salvage all the

meat from the ribs and neck and then the organs (heart, liver and kidneys).

If you are working alone, paracord will help hold legs out of the way while you

cut. Simply tie the cord to a leg and then anchor it to a tree or bush. If you are

out in the open, you could drive stakes in the ground or use rocks and

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anchors to tie back the legs.

Butchering takes practice, but don't worry about doing a perfect job. The only

real advice I have is when making cuts, especially when separating the hind

quarters and when removing the backstraps, is to make long, deep cuts.

Don't make dozens of shallow probing cuts. Decide where to cut and go for it.

On the backstraps, let the bone guide your knife.

It is better to have large smooth cuts instead of dozens of rough, jagged

edges. Smooth cuts are easier to keep clean and easier to clean if you get

hair, pine needles or grass on it.

But before we start cutting an animal into pieces, it is important to consider

the legal requirements of tagging your animal and making sure to leave

evidence of sex attached to the carcass.

Tagging & Evidence of Sex

When you first kill your animal attach the tag to an antler or ear so you are

legal and remember to validate the tag. After you quarter or de-bone the

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animal, the tag should remain with the largest portion of meat. I have never

been stopped or questions in the field by a game warden, but wonder what

one would say if I walk out with the first load, especially if it were the head

and antlers without a tag. You should be O.K., but I would take the tag with

the first load to the truck and then transfer it to the largest portion later.

Another reason I usually stage the meat towards the truck; all the meat and

the tag are close together.

Most states require that you leave evidence of sex attached to the animal.

Technically if you separate the head from the body, you have violated that

rule if you don't leave other evidence attached. Some states (or individual

wardens) aren't as tough as they could be and will not hassle you for this, but

others enforce the exact "letter of the law".

The language is different for each state, but the intent of the law is basically

the same. I use Colorado as an example:

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Evidence of Sex in Colorado:
• Buck/Bull: Head, with antlers or horns, attached to carcass, or testicle,
scrotum or penis attached to carcass
• Doe/Cow: Head, udder (mammary) or vulva attached to carcass
• Carcass cut in pieces or de-boned: Evidence of sex only needs to be
attached to 1/4 or another major part of carcass. All portions must be
transported together

So, if I can only pack one quarter at a time, how is that considered being

transported together if part of the elk is in the truck and the rest is a mile

away? And where should the tag be? You can see that it can be a little

confusing. I'll get back to this in a bit.

The easiest way to preserve evidence of sex on a male that has to be

quartered is to skin out the scrotum and leave the testicles or the skinned out

penis attached to a quarter or the largest portion of meat if de-boned. You

can even cut between the testicles and leave one attached to each hind

quarter. Then, the head can be removed as your taxidermists instructed or to

make packing easier.

Note: You could leave the entire scrotum, but hair can contaminate some of

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the meat unless you carry a baggie and a rubber band to wrap the scrotum.

For females, leave the vulva attached to one of the quarters or leave the

mammary glands either skinned or intact.

Transport Rules in CWD Areas

Also keep in mind different states have rules about importing meat and

carcasses to prevent the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). (See

CWD areas here)

You can transport meat across state lines, but there are certain rules that

have to be followed. Check each state you need to drive through (download

PDF here).

Meat and Game Can be transported across State Lines:

• Meat that is cut and wrapped (commercially or privately)

• Quarters or other portion of meat with no part of the spinal column or
head attached
• Meat that is boned out
• Hides with no heads attached

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 • Skulls plates with antlers attached that have been cleaned of all meat
and tissue
• Antlers with no meat or tissue attached
• Upper canine teeth known as buglers, whistlers or ivories
• Finished taxidermy heads

Packing the Meat Out

I'm not going to cover how to pack out an elk by horse or mule. That takes too

much experience than a book can cover. I assume anyone doing that already

has the expertise, knows someone that does or plans on hiring a

professional.

There are four basic ways to pack the meat out with human power:

• Backpacks or pack frames

• Drag on travois or in a sled
• Hang on pole
• Game carts, wheelbarrows or bicycles

Meat can be simply carried in your backpack, but I think pack frames work

better. You can also make a travois (read my post on using a travois) to drag

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meat behind you or just like two people can carry a deer tied to a pole, elk leg

quarters can be tied to a pole and carried. There are a variety of game carts

made to help pack deer and elk.

If you have a relatively short distance to hump, each quarter can be left whole

and packed as is. If it is warm, the hide should be removed to help the meat

cool. If the quarters are likely to freeze, the hides should be left on to prevent

freezing which will make the meat tough if it hasn't aged properly.

If you have a long hike, you may have to remove the hide and de-bone the

meat to reduce the weight. The bones, head and skin make up about half the

field dressed weight. The average head of a bull elk weighs 39 lbs, but one

with a large 6 x 6 or larger set of antlers could easily weight 45 lbs. The skin

averages 34 lbs for bulls and 26 lbs for cows. De-boning the meat allows it to

cool faster, but also increases drying and possible contamination. It also

makes the meat harder to hang for aging and if not chilled quickly, it probably

should not be aged.

If you can carry or drag whole leg quarters (80-100 lbs), keeping the quarters

intact (large pieces still on the bone) are easier to carry than a limp, wet sack

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of meat chunks. Entire quarters or large sections of meat also age better if

that is your intention. The hide can be left on or removed from the leg

quarters. You can leave the hide on if the outside temperature is cool, but

remove it if it is warm. If the hide is left on the quarters, you will have large

pieces of hide that you can tan later.

I use game bags to keep flies, dirt and hair off the meat as much as possible,

but old pillow cases and sheets will also work. You can also work on a small

tarp while quartering in the field to keep out of the dirt.

To keep it all in perspective, you could easily find yourself with 200 - 300 lbs

of boneless meat to move and if you got lucky and killed that bull of a lifetime,

you could be packing as much as 350 lbs or more. The meat of an average

mature bull will require three trips at 67 - 100 lbs per load, 4 trips at 50 - 75

lbs per load and 5 trips at 40 - 60 lbs per load.

Reducing the weight per trip might be better for your back and legs, but you

increase the number of trips you have to make. If you were a mile from the

road, five trips equals 9 total miles and that takes time and effort even with an

empty pack. Also remember that you will already have a partially filled day

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pack, water and a rifle or bow to pack out.

The last time I shot a small buck, I was alone, it was getting dark and I was

about a mile from the road, so I only wanted to make one trip. I cut poles and

lashed together a travois (read post) that I used to drag the buck behind me.

It was not an easy or comfortable trip and I stopped many times to rest and

stretch, but I was back to the road in about an hour. I have never used a

travois to drag an elk, but I think I could make two trips with a travois where I

would have to make four trips with a pack frame. But it takes a fair amount of

time to build and to lash meat properly to the travois.

As previously mentioned, I like to "stage" the meat towards the truck instead

of making one trip all the way to the truck with a full load and then returning

with an empty pack frame (or travois) to the carcass. Move one load at a time

from one shady area or snow bank to another. Sometimes I only move "the

pile" 50 - 100 yards ahead at a time and then returned for another load.

By staging the meat in pieces towards the truck, you will work very hard

carrying or dragging heavy loads for short distances, but are able to rest while

returning the short distance for the next load. Since we are never far away

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from any part of the elk, it will be easier to make sure the meat is kept cool

and unless you are in grizzly country, you don't have to worry about predators

(two or four legged) getting the meat before you get back to it.

Also, by transporting the meat this way, the carcass is being transported

together and the tag is close to all of the bags of meat in case “The Man”

wants to see your tag.

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 Transporting Meat Back Home
I've covered the weight of meat to be packed out on an elk, but not the

volume. The boned out meat from an adult elk requires a volume of about 6.8

cubic feet or about 200 quarts. That can be one big 200 quart cooler or five

40 quart coolers or some kind of homemade cooler you throw together or

build ahead of time.

Remember it will take a little more room if you are transporting whole leg

quarters. To fit them in all but the longest coolers, you will have to separate

the quarters at the knees. Just remember to leave room for dry ice.

There are basically four ways to transport an elk:

1. Expensive store bought hard sided coolers totaling 200 quarts
2. Cheap Styrofoam coolers totaling 200 quarts, reinforced with duct tape
3. Home made cooler that fits in the back of the truck or trailer
4. Small (6.8 - 10 cubic foot) chest freezer and generator

If you already have a 200 quart cooler, all you need is an elk and dry ice and

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you are ready to hit the road. Just remember to protect the meat from direct

contact with the dry ice with layers of newspaper, cardboard or cloth.

Good coolers are expensive, especially the big ones made by companies that

spend lots of money on advertising. Cheap Styrofoam coolers come in sizes

up to 45 quarts, cost about $13 each and are easy to find if you are near a

city large enough to have a Wal-Mart or other big box store. You may not find

them in the small western towns bordering the National Forests. Same is true

for finding dry ice. Large foam coolers up to 78 quarts, supported by

cardboard boxes are available online for about $16 each, but the shipping

costs are ridiculous.

I designed a custom freezer box using rigid foam board panels. A 4 x 8 foot x

2 inch panel (R-10) costs about $32 and can be cut into six pieces, 4 @ 24 x

36 inches and 2 @ 24 x 24 inches to make an elongated box 24 x 36 x 24

inches (20 x 32 x 24 inches inside) capable of holding 8.88 cubic feet (1.3

elk).

Two pieces of foam board (costs $64) can make a box with outside

dimensions of 48 x 32 x 24 inches (44 x 28 x 24 inches inside) for 17.1 cubic

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feet, which is enough to hold 2½ elk.

Three panels (costs $96) can make a box with outside dimensions of 48 x 48

x 48 inches (44 x 44 x 48 inches inside) for 53.7 cubic feet, which is enough

to hold almost 8 elk.

The same three panels can also make a custom box to fit in front of the wheel

houses in the bed of the truck. Depending upon the type and style of the

truck, that is about 64 inches wide and 40 inches from front of the bed box to

wheel housing for a full sized truck. Make the height of the box 28 inches or

less to keep it down out of the wind.

Example Custom Freezer Box

Cut two pieces (top & bottom) of foam board at 60 x 48 inches and that will

leave two pieces at 36 x 48 inches. Cut one of those in half for the two end

pieces at 36 x 20 - 24 inches depending on high you want the box. Then cut 2

pieces at 60 x 20 - 24 inches (the same as you cut the end pieces) out of the

last foam board for the two sides.

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Arranged the ends and sides so the box with an inside measurements of 56 x

32 inches and the top and bottom will fit flush on the outsides. Then

depending upon the height of the end and side pieces you cut, the box will

measure 60 x 36 x 24-28 inches on the outside and hold the meat of 3 - 3½

elk.

It would be one heck of a hunting trip that required a box to hold more than

three elk. Remember to leave room for the dry ice and throw sleeping bags

on top for shade and extra insulation. If you have extra foam panels, an extra

piece on top or bottom wouldn't hurt.

I also built a 2 x 4 frame to help support the box and make sure it fit tight in

the truck bed and didn't slide around. I use duct tape to temporarily seal all

the edges and hold the panels together. The box can be assembled before

the hunting trip and gear could be stored inside, or it can be laid flat in the

bed and assembled when needed. Foam panels are easily broken or

puncture, so pack them carefully if you plan to assemble the box later. If you

plan to put gear in it, protect the foam with a layer of cardboard. After you get

home, simply cut the duct tape and store the panels for next time.

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I've also seen hunters that pack a small chest freezer and a generator. One

guy told me he fills the bottom of the freezer with milk jugs full of water before

leaving home and packs all his perishable groceries in the freezer. The frozen

jugs keep the freezer cold while he is at camp and he drinks the water as it

melts. He would run the generator an hour or so in the evening if needed.

After he killed an elk or deer, he threw out enough of the milk jugs to make

room and hit the road. He loaded both the generator and freezer into the truck

bed or a small trailer and ran the freezer on a power inverter powered by the

truck as he drove home. If your truck doesn't have a power inverter, they can

be purchased for $50 - $100.

Aging Elk Meat

According to the University of Wyoming, (download PDF), elk steaks would

be aged for two weeks at 34 – 37° (F). Anyone interested in aging meat

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should read the PDF file. I will not repeat all the information here, but will

highlight import considerations.

• Ground meat, meat used for jerky and sausage or meat from young
animals does not need to be aged.
• Animals harvested in warm weather and not quickly chilled, wounded or
stressed animals that were trailed for several hours or meat with
extensive wounds should not be aged because lactic acid levels can
lead to sour meat.
• Carcasses with little fat should not be aged because they dry too quickly
• Aging at 65°F for 3 days = 14 days at 34°F, so animals killed in warm
weather and cooled slowly may already be aged

I personally have not tried to age meat at 65° for 3 days, and am a little

surprised the experts recommend it. I have always worried about cooling

meat as quickly as possible. During my general elk season, the daytime high

temperatures are usually in the 50s or low 60s and the lows are in the 20s,

but the temperature is usually in the 40s or less when I've had to quarter and

pack meat. I never hang meat in my garage unless the temperature is less

than 45°F. Otherwise, I butcher and freeze as fast as possible.

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I will add that people that claim not to like the taste of wild game often tell me

the meat I process doesn't taste gamey. I try very hard to cool the meat as

quickly as possible and never allow the guts to contaminate meat.

I also have a rule about the smell of the fat on an animal. If you like the way it

smells, you will like the way it tastes. If not, trim it off and throw it away. It all

depends on what the animal has been eating.

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 Part IV: Safety
We all remember the Boy Scout motto says "Be Prepared". Good advice. The

best thing we can do for our safety and the safety of others is to prepare for

the worst, but hope for the best. Better to have it and not need it vs. need it

and not have it. But be prepared for what?

I'll start by asking a question:

What else you would like to have with you if ___ happed? You fill in the blank.

What else would you want in your pack if:

• Couldn't get back before dark?
• It started snowing?
• Twisted an ankle?
• Broke a leg?
• Came face to face with a grizzly bear?

Remember, you are not a home. You may be 50 miles from a dinky little town

without a single stop light and you may not have cell service until you get

back to the main road 30 miles away.

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This chapter covers a few things to consider. Perhaps these are things you've

already considered, but when I talk to people that aren't use to spending time

in remote areas, these are their most common safety concerns. I added info

about PLBs, altitude sickness and temperatures at elevation because most

people don't seem to be aware of those issues.

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 Safety in Wilderness & Remote Areas
The wide open spaces of the West provide all types of outdoor recreation, but

it seems someone dies every week for one reason or another. The usual

causes are falling, getting caught in an avalanche, drowning or accidents with

OHVs.

In many cases, the person dies because they can not get to help in time or

help can not get to them. Surprisingly, there are many remote areas that have

cell phone service. Seems as if there are just enough areas with cell service

to fool people into believing their phone is the only backup they need. But

most areas will not have service and without a signal, cell phone batteries die

quickly because phones spend all their energy searching for a signal. So, you

may have service when you need it, but your phone will be dead unless you

remembered to turn it off.

People also die or suffer for days because they get lost or injured and nobody

searches for them because nobody knows they are missing. I posted some

stories here if you are interested.

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In the East, it is hard to find a place to get lost that is farther than two miles

from a road, but in the West there are many places to get lost. Statistically,

day hikers and hunters are most likely to get lost. Makes sense, because it's

hard for all those city folk to get lost at the mall.

The millions of acres of public land in the West offer unparalleled

opportunities for recreation, but people can also get in trouble and find

themselves in survival situations.

So, what can you do to reduce the chances you get into trouble in remote

areas?

• Buddy System
• Tell someone
• Turn Off Cell Phone
• PLB
• GPS & Map & Compass
• Hydrate
• Think: What else would you put in your pack if you knew you would not
get back to your vehicle or camp before dark?

Accidents will happen, especially in rough country. A slip, a fall or a rolled

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ankle can change an easy hike back to camp into a nightmare. If you are

alone, you may be in real trouble. If your buddy is nearby, unless you have

broken bones or internal injuries, you may have a long painful trip back to

camp, but you are not in trouble.

If you are alone, you need a back up plan. Your cell phone might work, but

only if you have cell service and battery power. If you turned off your phone

when you left town, you might get lucky. If not, you had better told someone

where you were going and when you should be back. If not, you are in for a

character building experience.

If you don't know anyone in town, tell the motel manager, stop by the sheriff's

office, police station or the BLM or USFS office in the last little town you pass

and tell them. Just make sure you let them know when you come back out

again. If there are others camped nearby, talk to them so they can be your

safety net.

The least you could do for your own safety is put a note on the dash or the

under the wiper of your truck. Write something like this. "If this vehicle is still

here on Tuesday afternoon, Please call Search and Rescue. I left on Monday

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morning to hunt the Middle Fork area."

A Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) is a specific device designed to contact

Search and Rescue satellites. When activated, it sends a signal that will be

received by one of 14 satellites. If the unit has an unobstructed view of the

sky, your location will be detected to within about 100 yards in a few minutes.

If there is not a clear view of the sky, it may take up to an hour to get within 2

miles of your location, but help will already be on the way. Every satellite pass

narrows the search area and searchers in the air on the ground also have

locators that will pick up your signal.

Several years ago, my niece broke her leg in a snow machine accident. Now,

I never go anywhere into the back country without a PLB and since they cost

less than $250 there is no excuse not to have one. I have posted several

articles and reviews on PLBs if you are interested (Read PLB post).

Obviously, if you are hunting in the backcountry at minimum, you need a PLB,

maps, compass and/or GPS (and plenty of batteries) to find the areas you

want to hunt and to get back to camp or to your vehicle.

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 Altitude Sickness
The first time anyone is above 8,000 feet they need to be watched carefully,

especially if they are hiking up and down hills. Most of us have the ability to

adapt our breathing to get the oxygen we need. We may feel the effects and

have to move slower than we would at lower elevations, but we can continue

to function.

For whatever reasons, others can not adapt easily and they quickly show

signs of oxygen depravation or hyperventilation. The signs of altitude

sickness include headaches, unusual fatigue, dizziness, nausea, vomiting or

loss of appetite.

Lack of Oxygen due to altitude can have serious effects on physical activity,

judgment and health. If you or your friends do not recovery quickly and

symptoms get worse, go to lower elevation quickly.

Altitude sickness is common above 8,000 feet, but is not usually a serious

threat unless above 11,500 feet. This is no joke, if a person showing

symptoms of altitude sickness is not moved to lower altitude, they could

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develop hypoxemia and pulmonary edema, which can lead to death.

To illustrate the seriousness, it is illegal for commercial pilots of un-

pressurized aircraft to fly above 10,000 feet without oxygen for more than 30

minutes. Private pilots can not fly above 12,500 feet for more than 30 minutes

and all pilots flying above 14,000 feet for any amount of time are required to

have Oxygen.

Anyone showing signs of altitude sickness should be taken to a lower

elevation immediately. Their symptoms should clear up quickly if the cause

was altitude sickness. They may need a few more days to acclimate, so they

may need to sleep and hunt at lower elevations for a few days.

Many people that come from states with low elevations to ski at our high

elevation ski resorts feel the effects of high elevation and physical exertion

during the day, but most recover during the evening at lower altitudes (if they

don't drink too much).

Disturbed sleeping is another effect of high elevation. Several years ago, I

was working in an area above 9,000 feet. I had been working at altitude all

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summer, so I had no trouble hiking around during the day at those elevations.

But I was used to sleeping at a lower altitude. As I started to fall asleep, my

body tried to find its normal breathing pattern. I would almost fall asleep and

then jerk back awake gasping for air. It took about three nights for me to

adjust enough to sleep well.

If you are camping, it might be a good idea to plan to sleep below 8,000 feet

the first few nights to give yourself time to acclimate and to make sure you

can sleep well.

Also, the combination of altitude and low humidity will cause dehydration must

faster than you can imagine. I never carried a water bottle until I moved to the

West. Hunts in Aug., Sept. and even Oct. can be very warm and dry.

I used to always carry four liters of water in my day pack and usually never

drank more than two liters. Now I carry two liters and a water filter. Before I

got the water filter, I had to cut some hunts short because I drank all 4 liters

before noon. But remember a water filter is no good if there is no water to

filter.

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 Temperatures at High Elevation
High altitude can also surprise you with snow and cold temperatures any time

of year. My house is at about 5,700 feet. During September, there is a high

probability the low temperature will be less than 40°F. For every 1,000 feet

climb in elevation, the temperature drops an average of 5°F. So, at 7,700

feet, there is a good chance the temperature will be less than 30°F and at

9,700 feet expect the temperature to be less than 20°F.

If you want a better idea what conditions to expect, check out actual weather

station data here or Google “Snotel site map”.

The Snotel Sites have other interesting data, if you want to take the time to

find it.

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Examples of Recorded Temperatures & Snow Depth:
• 10,966 feet - northern Utah = 76 to -8°F in August and 74 to -15°F in
Sept. - Snow depth was 7 inches in Sept., 14 inches in Oct. and 24
inches in Nov.
• 9,600 feet - central Colorado = 88 to 22°F in August and 84 to -14°F in
Sept. - Snow depth was 5 inches in Oct. and 15 inches in Nov.
• 9,240 feet - western Wyoming = 88 to 20°F in August and 82 to -2°F in
Sept. - Snow depth was 6 inches in Sept., 22 inches in Oct. and 38
inches in Nov.
• 7,210 feet - western Montana = 84 to 24°F in August, 76 to 14°F in
Sept. - Snow depth was 6 inches Sept., 8 inches in Oct, but only 5
inches in Nov.

It can get below freezing any time of the year above 9,000 feet. You can

expect the temperature to get cold at night in September and October and

you had better bring the real cold weather gear and you may even need snow

shoes in November. Also expect a 40° - 50° F temperature change each day.

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 Safety in Bear Country
All Western states have black bears. Black bear attacks on people are rare,

but usually occur when the black bear actually wants to eat the person.

Grizzly attacks are also rare and usually occur when a female is surprised

and attacks to protect her cubs.

If attacked, the general rule is to fight a black bear, but play dead for a grizzly

bear. Try not to squeal, the sounds get them excited.

If a 350 lb black bear grabs you better fight back, because they probably want

to eat you. They are big, but not invincible. Without knowing you, I would

probably bet on the bear, but at least you have a chance if you fight.

If you don't have or can't reach pepper spray or gun, use sticks, rocks, pots,

backpack or anything else to defend yourself. There is a famous video of a

guy that got in a pond to keep a black bear from attacking him (here).

If a 600 - 1,000 lb griz grabs you, you better go limp. Fighting just makes

them try harder to subdue you. You would have a better chance of fighting an

entire NFL football team armed with knives.

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If you shoot a griz and are not lucky enough to clip the spinal cord or disable

the brain on the 1st shot, shooting them might just make them excited. An elk

can run 100 yards after a double lung shot, so how long do you think a griz

can continue to whip you until it dies? It will eventually die, but you will still die

first.

There has been an increase in the number of grizzly bear-human interactions

at big game carcasses. Some bears have learned that a gun shot means a

free meal. Sometimes they wait impatiently for the gut-pile, but other times

they want the whole carcass and they ain't waiting on you to finish cutting it

up. I hear more stories every year of hunters that loose their elk to grizzly

bears.

Some USFS Campsites provide bear proof food containers. Some areas

require that you bring your own bear proof containers before you can camp

there. Use Common Sense and keep food away from your sleeping area.

Cook and sleep in separate areas.

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Grizzly Bears
If you are going to be outside in grizzly bear country, you need to know where

to expect bears and you need to be prepared. If interested, download the

USFWS publication "Tips for Elk Hunters in Grizzly Country" (Download

PDF).

Yellowstone Area (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho)

In the continental U.S., the main stronghold of grizzly bears is in the Greater

Yellowstone area (Figure 13) in portions of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho.

Depending on the source and how much additional land is included, the

Greater Yellowstone area covers between 6 million and 14 million acres.

The grizzly bear population is estimated at about 600 bears for a density of

between one bear for every 15.6 - 36.5 square miles (one bear per 10,000 –

23,333 acres). The Recovery Plan goal is to maintain at least 500 genetically

diverse grizzly bears in the Yellowstone ecosystem.

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Figure 13. Map of U.S. Grizzly Bear Population Areas (Map modified
from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

The Greater Yellowstone area includes the Shoshone and Bridger-Teton

National Forests of Wyoming, In Idaho that includes the Targhee National

Forest and portions of Caribou National Forest near Yellowstone and the

Gallatin National Forest of Montana just north of Yellowstone.

Grizzly bears are expanding outwards from Yellowstone and have moved

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down the Wind River and Wyoming ranges south of Lander, Wyoming.

In Wyoming, grizzly bears were found as far east from Yellowstone as the

town of Meeteetse (south of Cody). They have also been seen recently in the

Bighorn Basin (desert) and the Big Sandy area of the south Wind River

Range. They have also been seen in the Heart Mountain area north of Cody

and areas south of Lander.

The State of Wyoming strongly recommends individuals recreating in the

Yellowstone area take precautions (including carrying bear pepper spray) to

avoid conflicts with grizzly bears.

Northern Continental Divide (Montana)

The Northern Continental Divide area covers about 7.6 million acres in The

Rocky Mountain section of Northwest Montana but also extends into Alberta.

In 2004, the grizzly bear population was estimated at between 715 - 831

bears in the U.S. portion of the area.

The population was estimated to be growing at 3% per year. If so, the

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populations of grizzly bears could be 1,050 - 1,220 by 2017 (new population

data is hard to find, presumably due to legal action over listing and de-listing

Grizzly Bears under the Endangered Species Act).

If the 2017 grizzly bear population is 1,220 bears, then the density is one

grizzly bear per 9.9 square miles (or one bear per 6,334 acres). The

Population goal of the recovery plan is 800 genetically diverse grizzly bears.

The Northern Continental Divide area includes Glacier National Park, parts of

several National Forests (Kootenai, Flathead, Helena, Lewis and Clark, and

Lolo) and the Bob Marshall, Great Bear, Scapegoat and Mission Mountain

Wilderness Areas.

Grizzly bears have moved back into their former range the high plains as far

as 175 miles east of the mountains (Loma, Montana). USFWS biologists say

there could be as may be as many as 70 – 80 bears in the Great Plains.

Grizzly bears are also extending their range down the mountains towards

Missoula, Montana. A recovered GPS radio collar proved a bear had been in

the Missoula valley.

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Northern Cascades (Washington)
The North Cascades area covers about 6 million acres in Washington State

and about 882,000 acres in British Columbia. The grizzly bear population on

the U.S. side has been estimated at 6 -20 bears for a density of between one

grizzly bear per 475 – 1,583 square miles (or one bear per 1,001,333 –

304,000 acres).

The Northern Cascades area includes North Cascades National Park and

parts of Mount Baker-Snoqualmie and Wenatchee-Okanogan National

Forests as well as the Pasayten, Stephen Mather and Mount Baker

Wilderness areas.

This is a very large area with only a handful of grizzly bears, so chances are

not good to find them here. According to the Seattle Times (July 1, 2011) “For

the first time in nearly half a century, experts have confirmed that a hiker has

photographed a living grizzly bear in the North Cascades of Washington”.

Biologists had confirmed tracks, but have not been able to collect hair

samples.

Obviously, if it took 15 years to get a picture and they can't find hair samples,

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there is not a "grizzer bear" hiding behind every bush in the U.S. portion of

the Cascades. Chances are you will never see one even if you try.

Cabinet Yaak (Montana and Idaho)

The Cabinet-Yaak area covers about 1.66 million acres in Yaak river drainage

and the Cabinet and Purcell mountain ranges in northwestern Montana and

northern Idaho, with additional grizzly bear habitat across the border in

Alberta. The grizzly bear population on the U.S. side in the Cabinet-Yaak

area has been estimated at 30 - 40 bears for a density of one grizzly bear per

65 – 86.7 square miles (one bear per 41,600 – 55,467 acres).

The area Cabinet-Yaak ecosystem includes parts of three National Forests

(Kootenai, Idaho Panhandle and Lolo), the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness

area and the Scotchman Peaks Area (proposed wilderness). The Cabinet-

Yaak ecosystem is a unique in the Northern Rockies as it is a low elevation

“rainforest” and has some of the oldest cedars in North America. The area still

shares a small population of Woodland caribou with Canada.

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In 2007, a grizzly bear was killed in north-central Idaho (most likely a bear

from the Cabinet-Yaak ecosystem), where the last confirmed sighting was in

1946.

If you watch the Discovery Channel's Mountain Men, Tom Oar lives in the

Yaak River valley of the Cabinet Mountains and he pays attention to Grizzly

Bears.

Selkirk Mountains (Washington and Idaho)

The Selkirk Mountain area covers about 1.28 million acres in Washington and

Idaho and connects to more bear habitat in British Columbia. The grizzly bear

population on the U.S. side has been estimated at between 30 – 50 bears.

That is a grizzly bear density of one bear per 40 – 66.7 square miles (or one

bear per 25,600 – 42,667 acres).

The Selkirk Mountains ecosystem includes the Colville and Idaho Panhandle

National Forests and some Idaho State Lands.

Recently, four grizzly bears, including a sow with cubs have been spotted in

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“the wedge”, a piece of land between the Kettle and Columbia Rivers in

northeast Washington. These bears are assumed to be from the Selkirk

Recovery area.

Bitterroot Recovery Area (Idaho/Montana)

The Bitterroot Recovery Area (AKA Selway-Bitterroot) is about 3.6 million

acres mainly in Idaho, but also along the Montana border.

This is a very politicized area as far as grizzly bears are concerned. It has

been proposed that 25 grizzly bears be transplanted to create another

population, but the proposal has been on hold since 2000. Grizzly bears have

been documented there, but currently, the USFWS claims there are no grizzly

bears (population = 0), so any bears found there must just be moving around

and are not considered to be residents.

Grizzly Bears in Colorado or Utah?

The last documented grizzly bears in Colorado was a female with cubs killed

in 1979 (San Juan Mountains), previous last sighting was 1952. Like Bigfoot

sightings, people continue to report seeing grizzly bears in the San Juan

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Mountains and near the 3-corners area with Wyoming and Utah, but none

have be documented by wildlife professionals.

In Utah, the last documented grizzly was killed in northern Utah in 1923. If

interested, search for information about the famous bear “Old Ephraim”.

A Green River fishing guide told me his wife saw a grizzly walking across the

sage in the Flaming Gorge area in 2013 (where I camped the night before we

went fishing). I have no reason to doubt her. She should know the difference

between a grizzly bear and a light colored black bear since they ran a lodge

and guide service in Alaska for many years.

Recently, another person reported to me they saw a grizzly bear just north of

Evanston, Wyoming. That puts them just a few miles from the border in north-

eastern Utah and not far from Colorado. So it appears a few grizzly bears are

in wandering into northern Utah and possibly Colorado in very low numbers.

Arizona, California, New Mexico and Oregon all used to have grizzly bears,

but the last were killed in the 1920s or 1930s. Except for Oregon, there are no

corridors for grizzly bears to return to those areas unless bears first become

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established in Colorado or Utah. California will never have grizzly bears

unless they are re-established in Oregon.

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 Gun or Pepper Spray in Bear Country?
As a guy that has always toted a gun into the backcountry, my response to

that questions used to be "duhhh, I will carry my pistol thank you”. But

considering that grizzly bears are such large predators, they fit into the

category of mega fauna which demands extra respect. Resistance may be

futile.

This FWS PDF Download states that since 1992, 50% of all people that

attempt to protect themselves from grizzly bear attacks with a firearm were

injured. Those that used pepper spray "escaped injury most of the time", and

if they were attacked, their injuries were less serious and the attacks did not

last as long.

So if hunting around Yellowstone or the Northern Continental Divide area, get

a magnum sized pepper spray canister and keep it handy in a holster until

you get back in the truck.

Note: Bear Spray canisters can explode if left on dash of vehicle on hot days.

About 10 years ago, a friend was elk hunting an area east of Yellowstone in

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the Shoshone National Forest (Wyoming). He was bugling for elk from

beneath a fallen tree at the edge of a river. Suddenly, without any warning, a

grizzly bear jumped 15 ft down the bank and landed just feet away from his

hiding spot. The bear was drawn to his bugling calls.

He had a 30-06 rifle, but he said it seemed very puny when faced with the

bear at that distance. He did not have pepper spray. The bear stared at him a

few minutes, then huffed, pawed and slapped at the dirt and faked charged a

dozen times, but never came at him under the tree.

After about 15 minutes, the bear slowly turned and walked away. My friend

was so pumped up on adrenaline, to release the tension he ran out from

under his tree and screamed at the bear. Bad move. The bear turned and

came back and they repeated the whole process again, with the bear

threatening to charge for another 15 minutes before walking away again.

Note to self: If griz wants to walk away... Let him.

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 Safety in Cougar Country
I am not concerned as much about lions as I am bears. Lions are hunted

most places in the West, so they have a healthy respect for people and

barking dogs. Most lion attacks occur in areas where human population

interfaces with wild areas (Orange Co, Ca.; Vancouver Island, B.C.; Boulder,

Co.; Prescott, AZ.) where hunting is not common or where all cougar hunting

has been outlawed by the State Constitution (California).

From 2000 - 2012, as many as 50 people (3.8 per year) have been injured by

mountain lions and four people have been killed (1 person every three years).

Most attacks are on children or on adults riding bicycles. All deaths were

adults that were alone. Most attacks seem to come from starving animals that

attacked people out of desperation.

I have spent many days in lion country the last 25 years and have seen lions

only three times. One time I was in the truck and saw a cub as I came around

the corner on a forest service road, another time a group of us watched a lion

walk down the river behind a friend's house while having Christmas dinner.

I have only seen one lion while on foot, but I have seen many tracks and have

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even seen lion tracks on top of my tracks in the snow. Lions are out there and

no doubt they are watching us.

I have two friends that had close encounters with lions. One was deer hunting

in Colorado. He was watching an area below a short cliff. He got cold, so he

moved away from the cliff to move around and warm up. He started to jog up

a trail when he noticed a lion crouched beside the trail about 15 feet away. He

said it was a tense few moments, until the lion suddenly bounded away. He

was holding his rife in front of him, but said the lion moved so fast, he would

not have time to aim and shoot if the lion had jumped towards him.

The other friend was working for the U.S. Forest Service and was surveying

alone in an isolated area at least ½ mile from the road. He was walking back

toward his truck and was just enjoying being outside on a nice day, when

suddenly he was faced with a lion. He scrambled up a tree with the lion hot

on his tail.

The lion waited at the base of the tree for most of the afternoon and

continued to threaten him every time he moved. He had no weapon or pepper

spray, so his only option was to wait in the tree. He actually wrote a note to

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his family in case he never saw them again. Just before dark, the lion moved

away. He waited about 30 minutes before climbing down from the tree and

walked a big circle away from where he last saw the lion back to his truck.

Later, he heard that a female lion had threatened an elk hunter in the same

area. That lion will never bother anyone again.

I like knowing mountain lions are part of the ecosystem and I like seeing

them, but I also like the fact they usually have respect for people. If you get

that tingly spider sense thing when you are out in the back country, better

“check six”.

The experts recommend that we should not travel alone when in mountain

lion country. The buddy system always makes sense, but is not always

possible or practical. Use common sense. If you keep seeing a lion in the

same area, don't hang out there and keep small animals and children close.

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If Confronted by a Mountain Lion:
• Make yourself appear larger - open your jacket or hold your pack
above your head (if you don't have a weapon; otherwise weapon at
the ready) - do whatever you need to convince the lion that attacking
you will be more trouble than it is worth.
• Stand close to other people and pick up children
• Make noise, fire a warning shot or throw rocks or sticks - any loud noise
that does not sound like a wounded prey animal - anything to break
the animals concentration and give them pause
• Do not run, do not turn your back
• No Eye contact (at first). I have seen advice that recommended no eye
contact and the opposite (maintain eye contact). The Dog Whisperer
recommends “No Touch, No Talk, No Eye Contact” for dogs, but we
all know some dogs can be intimidated by eye contact and body
language. I don’t think any standoff with a mountain lion will last very
long. The lion will either attack or run away after a few seconds. If
not, I would test that lion by looking them in the eye (weapon at the
ready) to see if they looked as if they wanted to get away. Obviously
stop looking at a lion that seemed more agitated.
• Create space, but never turn your back to the lion, allow them an
escape route if cornered
• If attacked, fight like hell; protect your neck and throat with your hands

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 Safety in Wolf Country
I don't worry too much about wolves, but wolves are not very common in my

area. Wolves are more common in the same areas that have grizzly bears.

I had a discussion with some guys that had been camping near Yellowstone

where a wolf had been hanging around their camp (probably just a curious

juvenile). Some of them wanted to shoot it to protect their children and others

wanted to watch it.

No doubt, children and dogs should be watched carefully and kept close if

wolves are hanging around. But what is a single wolf going to do to a group of

full grown men with side arms?

In fact, what could a pack of wolves do to a single adult with a functioning

hand gun? As long as you can see the wolves and have bullets or pepper

spray, I don't think they can do anything.

I can imagine it would be a very scary encounter in the dark, but I can not

imagine that wolves will hang around after hearing a warning shot or

especially after seeing and hearing one of their own take a bullet in the ribs.

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Be advised that wolves (like bears) are protected and in some cases, the

powers that be may not believe your life was in danger. You could be

prosecuted for protecting yourself. Some say "shoot, shovel and shut up", but

I say use your brain and figure out a way to avoid the conflict in the first place.

You came to hunt, not to face a Grand Jury.

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 Part V: Finding Elk and Hunting Strategies
Everyone that hunts elk has a strategy. It may not be a good strategy, but

everyone has one. I've seen guys standing around eating gas station food

and drinking coffee discussing which roads to drive that day. At least they got

up early, got out of the house and they had a plan.

Yes, you can find elk driving around on forest roads. You can stay warm or

cool depending upon the day and you won't get tired or thirsty. Only problem

is your butt might get sore. I don't think it is a great strategy, but most of us do

have a better chance seeing elk from a truck or 4-wheeler on forest road than

we do from our easy chair at the house.

I talked to a hunter a few years ago that shot a nice 6 x 6 bull. He said he was

contemplating a second shot, but decided against it because the elk was

staggering and looked as if it was about to go down.

Then he said he thought WW III had started and bullets were flying over his

head from somewhere above and behind him. When all the commotion

stopped, he walked over to look at his elk. It had at least five more holes in it

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(mostly in the hind quarters). Two very excited hunters ran down from the

road to claim their elk. They were oblivious to the fact the elk had already

been shot, was coughing up blood and could barely stand.

After looking at the ruined meat, he let them keep the elk. And since they

were clueless, he even helped them field dress the elk. He was obviously a

much nicer and more level headed guy than me.

While talking with them, he learned one of the "hunters" had been elk hunting

for 16 years and that was the first elk he ever saw. We assume he meant the

first mature bull he ever saw during the hunting season, but who knows?

His excitement was understandable, but his lack of control is unnerving. It's

hard to believe a person could hunt for 16 years and never see anything. He

was obviously a member of the "let's drive the roads and see if we can get

lucky" crowd. It took him 16 years to get lucky.

I bet I could get your grandmother a shot at an elk if she can walk a little bit,

can be quiet and doesn't wreak of perfume, cigarette smoke or dryer sheets

and it wouldn't take 16 years.

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 Elk Habitat Models
When people ask "where are the elk"? The most common answer is "in dark

timber, on a north slope and away from roads". I've heard this answer many

times and it's generally true. But why is it true?

Wildlife biologist use models to predict habitats used by elk. The models

include variables such as:

• Distance from Roads

• Percentage of Forest Cover
• Distance to Cover
• Distance to Water
• Slope and Aspect
• Amount of Dietary Digestible Energy

By observing where radio-collared animals actually spend time and by using

certain combinations of these variables, biologist can predict areas where

there is a high, medium or low probability of finding elk.

Obviously, an area that has a high probability of holding elk may not have any

elk after someone sets up camp there and an area that normally has a low

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probability may have elk because they were temporarily pushed there. Deer

might walk through your hunting camp at night, but elk will not.

Models differ from one place to another because the variables differ. Water is

hard to find in some places but not others. Some areas have low rounded

hills and other have very steep slopes. Some areas are crisscrossed with

roads and others are virtually roadless. Some habitats are continuous forest

and others are a patch work of trees and open areas.

But there are several variables that always seem to rise to the top.

The probability of finding elk is greater in these areas:

• Areas with greater Distance from Roads
• Areas with Northern Aspects
• Areas with Moderate to Steep Slopes
• Areas with Higher Percentage Forest Cover
• Areas with higher Dietary Digestible Energy

Let's discuss why these factors are generally true.

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Distance from Roads
Elk use is highest in areas with distances greater than 1 km (0.62 mile) from

class 1 & 2 roads and greater than 1.33 km (1,330 meters or 0.82 mile) from

class 3 or 4 roads. Class 1 roads are State and Federal Highways, Class 2

roads are county roads and USFS 2 digits roads, Class 3 Roads branch off

Class 2 roads and Class 4 roads are branches off class 3 roads (“2-tracks”).

Elk tolerate high traffic, high speed roads better than the small roads. Traffic

zooming by at 60 mph doesn't bother elk as much as 4-wheelers riding up

and down every road in the forest.

As a wildlife biologist, I have always been told the 90% of the hunters never

get ¼ mile away from a road. I never knew where that information came from,

but a recent study on hunter activity in Montana (Download PDF) shows that

78 hunters averaged walking 6.6 miles per day, but their average path was

only 292 yards from a road. The average maximum distance from the road

was 618 yards and only three hunters got more than 1 km (1,094 yards) from

a road. The study noted that experienced hunters averaged 768 yards and

inexperienced hunters averaged 486 yards from roads.

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Wow. It appears the average hunter might be willing to take a 500 yard shot,

but will not walk that far away from the road.

So, if elk prefer areas at least 1.33 km (0.83 miles) from small roads and only

3 out of 78 hunters (3.8%) travel 1 km from the road, there seems to be some

opportunity for the average hunter to find elk if they are willing and able to

walk.

Slope & Aspect

Elk use is highest in areas with a slope of 20% or more, but they generally

prefer slopes between 10 - 30%. Are the models telling us elk don't like flat

areas? No. They are telling us where elk spend most of their time.

It is obvious that some of these factors are auto-correlated, meaning there

may be related reasons (not independent reasons) that elk seem to choose

some of these variables over others.

Example: Elk pick areas farther from roads and also choose areas with

higher slopes. Roads are hard to build and are more expensive in areas with

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high slope. Chances are, if the area was flat, foresters, herdsmen and

hunters would have trampled out trails and built roads many years ago. So, if

elk avoid roads and if most roads are built in flat areas, it makes sense that

elk spend much of their time in steeper areas.

Elk often rest in flat areas on ridge tops, so I am sure elk don't have anything

against flat areas, but they always choose ridges that don't have roads on

them.

Elk are not intimidated by very steep hills. Every day, they go up and down

slopes that we look at and dread climbing. They often feed on hillsides so

steep, that we have a hard time standing up.

Forest Cover
Elk use is highest in the thickest forest cover. This seems to be true in areas

with lots of deep dark forest and also true in areas that are only forested on

the north slopes because southern slopes are too dry for trees (another auto-

correlation issue).

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Some studies even suggest that minimum size of cover areas for elk need to

be at least 30 - 60 acres. Other studies tell us that elk do not use patches of

open country larger than 30 acres because it creates too much open areas

that are too far from cover. This may be true for heavily timbered areas of

Washington and Oregon, but it is not true for drier areas such as sage or

Pinyon-Juniper (PJ). Elk are moving back into treeless areas, but only in

areas where they are not disturbed (read abstract of study).

Food - Dietary Digestible Energy

It doesn't matter if all the other requirements are met, elk need food.

Biologists estimate the amount of Dietary Digestible Energy (DDE) and

compare different areas using systematic field and lab sampling methods.

Most areas are not devoid of elk because there is not enough food. There

might not be enough food to hold a large herd for several weeks, but few

areas are completely grazed and browsed unless cows and sheep have

grazed an area too long.

Elk have the ability to eat grass as well as browse on shrubs, trees and forbs.

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Like other ungulates, if they have a choice, they tend to avoid areas that have

lots of their own manure on the ground. Parasites have evolved some

complicated methods to get back inside another host and the elk's best

defense against this is by avoiding areas near fresh droppings.

Where ungulates are not fenced, they do not usually overgraze the area

because they can move to new areas. Obviously, conditions such as drought

or deep snow change the rules so feeding areas are reduced and animals

may not have a choice where they feed.

DDE may be a good model for the biologist to predict areas to find elk, but it

is not very useful to a hunter especially during a short hunting season.

Water can be a Special Case

Elk can get much of the water they need from eating snow or from lush

vegetation, but if that is not available, they have to drink everyday. In some

habitats finding water is not a problem. If you stand still long enough in the

Pacific Northwest, you will be soaking wet and moss will grow on you like it

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grows on all the trees. Finding water there is easy. Finding water is also

usually easy at high elevations, but it is not always easy in dry sage, PJ and

oak brush areas at low and mid elevations.

In fact, the only areas settled in the Inter-mountain West are valleys with

permanent water. Snow piles up in the mountains during the winter and melts

in the spring. Water runs off down creeks and rivers into the valleys. Man has

built many reservoirs to collect as much of the water from melting snow as

possible. In many areas, water has to be hauled in by truck on a daily basis to

water cattle or sheep and you better believe the deer and elk drink that water

too.

I know of a very dry sage/PJ area that always has elk, but I have never found

a permanent water supply. The elk stay in this area all year long, so I know

water must be there somewhere. The closest water is a reservoir about six

miles downhill, but it's on the other side of a major highway, so I don't think

they regularly go that far. They must be crossing the ridge into the next

canyon to the west, but I haven't found any major trails yet. When I do, that

will be an obvious place to set up an ambush.

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In dry areas, knowing where seeps, springs and ponds are can increase your

chances of finding elk. In areas where they are not disturbed, they will splash

around in the water or a muddy wallow on a hot afternoon, but often, they will

creep out of cover just before dark to drink.

Obviously, elk rely on a combination of factors to meet their dietary, thermal

and hiding cover requirements. Some recent papers seem to indicate thermal

cover is the least important of these, but no doubt, dietary requirements must

be met and they must have the ability to escape from or avoid detection by

predators, including humans.

Our best chance of finding elk, especially after they have been pressured is to

get off the roads and trails. Look in thickest timber and look for isolated water

sources where water is limited.

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 Hunting Strategies before the Rut
Most bow seasons and some muzzleloader seasons begin in August or early

September before the rut. By mid August, most antlers are still in velvet, but

growth usually stops soon after and the velvet starts to slough off and/or

rubbed off on small trees and shrubs. Bulls live in small groups with other

bulls most of the year, but start to separate and start paying attention to and

try to start herding the cows and form the harems from the end of August until

the end of the rut.

Elk talk to each other all year round, but the serious all-day and all-night

bugling is in the peak of the rut. The peak of the rut is generally the last two

weeks of September. Elk are easy to find when they are rutting.

The weather can be very warm even at high elevations, so elk will spend

most time in the coolest, shadiest places they can find. Hunting near ponds,

springs or wallows may be the only option when it is hot. Elk may not move

until after it is dark or the heat and thirst may drive them to water just before

dark. They obviously need to drink but they also come to wallow and play in

the water.

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In areas with rivers or permanent streams, you may not be able to pin point

where they will drink, but look for elk sign and a well worn path. Ponds that do

not have roads going to them are always a good bet. If there are no ponds,

watch active trails in shady areas.

Bugling is not likely to call elk in August and early September as it is during

the rut, but it might get an elk to respond. Also try using a cow/calf call from

time to time to see if elk will call back to you, but don't over do it.

I've heard more that one guide say that elk call less now than they used to,

because so many people have called them in over the past 8 or 10 years.

They say the elk have learned to be quiet. This is all purely anecdotal

evidence with no real scientific evidence to back the claim up yet, but I do

believe elk can learn to recognize human calls because I have seen it with

other animals that have smaller brains.

But also think about it this way. If elk were easy to call in and thousands of elk

have been killed using calls during the last 10 years, which elk were left to

father all the babies? Elk that didn't get killed because they didn't respond to

calls. That is natural selection. A similar thing has been happening with

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rattlesnakes in populated areas. If a snake rattled, it was killed. The snake

that couldn't rattle or didn't rattle was not seen or heard lived to put their

genes into the next generation. Should we be surprised that there are rattle-

less rattlesnakes now?

Like the old saying about people, you may fool some of the animals part of

the time, but you can't fool all of the animals all of the time. My advice is to

bugle and to use cow/calf calls, but use them sparingly. Leave doubt in an

animals mind about what he may have heard. Do not call so loudly or so often

that they become suspicious.

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 Hunting Strategies during the Rut
The peak of the rut varies some between one state and the next, and varies

year to year, but it is generally very close to the first day of fall, which will be

either the 22nd or 23rd until the year 2020. A more scientific approach would

be to see when most calves are born and back date to see when most

breeding occurred. The problem with that seems to be a wide range of

estimates of the gestation period ranging from 240 to 260 days.

One source indicated that ranched elk (not wild) have a gestation period of

about 255 days. Another source from the National Elk Refuge puts gestation

at between 246 and 250 days.

Another study (in Yellowstone NP) estimated elk birth dates between May 16

and June 10. With a 246 - 250 day gestation, that puts breeding between

Sept 8 and Oct 7. Most births occurred between May 26 and June 2, which

puts the peak breeding between Sept 18 and Sept 29.

An older, 1985 study lists the median dates of conception in Oregon at

between 25 September to 13 October.

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Elk Birth Dates from a Wyoming Study (data from 4 sites in Western

Wyoming, some sites with two years data):

• Births May 20 - June 9, breeding Sept 12 - Oct 2

• Births May 23 - July 2, breeding Sept 15 - Oct 29
• Births May 17 - June 19, breeding Sept 9 - Oct 16
• Births May 31 - June 8, breeding Sept 23 - Oct 5
• Births May 21 - June 17, breeding Sept 13 - Oct 14
• Births May 13 - June 23, breeding Sept 5 - Oct 20
• Births May 18 - June 11, breeding Sept 10 - Oct 8

The rut is obviously the best time to hunt bull elk because they are so

preoccupied with finding, holding and breeding cows. Start hunting before

light, so you can listen for bugling bulls.

This is also the time the spike bulls get pushed away from the herd for the

first time. Until the rut, they hang with the herd, but as the rut comes on, they

are pushed out by the older bulls and by the cows. They run around the forest

not knowing what to do. They want to stick with the herd, but the bulls don't

let them. This is when they join their first bachelor herds with other spikes and

young bulls. These bachelors will respond to cow calls.

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Maintaining a harem is a full time job for the herd bull and they barely have

time to eat or sleep trying to keep satellite bulls away from the cows and

trying to keep the cows herded up. So the satellite bulls are usually the

easiest to get to respond to a cow call because they are looking for any cow

they can find. The trophy bull may not be so easy. Why would a bull leave 6

or 8 cows in the hand for one in the bush?

Bugling is the best way to get a mature bull to come in. This works best if you

have a buddy because you want the elk to concentrate on finding the sound.

If you are the sound, it is hard to lure them in and get a shot at the same time.

Make sure your buddy is set up behind you.

Earlier, I mentioned you shouldn't use the bugle too much before the rut, but

during the rut you need to bugle like another mature bull intent on taking the

entire harem away. The problem is at long distances (more than 300 yards),

the bull may push his cows away instead of come to a challenge, so you have

to get close so he can't ignore you. Just be careful, because the problem with

getting close means a lot of eyes and noses to see or smell you. I also

suspect there are many bulls that can tell the difference between real elk and

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manmade calls.

The best strategy during the rut is to move, listen, make cow calls often but

bugle occasionally until you find the bull you want. Then experiment to find

out what it takes to bring him to you. Always pay attention to the wind. If you

hear an elk respond, you better get ready for a shot because a bull elk can

show up faster (and quieter) than you can imagine.

A Late Season Rut Experience

One of my most amazing experiences was actually very late in the season

(Oct 18 - 20), the last three days of the general elk rifle season when the rut

should have been over.

I was hunting with a spike tag and also had a cow tag. I had hunted several

areas the previous days and saw lots of mature bull elk (even a bull moose)

but saw no spikes or cows. I had not heard elk bugling for several weeks. I

found lots of fresh sign, so I set up where I could watch a hillside where I had

seen elk before. No luck the first evening.

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When I was younger, I would have slept right there on the ground, but I was

so close, I slept in the truck. The plan was to get up early and slip into

another open area before sunrise.

The elk started screaming about midnight when the moon came up and

continued to bugle all night. Some times I could see them in the moonlight,

but mostly I listened to sounds of bugling and antlers crashing only 50 or 60

yards away as elk fought each other and destroyed small trees most of the

night.

The area was a mix of Pinyon-Juniper and open sage areas and the truck

was tucked back into a group of junipers, but the elk had to know it was there.

Things would get quiet for a while, and then start up again about every hour.

It was amazing to watch and listen to, but I barely got any sleep.

My plan to get up early was nixed. The elk stayed so close to the truck I didn't

think I could climb out the back without spooking them. Finally, well after light,

they started moving away and I was able to get out of the truck and grab my

gear. I choked down a granola bar and tried to keep up with them as they

headed up the slope through the PJ. I was concentrating on the sound of the

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dominant bull as he continued to bugle as they went up the hill.

I tried to move quickly and quietly at the same time, but got busted by two

small bulls (a 5 x 5 and a 4 x 4) that were following the herd. I simply froze

and covered my face with my hand so I could still look at them. I have used

this trick many times. Elk will not question what they smell, but they do

question what they see. If they see you, freeze!

The two bulls stared intently at me for about 30 seconds from only 90 yards

away, then casually turned and moved away into the trees. I was right behind

the herd as they went up the slope, but I only had brief glimpses of cows

through the trees. I hunted the area the rest of the day and slept in the truck

again that night. Again, the elk bugled all night long, but they were farther

away.

Elk were still bugling at sunrise and I got another good look at a nice 6 x 6

bull at about 150 yards, but didn't get a shot at a cow. I'm not surprised I

didn't see a spike with mature bulls that were still bugling and I had to eat the

spike tag that year, but I learned that elk will continue to bugle late into the

season in areas where they are not pressured.

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 Hunting Strategies after the Rut
Bulls start to lose interest in holding the harem together as most of the cows

are bred and go out of heat. The bulls that fought each other so hard during

the rut start hanging out together again. The elk concentrate on eating now,

so they can put on weight to get through the winter. They are back to their

normal behavior and concentrate on surviving instead of breeding.

Most people hunt during the general rifle seasons, so this is when elk get the

most pressure and move as far away from hunting pressure as they can get.

Most of the time, that means they get farther away from roads, but sometimes

they just move to an undisturbed ridge. This is the toughest time to get close

to elk, but it's not impossible.

If there is a lot of hunting pressure, they may only feed at night. I joke about

elk turning into vampires that you will never see in the sunlight. Often, you will

see them come out of the trees and feed up a hillside, staying in the shadows

as the Sun sets. It's as if the sunlight would kill them. The challenge then is to

get in position for a shot before it gets too dark.

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As the weather cools and the plants stop growing, elk have to move more to

find good food. Elk can eat snow, but if it is dry, they still have to go to water

every day. Many times, they seem content to hang in the same patch of forest

for most of the day.

I was hunting above a canyon one afternoon and saw another hunter drive

into view on the opposite side. He walked down from the road into the trees. I

don't know how far he walked into the trees, but after about 30 minutes he

walked back up out and got on his 4-wheeler and drove away.

Just before sunset, a mature bull came out of the same trees and began

feeding along the edge of the cliff just 50 or 60 yards from where the hunter

went into the woods. That elk stayed in that small patch of trees all day.

A good strategy this time of year is to hunt elk from above. Get to a high ridge

early and spend lots of time looking through binos or scopes. Now, your time

is better spent looking than walking. Look for elk bodies flashing in the Sun

and for movement in the shade.

I heard an old guide say that he had jumped many elk from their beds in the

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trees, but never shot one. Same is true for me, except that I could have shot

elk that I bumped out of bed while I was hunting deer or grouse.

The goal is to first locate elk and then try to get close. If you see them just

before dark, you will have to make a plan to get close to them the next

morning or afternoon. If they aren't disturbed, they may come out at the same

place the next day.

I find most elk on ridge tops and saddles with cover or in the thickest timber

on the upper third or forth of a slope, even on very steep hills. They seem to

choose these locations so they can run down hill if disturbed from above and

run over the top of the ridge if disturbed from below.

Figure 14 is a photo I took late one afternoon about an hour before dark. I

know everyone wants to see nice close pics of monster bull elk, but I chose

this photo because this is how you usually see them first.

I found a water hole about a mile from the road on the north side of a hill and

found lots of fresh elk sign. I set up downwind of the pond and waited. No

luck at the pond, but four mature bull elk came out of the trees on the west

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Figure 14. Four Bull Elk on Hillside.

face of the opposite hill and started feeding. They were about 1,000 yards

away and about 800 feet higher in elevation.

My spike tag was no use for these big boys, so no point in leaving my position

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before it got dark, so I watched them until it was dark. The rut was over, but

they still sparred with each other a few times because I could hear antlers

clashing that far away.

If I were hunting mature bulls, I know where I would want to be at the same

time the next day. This area was about a mile from the road below and about

two miles from a road higher up on top. There are only three arrows on the

photo, but two bulls are close together on the far right.

The elk had spent the day in a patch of mixed conifers on the north side (left

of elk) of the hill (upper third of hill). They came out to feed in the mountain

shrub on the west side of the hill. Also, by looking at the cone in the picture,

you can tell I was sitting under a Douglas fir.

Another strategy this time of year is to make cow or calf calls occasionally as

you move through the trees. Elk can make a lot of noise as they move

around, so they expect to hear footsteps as other elk move around. They can

make a hellacious noise when hooves hit downed logs, like a sledge hammer,

but they are usually in a hurry when they do that.

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Just try to make the patterns of your steps sound more like elk or deer that

are alternately moving and stopping and not like the regular crunch-crunch-

crunch of people walking. If you accidentally step on a stick and make an

extra loud noise, follow it up quickly with a cow or calf call.

Other hunters in the field can actually be a good thing this time of year. Say a

thank you to that tough sole that climbed the ridge and bumped the elk. Now

they have to go somewhere else and it might be straight to you.

There are many places with roads in the valley bottoms and on the ridge tops,

but no access except by foot or by horse in between the roads. You can bet

there will be hunters on top and in the bottoms. Look for the major elk

highways between the two.

Pay attention to what other hunters are doing. If you can anticipate where

they are going, you can use them to push animals too you. Many hunters

work in teams and purposely drive animals to their team mates. In my mind,

this strategy doesn't follow the rules of fair chase, but it's your hunt so the

decision is up to you.

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And sometimes you just plain get lucky. I had a very close encounter with elk

while deer hunting (muzzleloader in early October). I was hunting a new area

in the afternoon. I had just left the truck and started up a hillside in the aspen.

I hadn't moved more than 100 yards up the hill when I heard a cow call. I

instantly froze and listened.

Two cows, two calves and a 6 x 6 bull came out of the trees on the opposite

side of the canyon. It wasn't elk season, so I just watched them. They came

straight down the hill, crossed the road near my truck and started up my side

of the hill straight towards me.

I pulled my camera out of my pocket and turned it on. The cows and calves

were in front and the bull followed. The cows came so close, I knew they were

going to catch my scent any moment, but the first cow passed me at less than

20 yards.

I blindly snapped pictures with the camera held over my head. Every time the

camera made the digital clicking sound, the elk would jerk their heads around

trying to find the sound. They had to see my hand moving, but they didn't

spook until they caught my scent.

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If it had been elk season, I would not have been taking pictures, but I don't

know if I could have gotten a shot at the bull or not. I could have harvested a

cow or a calf. I had better looks at the cows and calves than any of the

photos. My favorite photo is the "peek a boo" calf in Figure 15.

Figure 15. "Peek-a-boo" Elk Calf at 20 yards.

Two days later, while hunting the opposite side of the canyon, my wife and I

walked up on the same group of elk again. We were moving through thick

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conifers with lots of duff on the ground so we were able to move silently. They

stood still and just looked at us for several seconds. They were uphill at about

50 yards and I put the muzzleloader on the bull just to see if I had time for a

shot. I could have shot any one of that group. It's a rare thing to get that close

two days in a row. It makes me think these elk had not been shot at before.

Definitely a place I will try again next year when I have a cow tag.

Another hunting strategy, when the elk are pressured is to think of the worst

possible place to pack out an elk, like uphill in steep terrain. So you know if

you are looking down into a steep canyon with forest cover in the bottom,

everyone else that stood where you are just shook their heads, put their tails

between their legs and went somewhere else. I've done it myself. I've also

hiked down into places like that and found elk.

If you're still young and dumb, with muscles between your ears, especially if

you have someone to help pack the elk out, go for it. You may find elk and

will definitely have a good story to tell.

Also, if you are not in grizzly bear country, plan on spending a few nights

sleeping under the stars. I don't do this as much as I used to, but take extra

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clothes, extra granola bars and a sleeping bag. I call this cold camping,

because I don't build a fire. It's not really camping, just sleeping in the woods.

I've done it for fun since I was kid and I highly recommend it because it is

amazing what you can see and hear at night.

Sleeping out will usually put you in a good position the next morning. You

could crash your way up the hill before sunrise and tell all the elk your coming

or you could slip up there the afternoon before, hunt that evening, sleep and

be ready to hunt the next morning.

Late Season Hunting

Sooner than later, it will snow in elk country and by late season, the snow can

be deep. Snow causes elk to move down to find food. Some of the bulls will

stay at higher elevations, content to feed in two feet of snow or exposed

ridges where the wind blows the snow away, but most animals move to lower

elevations and start forming larger herds. The bulls form bachelor herds and

the cows and calves herd together, but you can also find cows and bulls

together.

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Snow can be your friend or your enemy. New snow covers everything, so all

sign you see is fresh sign. If it snowed last night and you see elk pellets and

piss holes melted down into the snow, you know elk were there just a few

hours ago and their tracks will lead you straight to them. Fresh snow also lets

you move quietly and deep snow make elk work harder to find food, so they

may still be feeding in the open for several hours after the sun is up. But you

also have to work harder to move in deep snow.

After a few days, the cold nights will make the light fluffy snow crust over so

every step is a difficult, crunchy explosion of sound. You can't sneak up on

anything and it is hard to cover ground in deep snow even with snow shoes.

If it has been several days since a new snow, the tracks and sign can

become overwhelming in some of the feeding or bedding areas with so many

tracks going in all directions that you can't make any sense of where they are

coming from or where they are going.

But keep looking for trails that are between the bedding and feeding areas.

The season is short and you won't get to hunt again until next year, so hunt

hard everyday. The luckiest hunters are those that work the hardest.

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 Your Scent and the Wind
When hunting, we must always pay attention to the wind because of our

scent. I said this earlier but it is so important, I will say it again. Elk can see

you and still forget about what they saw if you freeze (even at close range).

They can hear you and not get too upset if you stop making noise. But if they

smell you, it's over. They are gone.

Most people use so many scented products today, they get olfactory fatigue

and stop noticing, so we use more stuff to "smell good".

Several years ago, my wife and I started trying to remove unnecessary scents

from our lives. Since then, I notice how much everyone else "stinks". When

I'm talking to someone, I can smell their deodorant, cologne, aftershave,

shampoo, laundry soap, scented candles, air fresheners, dryer sheets and

cigarettes. I can smell the neighbor's dryer sheets when I walk past their

houses. I can also smell elk in the woods.

I think it is important to pay as much attention to your scent as you do to the

wind, because we can't control the wind.

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I use the enzyme soaps, shampoos and the scent blocker sprays on myself

and on my clothes, but they don't work as well when you are climbing hills

and sweating as they do when you are snoozing in a blind.

It helps to walk away from the truck smelling like nothing instead of the

proverbial "French whore", so if it is not part of your normal habit, stop using

scents on your body and start washing your clothes in scent free and/or scent

removing products before the hunt starts. Real men don't use dryer sheets

anyway. Problem is, if you wife uses them, the dryer will be coated with scent,

so air dry your hunting clothes.

You've probably seen the claims that scents used in laundry detergent

increase UV light reflectance. Research at the University of Georgia on deer

shows they can see yellow and blue portion of the wavelength nearest the

UV, so the scent may make our clothes more visible to deer (and presumably

to elk) than blaze orange.

Evidently, this can also be a problem for all camo made in China, where they

use UV-brighteners on the cloth. You can check this with a black light. And

yes, you better believe someone makes a "UV-killer" product. I question if this

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is real science or just marketing.

I have been busted in the open many times by elk. No question that they saw

me. I stood still and covered my face and in almost every instance when they

had not yet smelled me, they returned to what they were doing.

Does scent make your clothes glow? Does camo made in China glow? Who

knows, but I know this. Elk see movement, but they can forget it if you don't

move again. If they smell you, game over.

Note: One of the best products I've found is Tom's unscented deodorant. It is

scent free and works because it contains salts that keep the bacteria from

growing and that reduces odor.

For anyone that has been camping before, you know how strong the campfire

smell can be on your clothes. You may not notice too much until after you get

home and take a shower. When you pick up your dirty clothes, that's when

you really notice.

I've heard people say that elk are used to the smell of smoke because it is a

natural odor. Smoke might be, but cooking odors are not. I say keep your

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hunting clothes away from the smoke as much as possible.

When you get back to camp, change clothes and put your hunting clothes in a

plastic bag along with some of the local plants. Which do you think is best?

Local plant smells or smoke and cooking odors? Plus, if you are in bear

country, you don't want any food odors anywhere close to where you sleep.

Anyway, the point is to start thinking about the scents you use and do what

you can to get them off of you and your clothes. Enough about scents, let's

get back to the wind.

The prevailing winds in western North America come from the west. It might

be from the southwest on a warm front or the northwest with a cold front, but

it is rare here in the West to have a wind from the east for more than a few

hours.

During the hottest part of the day, the Sun heats the air and it starts to rise. In

the mountains this means the air moves upslope. So, there are both vertical

and horizontal components of the wind.

The wind generally blows uphill when the Sun is heating the air. As the Sun

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sets, the air aloft cools and you can actually fill the air sliding downhill as it

gathers in low places (just like water) and flows downhill out of the canyons.

Wind is always an issue in the mountains. Despite the prevailing winds from

the west and the predictable rising winds in the hot part of the day and the

sinking winds as the air cools, the wind always swirls behind ridges and along

tree lines. Think about how the wind can swirl the next time you watch water

moving in a stream.

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 Elk Sign
Tracks
After you get used to looking at tracks it is fairly easy to separate elk from

other ungulates such as deer, domestic sheep, moose and cattle. The same

is true for identifying scat, pellets or droppings. One problem is all animals

have babies, so nearly half of the tracks on the ground can be miniature

versions. The good news is that babies are never alone for long, so adult

tracks are always nearby.

Elk tracks are more rounded than both deer and moose. They are obviously

larger then deer, but smaller than moose. Adult elk tracks are usually 4 - 4 7/8

inches long with back feet slightly larger than front feet. Dew claw marks can

be seen in deep snow or mud and when elk are running or descending steep

banks (see diagram of deer, elk and moose tracks for comparison).

Mule deer tracks are usually between 2 3/8 - 3¼ inches long and even the

smallest moose (Shirus subspecies) tracks can be over 6 inches long.

Cow elk tracks are about the same size as my size 10 boot heel and Bull elk

tracks are a little larger. When walking, cow elk have about the same length

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between steps as an average sized person. The distance between tracks of

bull elk and moose are longer and the distance between deer tracks (when

walking) are shorter.

Obviously the length between tracks is much longer when animals are

running or bounding. I have seen elk bound over 20 feet when running and

jumping over downed logs.

Adult domestic cow and bull prints are big and blocky, but calf tracks can be

very similar in size and shape to adult elk. Since cows also leave behind lots

of cow pies, you won't be fooled for long.

But finding elk tracks don't necessarily mean you have found elk. Elk can be

miles away from fresh tracks made a few hours ago, but fresh tracks are

usually a good sign, especially if there is lots of other fresh sign to go along

with the tracks.

If elk are moving quickly, tracks will be more of a straight line with less

wandering and many elk will walk in the same track. Also, elk don't leave a lot

of signs of feeding and droppings in areas when they are moving quickly.

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Pellet Groups
On average, deer and elk poop about 12 times per day, so biologists use

pellet count data to estimate how many elk or deer have been in an area for a

specific period of time. Obviously nobody counts every pellet group in a field,

but small randomly selected plots or transects are counted to get an estimate

of the total number.

For example, if we ran across a large opening with lots of fresh elk pellets, we

could count the number of pellets in four different 5 x 5 meter areas (100

square meters) and add them up. If we found 8 pellet groups, that would

translate to 800 pellet groups per hectare (10,000 square meters).

If you prefer acres, divide by 2.47 to get 324 pellet groups per acre. Divide

that number by 12 to get 27 elk days per acre. That could mean 27 elk were

there for 24 hours or 4 elk for about 7 days.

But if you only counted fresh pellets, you would know most of those pellets

were not older than a day or so, so many elk have been through that area the

last day or so.

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A problem with estimating use from scat and pellets in the West is they last so

long because of the dry and cold. In many areas, the only moisture comes in

the form of snow so bacteria and fungi can't do much work in the cold and it's

too dry for things to decay when the weather warms up.

When I lived in the South, a pile of dog poo would melt and disappear within a

couple of weeks and leave a green spot in the grass. Here in the dry

Intermountain-west, coyote scat will dry up and last at least two winters.

Same is true with elk pellets, they eventually break down and wash or blow

away, but in most places, you will find at least three years worth of deer, elk

and rabbit pellets.

Depending on the season and how much water elk have been drinking, it can

be difficult telling the difference between elk and sheep droppings. They can

also look a lot like moose pellets.

Generally, elk pellets are larger than deer (photo of mule deer pellets), but

smaller than moose, but there can be some size overlap especially

considering yearlings. The “scat” book says the average dry elk pellets are ¾

inch to 1 inch long and usually have one end that is concave where one pellet

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pushed the next one out (photo of elk pellets). Notice the pellets in the photo

to the left of my boot are a little older and have been smashed where another

elk laid on them. I scaled the photo based on my shoe width. The inch square

scale shows most of the pellets are less than 1 inch long.

Wet pellets can look more like sheep droppings with larger “patties” pressed

together. The average dry moose pellet is to 1½ inched long and are usually

slightly rounded on both ends (see photo). The scale (1 inch squares) shows

all pellets are longer than one inch.

I recently watched four bull moose that were following a cow and her calf.

Anyone looking at those tracks and pellet groups would find more tracks and

pellets than they would normally expect.

Fresh pellets have a sheen to them, but the best way to tell if pellet groups

are fresh is to smell them. Its O.K. city boy... elk poopy won't hurt you to pick

it up and smell it. Just make sure your buddy doesn't hit your hand and wipe it

on your face.

Only the freshest pellets will leave skid marks on your fingers. You can smell

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fresh elk pellets and urine when you get close to an active area. Most pellets

from late summer through the winter are very dry and look like compressed

sawdust pellets.

Other Elk Sign

Other signs of elk include scrapes or rubs, wallows and bark scrapped off

aspen trees and nipped vegetation. Bull elk, moose and buck deer rub their

antlers on trees to remove velvet, leave scent and perhaps to strengthen their

muscles for fighting. Apparently some trees must look like a rival's antlers and

they just can't help from fighting it. They absolutely destroy some small trees

and shrubs (see photo). Elk and moose can reach higher onto a tree than

deer can, so if scrape marks are higher than your head, it was an elk or

moose.

Hunt rubs before the rut and during the rut. They are fun to find and examine,

but may not be as useful after the rut as elk may be moving to higher country

to escape pressure or to lower country with less snow. If the elk have not

been pressured, they may still be in the same areas.

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Elk and moose like to wallow in water or mud when it's hot (see photo).

Wallows are good places to watch for elk on a hot afternoon. Find the trails

where the elk come and go and pick a spot with the wind in your favor.

I'm not sure this is the best place for this comment, but I am reminded of a

time I was looking at an elk wallow with a friend. He suddenly turned his back

to me a started pissing. Maybe it was the sound of running water or the smell

of elk pee, but he suddenly had to go.

If you plan to hunt an area, don't pee in the elk wallows. In fact, when

scouting or hunting, dig a hole somewhere with the heel of your boot, pee in

the hole and cover it up. Don't mess up an elk wallow or any place you plan to

hunt with unnecessary human scent.

Other signs of elk and moose are aspen trees with bark scraped off and

nipped vegetation. Elk usually eat aspen during the winter when other food

sources are hard to find. They are feeding on the cambium layer because it

contains sugars.

Elk have eight teeth on the bottom jaw. I was going to take a picture with a

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skull I have in the back yard, but as soon as I picked it up, a tooth fell out and

I lost it between some rocks. So elk (and moose) marks on aspen trees will

show patterns of four to eight groves in the bark. The groves are always at an

angle across the tree because the elk have to turn their heads to get a bite,

just like you turn a large apple to make it easier to bite (see photo 1 and

photo 2).

Porcupines also eat bark (cambium layer), but they usually eat conifers. They

have two serious sets of “chisels” (top and bottom), so they leave very

different marks on the tree.

Bears also strip bark off of trees, but again, they usually eat conifers. Look for

bear claw marks, because most of the bark is ripped off after they get a grip

with their incisors.

Look for fresh signs where leaves and twigs have been nipped off small trees

and low branches along a trail. In PJ areas, where elk are resting there

doesn't seem to be much to eat, but elk will nip the ends of the pine branches

and each new bite will glisten in the Sun where drops of sap leak out and

hardened.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 311
So, before going on your first elk hunt, do a little research on animal tracks

and scat and pay attention to the other sign while you are in the field. All

those signs are telling a story. The more of that story you can decipher, the

better you will learn and the better your hunt will be.

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 Section VI: Lists of Figures and Tables
List of Figures
• Fig. 1. Photo- 250 Elk on Wintering Grounds
• Fig. 2. Map- Elk Distribution in the Western U.S.
• Fig. 3. Map- Federal Land in the Western U.S.
• Fig. 4. Map- Level I Ecological Regions of the U.S.
• Fig. 5. Map- Level I Ecological Regions of the Western U.S.
• Fig. 6. Map- Level III Ecological Regions of the Western U.S.
• Fig. 7. Diagram- Forest Distribution with Elevation in Northern Rocky
Mountains of Montana
• Fig. 8. Diagram- Forest Distribution with Elevation in the Wasatch & Uinta
Mountains of Utah
• Fig. 9. Diagram- Graphic Example of Grassland/Shrubland, Savanna,
Woodland and Forest
• Fig. 10. Map- U.S. Forest Service Land in the Western U.S.
• Fig. 11. Photo- Kill Zone on an Elk
• Fig. 12. Photo- Scaled View of Elk as Viewed through a 9X Scope at 500
yards
• Fig. 13. Map- Grizzly Bear Population Areas in the Western U.S.
• Fig. 14. Photo- Four Bull Elk on Hillside
• Fig. 15. Photo- Peak a Boo Elk Calf
• Fig. 16. Map- Level IV Ecological Regions - Blue Mountains

©BackcountryChronicles.com 313
 List of Tables
• Table 1. Elk Hunting Budget
• Table 2. 2015 Elk Harvest in 9 Western States
• Table 3. 2013 Elk Harvest in 11 Western States
• Table 4. Public Land, Elk Habitat and Elk Hunters in 7 Western States
• Table 5. Total Land Area & Total Public Hunting Area for 11 Western States
• Table 6. Level I and Level III Ecoregions of 7 Western States
• Table 7. Ecoregions of Colorado
• Table 8. National Forests in Colorado
• Table 9. Ecoregions of Idaho
• Table 10. National Forests in Idaho
• Table 11. Ecoregions of Montana
• Table 12. National Forests in Montana
• Table 13. Ecoregions of Oregon
• Table 14. National Forests in Oregon
• Table 15. Ecoregions of Utah
• Table 16. National Forests in Utah
• Table 17. Ecoregions of Washington
• Table 18. National Forests in Washington
• Table 19. Ecoregions of Wyoming
• Table 20. National Forests in Wyoming
• Table 21. General (OTC) Archery Seasons in 7 Western States
• Table 22. General (OTC) Muzzleloader Seasons in 7 Western States
• Table 23. General (OTC) Rifle Seasons in 7 Western States
• Table 24. Differences Between Shooting at the Range and Hunting
• Table 25. Effect of Elevation on Wind Drift and Bullet Drop
• Table 26. Range Card for Wind Drift
• Table 27. Average Mule Deer Live Weight and Weight of Boneless Meat
• Table 28. Average Elk Live Weight and Weight of Boneless Meat

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 Section VII: Resources
Remember that I also maintain current Resource links on my website here.

Ecoregion Descriptions, Mountain Ranges and Links to

Photographic Examples
1 - Coast Range - highly productive, rain-drenched (200+ inches per year

and up to 260 frost-free days per year) Douglas fir and other coniferous

forests are intensively managed and logged. The region includes the lower

elevations of the Olympic Mountains (up to about 4,000 feet) and the entire

Oregon Coast Range (highest point 4,097 feet). Roosevelt Elk live here on

the Western slopes of the Coast and Cascade Ranges.

See Photos of the Coast Range

Wet Maritime Forest Habitat Types of the Coast Range include grand fir

mixed forests, Western hemlock, Western redcedar and coastal Douglas fir

forest types.

4 - Cascades - are characterized by steep ridges and river valleys to the

west, a high plateau in the east, with both active and dormant volcanoes

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(remember Mt. St. Helens). Highest elevation is Mt. Rainier at 14,411 feet.

The wet, temperate climate supports highly productive coniferous forest that

are intensively managed and logged.

The forest habitats change from Western hemlock and Western redcedar in

the northern part to California incense-cedar, white fir, Shasta red fir and

sugar pine in the southern part. The Cascades are separated from the North

Cascades roughly by a line drawn between Seattle and Yakima. Highest

elevations also include subalpine meadows and rocky alpine zones.

See Photos of the Cascades

9 - Eastern Cascade Slopes and Foothills - this region is just east of the

Cascades, so it is in the rain-shadow making it relatively dry and having

greater temperature extremes compared to the mountains to the west. The

area ranges from about 500 - 8,300 feet (highest point is in the Gearhart

Mountain Wilderness Area. Before the area was changed by man, it was

regenerated with low intensity ground fires, but now is susceptible to wildfires.

The area includes many volcanic cones and buttes and Pumice Plateaus.

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Habitats of this region include Ponderosa pine, mixed oak & conifer

woodlands, grand fir mixed forests and lodgepole pine forests.

See Photos of the Eastern Cascades and Foothills

11 - Blue Mountains - a complex of low and open mountain ranges 6,900 -

9,500 feet and includes the Strawberry Range, Greenhorn, Elkhorn, Aldrich

and Maury Mountains in the Blue Mountains, the gentler Ochoco Mountains

to the west and the rugged Wallowa Mountains to the east. The region

includes Hells Canyon which is the deepest gorge in North American at 5,446

feet. Like the Cascades, the region is mostly volcanic in origin. Much of this

region is grazed by cattle.

Habitats of the Blue Mountains include sagebrush, Pinyon-Juniper,

Ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, spruce-fir, lodgepole pine, mountain meadow,

grasslands and alpine habitats.

See Photos of the Blue Mountains

15 - Northern Rockies - mountainous and rugged. The climate and

vegetation are still influenced by coastal storms despite being so far inland

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and by a growing season that lasts 45-120 days per year. The wet influence

that determines tree species decreases from west to east and from north to

south. The maritime weather causes the vegetation to differ from other

regions (16-Idaho Batholith and 17 Middle Rockies) which are not dominated

by the maritime species. The Northern Rockies ecoregion is not as high or as

snow- and ice-covered as the Canadian Rockies (41) with elevations ranging

from 2,600 feet to 10,600 feet with higher elevations including alpine habitats

and many glacial lakes.

Photos of the Mountain Ranges of the Northern Rockies

• Selkirk range (11,545 ft) of northwest Idaho and northeast Washington,
• Cabinet Mountains (4,058 ft) in northwest Montana & northeast Idaho
• St. Joe Mountains Northernmost part of the Bitterroot range in northern
Idaho

Forests in the Northern Rockies include maritime-influenced areas in the

northern most parts that consist of trees typical of Pacific forests such as

Western red cedar, Western hemlock and grand fir. Douglas fir, subalpine fir,

Engelmann spruce and ponderosa pine occur in drier areas to the southern

parts and eastern slopes. Other habitats include shrublands and alpine

tundra.

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16 - Idaho Batholith - a dissected, partially glaciated, mountainous plateau,

meaning it was highly eroded so it has very sharp relief. Glaciers scraped

many areas to bare rock and deposited soil in others, which has eroded over

time. The growing season is 45-100 days. The area has many high quality

perennial streams when undisturbed by mining. Primary Land uses are

logging, grazing, and recreation. Forests include grand fir and Douglas fir at

middle elevations and Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir at higher

elevations. Ponderosa pine, shrubs, and grasses grow at lower elevations in

canyons. The Northern Rockies (15) are on the northern border and the

Southern Rockies (17) are to the east. The area is generally wetter in the

north and drier in the south, but still dry enough to be distinct from the

Northern Rockies (15).

Photos of the Mountain Ranges of the Idaho Batholith

• Northern Clearwater Mountains (7,139 ft), Selway Craigs (8,282 ft) and
southern Clearwater Mountains (9,001 ft) of the Idaho Panhandle
• Sawtooth Range (10,721 ft) in central Idaho.
• Boise Mountains (5,787 ft) in southwest Idaho
• Danskin (4,987 ft), Smoky (10,441 ft) & Salmon River Mtns (10,442 ft)
• Pioneer Mountains (12,008 ft) in central Idaho east of the Beaverhead

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 mountains in the Bitterroots
• Bitterroot Range (11,393 ft) runs along the border of eastern Idaho &
southwest Montana and includes the Coeur d'Alene Mountains
(7,352 ft), Bitterroot Mountains (10,157 ft), Beaverhead Mountains
and the Centennial Mountains (10,216 ft)

Forests habitats of the Idaho Batholith include grand fir and Douglas fir at

middle elevations and Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir at higher

elevations. Ponderosa pine, shrubs, and grasses grow at lower elevations in

canyons. Other habitats include shrublands, mountain meadows and alpine

habitats above treeline.

17 - Middle Rockies - the climate of the Middle Rockies is drier than the

Northern Rockies (15). Douglas fir, subalpine fir, Engelmann spruce and

alpine areas are found at high elevation. Pacific tree species may occur, but

never dominate the forests. The growing season is only 70 - 140 days. Forest

can be very open and patchy, meaning large areas of "dark timber may be

rare. The lower elevation foothills and valleys are partly wooded with shrubs

and grass. The valleys contain many plants that can not grow in the nearby

mountains. Most valleys have mountain-fed, perennial streams. Most

common land use is recreation, logging, mining, and livestock grazing.

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Photos of the Mountain Ranges of the Middle Rockies
Middle Rockies Mountain Ranges in Wyoming

• Wind River Range (13,804 ft) in west-central Wyoming (northeast of

Pinedale) 40 peaks over 13,000 ft.
• Absaroka Range (13,140 ft) northwestern Wyoming and southeastern
Montana along the east edge of Yellowstone NP, 46 peaks over
12,000 ft
• Bighorn Mountains (13,175 ft)

Middle Rockies Mountain Ranges in Montana

• Tobacco Root Mountains (7, 497 ft)

• Big Belt Mountains (9,504 ft)
• Crazy Mountains (5,991 ft)
• Pioneer Mountains (11,154 ft)
• Gallatin Range (10,929 ft)
• Soldier Mountains (10,095 ft)
• Snowcrest Range (10,581 ft)

Forest types of the Middle Rockies include mixed conifer, spruce–fir and

Douglas fir forest and aspen groves. Other habitats include sagebrush,

mountain brush, grasslands and alpine tundra.

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19 - Wasatch and Uinta Mountains - The core of the Wasatch and the Uinta

Mountains are high, precipitous mountains with narrow crests, with very high,

steep rocky peaks surrounded by broad shouldered benches. The area

includes many valleys and dissected plateaus. Vegetation changes at regular

elevation bands similar to the Southern Rockies. Elevation ranges from about

4,200 feet at the edge of the Salt Lake Valley to over 13,528 feet in the Uinta

Mountains (Kings Peak). Vegetation ranges from sage and mountain shrubs

at lower elevations (5,000 - 7000 ft and dry slopes to PJ and oak brush at

middle elevations (6,500 - 7,500 feet). Higher elevations and shady areas or

areas that hold snow will transition to aspen then to spruce/fir and/or

lodgepole pine with interior Douglas fir on drier slopes. Ponderosa Pine is

found in bands between PJ and spruce/fir in areas with sufficient spring

moisture. The area is heavily grazed by livestock during the summer. Growing

season 20-90 days.

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Photos of the Mountain Ranges of the Wasatch & Uintas
• Wasatch Range (to 11,928 ft)
• Uinta Mountains (13,528 ft)
• Tushars (12,174 ft)
• Pahvant Range (10,222 ft)
• Monte Cristo Range (9,081 ft)
• Bear River Range (9,979 ft)

Habitats include Pinyon-Juniper at low elevation, transitioning into oak brush

or other mountain shrubs, then into Ponderosa pine. At higher elevations,

interior Douglas fir is on drier slopes and aspen/aspen mixed with conifer

and/or mixed conifer at mid to high elevations. Higher elevations are

spruce/fir and also lodgepole pine in the Uinta Mountains and high elevation

areas (especially the high Uintas) include alpine zones.

21 - Southern Rockies - are composed of high elevation mountains that are

steep and rugged. Very similar to the Wasatch and the Uinta Mountains (19),

the climate is dry and the vegetation changes at regular elevation bands.

Highest elevations have treeless alpine habitats with coniferous forests of

Douglas fir, and ponderosa pine with areas of aspen below that. Mid

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elevations slopes and hills are covered with juniper and/or oak brush

woodlands and lowest elevations are shrublands and the growing season is

70-110 days. Most cattle grazing occurs below the conifer forest zones.

Photos of the Mountain Ranges of the Southern Rockies

Southern Rockies Mountain Ranges in the Colorado

• Sangre de Cristo Mountains (14,265 ft) run from south-central Colorado

into New Mexico Lower elevation PJ habitat in the Sangre de Cristo
• Elk Mountains (14,265 ft) west-central Colorado between Crested Butte
and Aspen
• San Juan Mountains (14,309 ft ) southwest Colorado, northeast of
Telluride
• Sawatch Range (14,443 ft) central Colorado between Leadville and
Aspen
• Front Range 14,270 central Wyoming and Colorado from Casper
Wyoming to Pueblo Colorado
• Mosquito/Tenmile Range (14,286 ft) central Colorado 60 miles west-
southwest of Denver

Southern Rockies Mountain Ranges in Utah

• La Sal Mountains (12,721 ft)

• Abajo Mountains (11,360 ft)
• Henry Mountains (11,552 ft)

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Habitats of the Southern Rockies are very similar to habitats and forest types

in the Uinta and Wasatch Mountains and highest mountains include extensive

alpine zones.

41 - Canadian Rockies - most of this region is located in Canada, hence the

name and occurs on the border between Alberta and British Columbia, but it

also extends south into Montana. This region is generally higher and more

ice-covered than the Northern Rockies (15) and includes treeless alpine

areas at higher elevations. Like the Northern Rockies, the area is influenced

by moist maritime air masses. Forests are Douglas fir, Engelmann spruce,

subalpine fir, and lodgepole pine. A large part of this area in Glacier National

Park, so tourism is the major land use. Forestry, mining ad recreation are the

main uses outside the boundaries of the national park and the Flathead

Indian reservation.

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Photos of the Mountain Ranges of the Canadian Rockies
Canadian Rockies Mountain Ranges in Montana

• Lewis Range (Glacier National Park)(10,466 ft)

• Flathead Range (9,546 ft)
• Swan Range (9,356 ft)
• Whitefish Range (8,740 ft)

Forest types include Douglas fir, Engelmann spruce, subalpine fir and

lodgepole pine. The Canadian Rockies ecoregion includes expansive alpine

zone and includes glaciers.

77 - North Cascades - are composed of high, rugged mountains with the

greatest concentration of active alpine glaciers in the U.S., with Mt. Baker at

10,781 ft and Glacier Peaks rising above 10,525 feet. The climate is a dry

continental climate in the east and a mild, maritime, rainforest in the west with

massive amounts of rain and snow. It has a diverse range of forests, including

some of the oldest and richest tracts of remaining old growth forests. At lower

elevations and along the Western slopes forests are predominately Western

red cedar, Douglas fir, Western hemlock, red alder, and big leaf maple. At

higher elevations trees include lodgepole pine, ponderosa pine, Pacific silver

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fir, Engelmann spruce, Western larch, and whitebark pine. The area has

extensive protected forest areas, but remaining areas have been dominated

by the logging industry. Conservation and recreations are now major uses

and many areas are being protected because of endangered species

concerns.

Forest types include Western redcedar, Douglas fir, Western hemlock, red

alder, and big leaf maple. At higher elevations trees include lodgepole pine,

ponderosa pine, Pacific silver fir, Engelmann spruce, Western larch and

whitebark pine.

See photos of the North Cascades

78 - Klamath Mountains - a physically and biologically diverse ecoregion

covered by highly dissected ridges, foothills, and valleys of the Klamath and

Siskiyou mountains ranging from 400 - 7,000 feet. The region was un-

glaciated during the Pleistocene, so it served as a refuge for northern plant

species resulting in a diverse flora, with many endemic and relic species. The

climate is mild and relatively dry with long dry summers. Land use includes

forestry, farming, grazing, tourism and mining. 70% of the Klamath Mountains

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is in California, so in Oregon, only the northern part of the Siskiyou mountains

are included with the Klamath.

The Klamath Mountains includes a variety of habitats from temperate rain

forests, moist inland forests, to drier pine/savanna or oak forests and

savannas, high elevation spruce-fir and alpine grasslands.

See photos of the Klamath & Siskiyou Mountains

Elk Habitat in North American Desert & Great Plains

Ecoregions
18 - Wyoming Basin - This ecoregion is a broad arid inter-mountain basin

dominated by sagebrush and grass used for livestock grazing. The basin is

broken up by many hills and low mountains that do not have the extensive

Pinyon-Juniper woodland found in the Colorado Plateaus (20) to the south.

The area is almost completely surrounded by forest covered mountains. The

Wyoming Basin contains major natural gas and petroleum fields, coal

deposits and other types of mining. The best place to find elk in the basin are

in the Semi-arid foothills, shrublands and low mountains (5,000 - 9,100 ft),

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especially north of the Uinta mountains in Utah, north of the Sierra Madre and

Medicine Bow Mountains, west of the Laramie Mountains, south and west of

the Bighorn Mountains and parts of the basin that surround the Wind River

range on the south side.

20 - Colorado Plateaus - a mix of badlands, sheer-walled canyons, buttes,

mesas, plains, dunes and isolated mountain ranges. Most of the area is in

eastern Utah, but also includes western Colorado and small sections of

northern Arizona and New Mexico. Elk can be found in riparian areas and in

higher elevations of the Colorado Plateaus. Look for Ponderosa Pine, PJ and

oak brush habitats. Geologists and biologist use different definitions for the

Colorado Plateau. An obvious example is all the mountain ranges in the

Colorado Plateau including the isolated Henry Mountains, the La Sal and the

Abajo Mountains of Utah are within the geologic, Colorado Plateau, but

habitat-wise, these are included as isolated pieces of the Southern Rockies

(21). Higher elevations belonging to the biologist's Colorado Plateaus include

escarpments such as the Book Cliffs, Roan Cliffs, The Grand Staircase and

Vermillion Cliffs (some areas 9,000 - 10,000 ft). Other areas with PJ habitat

(and elk) include the Monticello-Cortez uplands, Semi-arid Benchlands (7,500

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ft) and Northern Uinta Basin Slopes (9,200 ft). Much of the Colorado Plateaus

region is grazed by cattle.

See photos of the Colorado Plateaus

42 - Northwestern Glaciated Plains - a transitional region between the

flatter, moister, agricultural Northern Glaciated Plains, which is out of our elk

habitat area to the east and the dryer, Northwestern Great Plains (43) to the

south in Montana and Wyoming, where the boundary is very close to the

edge reached by the last continental glaciers. Northern Montana is the edge

of the wet area known as the Prairie Pothole region.

43 - Northwestern Great Plains - In Montana and Wyoming an un-glaciated

section of the Great Plains and a semiarid rolling plain with occasional buttes

and badlands. The area is used mostly for rangeland, but with some dry

farming of spring wheat and alfalfa farming. Native grasslands persist in areas

that were too rough or too steep to plow.

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 Example of Level IV Ecoregions
Figure 16 is an example of Level IV ecoregions of the Level III Blue Mountain

ecoregion of Oregon, Washington and Idaho for those interested. There are

14 more specific Level IV ecoregions within the Blue Mountains, with

examples like the grasslands, shrublands and juniper and ponderosa pine

woodlands of the John Day/Clarno Uplands (11a), the ponderosa pine and

Douglas fir forests and ponderosa pine and mountain-mahogany woodlands

of the JohnDay/Clarno Highlands (11b), the moist, volcanic plateau Maritime-

Influenced Zone (11c) with the relatively wet grand-fir forests, the drier mid-

elevation Melange (11d) with ponderosa pine forests and juniper steppe

woodland and the Wallowas/Seven Devils Mountains (11e) with mixes of

ponderosa pine and Douglas-Fir forests and mixed mountain shrublands.

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Figure 16. Level III Regions of the Western U.S. (modified from U.S. EPA
publication).

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 Habitat Descriptions and Photos at Altavista.com
(formerly at Tarleton State University)
This website (see links to habitats here) has excellent information about

various forest and range cover types. The information is intended for forestry

and range science students, so it is heavy on the scientific terms, but shows

lots of photo examples and locations.

• Intermountain Forests
• Mountain Shrub/Mountain Scrub
• Aspen
• Pinyon Pine- Juniper Woodland (PJ)
• Sagebrush Shrub Steppe
• Southern & Central Rocky Mountain Forests
• Northern Rocky Mountain Forests
• Pacific Northwest Forests
• Alpine

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 Additional Information about Forest Types by State
For more information about forest types by region or for Specific States,

go to My Website here to view the following websites or download the

PDF files:

U.S. - Vegetation and Environmental Features of Forest and Range Eco-

systems - PDF file - good black & white photos.

Colorado - website has good descriptions and maps, but photos are small.

Idaho

• Forest Habitat Types of Central Idaho - PDF file - good photos

• Forest Habitat Types of Northern Idaho - PDF file - black & white photos
• Forest Habitat Types of Eastern Idaho & Western Wyoming - PDF file -
photos poor

Montana

• Forest Habitat Types of Montana - PDF file - Good photos

• Montana Field Guide - Website - choose, Forest, Alpine, Shrubland or
Grassland ecosystems - very good photos
• Forest Regions of Montana - PDF file - good descriptions and diagrams
of tree-elevation diagrams - no photos

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Oregon

• Chapter 2 in Wildlife-Habitat Relationships in Oregon and Washington -

PDF file - photos poor
• Wildlife Habitat Types of Oregon & Washington - website - good
descriptions and photos

Utah

• Rangeland Resources - PDF file - Good Photos of habitats -

Descriptions start at Sec2:57, Photos start at Sec2:87
• Coniferous Forest Habitat Types of Central & Southern Utah - PDF file -
Start at Figure 4, poor photos

Washington

• Chapter 2 in Wildlife-Habitat Relationships in Oregon and Washington -

PDF file - photos poor
• Wildlife Habitat Types of Oregon & Washington - website - good
descriptions and photos

Wyoming

• Forest Habitat Types of Eastern Idaho & Western Wyoming - PDF file -
photos poor

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 Additional Resources
The following links are also available here and also check for new information

or resources.

Printable Federal Land Maps - A good resource for finding public land.

Google Earth - The new way to scout; use KML or KMZ files to see

boundaries in Google Earth.

Shapefile to KML converter tool - Free download

Shapefiles are common GIS files. Once converted to KML, the boundaries

(and other data) can be viewed in Google Earth.

KML to GPX converter tool - Free Download

GPX files are used in many GPS units. Load GPX files into GPS unit so

boundaries and waypoints can be viewed.

At one time, there was a website that had free State by State KMZ files for

Google Earth that showed Public Land Ownership. That site is no longer

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available. I will put link on website if/when another resource is available.

(Note that National Forests Boundaries and Facilities are already included on

Google Earth).

Final Words
I think the future of hunting basically depends on having quality habitat and

quality hunters. We have enough people that don't know or care anything

about the natural world and we have enough poachers, outlaws and people

that don't appreciate our natural resources or respect the land. We need all

the knowledgeable sportsmen and women we can get. Men and women that

know and care enough about wildlife to make sure that we protect the wild

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places they need to thrive.

I also hope you will continue to learn about the animals and their habitats that

you hunt and other animals that share those habitats. I also hope you will

learn all you can about the conservation issues that challenges wildlife and

their habitats.

If you haven't already done so, I encourage you to join one or more of the

many conservation organizations that help protect our fish and wildlife and

our hunting and fishing rights and to get evolved with the local chapters.

I hope I have inspired and motivated you to make plans, get tags and come

hunt elk in the West. We ain't getting any younger and the wild Western lands

aren't getting wilder, but there is still time and plenty of elk. You know hunting

the West is something you want to do and I have tried to convince you that it

financially and physically possible to do.

Good luck out there and be safe. I want to hear the stories and please send

photos. Here is one of my favorites.

I want to thank you for buying the DIY Elk Hunting Guide.

©BackcountryChronicles.com 338
Please let me know what you think of the book by leaving a review at

Amazon. Even though you purchased this as a PDF, you can still leave a

review at the Amazon listing. Your review really does make a difference and I

appreciate them very much.

Click here if you would like to leave a review.

Contact Us - I value your feedback. I also want to hear your hunting stories

and see your photos. If you have comments, questions or find errors or

broken links in this book, please let me know.

Thank you, Dan Allan

For those learning to shoot a muzzleloader, I have another book you may find
useful:

The Smoking Gun: A Modern Inline Muzzleloader Guide to Loading,

Shooting & Cleaning for Accuracy

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