any elk hunters?

you got one here

One here too. Which college are you attending?

Ya, Got lucky and drew a Nevada archery bull tag. Tough tag as Nevada only gave out 10 such tags in the entire state this year. It is a once-in-a-lifetime hunt and I should get a very big one. This unit is known for producing 390"-400" class bulls. Randy Ulmer took his 425" bull here in 2004 (I actually know which canyon).

Gear is packed. I am leaving in only 4 weeks.

Yup,

Going Muzzle loading the 8th of Sept. Southern Colorado. I am getting pretty excited......

Art

They are bugling and rutting here (9-01-06).
"Here" being near Helena, MT.

Really noisey last night, all night. The big bulls were swaggering around acting tough early this morning in plain view.

Great entertainment!

There is no greater sound in the woods than to hear a bull elk bugle.

I remember a conversation and the stories an archery guide told me over 20 years ago how he guided archery hunters in the Black Hills of SD. He said he bugled elk to within mere feet of his hunters. He would talk of bugling with these bulls and getting them within bow range only to watch his archery hunters come unglued at the sight of a bull elk within spitting distance. I was really skeptical but after a few hunting shows began appearing on TV a few years later and I could actually see that it was possible, I wanted to do it myself someday.

I was fortunate enough to get to witness bugling elk first hand on an elk hunt in the Black Hills in 1997 when I finally drew a tag. I really had no clue what I was doing but got into a bugling match with a bull for over an hour one morning. Another hunter who watched the event unfold later told me that I should have stopped bugling and cow-called. He told me that the bull would bugle to see where I was and every time I answered he'd go into a frenzy and push his harem of 12 cows down the ridge away from me. I finally put this bull to bed and as I was getting up to leave, I ended up taking a spike bull that came sneaking in to where I was sitting to see what was going on. This was on the last day of the season.

Then in 2004, I got to do it again. This time I had a friend with me that knew what he was doing with calls. He bugled to locate a bull then put the bugle away and always used cow calls after locating one. When we found one I wanted, he kept up the cow calling while we snuck into the bulls bedroom and when we finally got into the bulls turf, he called the bull to within about 35 yards for me. This was an absolutely unforgetable experience...to have that bull come down out of the dark timber on the side of that ridge and stand there close enough that I could see his nostrels flare and have him bugle at me like that. I have never experienced an adrenaline rush quite like that.

It is really something to be out in their domain and hear them bugle like that. Hope to do it again some day.

I was lucky to do an alberta elk hunt and a moose hunt in the same hunt trip.
I love moose hunting , but compaired to the elk hunt . I'm hooked for ever now.

I am slowly starting to look into big game hunting. Walking hilly country, carrying gear, its all good. Heres my question. So where do i start looking for reputable guide services? I can find places on the net but what am I getting? Thanks.

There are several ways to accomplish this. There are a few well known hunting consultants who are paid by guide services to represent them and book their hunts. They build their business on good guides who produce for their clients. If they make referrals to guides that don't work, their business fails. I can think of 3 that I'd start with and give them a call. Talk to one of their service/consultant representatives and tell them what you want and how much you want to spend. They can match you up with a guide that will be able to meet your expectations. This is the simplest and most painless way to go. Use their years of expertise and expense to build a data base/knowledge base of which guides will produce. For a $1.00 you can get a hunting guide catalog from Cabela's. In it you will see a short promotion for several guides from several states and Canada. Pick the few that you are interested in and talk to Cabela's folks. There is Jack Atcheson and Son's out of Montana. There is also United States Outfitters. These three have personal knowledge and have probably hunted out of most of the camps they represent. These folks will also handle all of the paperwork required to apply for a permit.

I also watch the Outdoor Channel quite a bit and keep track of who the TV hunting personalities use. They will almost always give contact information at the end of their show. This way you can see for yourself what the guide will produce and you can email the TV personality for more in depth reference information. Just last night there was an elk hunting show on that featured a guide that many of the big name TV folks use. They always seem to get an elk with this Colorado outfit but rarely will they get a bull that exceeds 330.

I also subcribe to a few magazines that only feature big game hunting. There is usually quite a bit of information to be had here. Hunting Illustrated, Big Game Adventures, Eastmans Hunting Journal are 3 that I read. They feature nothing but big game articles. No how to catch carp in the local creek stories. Another good source of information is the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. They publish a magazine that has quite a bit of outfitter/guide information in it. I also attend their fundraising banquets and get to know others who travel out of state and use guides and outfitters. They can give you some pretty good firsthand knowledge and references. I am also betting that there are a few folks near you that go elk hunting. Start hanging out at the local gun store and talk elk hunting. Ask who goes and get to know these folks. They might share references with you on guides or outfitters they use or know about.

A guided public land elk hunt will normally start in the $3,500-$4,000 range. You can get them cheaper but I probably wouldn't go cheaper without good firsthand knowledge from someone who has been there. A good private ranch hunt will start at about $5,000-$6.000 and go up quite quickly. I know of a couple private ranch hunts in Utah that will fetch upwards $15,000 and more as will the premier trophy hunts on a few of the select indian reservations in New Mexico and Arizona. They are way out of my budget range. I plan to start applying for an Arizona elk permit next winter. They now take years to obtain and are getting more expensive all the time. Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah seem to be the hotspots for really big bulls right now...read 350 class bulls and up. Granted you can shoot these most anywhere but on average, these states seem to be producing the best odds at a bull of this caliber. Just know that there are many ranches where you can kill an elk, just not one that big. It takes a big bull to hit 350 and you just don't find these everywhere, and a 380 class bull and up is doable but really requires some luck and deep pockets to be able to afford to hunt where they live. If you want a good chance at an average bull, Colorado would be my first choice, then Montana. The prices there are still in reach for many of us. I know of a couple guide services I'd like to use if I draw for Arizona. I got their names from the magazine Hunting Illustrated.

Good Luck

Thank you for your reply. Eastmans hunting Journal has to be a great magazine, their TV show is secnd to none. I will defintely use your advise.