# First Elk



## flightbirds (Jun 25, 2004)

Shot my first elk! A nice cow shot west of Cavalier.


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## hunt4P&amp;Y (Sep 23, 2004)

Congrats!


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## dc240nt (Sep 20, 2006)

There's a freezer full of good eatin for ya. Congrats!


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## Lemmy (Jan 24, 2008)

Congradulations! I know that's not an easy unit to hunt. Do you have a story go with that photo?


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## honkerslayr (Dec 14, 2006)

CONGRATS on a nice cow!!! Yes I heard hunting that unit can be difficult as well. Nice work!


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## huntingdude16 (Jul 17, 2007)

Why's his unit hard to hunt?


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## djleye (Nov 14, 2002)

huntingdude16 said:


> Why's his unit hard to hunt?


All the damn pheasants getting in the way while stalking!!!! :lol: :wink:


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## Lemmy (Jan 24, 2008)

While elk hunting has a low success rate to begin with, Hunting unit E1 has the lowest of all the elk units of about 33%, in 2007, and even lower in past years. You can find the harvest numbers for 2007 here: http://www.gf.nd.gov/multimedia/news/20 ... 80211.html

As for why it's so difficult: where the elk seem to live is in the trees that happen to be very dense. Visibility is your biggest obstacle when hunting this unit. Your chance of just seeing an elk, while driving around, is slim. If you know where the elk come out to feed your hunt might not be too difficult, if your patient and wait. If your not from around there or know anyone that can be difficult, in its own, to find that spot.

The two people I know who have been successful in E1 had to gather a small army and conduct drives to get the elk out in the open.


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## flightbirds (Jun 25, 2004)

I have to agree with the posters that say this can be a difficult zone to fill your tag. The day I filled my tag was my 7th day in the field (9th) if you include scouting. The area that the majority of the elk are in is very dense (the locals call it the Bush) The positive aspect to this is that a large amount of the elk habitat is on state land.

I felt extremely positive before the season, I spoke with a couple of landowners and felt I had a strong grasp on where to hunt. That positive feeling ended with my first day of hunting, couldnt find any elk and was quite dejected.

I stopped in He-Man Sports in Cavalier and was given some strong advice on where to hunt. Did not get a cow the next morning, but had a large bull to within 15 feet - fantastic feeling.

I took a couple of weeks off, and returned for the last weekend of the early season. I was put in touch with a local the knows the area and he volunteered to help me find the elk. We did not get a cow that day but I did see one and was feeling very positive.

I returned for the late season - Friday evening was fantastic. We could hear cows not more than 150 yards away in the woods, and bulls bugeling. Came within 150 yards of 2 bobcats and had a pack of coyotes let loose howling, barking, growling and yipping not more than 75 yards away. Three bulls came out of the heavy cover just before sundown - 2 spikes and a 4x4 - the spikes came within bow range, still no cows.

Started out Saturday morning at 6 am. We walked a trail well back into the bush - could hear bulls bugeling the entire time. As we got closer we could hear the cows mewing. Had to wait a little while for first light and then we closed in. This is where this area can be difficult. The cover is very thick, thus you need to get very close to see the elk. Elk have excellant hearing and sense of smell. The wind was in our faces so scent was nto an issue. The ground however was covered with crunchy ice and snow. I had to watch evry footfall to try to step on a spot that was free of ice and snow.

We approached an area that was stands of pine trees with clearings (meadows) in between stands of trees. I could see many elk up ahead moving across the clearing - some feeding some walking from one group of trees to the next. Now the real challenge: pick out a large cow, not a spike bull or a calf. I picked out a nice one, got her in my scope and before I could pull the trigger she was into the trees. It is a real challenge for a guy that is used to hunting wide open country for deer near Carrington to suddenly be trying to take a shot at an animal in this type of country. I picked out a new cow, and before I could pull the trigger a spike bull stepped in front of her. The plus is that she was as big as the spike, the downside was that instead of the broadside shot I had she turned and faced me at 150 yards. I used a pine tree for a rest and shot her in the neck - she went down instantly. What followed is a scene I will not forget. Turns out that there were so many elk in the pine trees that when they took off at my shot it sounded like the Bison hunting scene in the Movie Dances with Wolves - literally a thunder of hooves.

Anyway, this will go down as one of the highlights of my hunting life so far!


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## honkerslayr (Dec 14, 2006)

Great story by the way!!! And I know what its like when you hear them stampede....When I had my tag for the kildeer mountains i almost nearly got stampeded by some cows!!!! they sure do make a racket in the thick brush, the bulls act like a bulldozer with their big antlers.


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## Lemmy (Jan 24, 2008)

Congratulations, again, and thanks for the story.

My uncle was lucky enough to draw an elk tag in E1 about 15 years ago (I might add it was the first year he applied too). He lives close to the unit, so he has lots of friends in the area. To get his elk he had a bunch of his friends walk through the bush and they pushed out a small 5X5 to the meadow he was posting on. The bull was running and he took a shot at it but it kept running and ran into the trees. When the drive was over they asked him if he hit the bull and he said "I think so" but he wasn't sure. They then went in where the bull entered into the trees and found him pilled up about twenty yards in, shot through the heart.


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## duckslyr (Nov 27, 2008)

Personally i got skunked on my elk hunt this year. the sucess rates here in idaho have dropped like a rock here in idaho the past few years damn wolves. i was about 70 yards from the biggest bull i have ever seen in my life but he just never came any closer and presented a shot. but i guess thats what i get for bow hunting. I am probably better off not shooting it anyways since i was running solo that day and had gone about 1 1/2 miles from the truck and up about 4000 feet in elevation. It would have taken me a week to get that damn thing out of there. I did have plenty of easy 20 yard shots on cows but i just kept on praying for a bull


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