WMU 936 elk
 

...got drawn for cow elk in wmu 936 this year, yay. So much for that lol. I know it is a fairly large area, and foot access only, but is there anybody out there willing to share past experience(s), bow or rifle.
Not asking for spots, as I will find them myself, and I will kill one. :character0110:

cheers,

Get a peddel bike, it's faster, also find a close land owner with horses that can haul your animal out if your lucky to get one

nimrod...that's covered, got friends with horses close by. Thanks.

Sounds like you got it covered then ..

X2

Back when I got my bull I spent the couple days before the season biking around to learn the area spotted several pockets of elk and made a plan for opening day the 6" of snow changed my plan but still managed to get my elk its no Gimmy we defiantly had to work for it. Be at your spot way before daylight and hope the elk are in the field your at.

The best way to learn Blackfoot is with a good set of hiking boots. The elk arent on the roads. A bike is good to get into the area you want to hunt or scout though. Walk the fields and bush. There's two herds in the area. One on the east side and one on the north side. Its not an easy hunt, I walked easily 40-50 miles scouting. I went for archery a few years ago and the elk we're nocturnal at that time. My FIL went last year and shot one opening morning of rifle season right in the area I told him to scout.

In saying that 936 has one of the best harvest rates in the province. Good luck and enjoy your hunt.

Use your friends horses to hunt, scout and pack.

I was drawn this year for antlerless elk aswell. 2 years ago had a antlerless moose tag in blackfoot. Covered alot of ground on bike and foot but didn't connect. I started a thread for sharing of info on sightings that year and some people did post up some info. Was a cool thread. Id be up for some sharing of info again this year or a team up hunt if that works. Was going to head out this weekend and set up 4 cameras on 2 different fields I know they were in 2 years ago, See if they are back. Planning on a successful year :sHa_shakeshout:

Thanks for sharing, I was definitely planning on getting my boots dirty and bike the trails.

I am absolutely down for sharing info, I also like the idea of teaming up. Might be a bit early to start looking for elk already. Is there cattle in the fields this year?

I had a bull moose 3 years ago and had the same result as you. Lots of leg exercise. I also drew my cow elk tag this year.

I worked with a guy who tagged a nice bull in there about 8 years ago. A 6x7, but he had to work for it. IIRC he said he was about 3 or 4 km in from the gate and roughly 1 km off the main road on a random game trail he decided to walk in on based on some tracks he saw, he wasn't even sure if he was going to see an Elk. He used a bicycle to cover ground faster but if you have horses you're set. That bull he shot was the only Elk he saw.

I just hunt grouse in there now, but I used to hunt big game in there for around 20 seasons.
Man...those were some adventures. getting animals out of there without horses took a lot of work and you better be in shape.
The bush is THICK so you better hope you drop something in a field or right on the trail.
The last moose we got...shot it at about 30 yards...it bolted to the other side of a swamp and died making it about a 350-yard trek back to the trail through the thickest willows and just deadfalls everywhere.
Even with horses...they wouldn't have helped us in that thick undergrowth deadfall.

The last whitetail I got in there...I won't even tell the story of getting him out, cause no one would believe it. Let's just say, if you plan on shooting a deer 5km from the truck, and it's your partners turn to bring lunch...make sure he packs more than 1 tuna fish sandwich and a hand full of werthers candies!!! We're older and smarter now.

I pretty much stay close to the staging areas now with the dog chasing birds around. I havent seen a whitetail in the last 3 years, but I haven't been looking either.

Great place to hunt, but be in shape and prepared.

I scouted in there last year before the draws, to decide if I wanted to draw an antlered tag. The bugs were unreal, worst I’ve seen anywhere. Highly suggest you wear head and face nets if you are doing any preseason scouting, bug spray didn’t do it.

Found elk sign easily enough, walked somewhere around 20 km, the trails are fine but holy smokes the bush is thick. There are places the rabbits can’t go in there. In the fall there’s lots of horseback hunters, would be pretty hard to get ahead of them. Lots of newbies and non hunters wandering around as well.

Long story short, it wasn’t the experience I was looking for. There are elk, they leave tracks and crap just like every other elk, you can get one with a whole lot of hard work.

I've had at least 3 incidents with non hunters over the years. In each one, they were in the wrong telling me I couldn't hunt there.

One older couple, once they realized I was hunting birds, rode their bikes up and down and back and forth on the trail in front of me ringing bells and making noise...I ended up getting a couple of birds that day anyway...because grouse aren't smart lol, but I was just shocked by their behavior.
The other 2 times the people truly were surprised there were hunters in the park and didn't know it was allowed and made a really big deal about it.

I definitely try and avoid hunting Saturdays in 936.

My general demeanor tends to discourage stupidity so I can’t say I’ve run into any more than a sideways look...but you absolutely should take a video and call it in if this happens. Interfering with a lawful hunt. The officers there will deal with it promptly, hunters are vital to managing wildlife especially in 936.

I did report the older couple.
Late 60's ish...really good shape, both white hair. It was more amusing than anything else. I actually had a pretty friendly conversation with them before they rode ahead and started making all the noise.

Any encounters have never occurred too far from a staging area, and even though I don't wander too far anymore, I've never seen anyone other than hunters way back in there.

You also run into occasional horseback riders, but I tend to stay off their trails, if for no other reason than they are hard to walk on in wet years, but more so because I usually have the dog with me.
Some horses just don't like being surprised by a dog coming out of the bush after he's been chasing a bird.
Considering the terrain, hills, corners, thick bush...2 parties can come upon one another fairly suddenly.

That having been said, it's pretty rare to run into ANYONE in the park period, especially the further out you go. I'm talking 3 encounters in well over 20 seasons of hunting.

On another note, I've run into Officers more in the last 2 years than the last 10. I hope that continues.

Both myself and FIL got drawn for bull elk this year. Got a calf elk two years ago there.

My advise:
.
.
.
Stay away from me :sHa_shakeshout:

In all seriousness though, check the fields. You will honestly not even see the elk and then all of the sudden they will be on top of you.

Two years ago, I got mine in a field, and a buddy of mine got a 6x6 the very next day 20 feet away from my gut pile.. so don’t be afraid to go to the same place as a kill, it just means that they are in that area and you are hot on the trail!

I guess I should probably brush up on my calling techniques lol

Best of luck! I will be out there opening day of bow season!

Some great advice on this thread!

I haven't tried drawing for moose/elk there for a few years now, and have just been chasing grouse and whitetail in there with the kids over the last few years.

Bikes are a great way to go - and now that my kids are getting to the point where I have to work to keep up with them, it's even better. :)

Best of luck in there!

Well when I actually get into blackfoot as I was to busy that other weekend I will let you know what I find. Plan on covering lots of ground on the bike for grouse this year to. Been pretty successful in past years.

I drew bull as well. Last year opening day I never heard so many bugling bull elk. I’m thinking a bugle means Stay away from me :sHa_shakeshout:
to them.

Bugling in November we didn't hear a chirp from the elk we were after at all..

I have put a few miles on in their over the last few years. Never seen the elk but have surely ran into moose got a few birds as well. If any one want to chat about moose I maybe able to help you find a couple bulls.


Gbuss

I found that the last time I was out there, after October, you won’t be able to call a bull in. Calf and cow calling will work for the antlerless though! The calf I got came right up to 75 feet with cow calling. Though it didn’t make a peep at all coming in.

If anyone wants to group up let me know! I've been scouting for the last few weeks

Come up 203 from the south to the dead end. Walk in keeping to the right. Enter the park and walk in about 1 km and you will come to a "Y". Go left and you will come to a compressor station. Go up over the hill and there was Elk in that area 3 years ago. Shot my cow 3 hours into the first day and saw a few more.

Good Luck