936 Elk Hunting

[WTHunter]

So... my wife drew a 936 (Blackfoot) cow elk tag. I spent three hours last night going for a hike there, and plan to spend a lot more time scouting before the season. She has her appointment to get a discharge permit- and is excited. I really want her to have a sucessful hunt (she has never hunted anything except Whitetails before).
I have a few of questions for those of you that have hunted in here before:
1) Are you tripping over other hunters on opening morning/first week?
2) Ever seen a good WT buck in here?
3) Since there are no motorized vechiles in the park, I am thinking I will use a wheelborrow to get the meat/hide out if there is no snow (sled if there is)- unless someone has a better idea?
4) Any other advice for hunting elk in Blackfoot would be appreciated- always wanting to learn, and hear from those with more experience!

Thanks!

[ABwhitetail]

I have hunted deer there in the past.....though I haven't spent a tonne of time in there, one of my hunting partners lived close to there so he did....so keep in mind this information is from my last experience in there 5 years ago.

We did run into hunters while hunting, though all of those hunters were moose hunters. Back then there wasn't too many guys....We seen alot of deer, and my friends younger brother shot a 125 class whitetail....but I am POSITIVE, that the area holds some monsters....We used a wheelborrow to move the deer.

My friends neighbour had hunted elk there regularly on horse back. He and his son had both taken bulls, I never seen any elk while hunting there, but there was sign....

So not that this is much help, but I would bet (confidently) there are big deer there, that area produces large racks every year. To remove game, horses would be best, but the terrain was easy going with the wheelborrow.

Elk.....I am not sure

So GOOD LUCK!

[gube]

I was in there for the bow season last year. The animals are very skittish in there. The natives usually show up at the end of August and into September and head in with horses. They typically go after the moose and the elk. Makes it tough bowhunting when they have been shot at with rifles. When rifle season opens, it can be fairly busy on opening day.

[live2bout]

I have hunted lots in Blackfoot and love it. Last year I noticed more elk than ever before and in areas that I had not seen them previously.

1. Yes, there is considerable pressure the opening week, especially in the fields around Central Staging Area. It drops off a lot after the first week.

2.Yes, low harvest and thick cover = big bucks but I believe they are harder to hunt than farm country deer but I love it. Try grunting in the numerous hollows after very quietly slipping in and you will be rewarded.

3. Wheelbarrow if no snow and a high sided sled with chest harness is the way to go and not to bad as long as you are sane in distance travelled and terrain ( watch out for thick cover infested with blowdowns=very intensive retrieval).

Good luck!

[altaberg]

last year I drove out from Islet lake and all I'd seen all day were sme ruffies.
Just 200m out of the park, and at that point after legal light I saw a nice wt buck (I would have certainly taken him if I'd seen him earlier). There are big whities in there.

I find access from the south and east is less crowded but from the east you'd have to get anything you shoot over the fence.

I usualy drag a plastic sled evn if there is no snow (not a problem last year).

There are tons of elk but you may need patience.

Opening day and the first Saturday of the season is usually a bit of a circus.
Later in the months late afternoon hours have worked for me. Just not a time to take a shot that may make you chase the critter all night.

Good luck

[Short Round]

Originally Posted by WTHunter

So... my wife drew a 936 (Blackfoot) cow elk tag. I spent three hours last night going for a hike there, and plan to spend a lot more time scouting before the season. She has her appointment to get a discharge permit- and is excited. I really want her to have a sucessful hunt (she has never hunted anything except Whitetails before).
I have a few of questions for those of you that have hunted in here before:
1) Are you tripping over other hunters on opening morning/first week?
2) Ever seen a good WT buck in here?
3) Since there are no motorized vechiles in the park, I am thinking I will use a wheelborrow to get the meat/hide out if there is no snow (sled if there is)- unless someone has a better idea?
4) Any other advice for hunting elk in Blackfoot would be appreciated- always wanting to learn, and hear from those with more experience!

Thanks!

1) Kinda -- bring a bike, get in DEEP before sun-up, sit down and let the late-comers move the animals around you. Also, hunt the weekdays.

2) Yes.

3) Used a wheelbarrow for my last elk out of there -- 5 km pack out of a big bull. It works, but it ain't easy. They're too top heavy once you load em up, and you use a lot of energy stabilizing the thing. My dad recently bought a game cart, and that's much easier.

4) I'm hunting bulls in there this year -- but I'd be willing to pass along info for where the cows are. I helped a couple of people tag out in there for elk last year.

[WTHunter]

Hey everyone- thanks for the great info. It'll help a lot as we plan, and actually hunt. Appreciate the fact that so many guys are willing to respond on this board.

my Bull is coming out of there finally this year. Its going to be a great 1 hour hunt

lots of cow elk in most places, i dont see your Cow elk hunt being to tough. Good luck and maybe i'll see you out there.

[Short Round]

My dad just got his draws back -- he got drawn in there for antlered moose on a P1, I think. Lotsa meat this year if we can both connect.

[Dunezilla]

Where I saw elk back in 2003 you wouldn't want to hunt...it well take work just to get to the spot, then it well take harder work to get it out of that spot to a clearing so that you can use your wheel barrow or sled.

As for big bucks yes they are in there....the biggest rack buck that I ever saw was in the Islet stagging area. Through my looking glasses, if I can remember correctly he had 6 points on the right side....man he stuck out like a sore thumb. Oh yea he was to far for me and at that time my iron sights. That sucked. There was another buck that was a fair size in the Islet stagging area near the 400 meter mark on the road into the stagging area. He was a nice 4x4....but hey I slipped and fell and off he went. Now that really sucked I should of had him.

The second nices WT buck I ever saw was in 2003 in 242 near the Islet stagging area....but I couldn't shoot it because I alreay got my buck. Man he gave me a good board side shot 5 pionts on the one side....anyhow a person would of had time to get off one shot.... before he was gone. Anyhow I was thinking of bow hunting there, since I wasn't there since 2003. I wonder if the farmer is still alive and kicking. He wants the animals dead.

Originally Posted by WTHunter

So... my wife drew a 936 (Blackfoot) cow elk tag. I spent three hours last night going for a hike there, and plan to spend a lot more time scouting before the season. She has her appointment to get a discharge permit- and is excited. I really want her to have a sucessful hunt (she has never hunted anything except Whitetails before).
I have a few of questions for those of you that have hunted in here before:
1) Are you tripping over other hunters on opening morning/first week?
2) Ever seen a good WT buck in here?
3) Since there are no motorized vechiles in the park, I am thinking I will use a wheelborrow to get the meat/hide out if there is no snow (sled if there is)- unless someone has a better idea?
4) Any other advice for hunting elk in Blackfoot would be appreciated- always wanting to learn, and hear from those with more experience!

Thanks!

Im feeling in a giving mood. you buy the coffee at Timmy Ho's, and ill share a Actual high definition satellite photograph of the entire wmu936 area, this is NOT a google earth crap photo so detailed you can see shadows from the trees, trails , and ............ Its not to be borrowed, but to view, and mark reference points, cutlines, trails etc etc on your map of the park.

buy two coffees and i might give some hints

[WTHunter]

-NDN- sent you a PM

got it, and you betcha, we can hook up when you get back.