What To Bring
Clothing
The weather during hunting season can be anything from 70's and sunny to 10 degrees below zero with several feet of snow. The use of items that you bring will depend on the weather. Plan on weather from 10 to 70 degrees. When you have moisture collecting on your body, you'll want something to wick it off. The warmth and breathe ability of cotton is hard to beat, but there are a lot of other synthetics on the market that work well too. Bring two pair of gloves, warm hat a heavy coat and warm socks (smart wools).
Boots
We recommend bringing 3 pair of footwear: A slip on pair you can use around camp; the second should be comparable to Gortex, leather, 200gram, 8" high boot, you'll probably use this the most; the third pair should be a 600-800 Thinsulate leather sided boot, this is for very cold temperatures that you might encounter more common in later hunts. Our weather is unpredictable and temperatures can change over night .
Binoculars
Binoculars that are 10-12 power works well for the country we hunt. Rangefinders are an important to accurate shooting, especially since you’ll be shooting an animal that is twice the size of a white tail.
Every time you are in a new environment, your judge of distance will need to be tuned. There's no better way than with a rangefinder
Bows, Broadheads
We recommend hunters use compound bows that shoot up to 300fps. Draw weights need to be between 60 to 80#. Expandable broad heads do not get the penetration needed for elk. We recommend fixed 3 bladed 100 -125 chisel tips . Ideally we want a complete pass through. Two holes in an elk means more blood to flowing. Multi-pin sights are most common now and have replaced the adjustable single pin sights. Most common pins are 30, 40, 50, and 60 yards.
RIFLE
Zero in your rifle at 200 yds,. Your goal should be to shoot a 3" group at 100 yds consistently. Our average shots are 200 yds. There is also a possibility of shooting a 10-20 yd shot in the trees if we can bugle them in. Know your bullet drop at 200, 300, 400 yds.. There are trees, logs or rocks in many locations to get a good rest on. Some of the most common elk rifles are: ..300, .7mm, .270, .280, & .30-06. We recommend a .300 caliber or larger and a .7mm and .270 are also very adequate. Remember, if you are flying, the airlines require a locking case and bullets need to be stored separately. Please check with your travel agent or airline for particulars on traveling with weapons.
Calls
Try to bring a simple cow call. It is the most important call to have. The shooter typically needs to stop the animal. Your guide will use a bugle on to the locate bulls.
Suggested Checklist for What to Bring
- ___ Binoculars
- ___ Range Finder
- ___ Hunting Knife
- ___ Water bottle
- ___ Camera & batteries/charger
- ___ Camo Clothing
- ___ 2 lt weight shirts & 2 flannel/wool shirts
- ___ Long Johns
- ___ Wool pants
- ___ Warm socks such as wool
- ___ Underwear
- ___ Comfortable shoes for camp/lodge
- ___ 2 pair boots with good tread (insulated, waterproof & light hiking)
- ___ Hats - 1 warm stocking & 1 baseball cap
- ___ Gloves - 2 pair (wool is good choice)
- ___ Wool or cotton warm outer coat
- ___ Rain gear- nylon or rubber coat/pants (not plastic- as quiet as possible)
- ___ Toiletry items
- ___ Sun glasses
- ___ Sun screen
- ___ Perscription glasses / contact lens
- ___ Perscription medications
- ___ Lip balm
- ___ Alarm Clock
RIFLE HUNTS:
- ___ Rifle/scope with sling
- ___ Ammunition (at least one full box)
ARCHERY HUNTS:
- ___ Camouflage clothing in brown & grey colors
- ___ Camouflage paint
- ___ Hard case for bow
- ___ Extra bow string
- ___ Compound bow stringer
- ___ Pliers
- ___ Extra peep sight
- ___ Broad heads 12-18 arrows/hunter (ONLY Broadhead & shafts suitable for elk)