Out Of State Hunting Resources
Out Of State Hunts
Most people think hunting is a game of strength. It’s not. At least, not the kind of strength that matters when you’re five days into a backcountry hunt, running on minimal sleep, sore legs, and the last ounce of grit you’ve got. Out here, brute force isn’t enough—you need endurance.
Hunting is a test of staying power. It’s easy to go hard on Day 1, fueled by adrenaline and a fresh pack. But what about Day 5, when your body aches, your feet are wrecked, and you’ve eaten nothing but freeze-dried meals that taste like the inside of your boot? That’s where real hunters separate from the rest—when fatigue sets in, but the job isn’t done.
Now that you're on the ground, what should you be looking for? This is what we'll be discussing in episode five of this series. We discuss how to find fresh sign, food sources, and funnels to narrow down your hunting zone. We also touch on key tips for different phases of the season, from the early season to the rut and late season, with strategies to keep you flexible and adaptable.
In the fourth episode of our series, we cover packing.
What do you need to bring to ensure your hunt goes smoothly? From base layers and essential gear to packing for hot and cold weather, we dive into the must-haves and the things we wish we hadn’t forgotten in the past.
In this third episode of our series, we dive into the critical process of scouting. Once you’ve picked your area and a few potential hunting spots, what should you do next? Listen in as we discuss how to scout, whether it be in-person prior to your trip or virtually with tools like OnX.
In this second episode of our whitetail hunting series, we dive deeper into the process of narrowing down your hunting area after you've picked a state. Using examples from hunts in states like Kentucky and Wisconsin, we explore key strategies such as analyzing public land, considering hunting pressure, and utilizing tools like onX maps and forums to make the best decisions. Flexibility and preparation are key, and we share our tips on how to adapt if conditions or locations change.
James: After someone's first elk hunting season, what should they reflect on?
Joe: "Regardless of the season that you took, if it's over-the-counter, limited entry, a turn back tag on a second list, now you actually have boots on the ground experience elk hunting, which is more valuable than anything that you or I can say on a microphone. That's what you need and that's something that you need to compound on year after year. Start planning on things that you want to do differently, whether that's like a tactic that you tried that didn't work out or an area that you tried that was overcrowded."
James: Once you've shot an elk, what's your process for field dressing?
Joe: "I don't gut any elk. I almost always do the gutless method, even if it is an overnight situation. I just open them up. Get that hide off of them as soon as you can. The first thing I would do in any situation is flip it to the opposite side whether there's snow or not. That's just a good practice if you can flip it."
James: How does late season elk hunting differ from hunting during the rut?
Joe: "Rifle, anything post rut is going to be significantly impacted by weather much more than what your rut will. Obviously, if you have nice cool mornings and the pressure is nice, the moon phase is right, like the rut is more amplified, but I've also been out on 90° days where the bulls are freaking going nuts 'cause there's a hot cow in the area. It's more determined by her than it is the weather. Late season, much more the opposite. Weather is king, it determines almost everything. Then you have pressure mixed into that, and then where they're at after the rut as far as how depleted are they."
If you're reading this blog, you likely don't live close to the elk you pursue. Busy lives, limited vacation time, and hundreds of miles separate you from boots on the ground scouting.
Welcome to the 3rd of 8 episodes on Western Elk with Joe and James from The Fair Chase.
In this episode, you will learn how to do some valuable "e-scouting" from the comfort of your own couch. Mix this with some woodsmanship and hard work and you'll probably find some elk.
This is a continuation of the conversation between James and Joe from The Fair Chase Podcast, focusing on strategies for different types of elk tags.
James: So Joe, what are the different categories of elk tags?
Joe: "Basically there's a few different categories for the types of tags that you can draw and those happen in different points of the year and some cost a lot more than others, some of them cost points some of them don't.