For the last elk you took, what were the following:
Sex, State, public/private, how far from the road, how long before first light did you leave the road (or camp). For example, my last elk was a cow in New Mexico, public land, 1.5 miles from the nearest road, we left the truck half an hour before first light.

Thanks for your input.

My last elk was last October in Colorado on public land. Got him later in the afternoon after about a 2 mile stalk on foot. Luck was with me and we were able to drive the truck right to the animal.

Last elk I was on was my sons first bull. Left the truck at about daybreak, he shot him at about 8:30 or so, packed it out on our backs on pack frames about a mile and a half to the truck. Public land Colorado. One before that was my bull, Colorado public land, left camp on foot about an hour before shooting light was easily 4.5 miles from camp. My brother and I packframed him to a trail that was a mile + from the elk. Then about a 20 mile trip back to camp on trails and roads with ATV and pickup. Those were the shortest pack trips I've ever had!

We get up at 3am and drive 5 miles on the hwy and park the truck. We then hike in 2 miles to our favorite spot. We call this spot "Bob's shooting gallery" because Bob has taken 4 elk from the same spot. We then sit and wait for the other hunters to wake up and push the elk to us. 4 hunters and 4 elk taken last year. I big thank you to all of the hunters who don't want to get up early. Oh yeah, this is in Utah on public land.

Back on mute.

Back packed in to sleep on a ledge over a meadow on Colorado Private Land. Elk came in at dusk, stayed allnight. With sun-up of opening day, I crawled out of sleeping bag and slipped 20 yds to shoot 5x5 bull. Gutted and quartered him. Took first load 1/2 mi back to truck, met buddy who helped bring out rest

public land,late season additional cow tag
up at 3:30am catching and saddling horses
drove an hr, out of the truck horseback
1 1/2 hrs before sun-up and up the mt.spotted 30 head at sun-up,made a run on them,closed
to within 450 and double lunged a 2yr old
back to the house hanging quarters by 11:00am
probably 5 miles from the road

The last elk I shot was a bull calf taken for meat in Northwest Colorado. Spotted the herd from the top of a ridge and dropped down into a gully to do the stalk. Ended up with about a 150 yard broadside shot and the bullet took out the top of the heart. He made 2 steps, went all wobble legged and toppled over.

We got lucky with that one because where he dropped was in a good sized sagebrush flat. My father had stayed up high watching the stalk and was on the way with the truck before I could even walk up to the elk. Dad drove the truck through the sagebrush and parked next to him. Didn't have to pack or drag him an inch. Never got that lucky before.

The worst paking job I had was a big 5x5 I took over by Steamboat Springs, Colorado a few years back. It was a hot dry season and elk were hard to come by. I finally found that bull in some dark timber way back in. According to the topo map, he hit the ground right at 7 miles from the trailhead. I carry a collapsable packframe with me and brought out a hindquarter the day he went down. It took me and a cousin 2 trips each to get the rest of him. Totaled out to something like 60 miles of packing betwen the two of us. That one was rough.

Cheers

Mac

Cow, New Mexico public land, muzzleloader, .8 miles from the road. Started walking about 2 hours after sunrise, headed from one road to another, about 2.8 miles away. Made 2 miles of progress, shot elk, dressed elk, walked to next road, got my dad and hunting buddy, walked back to elk, drug elk to truck (not too hard in 8" or so of snow).

During the same hunt another guy in camp shot one at 220 yards - elk were about 320-350 yards from the road in the middle of the afternoon, making for a short stalk.

Elk hunting rules: They are where you find them. Never turn down a gimme.

Last elk - Wyoming public land, bull, about an hour after light. I drove ATV about 4 miles to the edge of the roadless area. Hiked in for a little over 2 hours in the dark from there. Saw a small group of elk at first light, followed them for a while to make sure there was no bull, then left those elk and headed another direction. Bumped three bulls together in the timber, and dropped my bull with an easy shot at 75 yards. Boned and began packing meat, about 3-4 miles from the ATV. All out that day

Bill

My last was a far west Colorado bull that went in the 340s. Roughly 3 miles off the road. Made a 335yd shot with my 30/378 using 180gr Nosler Partition. After quartering him up, I did have an ATV to get him out. Our target for leaving camp in the morning was 4:30 +/- 10 minutes.

quote:

Elk hunting rules: They are where you find them. Never turn down a gimme.

My last elk was a cow shot on private land (mine) two years ago about 300 yds from a road (my house).

It was late afternoon when I drove home from town. There were two 5x5 bulls and 8-10 cows on the hill 300 yds above my house. I went inside and put on my hunting close, grabbed my 7mm Rem mag and a handful of 160 gr Accubond handloads, and snuck half way up the hill to the elk.

This area is open for a cow or branch antlered bull, but I have two large bulls mounted, and my garage rafters are full of elk antlers, so I picked out a single cow, and shot her.

I field dressed her, then went down to my house and got a heavy plastic game drag sheet and went up and dragged her home.

This past year, there was a similar herd of elk again on my hill, but my freezer was still full of elk and other game meat, so I just watched them.

Last elk was a cow this past season. She was spotted with a scope at about 3 1/2 miles on a mountainside. We went in on skiis & snowshoes, & took her. We finished gutting her at 4.30 in the afternoon, & buried her in a snowbank. We returned the next morning, & brought her out on sleds. I will be enjoying a wonderful elk dinner in about an hour.

Jim

The last elk as well as most of the elk that I've shot over the last 15 years have come from our Elk camp. 20 miles of dirt road, 7 miles on horses on Public land in Utah. We set up camp and then usually with in a mile maybe two miles from camp. We get up, eat breakfast, feed the horses and head out. We are hunting within minutes of the tent. So we leave camp just before daylight. Most of the elk are shot by 9:30 - 10:00 am as they leave the grassy areas heading back into the timber for their daytime beds. The last elk was shot at 8:30am as they came into water.

We rarely see another hunter. Pretty much have the canyon to ourselves.

Elk moving across grassy face on their way to dark timber

NW Colorado. Public land. Made camp about 3 miles from nearest ranch, which was 5 miles off the road. We always head to our stands 30-45 minutes before daylight. The spot I was hunting that day was about 1 1/4 miles from camp. My Dad and his hunting buddy had been coming to this mountain for nearly 30 years and had some great stands. Shot a 304" 6x6 at 0850 of opening day in 3rd season. 300WM 180gr. accubond at about 15yds. in very thick timber. Packed the meat, cape, and antlers out on 2 pack horses.

Last elk was Oregon on private land although we were also hunting BLM. Started at the top of a ridge on Forest Service road before daylight. Hunted down the ridge in the rain about 3 miles, crossed another FS road onto my friend's place and hunted another 1/2 mile until I jumped the bull at around 11am. We had hunted the same area 2 days earlier and never saw an elk.

Bull, private land, approximately 1 mile from vehicle, left the truck about 30 minutes before shooting light.

A cow on BLM land on Thornbourg Mountain in Colorado, where I have taken 20 something in the past, all Bulls but three. Eight miles from a road and 1/2 mile from my ATV, 8 below that morning and snowing sideways. On this day I was very happy with a cow. My son and grandson assisting me in the recovery. Good shooting.

I know you asked for the "last elk" I shot, but it got me thinking so here is the last and a few more-- The WY elk were all 6xs and the Utah bulls were all branched, even 6xs. All were from public lands.

Utah General Season last year, bull- 3 mile horse ride and a 1 mile hike. 4 miles from the truck after 45 miles of dirt/rocky road.

Wyoming General season bull- 7 mile horse ride to camp, 2 mile horse ride in the morning, 1/4 mile hike.

Wyoming General Season bull- same as last, except only a 200 yard hike.

Wyoming General Season bull- Same as above, except for a 1/2 mile hike.

Utah general season bull- Same as previous Utah bull. Leaned against the same tree.

Wyoming General Season bull- Same as other WY, except for a 1/4 mile hike.

Utah General Season bull- Same as above UT.

Utah General Season bull- Same as above UT.

I have shot other bulls in other areas, without horses. The point I wanted to make is that elk far from roads and people are usually always there year after year. It seems like clock-work and I have an expectation to see elk in those areas when I return. Learn an area, work harder and stick to it once it works.

OK, this may piss some of you off.....lol

I hadnt had a chance to get out at all for the season, it was Friday, the last day of the general rifle season here in CO. I told my boss I had to go at least say I walked and looked around. So at 3PM I left the office, was home by 3:15, changed clothes, grabbed a rifle and a pack with usual stuff and headed to a piece of BLM land about 5 minutes from the house. was walking from little ridge down into the valleys and back up again when at about 4:30, I saw a 6PT bull with a spike. After circling to get the wind right, I dropped the 6 pt with a shot to the chest. It was 4:45 PM... I was maybe 1/4 mile from a road. I was 500 yards from a gas well pad. Unit 75.....

Thanks for the info and for the stories. Sounds like I need to step up my exercise program. I live in Houston and am looking forward to fall.