I've never hunted Elk. I've hunted a lot of whitetail though. Just curious. Oh, and what about moose?

I have gotten away with things with elk and moose that I do not believe a whitetail would have stood for. On the other hand all three have out smarted me before.

Never hunted elk either but a guide friend of mine told me that they will tolerate more "noise" from walking/stalking than a deer will.
Twigs breaking, rocks rolling etc, supposedly don't bother them as much.
I don't think that it's because they aren't as smart, I think it's just because, as a bigger animal, they themselves make more noise, especially in groups, and they are used to it.

I probably shouldn't have used the word "smarter."
Maybe I should have said "jumpy" or difficult to hunt.
Groundhogs are dumb as rocks. But they are really, really tough to sneak up on. Maybe worse than whitetails. But the groundhogs are a lot easier to locate in the first place.

Whitetail are more cautious or jumpy than Elk. I have limited experience with Elk, but a lot with Whitetail.

Neither will tolerate too much, but I do think the ELk is going to put up with slightly more than a WT.

Whitetails X 100

I agree that whitetail are tougher, but if an Elk smells you AT ALL it is almost always game over. I have seen whitetails wind me, stuff, others, and still proceed into an area, never a whopper buck though....

From my own experience, I believe a whitetails primary defense is hearing. I think they use smell as an early warning system. But that they trust their hearing to tell them range and direction.
They will feel justified in bolting over smell, but they need something to go with it to tell them which is the safe direction to run or sneak.

quote:

Are Elk or Whitetail smarter?

Than the average hunter? Yes!

Alan

Sorry to be lone desenter, but I've never spent 10 days hunting whitetails and come away empty handed. I think so some degree, it varies depending on where you hunt. Where I've hunted, during rifle season, Elk are more difficult. I think part of it is that Elk are more nocturnal....like Vampires. Sleep all day, feed all night, head into the deep dark timber as soon as the sun breaks the horizon. They change their movement patterns everytime the weather changes. Often this can be used to your advantage, but you need to know the country. Elk will notice human patterns and change their behavior as well.

Of course, whitetails are very adaptable, so I can see how they could be very difficult under different hunting conditions.

quote:

Originally posted by GSSP:

quote:

Are Elk or Whitetail smarter?

Than the average hunter? Yes!

Alan

I think it depends a great deal on where you are hunting your deer. I agree with those who say that if an elk winds you, game over. On the other hand, if you hunt deer in a rural habitat, as I do, they seem acclimated to a fair amount of human scent, in the background as it were. I have had deer right under my tree stand, clearly able to get a whiff of my scent from the spikes I climbed to get up in the tree, slowly move off. Not at all panicked. On the other hand, I have seen them smell a bottle of doe pee at a time of year it should not have been used and jump as though hit with a cattle prod. They know what smells are ok where they are and which should not be there. I suspect that if one hunted elk in a place where they could become acclimated to some human activity, they would probably put up with some human scent as well.

In my experience, deer in the northwoods are just as jumpy about scent as elk. I also agree that elk will put up with a lot more of the noise a hunter makes sneaking through the woods than a whitetail does because whitetails are VERY quiet, even when relaxed, whereas elk make a lot more noise-- like cattle.

Having guided elk hunts and whitetail hunts for almost 20 years, its not even close. Elk win by a landslide!!!

I am certain I've guided 40+ whitetails over 160" B&C, personally killed 2 over 170", the only 2 I have ever shot, and guided at least 2 dozen bulls over 350" and personally shot 8 of them over 350". Neither one is more wary, less tolerant, more spooky, more sensitive to sight, sound or smell than the other, period! They are both wily critters!

But without question elk live in much more difficult terrain/conditions, thus making the hunt much more difficult, and the gear/accessories, physical fitness, optics, and toughness needed to hunt them, a whole different ballgame. Killing a whitetail or an elk is EASY, killing a big whitetail is not that tough, killing a big elk, still pretty difficult just because of where he lives. JMO, nothing more.

I've done a lot of elk hunting, and not nearly as much whitetail hunting. I don't think one is 'smarter' than the other, but that they have different aspects that they rely on for self preservation. Elk, unlike whitetails, are herd animals, and when in large groups they make a lot of noise while traveling. They break sticks, kick rocks, their hooves can 'thump' the earth pretty hard when they're in a large group. On the ohter hand, a solitary bull who is on alert can move as silently as any whitetail. My epxerience with elk has been that you can get away with some noise, a lot if it sounds like what elk do themselves, when hunting them. However, if they get your wind, the hunt if over...immediately. If they see you, sometimes you can get away with it a little, but they don't stand around for long if they identify you for what you are. I'm a big believer in being well camoflauged when I hunt either species.

Perhaps your question should be 'which one is harder to hunt'? In that regard, I'd give the nod to elk. They live in tougher country in general, require a lot more effort most of the time and their densities are not the same as whitetails in much of their habitat. For most hunters, in most places, most of the time, you'll spend more time hunting elk than you will whitetails before you take a mature bull or buck.

Elk and Whitetails use their ears and eyes to a large degree, but their nose is their main defense. They can hear you and listen; they can see you and stare, but if they smell you game over. You will contend with swirling winds many times in Elk country; up drafts and down drafts. Mountains are fickle; thus closing the deal on a mature bull with archery tackle is a real challenge. Rifle/muzzle loader; not near as difficult due to the effective range. If you can slip up on a bedded Whitetail within bow range, you'll make a good stalker on Elk. Just learn their habits BEFORE you take off or go with a good guide in a good area. Some good advice from our members, heed it well.
Cheers,
David

I've only shot two whitetails, so no expertise there.

Killed a lot of elk. If you can hunt elk in the rut (usually archery hunts) bull elk are not that cautious when caught at the peak of the rut. They are not stupid just not as cautious. Hunting elk post rut with a rifle is very challenging to even find them. They cover wide expanses of territory and move many miles when disturbed.

Smartest in my book is a old large mule deer buck!!!!

One of the smartest animals in the wood is an old whitetail doe. They are amazing animals.

Since no one commented on the moose, I will.

I have shot a few dozen whitetails, seven bull elk, and three moose.

IMO, all you have to do is look at my trophy room. Filled with everything...except a big deer. My biggest elk was my first, a DIY 7x6. I will say if you have a guide who knows what he or she is doing your odds go way up. And truthfully, I have never bought a whitetail hunt, although Aaron might convince me if he stays persistent.

Elk are herd animals, so if you are stalking a herd, you have to put up with cows. And the comment about elk being vampires certainly rings true for me. I have made 8 DIY hunts for elk and killed a 7x6, 6x6, 5x5, 5x4, and a spike. So my success rate is 62.5%, which is pretty high. My success rate when guided is 2 for 2, with a 4x4 and a big 6x6.

And Aaron's comment about the conditions is spot on as well, although last week in the Yukon I sure thought wistfully of the balmy, lazy (and admittedly non-productive) afternoons glassing a north facing hill while elk hunting.

I deer hunt near Birchdale MN; it has some big deer, but a lot of basket racks. Who knows how I would do on a guided hunt...but I know one thing: paying bucks increases your odds on just about everything.

I agree with Teancum; post rut elk are a horse of a different color. For a guy from the East to consistently shoot a post rut elk on a DIY hunt certainly has my respect. So does anyone else, for that matter.

As for moose, I have one DIY and 2 guided hunts. I killed moose on all of them. Moose are not very bright but their environment makes for a very tough hunt. My first guided hunt was a backpack hunt - brutal; certainly harder than sheep hunting (because we had to pack that moose through two miles of swamp).

From what it sounds like to me from others who have expertise in both it comes down to terrain. A trophy buck hiding out in south Tx brush is going to be an almost impossible kill until the rut where as one in a plains state you could at least see him to know he is there. A bull elk is going to hide in the thick stuff but come the rut will follow where he is led.

It is an apples to oranges comparison EXCEPT for the fact that all senses must be fouled on both animals to be successful.

Perry