Petersen’s Bowhunting – September 2019

PETERSEN’S BOWHUNTING 67

IN MOST WESTERN STATES, elk bow seasons

run from mid-August through mid-October. Such

being the case, you can choose to hunt a time

frame encompassing everything from the pre-rut

to the post-rut, with each phase offering its own

avenues to success. In this article, I’ll attempt to

address many of the varied times, tactics and

habitats available for a DIY elk bowhunt.

August

For pre-rut bulls, I’ve always leaned toward alpine

hunts. The prerequisites for such an endeavor are

many, of course, so let’s take a look at a few of them.

First, you must be able to meet the mental and physi-

cal rigors involved in such a hunt. You’ll have to be able

to exist at high altitudes for extended periods of time.

You’ll need to be equipped for minimalistic backpack-

ing trips into the high country and/or bring horse/mule

flesh along. If you choose the wilderness backpacking

route, you’ll need a plan for extracting your trophy from

rugged backcountry areas — making arrangements to

do this after the fact, such as carrying a deboned elk out

solo, is basically fantasy. You should at least have a very

dedicated and tough hunting partner if you plan on

accomplishing meat retrieval on your own.

Next, you need habitat that fills the bill. Some states

are truly covered up with such — Colorado is certainly

at the top of the list, with Montana, Idaho and Wyoming

also supplying good amounts of alpine country. How-

ever, the majority of Wyoming’s alpine country lies un-

der wilderness status, which requires a nonresident to

hire an outfitter or be accompanied by a resident. New

Mexico and Utah offer a fair amount of high country,

while Arizona simply doesn’t measure up in this cat-

egory. I have no history with the West Coast states.

Remember, though, that there are different “types”

of alpine country. Some terrain above the timberline

is mostly vertical and rocky, while other areas pro-

vide beautiful alpine basins and traversable open ex-

panses. The latter sort of alpine habitat harbors elk in

larger numbers, as it provides far better feed.

When you’re pursuing alpine elk, it’s also important

to remember that the earlier the season opens, the better.

August bulls are much more visible, localized and pre-

dictable than September bulls, and you have a greater

chance of enjoying good weather in August than in Sep-

tember. Utah has one of the earliest elk bow seasons with

its mid-August opener. Colorado and Idaho are next on

thelistwiththeirlate-Augustopeners.Wyoming,Mon-

tanaandNewMexicoopeninearlySeptember.

My formula for an alpine bowhunt consists of

roughly 90 percentscoutingand 10 percenthunting.

Inotherwords,you’llneedtogettoyourareawell

beforetheseasonopens—preferablytwoweeksear-

lier—totoughenupmentallyandphysically.Atthe

sametime,you’llbeglassinglargeexpansesofhigh

There is a wide range of times, plac-
es and ways to arrow an elk. Whether
you prefer alpine adventure or close
encounters with valley giants, bugling
or hunting wallows, targeting herd
bulls or chasing “satellites,” there’s
something for every bowhunter.