{"id":113216,"date":"2019-08-05T18:52:41","date_gmt":"2019-08-05T22:52:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/?p=113216"},"modified":"2025-12-02T05:02:50","modified_gmt":"2025-12-02T11:02:50","slug":"hunt365-5-big-mistakes-elk-hunters-make","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/hunt365-5-big-mistakes-elk-hunters-make\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Big Mistakes Elk Hunters Make"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"5<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Elk hunters take to the field each fall with high hopes of notching their tag on a big bull elk (or even a small bull or cow). Often times success slips through their fingers through a comedy of errors. I\u2019ll cover a few big mistakes that can wreck your hunt, that can easily be avoided. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tune your bow AND broadheads<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"5<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Every year I hear the same\nold story of how some hunters will simply screw on their broadheads to their\narrows and go hunting. \u201cCan\u2019t believe I missed that bull by a foot\u201d! Never\nconsidering that their arrows may impact differently from where the field\npoints did. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first step in having a deadly bow set up is to have it perfectly tuned. Whether by a professional pro-shop or if you have the skillset and equipment, you can do it at home. You can paper tune or bare shaft tune, but what matters is your arrow is flying perfectly straight. This will allow for better penetration as all the arrow\u2019s force is directed in a straight line into the elk. If your bow isn\u2019t tuned and your arrow flight isn\u2019t correct, it will be exaggerated when the broadheads are installed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After your bow is tuned, the\nbroadheads being matched and tuned to your arrows comes next. Here are the\nfollowing steps I take before ever gluing the inserts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Begin with 12 arrows and 6 heads. Install each broadhead to the insert.<\/li>
  2. Without gluing the insert, slide it into the shaft being sure to match blades to the fletching.<\/li>
  3. Spin the shaft on an arrow spinning device (you can pick these up on Amazon for around $20).<\/li>
  4. If the broadhead wobbles, turn the head one position with the fletching. Spin again. Repeat until you\u2019ve tried it at every fletch position. <\/li>
  5. If the head still wobbles, try it in a different arrow until you find a perfect match and the shaft and head spin perfectly smooth. Mark the blade, insert and shaft where it aligns and set it aside for gluing it later.  <\/li>
  6. You may even want to swap the inserts to each head to find the perfect combo.<\/li>
  7. The last step is gluing the inserts, paying special attention to the marks from earlier. <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    What I\u2019ve found is that as you go through mixing and matching 6 heads to inserts, it may take fitting into all 12 arrows to complete this for perfect alignment. This seems extreme, but once you\u2019ve tuned your bow, and then broadheads to the arrows, they will impact the same as field points. Which allows you to be confident of making deadly shots in the field. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Make a complete game\nplan, A-Z<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"5<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    How many times have you done\nyour homework to find the perfect spot, only to find there are no elk there\nwhen you show up. \u201cThere were elk everywhere in august and now they\u2019re all gone\u201d.\nYep, I\u2019ve heard it 100 times (including seeing it myself). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Scouting begins in January and February when it’s too cruddy to do anything else. This is the time to spend hours on Google Earth and OnXmaps familiarizing yourself with the areas you want to hunt. Putting placemarks on Google Earth first, then marking them on the desktop version of OnXmaps is key. Once marked on the desktop, they transfer to your mobile devise version.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This allows you to explore and mark as many waypoints you want and when the hunting gets tough, you have a \u201cplan B\u201d, and many others as well. Sometimes I will go as far as to print maps from Google earth to review once I’m in the field. Being able to take a 3-D look at the terrain features may just connect the dots on where the elk have disappeared to. Having multiple plans in place will keep you hunting and give you more confidence for your next hunt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Practice your elk\ncalling<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"5<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    With all today’s information on elk calling, there\u2019s no reason why you can\u2019t purchase calls that will work for your style and then become proficient with them. Waiting until a week before the season starts to try out a new call is just a practice you will want to avoid. To become proficient with elk calls, it takes some time and effort. I\u2019m not talking about hours per day, but more along the lines of 10-15 minutes per day. Lots of hunters will practice in their vehicle on the commute to work. One thing to note if you are using the calls in your vehicle, keep them stored in a cool dry place out of the sun\u2019s harmful rays. The UV light will break down the latex in diaphragm reeds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Remember, you don\u2019t have to sound like a world champion elk caller to call in a bull. You need to call with emotion to evoke anger in the bull you\u2019re calling to. But if you have practiced your calls in the months leading up to the season, then you will have built the muscle memory required to confidently make consistent elk sounds.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n