DROP CAMP ELK

[Roughrider]

Ginger and I are interested in a drop camp elk hunt.  I'm looking for any information anyone can give us.  Leads on where to go, who to go with, questions to ask, dos and don'ts.

I've done afair bit of elk hunting and am looking for a way to get away from other hunters without hiking 2+ miles in every day.

[4BTradArchery]

I have been wondering the same thing.  Would love to hear what others recommend.

[Whip]

I haven't done one. Always been concerned that number one, if the outfitter is picking the spot, you are not going to get his best locations. Those would naturally be given to clients paying full boat for guides, etc.

Secondly, I prefer hunting the later weeks of the season, so other Hunters would probably have been there before me. If you get dropped in an area that all the game has been pushed out of, or wasn't there to begin with, you are stuck. Could be a long week if the elk are not in the drainage you get dropped in.

I have often thought the ideal would be to find a spot on my own that I would like to hunt and then find someone to pack me in. Finding that spot from 1200 miles away is the hard part. And no way to know that you won't find another camp set up when you get there.  Even then, elk are not always in the same places from one year to the next, or even one week to the next.

I know guys have had some good experiences with drop camps. So it sure can work. But simply being packed in does not guarantee the elk will be there. If they are, great, but lack of mobility can be its own problem.

[snag]

What state are you looking at Dan? If you are considering Oregon then give Del Sol Outfitters a call. See if you can talk with Shay Mann. They run a great service.  Like Joe says it's all about where they put you.  I have heard quite a few guys talk about Del Sol putting you in an area that others haven't been in and in "elky" spots. Couple this up with you're willingness to put some boot leather down you should find some good hunting.

[Pete McMiller]

I guess the only advice I could offer is that - just because you are in a drop camp there is no guarantee that you will be away from other hunters unless you are on private ground.  Back in '95 we did a drop camp in the Bitter Roots of Idaho - a day and a half horseback ride back in to a fantastic basin on top of a ridge.  Would have been a great hunt except that the week before we got there a group of DIY hunters had set up smack dab in the middle of the basin and drove all the elk out - we never saw an elk in 10 days.  I'd go back again except the outfitter sold his concession off to someone else.  My advice would be to pick the area you want to hunt in and then find an outfitter that operates in that area and set up a drop camp with him or at least have him take your own outfit in on his mules and pick you up at a prearranged date.  Of course the other option would be to rent mules/horses from a local and pack yourself in - not an option for me as I don't get along well with horses or their smarter cousins.

[HMlongbow]

Montana has some great animals and if you either looking for an awesome bull or cow Allan has what you want in a drop camp over by Hamilton, MT.  His drop camps include food and all you have to do is cook it.  He has a great area over there in the bitterroot mtns and you have to apply by March 15 due to unlimited draw unit.  Try "Two Bear Outfitters" and Allan will take care of you.
My son 16 at the time, missed a 360 class bull on second day.  We were in animals everyday but trad gear is sometimes difficult.
Good huniting

[fnshtr]

i've been on three drop camp hunts and the info given above is accurate. The best thing to do to get away from crowds is to hire someone to pack you and your camp in. There is still no guarantees.

Good luck!

[widow sax]

I have diy hunted in a area that had drop camps and they were in good spots but there is other people it seams not matter but that does not mean it is still not good hunting. This year I got a 12yrd shot at a nice bull hit a branch and just grazed him on the back. I saw three nice bulls and heard countless others.  Widow

[Cory Mattson]

not sure if you printed that correctly or if my experience is just way different - but we always walk 4 to 8 miles out and back each hunt - sometimes this includes a bivy night which cuts down on back and forth travel but I still would not expect to cover less than 2+ miles and be successful. It could happen but unlikely - we have always been successful so far.

[Roughrider]

Great input, I appreciate it.  Many of the concerns voiced here are exactly why I'm asking the questions.  Someone must run a reputable drop camp that others on here have used.

Cory, the reality is, that being over 50, it's difficult for Ginger and I to properly take care of an elk and get it out if we're much further than 2 miles in, depending on the terrain.  It's not that we can't cover the distance, it's the logistics of packing that limit us. 8 Miles straight line in would be impossible for us to do and give the animal the care it deserves - besides, it's getting to the point where the number of places where you can go 8 miles straight line in, and not be going out the other side, and getting few and far between.

[khall1]

A couple of years ago four of us decided to do a drop camp in the Gila.  We did a ton of research asked for references and finally decided to go with an outfit called San Francisco  Outfitters.  We met our guide in Reserve New Mexico early in the morning and they had everything ready to go and followed them to the trail head.  We agreed to use all of our own gear which made the price a lot cheaper.  We each had two mules to carry our gear in and with two mules you can live like kings for 12 days.  We were dropped off about 6 miles from the trail head and were told to give them a call (with the satellite phone we rented) if we got lucky.  Long story short, we went 3 for 4 and when called during the week the guides came the next morning with their mules and  went right to the spot where the elk died.  Best and easiest pack out I have ever done   .  Like others have said, you feel like you're in the middle of nowhere, but it is public land and we did see another group of hunters.  I would use San Francisco Outfitters again but I would do some research first as the Gila suffered a major wild fire last year.  Hope this helps.

[Cory Mattson]

Dan I can appreciate what you are saying. Might be time to hunt mornings OR evenings - this way you have some burn time left if you make a kill. Example start out of cam late morning or noon if an elk hits the ground not a burden to work on it couple hours after dark - or leave 2 hours before pink light and really be in the mix when morning action starts getting back to camp by noon. We have found that outfitters usually go in 4 to 8 miles from a "wilderness" boundary - few hunters go more than a mile or two from camp and I think mostly for psychological reasons rarely go back towards the perimeter. This is our tactic of working an area 2 to 4 miles in and we rarely see another hunter. The 8 miles we cover is not straight in as you point out. I trust my odds better than an outfitter can provide - my vote would be use your own equipment - hire horses to deliver and pick you up (to where you say) - and pack out your elk. I am 56 so know where you are coming from     I only hunt wild elk and am not interested in the pay access ranch hunts. Good Luck.
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[beendare]

There is a big difference between drop camp in a limited entry unit and OTC.  I've been in Co. OTC wilderness areas 9 miles from a TH and had 4 camps within 400 yards of us- it happens.

 I think the point with elk is to be mobile...they are where you find them and they may not be close to camp, no matter how far from a TH. Consider you may have to cover a lot of ground or spike out- best of luck.

[Cedar&Flint]

Some of the very best memories I have in my 62 years are drop camp elk hunting trips even though none of them resulted in my harvesting a bull. Every day was an adventure in the most beautiful and pristine country God ever created. There is so many wonderful things to experience that killing an elk is just icing on the cake. I finally did manage to take a nice rag horn with a longbow on heavily hunted public land in New Mexico. In my experience the wilderness experience was as much or more satisfying as harvesting the elk.

As far as advice I would tell you to go for it as many times as you can because there will come a time when the old body can't take the rigors of such a hunt.

I also learned that the biggest mistake we made was sometimes going too early in the season. You can swear there isn't an elk for a hundred miles and then the rut starts to heat up and they seem to be everywhere. It's a hard lesson learned when this happens on the last day or so of your hunt.

I would advise not to rent horses to keep in camp. They will require a lot of your time and effort to care for them. They seem to have only one thing on their mind and that is to escape and return home. They were an asset when we had to get an elk out due to warm weather but, in order to that you need some skills in throwing hitches and handling horses or mules in general. Having your guide contact you about midway in your trip or being able to contact him is much easier.

Good luck.

[Lost Arra]

J-Bar-H. in Colorado, unit 12, probably takes 3 points:
Jeanne Horne and her crew are all pros.
She's also a member of the Colorado Wildlife Commission.
Great people.