Exo Journal — Elk Hunting

I have spent six years hunting elk on public land. I have learned new lessons on every trip, brought home new experiences each time, and thankfully, I also tagged-out 4 of those years. I am far from an expert, but as a regular do-it-yourself guy, I’d like to share some of what I’ve learned that could benefit other folks, like you, that are learning to hunt elk on public land.

I am not an expert when it comes to drawing elk tags, but you can bet that I will have at least a couple of elk tags in my pocket every fall. In this article, I am going to attempt to give you my approach to applying for and seeking out elk tags through draws and over-the-counter opportunities. I hope this information helps unfold some of the mysteries behind getting into the elk draw game, so that you can set yourself up with a long-term plan that works for you and your budget.

The possibility of hunting out of state is becoming a reality for more and more folks.  When I was younger, I thought I would never be able to do something like that.  I remember thinking how it must be such a hassle and way out of my price range.  In reality, however, an out of state hunt is totally doable for the blue-collar hunter.  Doing the hunt as a backpack-style trip only adds to the level of adventure.  That was actually how I pulled off my very first out of state hunt.  Since then, the idea of doing it on...