Should I be worried?

Some of you chimed in on my previous post about the dilemma I was having about what to do about mine vs my fathers elk tag this year. I decided to take my late cow tag in unit 49 and use my vacation time to help my dad fill his tag. My father has not filled a tag in over twenty years due to making sure his kids had the opportunity first. I really want to do all I can to help him fill what is a dream tag for him. His tag is a unit 44 rifle bull tag that opens next month. Here is the reason I am worried. I have spent three weekends helping my brother attempt to fill an archery elk tag in unit 43. We have hunted very hard and seem to be in the right areas but have not turned up any elk. I know they have been in there because there is sign of them. We even found a series of wallow that stunk so bad you could smell it from 100 yards away. Granted we have only hunted weekends, my fathers hunt is a draw unit, and we will be hunting for two 4 day periods but I am getting worried that if I cannot find elk during the freaking peak of the rut in area that I know pretty well, how the heck am I suppose to find elk in a post rut period in an area that I have only been in a handful of times. Should I be worried? I know I don't contribute much to this forum. I am a lurker most of the time but that's mostly because I usually don't either have a lot of time to respond to peoples posts or I just don't feel I have anything to contribute. I am going to try and be better and not just lurk on this page. Does anybody have any tips or tricks on this hunt that might be able to help me get my father onto some animals?

LAST EDITED ON Sep-24-18 AT 08:16PM (MST)[p]Unit 44 should be relatively easy. Get in the high timber or hunt by the ag. Use your glass. The bios out of Twin should be a good help. Talk to both of them in that office.

A big part of hunting is the mental game. Consistently successful hunters all have one thing in common, they continue to hunt hard day after day even when they are not getting into animals like they expected. One exciting part of hunting is that your "luck" can change at any moment. You could be hunting hard for several days without seeing anything and at noon have a giant buck or bull walk out in front of you. Your odds of your dad taking home a nice bull increase significantly if you both stay mentally tough and continue to put in a good effort day after day.

I don't really know unit 44 myself but based on what I know I think your dad stands a good chance at a nice bull. Even if your dad doesn't get a big bull, you still get to spend some time with him in the mountains.

I just got back from a short archery hunt with my dad and brother in a different area of Idaho. I called in 7 bulls and several cows but none of us got an elk. Even though we didn't take home any elk, I got exactly what I wanted out of the hunt. Quality time with my family and friends in the mountains to me is more important than taking home antlers or meat.

BrianID, thanks for the encouragement. I am super excited for this hunt to spend time with my dad and brothers. I know it will still be a great time and good memories made even if he doesn't end up filling his tag. He has spent some many years working so hard to try and give us opportunities and teaching us how to hunt. He is now almost 60 years old and I would love to see him fulfill a dream of his before his health keeps him from hunting. I am afraid that day is not too many years off. Thank you for the reminder how important the mental game is. I have struggles with staying focused because I don't often get multiple days in a row to hunt so if I do not start getting into animals on the first couple days of a hunt I feel like I will run out of time. I now know what my father must have gone through when his boys where just starting to hunt. Gotta few years before I go through that with my boys but I just want to do everything I can to try and make this trip a success for Pops.

That is one of the premium elk tags in the state, with a +70% success rate last year. Get out and hunt hard. Get high and glass, glass, glass and you will find the elk. The whole unit is draw only for deer and elk, so you won't have to contend with hoards of other hunters. Get out, have fun and hunt early and late, then get back here and post up the pictures! Good luck!

I had the same situation with my Dad. His health did not allow for what many on here would call "hunting hard".

Unfortunately we were not successful killing him an elk. But, we had a great time as father and son. He understands it's hunting and frankly the luck was not on his side. If he was in better shape maybe we would have, but he understands that as well.

It's not the trophies on the wall as much as the memories of the time in the field we usually cherish. This is why I can't see doing the game farm thing.

That said, 44 is a good unit and being positive will only help the experience. Be glad you are not fighting the fire closure that exists now. I have friends hunting it now, and have scouted the border and trust me the elk are there, as they were in 43. Maybe the bad luck you had with your brother will even out on your Dad's hunt.

PS As the other poster noted, the elk are high and low in that unit. Unless your Dad is pretty healthy, I would look to hike the peaks.

First, its been tough for many people to find elk this year due to the hot, dry weather. So don't take this wrong but 2 weekends is really tough to find elk.

I would say that you are going to hunt differently with the rifle than the bow. As noted, glass glass glass then you only have to get within 350 yards. Just spend a little more time, you'll be good!

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Idhunters thanks man. Not taken the wrong way at all. I knew it was gonna be tough to find elk in just two weekends. But I feel like we are getting so close. This dang hot dry weather sounds like it made it tougher than normal. I am just a worry wart and just need to have some confidence in mine and my father's hunting knowledge. Everything said so far is stuff I know but just needed a reminder and reassurence. Thanks guys! Had a few people reach out and am feeling so much better about this hunt. Can't wait for the hunt to open and hopefully share some awesome pics!

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