Elk Hunting

 

      School

 

      

Idaho’s Selway Wilderness offers some of the finest elk hunting anywhere in the Rocky Mountains.  It is one of the few remaining areas where you can rifle hunt for bugling elk.  Along with elk, you can hunt mule deer, white tail deer, mountain lion, wolf, and black bear.  This country is extremely remote and is as rugged as it is beautiful.  For the inexperienced elk hunter the Selway can be a very harsh and frustrating experience.  Some first time elk hunters go the entire hunt without seeing or hearing the elusive wapiti, or without learning the essential skills required to do so.  But for the experienced elk hunter the remoteness of the Selway affords them the opportunity to bugle mature bulls without other hunters spoiling the chase.  Year after year our guided hunters enjoy over twice the success rate of their drop camp friends.  Some of this difference is certainly better local knowledge but not as much as you might think.  Last year we had a guide that was new to our area bugle a bull in for his hunter within the first two hours of the hunt.  The hunter bagged his first branch antlered bull. 

Taking a bull elk on fair chase terms is one of the finest yet hardest trophies to acquire in North America.  A mature bull can make even the smartest whitetail look dumb.  Hunting elk in remote mountainous terrain is completely different than hunting white tails.  If you don’t live and play in elk habitat how you can expect to obtain the required knowledge to become a proficient elk hunter without spending thousands of dollars and weeks of vacation.  Reading hunting magazines is no substitute for being in the hills.

To solve the problem Storm Creek Outfitters has designed a very hands on program that will allow you to gain enough knowledge and experience to be an effective elk hunter your next time out. This school was designed specifically to make our nonguided hunters more successful, increase their competency in the wilderness and give them confidence in the back country.  But anyone wishing to increase their knowledge of elk hunting and outdoorsmanship and at the same time have a great time in the wilderness should attend.  The skills that you learn here will work anywhere elk are found.

The program was pared down from a Professional Guide School syllabus.  We have removed all of the agency rules and regulations, horseshoeing and so forth and left all the hunting and fun stuff in.  We have a five day core program that covers all the basics of elk hunting.  The core program will teach you how to locate, call in and kill elk.  Also, once your animal is down how to “work up the animal”  and pack the meat off the hill.  We will also make sure you are comfortable and competent in getting around in very remote roadless areas.  If you would like to stay on after the core program is over we also offer electives that you can choose from to strengthen the areas you select.  Our electives include things like; how to be a safer horseman, how to pack almost anything on horses and mules, how to recognize and set up a back country camp, advanced mountain orienteering, and how to handle back country emergencies.  We emphasize minimum impact techniques and wilderness ethics. 

I personally run the school with the help of several professional guides.  I have over 30 years experience hunting Elk throughout the Rocky Mountain West.      The school is taught in the Selway Wilderness in the middle of elk country.  We are based out of our main camp and take horses into the back country for hands on training.  For part of the trip we will be riding along the Idaho, Montana divide at 8000 ft where you can see 7 different mountain ranges.  Another day we will be along the upper Selway River, one of the most remote and picturesque rivers in the west.  All the while you will be gaining hands on practical knowledge and experience and still have time for a little fishing, if desired. 

We serve great food under one of the biggest skies you will ever see and the program is priced lower than you would think.We run the school one week per month from July through August .  Each school is limited to only 8 spots so call us today to get more information or reserve your spot.        

Thanks, Steve Burson;  Guide, Outfitter and Owner / Operator of Storm Creek Outfitters LLC