One of the most important things you can do to prepare for a hunt is to become familiar with the hunt area as much as possible, ideally through in-person, pre-season, on-the-ground scouting. If this is not possible and, as a supplement to scouting, you’ll want to acquire good quality topo maps of the hunt area with the current road and trail system. Satellite images can provide details not included in a topo map but often lack the ability to clearly see some roads and slopes. The more updated maps you have, the more likely you are to stay found. These days you can do quite a bit of “virtual scouting” with programs like Google Earth but this method should only be used to supplement actual boots on the ground scouting. It never hurts to double check your hunt zone boundaries, especially if you are not familiar with the area. Just ask those who get cited for hunting outside of their tag’s game management unit. You’ll also want to know where posted private property exists and any dwellings to avoid shooting within a quarter-mile.

Being physically fit enough for the type of hunt and terrain involved is just as important as the ability to know when to say when. Hiking at elevation is tough enough on its own but then add heavier boots, clothing and packs as well as some kind of a weapon -- which can easily add up to an additional 30 pounds. Some feel that you can’t walk too slowly when “still hunting” in good habitat which is also a good way to keep from getting too winded. Arriving in camp a couple days early not only provides good scouting time but helps acclimate your body to any changes in elevation and helps avoid relatively common altitude sickness. Training at home by walking hills in your hunting boots and daypack can avoid painful blisters and sore muscles when the adrenaline of opening day surges through your arteries and powers you faster and further than your legs are ready for.

Having the right equipment for the conditions and job at hand is one of the most important prerequisites for a successful hunt and can save hours of time and maybe gallons of sweat. One common mantra is -- “If there is room in the truck, bring it!.” Obviously, a daypack large enough to carry only what you’ll need for the length of the hike planned that day is much easier to carry and can be changed depending on weather, terrain and length of planned hike. A good pair of broken in boots should be at the top of your equipment list. 

Successful hunters are usually very familiar with the gun or bow that they are using. And that doesn’t mean finding out how many shots are needed to hit the target at the longest shot you want to take. Knowing how large your “groups” of shots are at various yardages will help you decide if you have a good clean shot. Prepared hunters have shot from various positions, including using shooting sticks to steady the gun from a standing or offhand position. Grass and brush often prevent shooting from a lying down or prone position so be sure to practice sitting and kneeling with a support against a tree or with some shortened shooting sticks. 

Hunting always includes variables out of people’ scontrol, such as the weather, animal movements and unplanned health emergencies. Common sense risk assessment and decision making can allow us to avoid most problems but eventually, the odds of bad things happening might catch up to you. So, the happiest hunters have back-up plans already in place, allowing them to relax, knowing they can deal with the problems most likely to occur. These plans include letting someone know where they intend to be and in what kind of vehicles, with the scheduled itinerary of specific dates, including the number of people in the group and the planned route of travel. If the hunting party does not make contact with an outside person monitoring their activities after a specific time or date, the local Sheriff should be alerted.

Well-prepared hunters all have some form of survival kit and are familiar with wilderness type first aid and CPR training since emergency medical services will have a relatively long response time.

Hopefully, though, all of the blood spilled during the hunt comes from the animal with the tag on it which requires the tools and knowledge on how to process the harvested animal to recover the most delicate cuts of healthy, antibiotic-free, lean meat. Elk can be completely disassembled into packable sizes with just a sharp folding knife if you study elk anatomy and cut at the joints instead of through bone. Or you can try and transport it whole to a butcher to let the professional make custom cuts, sausages or jerky.

Some hunters figure it out quickly and can harvest a Boone and Crockett quality buck within the first half-hour of their first hunt when only 14-years-old. But most have to earn their first big game animal tagged and many can go years without having a quality opportunity. So, the best prepared hunters are ready to work for their hunt and don’t get easily frustrated, especially if they constantly experience “critter-contra-encounterism” -- the act of commonly seeing every other species of wildlife in the woods -- including the species on your tag -- but just the opposite sex, without even catching the quickest glimpse of the critter named on your tag.  

Since you are getting up earlier than usual to be in the hunting areas before the elk, a long hunt can get exhausting when coupled with the high elevation exercise and constant fresh air. Sleep deprivation can dull your senses, increasing the chance that your target will see you before you see it. So, don’t worry about recharging the mind and body with a short nap in the woods. You might even fool the elk into thinking you’re just out bird watching!  

Land access - private property permission if needed

Maps, compass, GPS, phone apps, Garmin inReach satellite beacon, extra batteries

Weather apps with real time and forecast precipitation, temperature and wind

Power bank to recharge phone 

Tent, Sleeping bags, Pads, Cots

Stove, Cooler, Food, Water

Sufficient clearance

Spare tire and all changing tools, jack

Xtra fluids (oil, radiator, water)

Duct tape, extra hide-a-key

Flat repair plug fixer, Air compressor

Gun or Bow

Non-toxic ammo and/or Arrows, Field targets, Shooting sticks

Camo cover, gloves, facemask, hat

Optics - everybody should have binoculars - spotting scopes need tripods

Tree stands and portable blinds

Knives (and sharpening tools or extra blades since elk hair dulls blades quickly)

Bone saw, Sharp hatchet, Cheesecloth game bags for boned meat or quarters

Clean up towels / gloves

Rope to hoist carcass off the ground if needed overnight

Broken in boots with good soles and traction

Layers top and bottom, synthetics that wick with loft and Insulate when wet

Many nice warm socks

Raingear / wind shell  

Emergency Survival Kit (contents depend on group size, length of stay, remoteness, etc.)

Medications, special diets, Books, etc