Archery hunters eagerly await elk season opener

At 6:31 a.m. on the morning of Saturday, Sept. 5, location bugles will pierce the predawn air.

Archery hunters have practiced, scouted, tuned and trained all year for this six-week hunting frenzy of Rocky Mountain elk.

The grueling pursuit of these sought-after big game animals with bow and arrow in Mineral County is uncommon these days. The success rate is even rarer, just like most hunters like their steaks.

“It’s not really elite, but it is ancient, natural and more in harmony with the old ways and our initial connections with the real world. Gun hunting is too easy,” declared James Jonkel, a Wildlife Management Specialist for Fish Wildlife and Parks in Region 2.

Jonkel used to be an avid archery hunter, but presently he’s too busy with bear management work during September and October to chase after screaming bulls in the fall. In the early 1990s archery hunting for elk in the mountains around St. Regis and Superior was one of his favorite pastimes.

“I used to hunt Boyd Mountain and Camel’s Hump as well. We also hunted up Little Joe, Dry Creek, Haugan Mountain and the north side of Keystone Mountain. It has been 25 to 30 years, however, since I have hunted that country.mThings have changed quite a bit, you don’t have the large populations anymore but it sure is fun hunting those pocket herds. It’s completely different than hunting the grassland herds.”

Over 90 percent of Mineral County is publicly owned by the U.S. Forest Service and the State of Montana. This means copious amounts of hunting grounds. Nevertheless, the elk herds along the lower Clark Fork River Valleys of Alberton, Superior and St. Regis tend to stick to higher elevations and rugged topography.

Mineral County is comprised of four hunting districts; 200, 201, 202, and 203. 202 Runs the length of the county southwest of Interstate 90. 200 is the smallest district in the northeast corner, half of 201 is in the center, and just a small sliver of 203 toward Missoula.

Jonkel described, “The county is steep, has lots of rain and snow, heavily forested, heavily brushed, lots of downfall and very rough terrain. Mountain elk use forest habitat differently than the elk in open grassland or heavy timber country. The pocket herds hang together and it can be difficult to locate them and once you do it requires a lot of patience and sneaking. You have to move very, very slow.”

Although his archery days of quietly stalking elk in the forests are mostly over for Jonkel he recommends truly learning the animal’s habits to gain an advantage.

“Get out there in a fresh snow, without a bow or rifle, and back track for several days, get inside the elk’s head and see where it feeds, beds, how it used the terrain,” he said.

On most of Jonkel’s hunts he set out solo and employed spot and stalk methods hiking several miles each day. Elk calls were important in his setups, bugling and cow calling.

If archery hunters have a distinct advantage going after elk during the month of September compared to rifle later in the fall, it’s breeding time and the elk are in the rut, this will often turn into all out screaming fests with large herd bulls ready to protect their harem of cows. Ideally a bull will respond to your hunting calls in two different ways, the desire to fight, or the desire to mate. It’s an important skill to learn as an archery hunter where you have to get in close to these majestic animals, at least 60 yards or closer.

Calling is a primary tool to locate elk herds, and it’s what next generation archery hunter Anthony Parkin finds most addicting. “I absolutely love the calling aspect of elk hunting! It’s almost my favorite part. There is so much more to it than people think,” he shared.

Parkin grew up in Superior hunting in the mountains since he was 12 years old. He started bow hunting as a freshman, and last year he helped his good friend and hunting partner Tucker Smith harvest an elk.

Parkin said, “Last season was a great one for me! Didn’t end up getting a bull myself but called in a great 6-point my buddy Tucker arrowed and had lots of other encounters!”

His advice for beginners, “I’m just a rookie myself, learning from mistakes every time I go out. I don’t think it’s difficult to get into, it’s definitely challenging but that’s what makes it so fun! If it were easy everyone would do it.”

Success is numbers game. For the 11-time World Elk Calling Champion, and all-around archery elk hunting authority, Corey Jacobsen from northern Idaho remembers the years he came home empty handed. That’s why he created an online DIY elk hunting course to help the average hunter fulfill their dream of taking an elk with their bow. The University of Elk Hunting online course (www.elk101.com/onlinecourse) provides a fountain of knowledge, expertise, and wisdom from a passionate outdoorsman willing to share his experiences and mistakes.

According to Jacobsen the success rate of harvesting an elk during archery season is a dismal 10 percent. Just one in ten hunters will take down a bull with their bow. Here in Mineral County with a population around 4,000, that statistic may be even lower. Below are the FWP Elk Harvest Estimates for bow hunters in Mineral County (excluding the very small hunting area of District 203).

2019

District 200 – 0

District 201 – 12

District 202 – 9

Total = 23

2018

District 200 – 7

District 201 – 17

District 202 – 6

Total = 30

Total FWP Elk Harvest Estimates for Mineral County for rifle and bow in 2019: 194.

Total FWP Elk Harvest Estimates for Mineral County for rifle and bow in 2018: 241.

It seems that everyone had a more difficult time finding elk last year than compared to previous seasons. But to discover the cause Liz Bradley the FWP Region 2 Wildlife Biologist may have answers. She monitors elk populations throughout Mineral County.

“We were unable to fly this spring because of COVID, so I was unable to survey all of the elk herds in my area. I conducted a number of ground surveys though and counted an average ratio of about 23 calves per 100 cows, which indicates a stable population,” Bradley noted.

With the mild winter last year, the herds saw better recruitment. She said, “Hard winters can have the biggest impact on elk herds in Region 2. Habitat quality and predation are also very important.”

The Burdette Creek area near Fish Creek is one of the only parts of Region 2 where elk populations have dropped. Bradley explained, “We’ve seen a steady decline in elk numbers that started in the 1990s. Other places in Mineral County have gone up and down but not as drastically as Burdette Creek. Burdette Creek is poor quality winter range and we believe this herd was therefore more susceptible to effects of predation.”

On the other hand, elk herds in the Tarkio area have remained relatively high so much so that the district is considering means to reduce populations due to game damage happening in area fields.

For the archer revved up and ready to hit the high country this September Bradley suggested, “Bull elk are generally still up higher during late summer and early fall. They seek out areas away from roads where there is still good forage. It takes some winter weather to start pushing them down to lower elevations.”

With elk herd populations in mind as well as harvest counts it’s a recurrent system of checks and balances that leads to the health and longevity of hunting units. Bradley shared, “Hunting is absolutely a fundamental aspect of conservation and we value the contributions that hunters make toward wildlife management but purchasing a hunting license every year. This money goes directly to the work we do on the ground.”

For Bradley who not only studies big game and helps to preserve this tradition She too is eager for the shift in temperatures and the beginning of hunting season.

“I hunt elk, deer, upland birds, and antelope. I love getting out and hunting every fall, it is one of my favorite times of the year and always gratifying to fill the freezer!” she said.

Deer and elk archery season opens Sept. 5 and ends Oct. 18. After that general season for rifle or bow starts Oct. 24 through Nov. 29.