Deer and elk are often confused for each other, but the challenges involved with hunting them are quite different. Knowing the differences between the species can better help you prepare for what you’re facing and what measures need to be taken in order to have an effective hunt. Here are a number of differences between deer and elk hunting that you should be aware of.
Habitats
One of the most important deer hunting tips is that elk and deer do not live in the same place. Deer can be found almost anywhere and everywhere and are therefore a little easier to find and hunt.
Elk tend to leave in higher areas, specifically the Rocky Mountains. Because of this, getting there and hunting can be a challenge. It’s best that you get in peak physical shape for the kind of hunting since it’s not fit for everyone.
Strategies And Tactics
Different approaches need to be used with each animal because of their biological differences. Deer, for example, tend to be browsers, meaning that you’re most likely to find them in the woods and along edge habitats. Elk, on the other hand, are grazers and you’ll find them in open woodlands and meadows.
Deer also travel in large groups in a territory that is usually a few square miles. Elk can travel in large herds numbering in the hundreds and their territories cover areas of more than 500 square miles. Elk hunting isn’t as easy as climbing a tree and waiting; you actively have to follow them in order to come across good prey.
Signs To Look Out For
One of the first signs you should be looking for is scat. Deer and elk dropping roughly look the same, but elk are twice as big. The second sign should be tracks. Deer tend to have pointed tracks, while elk tracks are much larger and rounder.
Once you find a herd of either elk or deer, it’s important that you stay downwind of them; that means the wind should be in your face, not at your back. This is because both animals rely mostly on their sense of smell than hearing or sight, meaning that if they smell you, they know they need to take off. You could invest in some scent-masking gear to help you out so that you’re not giving yourself away to the elk or the deer.
Elk Meat Versus Deer Meat
Hunters are mostly drawn to the thrill of elk hunting because it really puts their skills to the test against an animal that is much larger. Another reason elk hunting is so popular is that while you might be able to pull about 30 to 60 pounds of meat from a single deer, an elk provide up to 300 pounds of meat. The quality of meat between the two animals is different as well, with some hunters saying that elk meat is much better than deer.
Being aware of the basic differences involved in the process of deer or elk hunting can prepare you ahead of time as to what you need. So if you think you’re ready for the grueling challenge of hunting elk, then why not give it a try?