“elk hunter”

For most big game hunters, the chance to square your sights on a 400-inch elk is an once-in-a-lifetime thrill. Every time an elk hunter sends a bugle echoing through the hills he's hoping to get closer to the ultimate Wapiti record breaker. To help all you bone collectors get pumped up for this season, we've compiled eight examples of Boone & Crockett elk. Enjoy. (photos: Boone & Crockett Club)

With a 202-yard shot on a 400-pound cow elk, 8-year-old Braeleigh Miller officially became the youngest hunter in Michigan history to kill an elk.

The bottom line for elk calling is to be flexible—if what you’re doing isn’t working, try something else.

Real “experts” don’t let commonly held dogmas corral them. They’re out-of-the-box thinkers. They understand and utilize commonly held solutions, but they also know how and when to break these rules.

There is no one-size-fits all method to calling a bull up close, but these tips and tactics typically hold true. Give them a try next time you’re in the elk woods.

You can find active birds in the mountains, where few hunters tread.

Bryce Towsley shares a bit of what he's learned over the years about taking care of yourself—or another hunter—when injured afield.

The frosty white-tipped tom of the West lures many turkey hunters from other regions. But the bird that roams the Rockies can’t necessarily be hunted the same ways as birds in Eastern forests.

Don’t ignore elk locales that offer low odds of success. You’ll find the hunting pressure in them is nil, and when you do find elk, you can usually kill them.