Podcast 24 – Public Land Archery Elk Hunting with David Blair

It’s not very often that you come across someone who is as passionate about elk hunting as you are. On today’s show, I talk with David Blair about backcountry bowhunting for elk and how he transitioned from a rifle hunter to strictly hunting with a bow.

David shares what he has learned over the years and how he initially got started with backcountry public land archery hunting where he shares his gear tips, finding elk mentors, and some of the strategy he uses to have success on pressured elk.

Topics Covered In This Episode Include:

• David’s recent scouting missions to the Gila National Wilderness Area and checking cameras
• Discussing the drought across the West and how it is going to affect the concentration of elk in 2018
• His background of growing up in Ohio and moving to New Mexico in his twenties where he got started with hunting with a rifle
• A scary situation on his last rifle hunt in New Mexico and how that got him into bowhunting for elk in 2008
• Using forums like RokSlide and Archery Talk to meet new people and to shorten the learning curve on Western hunting
• The trend of backcountry bowhunting and the many different styles that one can get into based on the experience you are looking to have
• Making sure you have the right gear for the backcountry and more importantly for when getting an animal on the ground
• How David was able to find an elk hunting “mentor” and how that really helped with purchasing the right gear
• The initial struggles of hunting in the backcountry for elk
• What David looks for on a map to find the “ideal” elk habitat while digital scouting and other resources he uses to find elk
• The ideal location and strategy when setting up a camp in elk country
• What David does to find the overlooked spots and the best ambush areas for elk
• Running and gunning when the elk aren’t talking and things are slow
• Recounting one of David’s dicey bear encounters in the backcountry and the details of a nerve-wracking moment
• Hunting in the same country as predators and how David mitigates the encounters with bears, mountain lions, and wolves in camp
• Using technology and GPS like onXmaps to navigate public land areas
• Recapping some of David’s most memorable hunts and the story of how he was able to kill his first herd bull