Podcast 27 – Archery Elk Hunt Recap with Garrett Roe

On today’s show, we have my good friend (and returning guest) Garrett Roe of Heads Up Decoy on the podcast recap his 2018 elk season in Colorado where he was able to kill a great bull on public land with his bow. He recounts the two weeks he spent on the mountain as well as the preparation and scouting that lead up to this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Garrett walks us through many close calls and encounters with elk and also dives into the strategy of playing the wind, where to hunt, using a cow elk decoy, and how to make a move on herd once they are located. This episode is filled with ups, downs, and everywhere in between which is the reality of elk hunting on public land. For more information on Heads Up Decoy, please visit: www.headsupdecoy.com

Topics Covered In This Episode Include:

• Garrett’s current whitetail plans and getting his oldest, Kaleb into bowhunting for his first deer season
• The background of Heads Up Decoy and how they have been able to create the most portable, lightweight, effective decoys for bowhunting
• A creativity that can come of hunting on the ground with a decoy and how it can help mix things up
• The application and draw process for archery elk in Colorado unit 76 and dealing with the point creep over the years
• His scouting trip to the area in August and determining where to hunt based on the terrain and accessibility
• Getting started with the first phase of his hunt on September 6th and setting up a base camp to access the area based on immediate hunting pressure and sightings
• Why Garrett avoided burn areas in Unit 76 and didn’t hunt them
• The first-day heart-pounding encounter and almost killing a bull on the very first afternoon
• Using thermals to his advantage and staying below them or to the side of them during the morning hours
• Why Garrett concentrated on hunting south-facing slopes as opposed to the norm of hunting north-facing dark timber
• The mental aspect of elk hunting and how Garrett dealt with that while being on the mountain
• Phase two of Garrett’s elk hunt where he went back during the last week of the season solo
• Solo hunting with a decoy and the strategy that he uses to bring elk in close enough for a shot
• Dealing with other hunters in the unit and how to communicate with them so that everyone has a good hunt
• Putting emotion into calling and how that can make a difference with encounters
• The heart-pounding encounter of the moments leading up to the shot on a bull that is committed and is coming in fast
• Accomplishing a long-term goal of getting it done on public land in Colorado, taking a great bull with a bow
• Packing out his elk in dark timber and utilizing logging roads for getting the heavy loads back to the truck
• The importance of having a good meat hauling pack and trekking poles
• Why everyone needs to go on an elk hunt at least once in their lifetime and the resources available to help shorten the learning curve
• Hunting other units and different states as opposed to waiting 15 years to draw a tag in Colorado