Over the Counter Elk Hunting Stories with Mike Herne

Show Notes:

Mike Herne is here for a little campfire hunting story session. Mike’s an avid hunter and bow hunting is his passion, although he recently picked up a rifle and enjoyed it. The army is Mike’s day job where he works in a professional development academy. In his spare time, he writes hunting and outdoor-related content for Black Rifle Coffee through their publication, Free Range American. Mike shares some of his favorite hunts and elk is hands down his favorite animal to chase with a bow. He grew up on the east coast sitting in tree stands looking for deer and the first time he heard an elk bugle and saw an elk, he was hooked.

Most of Mike’s elk hunting experience has been in Colorado. He went on a cool trip last year with Aron Snyder and South Cox from Kifaru International where he called elk for Aron on a pretty awesome tag. Mike loves elk hunting because of the instant gratification you can get with bugling versus sitting and waiting for deer to show up. His first over-the-counter-archery elk hunt was when he was stationed in Fort Carson, Colorado. After a deployment, Mike took a couple weeks off to hunt. It was a tough hunt, and he shares some lessons he had to learn the hard way.

The following season, Mike went back out and saw some quick success. The learning curve he experienced during his first hunt helped give him a leg up. He learned a ton about bugling, including when and when not to do it. Mike shares stories about a filmed trip he took with Free Range American that showed the reality of the over-the-counter hunting experience. We also talked about the similarities between calling elk and turkeys, hunting white tail deer, and lessons learned about creating illusions with noise and calls. Mike’s a great example of someone who takes what he learned from previous hunts and elevates his game the next season.

What’s Inside:

• Mike’s first elk hunt and the lessons he learned.

Mentioned in this episode

Phoenix Shooting Bags save 20% with code johnstallone

Howl for Wildlife: https://www.howlforwildlife.org/

GoHunt: https://www.gohunt.com/

Short Description:

Mike Herne is an avid bow hunter with some great stories, including a great one from his first time in Colorado. Mike shares some of his favorite hunts and elk is hands down his favorite animal to chase with a bow. He learned a ton of lessons and is a great example of someone who found success from integrating his experiences. 

Tags:

big game hunting, hunting tips, hunting guide, buck hunting, hunting stories, elk hunting, bugle, Colorado, bow hunting, archery, over-the-counter hunting, deer hunting