Elk Hunting

There are many places to hunt elk in the black hills. They are sneaky animals and hard to find. There are a few different species of elk in the united states. The Black Hills has the Rocky Mountain species of elk. They are a very large animal. Adults average 700 pounds and the calves are much smaller. Rocky Mountain elk like open forests and no human activity. The Black Hills National Forest is a perfect home for these elk because we have no underbrush and have a very open forest.

I have never had an elk tag for the Black Hills but my dad has shot two elk in the hills in my lifetime. I was lucky enough to be on both hunts with him. It was great fun hunting but kind of a pain to pack the animal out. We had to cut the elk into pieces and pack it out in our backpacks. We had to make four trips each to get the animal to the pickup.  They are great fun to hunt and you have to be a lot more aware but the hard work pays off in the end.