SCOTT BOULANGER - CONFESSIONS OF AN ELK-HUNTING OUTFITTER

Prepare To Hunt Elk

Editor's Note: Thirty-eight-year-old Scott Boulanger, an outfitter from Darby, Montana, a guide and instructor at Circle KBL, has a very busy hunting schedule, including guiding for elk, deer, bear and mountain lion. Success on a Boulanger hunt depends on the weather, the physical condition of the hunter, the hunter's willingness to hunt and a little good luck. This week Boulanger shares with us anecdotes from his vast experience as an elk outfitter.

Question: How many bull elk would you expect to take if you had 10 guides go out for six days?
Answer: Probably four or five because the guides are used to the altitudes and the climb. Also, their age is a factor.

Question: How old is too old to be hunting elk?
Answer: That is a mental question for each hunter. What he wants to do and how hard he wants to hunt for is up to the individual. Some guys, like in our high camp, have been in their upper 70s. They told us they couldn't hike it up and down the mountains, but they could sit here all day long and watch the big meadow that we kill elk in every year. They will sit there all day, and they will walk themselves back to camp or ride up hill. They just put one foot in front of the other, taking a few steps at a time. Most guys are not willing to sweat for it. Everybody is different physically. I have had 30-year-old guys quit the second day. Then I've had hunters in their mid to late 60s who have kept themselves in good physical condition, and are willing to sweat for the elk.

I have a friend, who lives right down the road, who just turned 70-years old a few months ago. He is out hiking it today, with a backpack on and his gun. He keeps himself thin and fit. He packed in back up to the Idaho border, with an eight-hour horseback ride, he went in there with four mules, all of his feed and set up his camp and hunted for a whole week up there.

For more information on hunting elk, contact Scott Boulanger with Circle KBL Outfitters at P.O. Box 733, Darby, Montana, 59829; (406) 821-0017; email: elkhunter@circlekbl.com or visit the Web site at www.circlekbl.com.

TOMORROW: WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT WITH CIRCLE KBL OUTFITTERS