Elk everywhere
So I have up to 200 head of elk all over on and around my hunting permission. The problem is I cant decide wether to shoot the first bull I see (spike, 3-point, or whatever) or do I wait and hold out for a larger bull. I have lots of photo's from my trail cam, every morning and evening they come to a small watering hole. I have seen so many little bulls, but I have only seen a couple of large bulls......I only have two weeks to decide......what to do..what to do
There are so many things that go into making this decision.Originally Posted by swiffer
So I have up to 200 head of elk all over on and around my hunting permission. The problem is I cant decide wether to shoot the first bull I see (spike, 3-point, or whatever) or do I wait and hold out for a larger bull. I have lots of photo's from my trail cam, every morning and evening they come to a small watering hole. I have seen so many little bulls, but I have only seen a couple of large bulls......I only have two weeks to decide......what to do..what to do
How many large bulls do you have around?
How will their behavior change in the next couple weeks? (A lot!)
How much time do you have to hunt them?
Will you be personally satisfied with a rag-horn or smaller? (I'll take a shot on a rag-horn any chance I can get.) If you can truthfully answer "no." to this question, you're better off holding out.
How many elk have you had the good fortune of harvesting? If this is potentially your first bull, be satisfied with whatever you can get. Any elk is a trophy with a bow, and I know a large number of people who would call your hunt a chance of a lifetime.
Personally, I'm a meat hunter when it comes down to it. No seasoning in the world makes Tag Soup taste better than elk steaks! That being said, I've scoped a few big 5-pts this year, and if I have them dialed half as well as I think I do, I just might have a shot at a nice bull this year. Truthfully, I'm hoping my first opportunity is one of the big boys, because I'll have a hard time passing up a golden opportunity with any legal bull.
Hope that helps... You might want to wait to hear from someone who hunts more for trophies to get their take on it.
What I would do if I was you would be invite your new best friend Sean up there to help you out. All he wants is a cow elk.
Seriously I would probally shoot first legal elk I had a chance at, unless you get to hunt there a lot then I would probally hold out for a larger bull.
I dont think that the big boys have left their batchelor groups just yet. For the first time I saw a real nice 6x5 with some cows. I have shot alot of bulls with my gun, but I am looking for my first bull with a bow. I will be very happy with a rag horn elk, but I have seen lots of bulls in the mid to upper 300" class over the past years in the area so there is always the DREAM of having a chance of one of them.
I am starting to get pretty pumped for the opener!!!
How much time do you have to hunt the area?
If you're seeing 300"+ bulls running around and have enough time on your hands, don't be in too big of a rush. I took my 5x5 bull last year in my 2nd day of the season, and it was sort of bittersweet... couldn't have been happier, but I also waited all year long for a hunt that ended up being 2-days!
I have the first to weeks of season to hunt there, and if i need more time the land owner should give some more time
Well, you already know that I am not a trohy hunter... but I can tell you that I would be waiting until week two before shooting anything below a nice 5x5.
Then again, I'm all talk. If I have an open shot, instinct just kicks in and I go into kill-mode. I'm in a similar boat right now. I have two weeks to hunt this season, and I've been scouting all summer. I'd love to think that the scouting will pay off and I "deserve" an opportunity at a nice bull... but truthfully, I'll have a hard time passing a good shot on anything legal.
Keep us posted!
Rule of thumb is to never pass up an Elk if you would shoot it on your last day the first day. Make sense?
TEXAS
2011 PURE MAX 1
2012 ANSWER SNOW
2013 PULSE MAX 1
Elite Archery Pro Staff
TCF ARCHERY Pro Staff
I kind of disagree with ya Texas. I think sometimes it's worth giving it a little bit of extra time if you have a lot of time on your hands. It won't always work out, but I've passed a number of legal whitetails and ended up with one on my wall because of it. I've taken some small whitetails on the last day just to make sure that I had meat in the freezer... but I wouldn't have taken them on the opening day of the season. Timing isn't everything, but it's certainly a factor.
If you only have a couple of days, there's a sense of urgency. If you have a couple of weeks and you are seeing large numbers with some good bulls, I think this is a time when it's worth waiting for a while.
Bachelor herds right now would surprise me. Last weekend they were already with cows in my area, and bugling was intense. I think you'll be surprised this weekend... happily surprised.
That being said, just make sure that you're happy with whatever you get (if you're fortunate enough to take one home)
That is a very good point!!!
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote