I have passed up bulls like that every year I've hunted my archery draw unit. I have no problem eating my tag when hunting there, because while I'm passing up bulls like that I'm also chasing much bigger bulls. I'm not waiting 5+ years for a tag to shoot that one. But OTC or some easier tag to get........sure, he's dead.
Pass. Presumably a 5 PP draw tag offers opportunity for something older. That said, I have zero issue eating a tag if I don't get the animal that I am looking for.
Pass in any draw unit unless I had other tags that were more important to me. OTC I would let him go the first week (also other tag dependent)I like hunting elk more then shooting them. Nothing worse then being done too early and having to go back to work!
Its an interesting topic....but of course no one can decide for you.
Its all about the hunt for me. I've passed animals like that in good limited units....and ended up not punching my tag. If you are willing to do that....then pass.
I'm to the point now where I want the meat....so I would probably shoot him.
One a separate note, its funny how those draw tags put pressure on you to "Shoot a big One" eh? In any other unit thats a dead bull....but those limited tags mess with your psyche.
I burned 7 points on an ML draw unit and I was stalking a 365 bull above tree line. I dropped off a ridge and a bull similar to your photo bull was sleeping 75 yards away from me with two cows feeding, heads down and facing away. As I frantically tried backpedaling up that ridge the bull woke up and bolted with his cows right to the big bull and his herd. That pushed the big bull right to me. Just luck, but I knew that big bull since it was the third stalk of the day on him. If I hadn't seen that big bull, I would of shot that little bull in his sleep as he is a typical size bull for that draw unit. I scouted that unit for 3 years before my hunt and never saw 2 bulls much over 320 but hordes of smaller 6x6s. I knew what to expect and what was realistic. The big bull was just a freak of luck I discovered the day before the season opened.
So what bulls are you seeing in your 5pp unit. And if it is an archery tag, what are the odds that everything is going to fall in place at the right time to produce during your hunt. That's a lot different then a smoke pole in knee high alpine willows. I can only draw my elk unit every other year or two years now since archery is so popular. I would shoot that bull on opening day in that unit no questions asked.
Not early in the season...but as the season starts to wind down I'd arrow him. 230"? I shot a bunch of small 6's and 5's in CO through the years though and appreciate elk meat. For most hunters he is a heck of a nice animal, arrow him and eat him!
I have 13 points and I wouldn’t hesitate using them on that bull the first day. It’s all about perspective. Being from back east, only getting 10 days to hunt a year and with just two archery bulls under my belt makes the decision a no brainer.
In the unit I hunt I've had much bigger bulls almost trample me always while holding a cow tag but I would shoot because
a) I don't like eating tags
b) I like elk meat
c) being a non-res and at an age well past the Denny's senior discount I never know how many elk hunts I might have left.