Elk harvest thoughts

[Duck-Slayer]

What is the consensus on what you harvest each year. I am mostly a meat hunter. So I have filled 9 of 11 tags over the past 10 years that I have been elk hunting. I hope to be able to be a bit more picky the next several years since both of my children are of age to elk hunt. They both helped out the freezer last year by shooting a deer each. I also shot a deer and an elk, so we have a full freezer for this year. I am a bow hunter mostly so I get pretty trigger-happy when I get close to an elk. Doesn’t matter the size or the sex of elk. It’s hard enough just getting close enough to get a clear shot on an elk, that makes it hard for me to pass. That and I love elk meat!
Matt

 

[Laramie]

OTC/General hunt on public- Depends on the amount of time I have to invest but I will generally shoot the first adult I have a good opportunity on. I like to eat elk and haven't had tag soup since 1989.

LQ or private - I will be reasonably picky for the majority of the hunt. When I have these opportunities I invest enough scouting time to know what the area will reasonably produce. If I have an opportunity on the first morning at a good representative for the area, I'm letting an arrow or bullet fly.

 

[trophyhill]

OTC? Brown it’s down. Gila tag? Draw unit? I’m looking for something big!

 

[nphunter]

I'm in a similar situation, I set a goal for myself to not harvest anything less than a 6 point bull. I've been practicing that for 7 years and in that time I've killed four 6 point bulls and I lost one 6 point bull that I never found.

For me deciding to only harvest mature bulls was easy, I've been hunting elk a long time, finding and getting into range has never been an issue. I'm not saying it's easy but if I shot the first elk I had a chance at every year I wouldn't get to do much elk hunting. I don't have a sliding scale either so even on the last day I'm not shooting a dink, I just made that decision and have stuck to it. I have also passed up several small 6 point bulls over the years as well, I am just looking for something that makes me happy to shoot. I run a lot of cameras and know there are some big bulls in the areas I hunt which has helped me. The bull in my profile pic is still alive as far as I know in one of the areas I run cams on public land OTC here in Oregon.

Stopping hunting small bulls has made me a much better elk hunter, I have learned a lot in the last 7 years, one of the biggest things is that I am a lot more carefree and stress-free when calling or stalking an elk. I do things that I probably wouldn't do if I only wanted to harvest one elk. One thing that I do is hunt super aggressively, I do this because 70% of the bulls I encounter are not shooter bulls to me, this means it's not a big deal to bump them or blow the opportunity. More often than not I get myself a shot opportunity and pass on it though.

My wife gets a cow tag and both of my boys get elk and deer tags. It's a rare occasion when we don't have a freezer full.

My oldest wants to archery hunting elk instead of rifle, he did it for the first time this fall and got to draw back his bow and a big 6 point bull which he thought was awesome. For me, I just really love elk hunting, I love the interaction and love to call and get close to elk. This year my two boys 11 & 14 called the bull in that I shot and me and my youngest called in several bulls while my oldest tried to get a shot at them.

 

[Duck-Slayer]

Another problem is that I help 2-3 buddies that I elk hunt with every year for the past 4 years. So this means if I want elk in the freezer it’s usually down if I’m in range. I also spent most of my Aug/Sept. chasing mulies too. Which is my obsession. So taking the first elk I get a shot opportunity at is how I roll 95% of the time.
Matt

 

[IdahoHntr]

With the fact that mule deer populations through out the west are struggling and elk are thriving through out much of my home state I choose to be selective with deer and shoot the first bull that gives me an opportunity while elk hunting. I enjoy hunting trophy mule deer more than anything else any way, so that's where most of time goes. Elk are there to fill my freezer. If I were to ever draw a tag I'd be more selective.