Shoot or No Shot 2021 - Episode #2

Joined
Oct 7, 2018
Messages
24
Location: Once again, in the Spud State
Hunt Pressure Status: Minimal
Hunt: Partner Archery Elk Hunt
Camp Type: Backcountry Spike Camp
Tag: Archery; 3 PT or better bull

Hunting journal: 22 September, archery hunt, early afternoon. You have both an elk tag (any bull) and a general deer tag (any whitetail or any muley buck). This is the only time this year you'll hunt elk but will be back later in the year to hunt deer in boomstick season (a 5 day hunt). You're on the fourth day of your ten day hunt in the Tato State, and, the hunting gods have blessed you with some early season, high country snow! The bulls have been very vocal and you've been into elk each morning for the past three days but no shot opportunities. As you sit on the game trail planning your evening hunt, you hear a bedded bull bugle on the far hillside, perhaps 300 yards away. The thermals are wrong to go directly at the bull (he's on the hillside) so you figure you'll head down the game trail a bit where you may have a place to use your optics to scan the bull's hillside and make a plan of attack. About the time you get ready to move, here comes this fine young fellow straight at you at around 30ish yards! From your position, thermals are flowing gently uphill into your snout. You have good cover to your back and are wearing your super cool snow camo pattern.


Shoot or no shot here? Are you shooting, not shooting the MD, or, are you gonna continue with making a plan to go after the vocal bull?



If you or your partner are shooting, save the picture to your desktop and open in MS Paint, then place a spot, X, or whatever on the critter (at the point of impact/shot) before you save it back to a jpg or png and add the marked up pic with your post.
 

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Winnie

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
May 13, 2020
Messages
168
No shot here. I am coming back for Mule Deer laters, so I am going after Mr. Wapiti!
 

Laramie

WKR
Joined
Apr 17, 2020
Messages
2,619
Even if I wanted to shoot him, there is no ethical shot imo. If it was a deer I wanted to shoot, I would wait for a better shot. It would have to be a giant for me to forget about that bull on the hillside and this deer would be nowhere close to that caliber.

Thanks for posting these- fun offseason stuff.
 
Joined
Oct 3, 2019
Messages
391
I am chasing elk. I don't shoot a mulies in Elk country even if I have both tags. Unless he is a monster.....
 

Jqualls

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Apr 16, 2018
Messages
278
Location
Colorado
I am shooting all day everyday. Probably not a frontal at 30yds but if I have a shot I am comfortable with I take any opportunity I get.
 

Jwknutson17

WKR
Rokslide Sponsor
Joined
Jun 3, 2019
Messages
700
Location
Colorado
I'm hunting elk. I'm letting that guy walk and continuing after the bull.

If you were shooting the deer I would pass on the frontal and wait for a better shot.
 

cgasner1

WKR
Joined
Mar 12, 2015
Messages
893
Add 40” to him and I’m taking selfie’s with him 60 yards from where he is standing other than that it’s elk season


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Joined
Feb 24, 2021
Messages
66
No shot, even if I didn't hear a bull bugling across the way. He will be much better for someone else in a year or two.
 
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