Cow Or Small Bull

[Swede]

I have sat in my tree stand many times when several elk came in at once. At that time I had a choice of which one to shoot. Often it is a small bull that shows up with several cows. Would you prefer to shoot a small 4x4 bull, that would weigh 210 lbs hanging quarters, or would you shoot a cow that would have 300 pound hanging quarters?
In the past I would shoot a spike and let the cows go. In the future, I plan to shoot the largest healthy animal. What about you?

 

[otcWill]

If I have a choice, I\'d rather shoot a cow over a small bull

 

[iccyman001]

I\'m with Will.
I am eating elk sloppy joes right now. I would rather a nice fat cow to fill my freezer. :upthumb:

 

[elkmtngear]

Hmmm...which would I rather pack straight up the mountain two miles...I\'m shooting the veal :upthumb:

 

[cnelk]

Not much difference to me.
Probably the one that gave me the first best shot opportunity

 

[bnsafe]

the bull, but if he didnt give me a shot the cow is taking a trip with me

 

[F M]

First good shot for me.

 

[bowhunter]

First clear shot. Tag soup is bitter...........

 

[elky McElkerson]

Id hold out for a giant.

Are you kidding me? First clean shot, arrow away! I\'ve never tasted a cow elk. I\'d lean towards that.

 

[cohunter14]

I don\'t normally have to worry about this situation, but this year I should get an either sex tag. With that being said, I have to agree that it would be the first one to give me a good shot. Make it a 5x5 and I am probably going to do my best to go after the bull.

 

[Timber338]

Assuming I have a clear shot on either, i\'ll probably take a 2.5 year old bull over a cow but not for the rack... I think the meat is just as tender on a young bull as a cow and maybe a little better flavor. I\'m still debating that.

 

[iccyman001]

Assuming I have a clear shot on either, i\'ll probably take a 2.5 year old bull over a cow but not for the rack... I think the meat is just as tender on a young bull as a cow and maybe a little better flavor. I\'m still debating that.

Welcome to the site Chad!
:upthumb:

 

[cohunter14]

Welcome Chad! Glad to see you made it over :upthumb:

 

[Swede]

Chad, welcome to camp. It is good to have you here.

 

[F M]

Welcome Chad.

 

[elkmtngear]

Welcome Chad!

I totally agree...I\'ve killed a bunch of 2.5 year old bulls, and most of them were as tender and flavorful as any cow elk I ever shot, if not better!

 

[iccyman001]

Let me ask this. Do people practice quality elk management like they do deer management?

Let\'s say you have this shot in a honey hole of yours and you know you\'re the only one who uses it.

Are you going to still shoot that small bull or pass him so you can shoot him in a year or two.

I know this varies for everyone. I\'d just like to hear what you would all say.

I know we have meat hunters, mature bull hunters, and shoot the first elk they see because they are new hunters (me)

So is your answer still the same if this is your spot?

 

[elkmtngear]

Let me ask this. Do people practice quality elk management like they do deer management?

Let\'s say you have this shot in a honey hole of yours and you know you\'re the only one who uses it.

Are you going to still shoot that small bull or pass him so you can shoot him in a year or two.

I know this varies for everyone. I\'d just like to hear what you would all say.

I know we have meat hunters, mature bull hunters, and shoot the first elk they see because they are new hunters (me)

So is your answer still the same if this is your spot?

Dan, In the area I hunt, shot opportunities are very limited most of the time (maybe one or two opportunities in a week of hard hunting).

I\'m not a trophy hunter, so I\'m out there to fill the freezer. The only \"management\" I practice is \"managing\" to get an arrow in the first legal elk. :lol:

In this scenario, I got to make a choice between a young bull and a cow. 300# of cow meat (could be \"Grandma Cow\") vs 200# of young tender bull meat, I would pick the bull every time!

 

[Olympushunt]

Let me ask this. Do people practice quality elk management like they do deer management?

Let\'s say you have this shot in a honey hole of yours and you know you\'re the only one who uses it.

Are you going to still shoot that small bull or pass him so you can shoot him in a year or two.

I know this varies for everyone. I\'d just like to hear what you would all say.

I know we have meat hunters, mature bull hunters, and shoot the first elk they see because they are new hunters (me)

So is your answer still the same if this is your spot?

If I owned private property, or had that secret spot, I would absolutely practice quality management...for deer and elk. Unless it was a youth hunter I would insist anyone hunting it did the same. But that is just my preference really. People have different goals and different ideas on what will make them happy and they should hunt accordingly. I am different than many in that I will only take a bull. I have passed over countless cows in hopes to kill a bull. It doesn\'t have to be a record book bull but for me it isn\'t about the meat. I love elk and deer meat but if I go without oh well. I\'m happy to be hunting. Usually an elk will last me 2 years anyways. I figure if I have my selection criteria that I do, my odds go up of killing a big bull. I can\'t kill a big bull taking the first cow I see. My dad and buddy are for the most part....\"if it\'s brown, it\'s going down\" type killers and that\'s awesome.
I don\'t impose my \"goals\" on them and they don\'t ridicule me for mine. It\'s just a personal pref. I\'ve enjoyed many times watching cows mill around for a long time knowing if I wanted to take one it would likely happen. I never say back at camp \"Oh I could have killed such and such...\" because I don\'t believe anything is a given. Too many things can go wrong. When you are gutting it out, then you can say that. lol I have learned a lot too just by watching their behavior and enjoying that experience.

 

[F M]

I wonder how you could practice management on elk unless you own a huge chunk of ground that they never leave. The elk you pass could get shot when it\'s migrating or it may not go back to the same area again the next year.