Cow Calf Hunts

[MarPalLeCl]

first time poster here, but read a few of the posts and everyone seems so knowledgeable and nice, figured might as well put this out there. I tried Elk hunting last year at a guided place in Wyoming and all 350 Elk up and left literally 4 days before we showed up. Yes we waiting until Mid November as that fit or schedule, so we own it. Since then the ranch has raised their rates 50%, so we are looking for options for 2020, Yes I know this is really Premature, it must be in my nature. We are a party of 4 coming out of Minnesota, all are meat hunters and trying to keep the hunt "reasonable". Of course reasonable is very subjective, but think kids in college, mortgage, car payments, no inheritance, but of course we do not want to waste a week and $1,000. to $2,000 chasing a few cows. All of that being said, several of us as very good at Internet Explorer so we can look at herd counts, public land, .... We also are realist, we know that no hunt is guaranteed. We are looking for advice on reasonable guides and or advice on areas where locals know the herds hang out. Ideally maybe a four day hunt with some good public land near by. We most likely will come out in two trucks and then tag out those that need to head back and if anyone is not tagged out (retiree's), then they could stay and hunt public land. So, advice as to seasons, herds, recommendations to guides, advice, snide comments, condescending innuendo's are all welcome...

If there is a thread covering this already, I apologize I missed it in the 425 existing threads, now 426.....

 

[jt13]

Welcome to HT!

 

[NoWiser]

Welcome. Keep in mind party hunting is illegal throughout the west so, unlike here in MN, you can't just use the tags of the guys who need to get home first. They need to actually shoot the elk. Good luck, cow hunting is very fun.

 

[ntodwild]

My hunting parter and I have had a strategy going for several years now when it comes to out of state OTC tags that may work for you guys. Could save you a ton of money?

Both of us are retired and are on a fixed income, both have hunted together for over 25yrs and both of us almost always share in every aspect of the hunt even when hunting out of a base camp and taking separate animals. We seem to always share in the processing, hauling and the meat including some amazing family BBQ's and summer scouting and camping trips. On that note. I must give my wife credit for this strategy as she is the one who came up with it.

As she states: If you guys always hunt together (at least out of the same camp) and it's not in your favor/odds to take two animals on a hunt, WHY pay for the price of two tags???????????. You both love to hunt, both share the ENTIRE experience so given the odds of you both tagging out why not just share the price of a single tag, both split the cost of the tag, both split the meat, both enjoy the experience and cost of the trip. As a meat hunter this makes total sense to me (my wife is a genius). We have now had 4 out of state hunts using this method, have alternated who's name gets placed on the tag (the shooter) and we go hunt. So far we have taken two large bulls in 4 hunts. Having a partner to glass, call, meat haul and share monetarily it allows us to have more hunting experiences, extends our hunting season into other states when our states season is over and otherwise gives us more opportunity to put meat in the freezer.

Our primary hunting has always been archery so given early archery deer and Elk in our state we get to hunt the entire month of Sept, pack up and head over to an Oct. "out of state" rifle hunt. All of this on top of spring bear in our state and months of summer scouting, coyote and bird hunting we spend over 70 days in the field a year these past 4 years. It's been a very good system for us. Pulling the trigger or slinging the arrow is such a small part of hunting.

Unless your hell bent on being the shooter this would not work for your party. If it's the experience you're after then this is one of the cheapest ways I know of to get into the woods and share an amazing hunting experience with your buddies.

If you have 4 in the party and just want to experience an out of state Elk hunt but don't want to spend an arm and a leg, don't have the ability to scout with boots on the ground (taking a chance on an area and state), pick a state that you can readily get a tag, draw straws for the first year and buy a tag or two, split the cost between all 4, who ever gets the straw has his or her name on the tag and will be the shooter. If you purchase a single tag it gets split 4 ways, if two tags you still split them 4 ways. All 4 get to go on a hunt for the price of 1 or 2 essentially.

GO HUNT! HAVE FUN AND ENJOY!

 

[ntodwild]

, but of course we do not want to waste a week and $1,000. to $2,000 chasing a few cows.

Some of my fondest memories in over 40 years of hunting have been chasing cows and Spike Elk. Some of the best meat I have ever tasted have come from 2 year old cows and spike Elk. You are discounting some of the best elk hunting, both the hunting and the meat in my opinion. Don't take this as a criticism but rather some advice. If you have never hunted elk other than the guided hunt you spoke about I think you are doing yourself a disservice. Think of it this way. I suspect your a middle aged guy (late 30's - 40) so that would give you at a minimum 25 more years to fill a "trophy" elk tag. Go hunt Elk, take what you have the opportunity to take (cow, spike or big bull) and learn as much as you can in the process. The big one will eventually come. You have years ahead of you to elk hunt. The idea is to get out there and hunt. The more opportunity you give yourself the more chance you will have at that once in a lifetime "trophy".

 

[sbeard4]

The Mescalaro indian reservation near Ruidoso NM sells cow tags on their property for $550. Not bad if you are a meat hunter. Your post stated that but then was unclear as it seemed to disparage hunting cows.