Do you hold out?

[THWAK1]

To me it's more about the hunt than it used to be. Sometimes I'll shoot a smaller animal because I'm hunting with my kids and now that I have a gf that enjoys hunting (where as, I wouldn't have if I had been by myself)...but it will always be a more memorable hunt. You also have to consider where you are hunting; is a 350" bull possible or is a 300" bull top for that area. I have two bulls over 350", so does that mean I hold out for a bigger one now? Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. I shot a raghorn last year.

Different strokes for different folks. Nobody can question what you did but YOU.

 

[What Map]

I'm very selective the first 4 weeks of the season. At least that's what I tell my wife.

I look for very large bucks or bulls to start. but as time goes by I switch to meat animals, leaving small males for years to come. Plus the does and cows and yearlings are usually a lot closer to the truck!

 

[jlmatthew]

My standards probably would have dropped as soon as a smaller bull was in range.

What he said

 

[tjones]

Don't pass up on the first day what you will shoot on the last....

 

[Southwind]

For me it can depend on a lot of factors. I don't have any problem with a guy holding out for what he wants and going home empty handed because I have plenty of times. But, I also don't get hung up on any score but rather take a mature animal I like and is a good representative animal for the area I am hunting.

Like I said I'm not saying that works for everybody but I have seen guys not take some really fine animals because it didn't hit a particular score.

 

[Brittany Chukarman]

I try to hold out for one with at least 16" spikes....

 

[noharleyyet]

Opening day is happy hour....gets closer to last call each day thereafter, Not sayin' go ugly early....just sayin'

 

[pointingdogsrule]

Keep your standards low and dissapointment will not be so great.

My standard is... if it looks good to me I shoot it.

Same here... "if it looks good shoot it"

good luck to all
the dog

 

[streamer]

If he looks good I'm going to take him, score doesn't matter but if a 4x4 is coming down the trail and a 6x6 is behind him I am going to wait. Don't get me wrong I will take a cow home for some good eats

 

[T Bone]

Just got back late Wednesday without punching a tag.

Spent 9 days total in the high country of CO's OTC elk hunt. 4 of those days with my 16 year old son; I hold them near and dear. He twice had bulls inside of 15 yards. The first time he didn't draw, the second time he missed! He's a great young man.

I was after one particular bull that I do think would clear 320". Never got a shot. Passed on a half dozen smaller bulls. I've found that being many miles from the vehicle helps me be selective.

Saw a lot of bighorn. Found a lost or abandoned mule in very poor condition. Found an old pick axe head. Took some long mid-day naps. Watched a coyote chase a chipmunk for over 10 minutes. Tag soup is not so bad.

I have a late cow tag to fill the freezer with.

I'm going to hold out for a big one with my late season NV muley hunt as well.

 

[RUT JUNKEY]

It depends on a ton of factors for me. If I'm hunting whitetails here in Indiana I'm extremely picky. If I'm hunting out of state, my standards are lowered. . .the reason is I have a Lifetime Hunting and Fishing license here in Hooiserland that has been paid for years ago, the seasons are long too. If I'm out of state I'm usually paying extra for a tag not to mention gas to get there and lodgingand time is limited. . .I'm killing something!!!!

 

[DRAFTSTUD]

I bought the Colorado Meat Hunter's Special, Either-Sex Tag. With % of around 18 for success I go by the Colorado Hunters Motto: "Is this the First or the Last Elk I will see this hunt?" John

 

[Khunter]

I hold out for big animals most hunts and contrary to sage advice have shot a smaller animal on the last day than I passed up early in the hunt. Never killed a booner anything despite holding some of the very best elk and other tags in numerous states. All about the hunting so eating tag soup late after not passing an animal early on that I would take the last day is no big deal. Enjoy it all.

smart hunter? No. But have an awesome time and that is all that counts.

 

[Southwind]

Just got back late Wednesday without punching a tag.

Spent 9 days total in the high country of CO's OTC elk hunt. 4 of those days with my 16 year old son; I hold them near and dear. He twice had bulls inside of 15 yards. The first time he didn't draw, the second time he missed! He's a great young man.

I was after one particular bull that I do think would clear 320". Never got a shot. Passed on a half dozen smaller bulls. I've found that being many miles from the vehicle helps me be selective.

Saw a lot of bighorn. Found a lost or abandoned mule in very poor condition. Found an old pick axe head. Took some long mid-day naps. Watched a coyote chase a chipmunk for over 10 minutes. Tag soup is not so bad.

I have a late cow tag to fill the freezer with.

I'm going to hold out for a big one with my late season NV muley hunt as well.

Doesn't get much better than that.

 

[montanadogs]

If i dont' have a cow tag then I take what I can get. I have ate tag soup many times in my 17 years of hunting. If a pull a stunt like last weekend I'll be eating tag soup again this year!

 

[sigpros]

"I have preferences not rules" Words I have lived by whether it's hunting or women

 

[----]

I hold out for big animals most hunts and contrary to sage advice have shot a smaller animal on the last day than I passed up early in the hunt.

Yeah that saying has never made sense to me either. I've killed smaller deer than what I've passed on more years than not.

I do like to punch tags though, and normally lower my expectations as I go to give myself a good opportunity to do so.

 

[174in]

My standards are not high to begin with no matter what I aam hunting anymore.When I didnt have kids and all the time I needed I held off and often had an unfilled deer tag. Nowdays I may not still shoot the first thing I see but if the hunt was good I pull the trigger or let the string go.Just last week on our archery opener I shot a small 8pt or as you guys call it 4x4 within the first 45 minutes of season over the years I let alot of deer that size walk. I spent 5 days up north away from home to get a bear and will be heading to wyoming for a week at the end of the month so I figured it was best just to end my archery season to keep things happy on the homestead and it didnt bother me a bit. I had a good time the whole 45 minutes of season and wont be freezing my butt off in the treestand this fall.

 

[Devil Diver Down]

Really depends. I had never killed (and tagged ) an elk before this season, so my goal was to put a bull - toad, raggie, even spikes were seriously on the hit list - down for the count. My only experience bow hunting elk was OTC in CO, where it was like bow hiking instead of bow hunting.

This year, after 10 minutes had passed opening morning I had already been on a nice 6x6 (and had it blown out by a quad-driving moron) and I was in elk all day. I moved my line up to raghorn. The second day was even better and I was learning so much that I passed on many raghorns in easy range. Then I hit a bit of a snag and the hunt went sort of sour for me - still in bulls every day, but half-hearted hunting and a day+ of rest to get my head right. After sneaking in on a herd bull with a couple days left to go, I ended up shooting a raggie who was about to wind me and blow the herd off the mountain. No regrets about shooting him at all, even though I passed easy shots on bigger bulls than him. Next time out, my goal grows - spikes have a free pass and raggies can probably feed out into the open. Probably.

 

[ismith]

I held out this year for a 340" class bull.