Elk .... Let's see them!!!

[more_cowbell]

View attachment 272170
Same bull salmonchaser posted as posted on another site so I don’t feel too bad about sharing someone else’s elk

This is on the nosler forum:

New Record non typical elk?

Don‘t know the details yet; story line is a bunch of guys new this bull was on the Washington side of the Walla Walla unit. South east corner of Washington, NE corner of Oregon. They are Oregon guys. Pooled their money and bought a governors tag. Hunted the bull for 19 days before killing him...

forum.nosler.com

Sounds like they he was hanging out on the state border (smart bull), and harvested in Oregon's Walla Walla unit (33% public lands)

 

[DFS]

Public land, hard to draw tag.

Well I stand corrected, that is one heck of a bull.

 

[NDGuy]

 

[MT Super Puncher]

Not my biggest bull, but happy with the experience. Good times and good company, and a lot of effort put into this hunt.

 

[MtsPSU]

View attachment 272170
Same bull salmonchaser posted as posted on another site so I don’t feel too bad about sharing someone else’s elk

An absolute monster there…

 

[Moosecreek]

This was my first elk, 1973, I was 12 and shot him with a .300 Savage, with peep sights. I thought all elk had big racks. Bitterroot Valley!

Great elk hunting photo ! Willy's jeep and a 300 savage , doesn't get much better than that!

 

[6point5SAUM]

DIY OTC in Montana.

 

[406_Hunter]

Took this picture through my spotting scope in central Montana

 

[FREAK]

My best friends bull from last fall. We stumbled into him on his way to his bed while deer hunting. We sat on him for over an hour until he finally stood out of his bed and my buddy put 3 shots in a 8” circle at 430 yards. He didn’t take another step.

 

[Moosecreek]

I snapped these pictures with my old 35 mm in the Jardine Gardiner area around 04, he was a beauty !

 

[Neumie]

View attachment 272185

How’d that bike work out for packing quarters? I think a basket would work out nice.

Nice bull!

 

[RyGuy]

I snapped these pictures with my old 35 mm in the Jardine Gardiner area around 04, he was a beauty !

When you’re thinking “what are those big antlers doing on that little elk body?”
That’s when you know you’re looking at a big one!

 

[Elkhunter0626]

My second archery bull from a few years ago. This hunt was by far the most memorable hunt I’ve been on. I hunted probably 18 of the 28 days of the season and put on countless miles on foot going after bull after bull after bull only to have luck go the other way each time.
On the last day that I was able to hunt I was sitting a wallow all day with no luck. Finally with only about an hour left of shooting light I heard a bull bugling across the drainage so I decided to go get a closer look. This bull chased 5 cows straight up hill and I hoofed it after him as fast as I could. Never thought I could get up a mountain that fast. I got almost to the top and heard him scream again and knew I was close. I let out a bugle and he came sprinting at me over the horizon and stopped at 45 yards. I put a perfect shot on him with about 10 minutes of shooting light left. I was supposed to get back to work the next day but knew I had to let this bull sit overnight so I had to call in. The next morning after some great friends met up with me that night to come help we tracked this bull not even 100 yards into the timber and I cannot explain the emotion I felt finally getting to him.

He is not the biggest bull by all means, or even my biggest. But to me he is the most special because of all the hard work I had to put in to get him. What a humbling experience and it all reminded me why I am so addicted to hunting.

 

[OntarioHunter]

My second archery bull from a few years ago. This hunt was by far the most memorable hunt I’ve been on. I hunted probably 18 of the 28 days of the season and put on countless miles on foot going after bull after bull after bull only to have luck go the other way each time.
On the last day that I was able to hunt I was sitting a wallow all day with no luck. Finally with only about an hour left of shooting light I heard a bull bugling across the drainage so I decided to go get a closer look. This bull chased 5 cows straight up hill and I hoofed it after him as fast as I could. Never thought I could get up a mountain that fast. I got almost to the top and heard him scream again and knew I was close. I let out a bugle and he came sprinting at me over the horizon and stopped at 45 yards. I put a perfect shot on him with about 10 minutes of shooting light left. I was supposed to get back to work the next day but knew I had to let this bull sit overnight so I had to call in. The next morning after some great friends met up with me that night to come help we tracked this bull not even 100 yards into the timber and I cannot explain the emotion I felt finally getting to him.

He is not the biggest bull by all means, or even my biggest. But to me he is the most special because of all the hard work I had to put in to get him. What a humbling experience and it all reminded me why I am so addicted to hunting.

How much of it spoiled?

 

[Elkhunter0626]

How much of it spoiled?

Not a single pound. Got down to 35 degrees that night and recovered first thing in the AM.

 

[Dave N]

How much of it spoiled?

What a stupid question.

 

[OntarioHunter]

What a stupid question.

Not really. I have lost meat on two elk that stayed overnight opening weekend of rifle season well after the rut ended ... and one was gutted and off the ground. If he boned it out immediately the next morning that might have made a big difference. The hide on a bull elk's neck and shoulders can be nearly an inch thick and heavy with long hollow hair. That's where you want to look for bone sour. If it was that cold when they got to it, I'm sure he noticed it was steaming when dressed.

Personally, I would never leave a hit animal that big overnight ... or any animal. But then I don't shoot at them with a bow ten minutes before dark. The last bull elk I killed in 1987 I shot in the dark ... and it was kill or be killed. About an hour before dark three idiots from PA who saw me coming down off the mountain literally ran to get ahead of me on the logging road. Yeah whatever. Fifteen minutes later I hear a barrage going off around the corner. There they are running around shooting at a raghorn +400 yards out in a clear-cut. "Stand still and take a rest. It doesn't see you." That just made them wild. "Gawdam you! That's our elk." Fine. It's just a freaking raghorn. Then the guy with 300 mag hits it in the ass. They see me lean against a tree and again start shouting it's their elk, don't shoot. "You better get him before he gets to the trees or I will shoot him!" Sure enough the bull stops just at the tree line and I fired and hit him. He jumped and flipped around running into the trees. The guys were cursing me and I just ignored them. At the tree line it was evident in the snow he was hit badly bleeding dark red blood. "I think I gut shot him. It's evident from the tracks up to here he's running on three legs." One leg was swinging and dragging in the snow. So these wizards decided to leave it till morning. No. That animal is not going to suffer any longer than necessary. Of course they were ill equipped to be out for the day let alone after dark. I pulled out my flashlight and thought there was going to be a shootout! Told them if they pointed their guns at me again there WOULD be a shootout. "You with the puny iron sight 32 Win, get behind me and get ready to shoot the elk." About twenty minutes later I hear something uphill to the right. Turned the flashlight on the bull laying down. Bang. Up and away it goes. "What were you shooting at?" It's head. Pffft. Now they were really mad. I thought we were gonna have a fight for sure. Follow along or go home, your choice. Fifteen minutes later as I followed the tracks around a small clump of spruce I heard it get up and snort. Turned the light on the bull charging from less than fifteen yards. Shot it in the neck and it dropped. Didn't even have time to get excited. I guess I shot it one handed. "That's our elk! Why didn't you wait for us to kill it?" Well, I wanted to go home in one piece for starters. If you guys hadn't been back there grumbling and conspiring, you might have been able to do the deed. THE IMPORTANT THING IS THAT POOR BUGGER IS NO LONGER SUFFERING. The terror and pain that elk had to endure the last hour of its life is something to be ashamed of. I handed the guy with the 32 my flashlight, dug out my knife and told them to shut up and watch and learn. They very reluctantly offered me a quarter (one shot to pieces no doubt) but I had to be to work in the morning. I would get a deer before season was over and that would be enough.

 

[Wildabeest]

The last bull elk I killed in 1987

So this makes you the expert. Gotcha .

 

[MikaelMc]

Thank the heavens you were there, in that kill or be killed situation. Really helps put things in perspective.

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

What a stupid question.

" I put a perfect shot on him with about 10 minutes of shooting light left. I was supposed to get back to work the next day but knew I had to let this bull sit overnight "

I didn't think it was a stupid question.