I got my cow elk... Kind of?

[Idaho Ron]

My hunt opened on the 10th. I got up to my hunting spot on the 12th. I have hunted this area for years and I have never had any problem with finding elk. Well this year it was tough. We finally killed two cows on monday. We packed out my friends elk first and went after mine the next morning. This is what happens when the coyotes find your elk.

I gutted her and quartered her that night. I shot her over a mile away from the nearest tree so I could not hange her. I have never had this happen before. The coyotes hauled one quarter about 300 yards and the one with the hide was about 100 yards away. The proof of sex was on the one with only bones and that was also the quarter with my tag on it.
The front quarters were chewed up a bit but they didn't get them because the had froze to the ground.
So I had to make some quick phone calls to the F&G. A big fat sorry was all I got from them. They also said at least you have the front half. Ron

 

[Bambistew]

That sucks... Of all the elk we have shot over the years only a hand full get taken out the same day. Most of them sit in the mountains for a week or so. And of all those we have only lost one to animals. A bear ate my whole frikn elk in a day... I shot it with my bow late in the afternoon, we left it all that next day and returned the following morning, all we found was a rib cage and the hide. I was a little pissed to say the least! I had it brushed up and left a sweaty shirt and everything, that didn't bother the bear all he wanted was the meat.

Game warden told me the same thing. Sucks those bastards ate the best part first...

 

[Elkhunter]

Bumer Ron. That has to be hard. Never had to leave one yet, so guess I have been lucky.

 

[Carnivore]

ID Ron,

Did you do anything to prevent yotes from getting your elk? I hunt in a similar area in terms there are no trees close by to hang your animal. This year, I had to leave my elk (or at least parts of it) up on the mountain for two nights and never had a problem with yotes. I was told by a guy a few years ago to pee in a few spots around your animal and I also leave my sweaty undershirt with the animal. Seems to work and I hunt in a heavy coyote area.

Sorry to hear about how your hunt turned out.

 

[SWNMHUNTER]

ID Ron that sucks that you had to put in all that work for the coyotes to get a free meal. Like was suggested above I leave as much human scent around as possible. Did you pack out what was left? If so did you notice the smell of coyote urine? Coyotes will piss on anything that is edible once they have got their fill just to ruin it so nothing else will eat it.

 

[Ithaca 37]

That's pretty surprising. Maybe those dogs need some trapping, might not be too hard if they're not afraid of human scent! Sorry about the bad luck!

 

[Ol Bull Shooter]

Ron that really sucks man. I've been lucky i guess. I've left a couple elk and my bull moose overnight and never had any trouble. One thing i've done is leave some sweaty cloths, teeshirt, sweatshirt etc. on the animal and they don't bother it. Anyway sorry bud.

 

[Idaho Ron]

I did pee in the area but a guy only holds so much. I have left a lot of animals out over night. This is the first time I have seen this. I wondered about the coyotes pissing on what was left. I didn't see yellow snow or a piss smell. I took everythig I could find out. Yesterday the DCO for that region looked it over and said the same as the guys on the phone, tough luck. He was amazed at how much they ate of it. Ron

 

[Quick Draw]

Oh man Ran that really sucks about your elk. Maybe your firend will split his elk with you, so at least you have some elk meat from this years hunt.
Quick Draw

 

[T Bone]

Bummer deal Ron.

Time to pick up the bunny call and the 243 for some retaliation strikes....

I have lost half a spike bull that was quartered and hung overnight to two bears. They crapped and pissed over everything.

 

[SJ]

I've lost a couple of deer to yotes like that. I now put some article of clothing right on top the animal if I have to leave it. Haven't lost one to yotes since I started doing this.

 

[Moosie]

RON... several Years ago (back in 97) I shot a 4-point. Earlier that year I had heard to take A wizz atound the Critter but better yet, Pull the Undershirt off and Tie it to the Elk/deer. After cutting up the Deer, it was Getting late. I took my sweaty undershirt off and Tied it to the deer.

That night it snowed. As we walked in the Next morning I saw 'Yote tracks... 1 set at first , then 2.. then about a 1/2 dozen. I made sure the 300 mag had a round in it and I pressed on.

As I got to the Deer, I saw a Circle of tracks. Nust have gone around the Deer about 50 times !!! They never got within 20 Feet of it. I think the Shirt id the Trick. I would have NEVER truely believed it unless I had seen it myself. Fresh snow and all.

Anyways, The Guit pile I kicked down the Hill a bit was 100% gone. I'm sure they wanted that deer too, But due to the Shirt, and a Stinky one at that

They didn't get it.

Just for Future help hopefully.

 

[hornhound]

Thats too bad, losing meat to yotes sucks. I found myself wondering if it wasn't wolves with a quarter dagged 300 yrds. Course I doubt if wolves would of left you anything. I've had one elk and one deer over the years eaten both times by bears.Never tried the shirt trick.

 

[outlaw from Idaho]

I do the piss and T shirt trick every time on deer and elk and have had no problems. Outlaw

 

[The_Yetty]

Ron,

Those weren't coyotes. It was me!!!!!!!

 

[RockyDog]

I do the piss thing and leave a shirt and it has worked less than half the time for me.

I killed a 6 point, boned the meat and put the cape over it. I pissed all over and hung a sweaty shirt over the boned meat, when i came back for it the next morning a bear had ate all he could, then swatted the rest of it around in the dirt.

Me and two other guys killed three 6 pts in one day. We hung all the meat and did the pee-shirt thing, came back for it the next morning. A mountain lion with 2 kittens had gotten into 2 out of 3 bulls. They scratched the meat up with their claws and pissed on some of it. They even took the capes up into trees.

 

[Casey Richardson]

Looks more like wolves to me. Usually a couple yotes can't clean that much up that fast. I've shot yotes over a dead cow, horse, elk or whatever and the carcass will usually last quite sometime. The only time I have seen a half of anything cleaned up that fast is when we had a caribou ate up by some wolves when I was in the Wrangells. happy hunting, Casey

 

[Idaho Ron]

YETTY, I diden't thinkit was you because I thought you always left a condom when you are done :^)
Casey, The tracks were coyotes. One hell of a lot of them at that. All the tracks were smaller than my spaniels tracks.
Ron

 

[Moosie]

(HEY YETTI)

Drop me a Line bro " [email protected]"

Sounds like you Left Mikes Place and back home now ? Or ya Roaming around Montana or WI ? Havn't heard from you in a while......

-the cleaner