Taking a cow elk on an either sex tag

[diamond hitch]

I find over the years to take what is offered. My odds of having a better choice later is very thin. Choices only exist when faced with a herd and going shopping and that is usually the best offered shot.

I prefer eating - everything else is optional. I grew up where Buzz did. Hunting was hard and elk were and are hard to find.

 

[Phaseolus]

‘B’ tags are for filling the freezer, Archery either sex is too.

 

[belshawelk]

This is still being discussed? Shoot the cow already. Time for a beer

 

[Bob-WY]

I may run into this decision this fall. General elk tag, area I live in is bull only, area up the road, either sex. My area, had the tag 2 years ago, was a ZOO with people, will try up the road. Wife also has a area specific cow tag where we are pretty sure we can find her a cow in the 2.5 month season. So may come down to the freezer state.

 

[Muley_Stalker]

I may run into this decision this fall. General elk tag, area I live in is bull only, area up the road, either sex. My area, had the tag 2 years ago, was a ZOO with people, will try up the road. Wife also has a area specific cow tag where we are pretty sure we can find her a cow in the 2.5 month season. So may come down to the freezer state.

Wow! 2 1/2 month season? I get 9 days.

 

[Lost Arra]

This topic hits home with me this year. I'm an annual cow hunter but drew a 1.8% odds Any Elk tag this year for the Area I've been hunting for years. Like everyone else with cow tags, I've had some spectacular up-close encounters with big bulls. I'm planning on passing on cows during archery but probably not with rifle. This isn't a tag I'll likely ever draw again in my lifetime.

 

[Flatbrimmer]

Wow! 2 1/2 month season? I get 9 days.

You can shoot a cow elk from Sept 4 thru Feb 15th in some HD here.. some find it distasteful to shoot elk 6 months out of the year, so many disagree with the 2.5 month shoulder season… I see both sides…..

 

[Muley_Stalker]

You can shoot a cow elk from Sept 4 thru Feb 15th in some HD here.. some find it distasteful to shoot elk 6 months out of the year, so many disagree with the 2.5 month shoulder season… I see both sides…..

I'd imagine Colorado wouldn't be the state with the most elk if we had seasons that long. You'd have to be a pretty bad hunter to not get an elk with seasons like that. Some of the rifle elk seasons here are only 5 days. I hunt the muzzy season and get 9 days. Archery gets 30 days which I always thought was way too long. Even when I hunted with my longbow. It is what it is and we have to just go along with the laws.

 

[Flatbrimmer]

I'd imagine Colorado wouldn't be the state with the most elk if we had seasons that long. You'd have to be a pretty bad hunter to not get an elk with seasons like that. Some of the rifle elk seasons here are only 5 days. I hunt the muzzy season and get 9 days. Archery gets 30 days which I always thought was way too long. Even when I hunted with my longbow. It is what it is and we have to just go along with the laws.

I think it’s the contrary. Because you have so many more elk, the season dates are shortened for that reason. We have those long ass seasons and still not reaching management quotas in many areas… a great deal in my opinion and maybe only partially fact is due to private ranch owners harboring extremely large herds of elk and allowing no access to bordering public… then they turn around and complain about feed loss and damages etc.. One reason hunters won’t hunt the shoulder season, is to not oblige the ranchers that don’t allow access during a general season, but want all them cows gone during shoulder…. there was an article on FWP explaining how the block management system goal was to essentially haze these animals out of these ranches. The BMA land is optional for the property owner, and they are paid like a subsidy. I rent, idk all the details exactly. Lol and im also relatively new to hunting and the legislatures and all that so I cannot explain perhaps as good as some of the other montanans on hunt talk.

 

[Muley_Stalker]

I think it’s the contrary. Because you have so many more elk, the season dates are shortened for that reason. We have those long ass seasons and still not reaching management quotas in many areas… a great deal in my opinion and maybe only partially fact is due to private ranch owners harboring extremely large herds of elk and allowing no access to bordering public… then they turn around and complain about feed loss and damages etc.. One reason hunters won’t hunt the shoulder season, is to not oblige the ranchers that don’t allow access during a general season, but want all them cows gone during shoulder…. there was an article on FWP explaining how the block management system goal was to essentially haze these animals out of these ranches. The BMA land is optional for the property owner, and they are paid like a subsidy. I rent, idk all the details exactly. Lol and im also relatively new to hunting and the legislatures and all that so I cannot explain perhaps as good as some of the other montanans on hunt talk.

I believe we said the same thing.

 

[Flatbrimmer]

I believe we said the same thing.

Oh nice. Must have misinterpreted

 

[buffybr]

Wow! 2 1/2 month season? I get 9 days.

Even though I was a 5th generation Coloradoan, that's one reason I left Colorado 46 years ago.


As to the original question of "would I take a cow elk on an either sex tag," like I posted earlier, I'll usually shoot the first legal elk that I see. Many years the first elk that I saw was a bull. My two biggest 6x6 bulls were the first elk that I saw those years. I was actually sheep hunting in one of Montana's Unlimited sheep units when I shot the smaller (340") of those two bulls, so in reality, I shot an elk with a bighorn sheep tag in my pocket. The early elk season was also open in the Wilderness portion of that unit, and of course I did have an elk tag in my pocket. However I would not have shot a raghorn or cow elk there.

Over the years, I have shot 9 cows or spike bulls on my either sex tags.

 

[Muley_Stalker]

Even though I was a 5th generation Coloradoan, that's one reason I left Colorado 46 years ago.


As to the original question of "would I take a cow elk on an either sex tag," like I posted earlier, I'll usually shoot the first legal elk that I see. Many years the first elk that I saw was a bull. My two biggest 6x6 bulls were the first elk that I saw those years. I was actually sheep hunting in one of Montana's Unlimited sheep units when I shot the smaller (340") of those two bulls, so in reality, I shot an elk with a bighorn sheep tag in my pocket. The early elk season was also open in the Wilderness portion of that unit, and of course I did have an elk tag in my pocket. However I would not have shot a raghorn or cow elk there.

Over the years, I have shot 9 cows or spike bulls on my either sex tags.

Hunting Colorado 46 years ago was pretty nice. It's still good. You just can't go to popular spots. Most of the time popular spots are popular because it's easy hunting. Elk hunting isn't easy.

 

[buffybr]

Hunting Colorado 46 years ago was pretty nice. It's still good. You just can't go to popular spots. Most of the time popular spots are popular because it's easy hunting. Elk hunting isn't easy.

The ones that I've shot on the hill behind my house weren't too hard.

 

[Lost Arra]

As to the original question of "would I take a cow elk on an either sex tag," like I posted earlier, I'll usually shoot the first legal elk that I see.

This has always been my philosophy but I've rarely had an either sex tag, much less a tag I will probably never draw again in my lifetime. As a non-res who hunts Wyo where the tags will soon get even more scarce I may stick with hunting a bull for at least the archery season. I can always go back with a rifle and maybe shoot a cow on the last day.

 

[Muley_Stalker]

If I get the tag I put in for i'll be hunting elk with an either sex tag (archery) this year.

Knowing me. I'll kill the first legal elk that gives me a good humane shot and enjoy the meat.

 

[ChasingBugles]

I did it once on an archery tag, no regrets but it was also my first elk with a bow. If you haven't taken an elk before then you are crazy for passing up any legal elk unless it is a really good area for bulls. That being said I've taken a lot of bulls since then on a either sex tag. I don't even consider shooting a cow or even a spike anymore on an any sex tag but I have had a freezer full of elk for the past 10 years and we eat it probably 3 times a week on average.
I do still draw the occasional cow tag and I put my kids in on them too and I don't have 2nd thoughts on taking a cow on a cow tag although if I have a full freezer when the cow season comes around I don't mind just eating that tag.

 

[PAGOAT]

I apply in Colorado for an either sex tag so I can hunt elk.. any elk. Next year Wyoming general tag I'll be hunting a bull the first few days. If I do not get a bull I can always stay longer and then it will be any elk. We love elk meat and I do not regret shooting a cow the first day on an either sex tag in 19'

 

[GBHUNTER]

It depends on the tag. On every general tag Ive had I would shoot a calf if it walked in front of me on the last day!

 

[ViperDriver]

When we have either sex tags, my hunting buddy and I alternate days of what we will shoot. I.e. day 1 I am the cow shooter and he is the bull shooter, and then we alternate the following days. Takes some of the guess work out of it.