Shoot or No Shot 2019 - Episode #2

[WapitiTalk1]

Date/Time: Early October, 2019/4:40 PM
Location: Somewhere in the elk woods
Hunt Pressure Status: Minimal
Hunt: Solo hunt today
Tag: Smoke Pole (ML) Season; 3 point or better bull.

A fine bit of working the wind and a quiet approach has gotten you to this point, approximately 70 yards from where you see the bull now (H for hunter)! You first heard the bull bugle when you were several hundred yards back down the hillside below this meadow (meadow is a small one, perhaps 70X80 yards). Once you got within 75 yards of the meadow, you could hear cows mewing on the other side of the meadow, well into the timber; the bull had seemed to have gone silent at this point. At the edge of the meadow where you sit now, you pause for just a second to plan your move and from the right, on the other side of the meadow, you hear rustling and see this bull coming out of the brush, trotting from right to left, quickly covering 15-20 yards in the opening. Up comes the smoke pole to your shoulder just as the bull turns and does what he's doing now. From where you now stand with rifle to shoulder, it is all public land for several miles in all directions. Yes, you're packing your trusty Elknut Chuckler tube and your calls. What do you think your move should be at this place in time to possibly bring an elk home for dinner?

H - hunter location; C - cows (no visual, just heard them); W - wind direction.

UpandOver.jpg (113.6 KiB) Viewed 2874 times

If you're shooting, save the picture to your desktop and open in MS Paint, then place a spot, X, or whatever on the critter before you save it back to a jpg or png and add the marked up pic with your post.

[Swede]

I am going to do a quick bark to stop him. The smoke pole will stay in position and ready.

[Fridaythe13th]

I try to never agree with Swede. But I have to this time.

[Trumkin the Dwarf]

With a rifle, I might already have pulled the trigger. With a muzzle loader, and the possibility of a split second hang time I have to go with Swede on this one.

[Swede]

I try to never agree with Swede. But I have to this time.

You are just lucky that Swede often goes first, so you have something to copy.

[WapitiTalk1]

What’s the flash bang time with a ML? At 75 yards? Just asking cuz I’ve never shot a critter with a smokepole.

[Trumkin the Dwarf]

I don't know! But it would have me thinking twice about pulling the trigger on a moving animal.

[Lefty]

First wek of october and the oak leaves havent changed color,.. Are there elk in Florida?
I would have shot when he was 30 yards closer.
If I have optics on the ML Im shooting if he stops

[Tigger]

nervous grunt...he pauses...BOOM! Break out the knife.

[DBLGBL]

No hang time on my smoke pole. I'm putting 300 grains through the off shoulder once he clears that fence.

2gbl