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The Last Day

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The Last Day

Postby Swede » 07 02, 2018 •  [Post 1]

It is the last day of your hunt. To make things more dire, it is already the last afternoon. Tomorrow you will be breaking camp and heading home. Your tag is still in your pocket. All of a sudden a yearling cow trots down the draw and stops twenty yards in front of you. She is looking away for, or at something. You know you don't have much time to decide. Cows are legal here, and she is broadside in the open. Are you going to fill your tag now, or go for bust?

I have been faced with that decision a couple of times. I can say with certainty I'm going to fill the tag if I can.
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Re: The Last Day

Postby saddlesore » 07 03, 2018 •  [Post 2]

I have filled my tag with yearling cows several times earlier in the season . A few times they ended up being yearling bulls. Darn good eating. The game department sells the tag and they want you to kill elk not sit all year looking at an unfilled tag.

To me it is about like catch and release fishing.I can't see much sense in going to all the effort of catching the fish and then not keeping it to eat. If you are going to all the effort of finding an elk, why let it walk away. A fellow ought to just carry a camera if he is going to do that

Many times now days that one elk is the only one you will see all season. Never pass up and elk early in the season that you would kill on the last day.
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Re: The Last Day

Postby BrentLaBere » 07 03, 2018 •  [Post 3]

Big down side to shooting those young elk is there isnt much meat! I passed up cows and calves before but made the decision last year I wouldn't do it again. I was faced with a smaller cow the second day last year. The hunt was over. If I had it my way, I would be presented with the shot exactly how your laying it out. Im not sure Ill take the shot that early in the season again. But towards the end of the hunt. No hesitation. Waiting all year for September and having it over too soon isnt what I have in mind for future hunts. I can picture the elk I have passed up and think about if it was the right decision. But for me, I can remember the adventure of the rest of that hunt so it was worth it.
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Re: The Last Day

Postby Lsb » 07 03, 2018 •  [Post 4]

Even first light opening day I'd probably shoot
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Re: The Last Day

Postby Fridaythe13th » 07 03, 2018 •  [Post 5]

This is a good one. My heart would say hell yes, my mind and body is hell no.
Let say last afternoon is 5 PM when I let the arrow go l know its a perfect shot, mark the spot and head back to camp to get help (6 in our group). Where I normally hunt is a hour and half walk making it 630 if my group is back from hunting, let's say 3 are back, we grab the frame pack maybe a quick bit to eat and water so the 4 of us heading out of camp 645pm again with 1 1/2 walk to get back to where the memory were made 815 pm. Now the track job find her fast; few pictures and chopping quarter off and debone. time now maybe 11pm. With all the meat and dog tired I would say 2 -2 1/2 walk back. When you finally get back to camp have to finish cleaning meat and spreading out in freezer so it might get cooled down. 2 AM haven a celebratory drink (optional for some) and going to bed 230...... waking up 6-7AM packing for a 20 hour drive home.

So my answer is hell yes, it's what were there for.
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Re: The Last Day

Postby Tigger » 07 03, 2018 •  [Post 6]

I am in a different camp when it comes to the term "shoot the first day what you would shoot the last day". I absolutely will not shoot a cow the first day and I would the last day. I don't mind going home without an elk. But I love to hunt and I really like shooting bulls. If you get to the point that you can leave a tag unfilled and still look at it as a successful hunt, then you can adjust your standards as the season goes on. If I need more meat, I can drop the hammer on a couple of whitetails.
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Re: The Last Day

Postby saddlesore » 07 03, 2018 •  [Post 7]

I would advise anyone who is first time hunter or has not ever killed an elk to shoot the first legal elk that walks by.Get your hands bloody.Find out what it means to move a 300- 400 pound animal around so you can work on it, how to field process it, and what it is like to pack that meat out back to the trail head.

Too many people convince these young hunters that they need to and will kill a 300+ bull on their first trip and many more subsequently. So they go 3-5 years or more and not even see one,let alone putting one on the ground.These hunters become disenchanted and give it up.Experience/successful hunter can pass on cows or smaller bulls after they get a few under their belt.After getting a LOT more under their belt, it gets so it doesn't matter..

Years ago,I took a close friend out muzzle loader elk hunting. I had a cow tag , he and his brother a bull tag.He had hunted elk before, but never killed one. I bird dogged a good 380 + bull past him at about 20 yards and he nailed it. He never went hunting again because he knew he could never shoot a bigger one. I killed my biggest bull in 2007. I had hunted at least 40 years prior and killed mediocre bulls, and it took me 21 years to draw that tag. It was anticlimactic for sure.No big deal, but I sure didn't give up elk hunting. Now I put in for draw areas that I am positive I will draw a tag which is usually in ML season. That season is 9 days long. I hunt it and even if successful, I buy an OTC bull tag for 2nd rifle just so I can go hunting more. If there are cow tags leftover, I'll try to buy one of them.I will fill my freezer first and then go play. When you get to the age where you can see your hunting career ending, you don't get too picky
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Re: The Last Day

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 07 03, 2018 •  [Post 8]

Hmm, if I have been getting into bulls and have a plan for the following morning, no shooting a cow for me. May result in tag soup for that hunt but I think I’ve got other critter tags left ;).
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Re: The Last Day

Postby stringunner » 07 03, 2018 •  [Post 9]

Some meat in the freezer is better than no meat. I’m shooting.
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Re: The Last Day

Postby Elkhntr08 » 07 04, 2018 •  [Post 10]

Shoot. Elk in a freezer is better than elk on the hoof with a side of tag.
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Re: The Last Day

Postby Roosiebull » 07 04, 2018 •  [Post 11]

I'm not an antler addict. If it was the end of the season, I would be happy as could be with a small cow. I got a whole season of hunting in, and had a chance to kill the best eating elk in the herd, perfect season in my eyes.

I have only rarely held out for big antlers, I pass plenty of small bulls, but it's only to keep hunting, not to get bigger antlers.
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Re: The Last Day

Postby Roosiebull » 07 04, 2018 •  [Post 12]

WapitiTalk1 wrote:Hmm, if I have been getting into bulls and have a plan for the following morning, no shooting a cow for me. May result in tag soup for that hunt but I think I’ve got other critter tags left ;).

It's the last afternoon, your plan for the next morning is breaking camp.
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Re: The Last Day

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 07 04, 2018 •  [Post 13]

Roosiebull wrote:
WapitiTalk1 wrote:Hmm, if I have been getting into bulls and have a plan for the following morning, no shooting a cow for me. May result in tag soup for that hunt but I think I’ve got other critter tags left ;).

It's the last afternoon, your plan for the next morning is breaking camp.


Man, misread that! I’m having tasty backstraps that evening.
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Re: The Last Day

Postby Lefty » 07 04, 2018 •  [Post 14]

Tigger wrote:I am in a different camp when it comes to the term "shoot the first day what you would shoot the last day". I absolutely will not shoot a cow the first day and I would the last day. I don't mind going home without an elk. But I love to hunt and I really like shooting bulls. If you get to the point that you can leave a tag unfilled and still look at it as a successful hunt, then you can adjust your standards as the season goes on. If I need more meat, I can drop the hammer on a couple of whitetails.

Same story for here. Only maybe my wife or daughter will put something in the freezer, Goose meat, even when made into jerky we have to much.
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Re: The Last Day

Postby Lefty » 07 04, 2018 •  [Post 15]

Tag soup isnt all that bad if you get to hunt a whole bunch of days and enjoys those days. That's where I am.

This year maybe Ill kill something earlier, The freezer is nearly empty,...
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Re: The Last Day

Postby Swede » 07 04, 2018 •  [Post 16]

Tag soup may be ok for some hunters. I have had it some. My observation is lacks a lot in flavor, and is down right hateful to chew. On the positive side, you will loose weight if that is a major part of your diet.
Personally I prefer back-straps and tender loins during the winter. Next season will come and maybe a big bull will show up then. Maybe not. Either way it is ok if I have some tender steaks on a cold night.
My motto is: If it is brown it is down, but I pass on calves, just to give them at least one year. I passed on a scrawny yearling cow a few years ago. She had a broken leg and was so skinny that I could count her ribs. She reminded me of the second bunch of cows Pharaoh saw in his dream in Genesis 41. I wanted to put her out of her misery. I just got concerned I might have to tag her, and take her home, so I was not wasting game. Yuk!
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Re: The Last Day

Postby elkstalker » 07 05, 2018 •  [Post 17]

No way I'm passing, meat in the freezer!
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Re: The Last Day

Postby Lsb » 07 09, 2018 •  [Post 18]

This year the wife and I both have an either sex tag and a cow tag valid on some nice private property. If we don't bring home some meat we really suck.
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Re: The Last Day

Postby lamrith » 07 10, 2018 •  [Post 19]

Bow drawn, at anchor, pin floating on the boiler room and listening / looking where she is looking and holding (gotta love modern compound bow combined with adrenalin)...
If nothing makes noise or she looks like she will step out of shooting lane, or she is real twitchy the arrow flies, otherwise hold for as long as possible to see if something more interesting materializes. Either way SOMETHING besides the gear I hauled in is going in my pack for the hike out.
'15 Elite E35. 30.5", 67#
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http://www.pelletpeddler.com
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Re: The Last Day

Postby Trumkin the Dwarf » 07 10, 2018 •  [Post 20]

I had steaks off a yearling bull the other night (courtesy of my grandpa).

BEST.

DANG.

STEAK.

EVER.

Nuff said...
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