100 Elk Harvested Myth or Factual

[Caseknife]

My Uncle killed over 60 and my Dad over 50, all in one county in central Washington with one elk a year. They both hunted into their mid to late 80's. That was from after the war to 2010 or so. Impressive for sure, but not 100.

 

[BLJ]

Most likely, every now and then you will get a gumpy farmers/rancher that’s tired of dealing with them, that will cut you loose. Small fee helps offset ag looses though

That is interesting.
Thanks.

 

[cuerro viejo]

That is interesting.
Thanks.

Elk were reintroduced in WTX about same time NM had a reintroduction. At one time TX had a season but it was removed and classified as an exotic, and left to LO management. Essentially if you want them don’t kill them, if you don’t start killing them and they leave.

Picture 3/4 of WY being private and you have elk range of the TX panhandle and West TX

The State has also been pretty heavy handed with them in the past, as they don’t like them in DBHS areas

I’m not at a 100 elk yet but just about anyone that has a ranch or lease in WTX has had the opportunity. In panhandle I prefer them to just not be there all together. They are hell on corn circles and irrigation equipment

 

[BLJ]

Picture 3/4 of WY being private and you have elk range of the TX panhandle and West TX

I have read/heard that there isn’t a lot of public land.

 

[cuerro viejo]

I have read/heard that there isn’t a lot of public land.

There is but there isn’t. % of land no, but there’s over 3 million acres of federal public with little over a million huntable, that’s not counting coastal tidal waters that are public also which is probably another 1/4 to half a mil.

 

[Hnthrdr]

Wait, Hanes shot a boy? Must have missed that particular YouTube episode.

He did it only after running 3 marathons with 900lb draw weight

 

[Macintosh]

I have seen a few of these claims here on RS. I always understood that those who made those claims were 100% utilizing landowner damage permits, private land access for late season cow tags in units with herd-reduction goals, etc. If not outright being paid professional cullers. Regardless of any one persons opinion of whether any of that^ is their cup of tea or if it’s “hunting”, that was always my understanding. Several times when Ive seen this it was “we” have killed X # of elk, ie it always included friends and family, guiding others, etc. The one person on this site who I know has made a similar claim of a large # of elk, I know is involved with professional culling.

What I have NEVER seen is a claim of “100 bulls”, or “100 elk on public land”, etc.
In short, the claims of mega-body-counts Ive seen were always related to a volume of experience with terminal ballistics, how animals react at a shot, butchering, etc, there was never any claim of it being associated with a specific type or style of hunting. I have no doubt some of the people making a claim like this have shot some number of bulls and on public, etc—I just always thought the # necessarily included a chunk that were “other circumstances” such as damage control, and I believe most have said as much. I think some folks may be reading into some of these claims more than is warranted.

 

[Wagondriver]

I have killed 45 to 50 elk in Colorado. Some years I got as many as 3 tags and I used them all. I got a private land only cow tag every year for probably 20 or 25 years, and in some of those years an additional cow tag for public land.
I'd shoot cows with my bow, with antique old winchesters like an 1876 in 45-75, 1895 in 405, and 6 with a handgun.

I think I could probably have killed a few more, there were a couple years where I didn't get my archery bull.