Are cows easier to hunt?

[RevJim]

OR, if the herd was hunted hard in the rifle season, the late cows are usually in a dead run when you see them!

 

[Kurts86]

I feel like it’s easier to get good cow elk tags than bull or either sex tags so that throws off the math a bit.

Cows are harder to hunt in September than bulls but easier by November.

 

[WeiserBucks]

If I could get September rifle cow tags I'd go 100% success until I aged out. Those old hags wise up quick once the archery army is deployed and some of them have a decade+ of experience.

 

[Tobe_B]

Had a cow tag in a limited draw trophy unit years ago. Saw nothing but bulls for nine days of second rifle season. Week before in first rifle my dad had a bull tag. All we saw scouting before opener was cows. He shot a toad opening morning. Both hunts in the same valley. Elk are stupid and elk hunting is stupider.


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[repins05]

I am surprised by the responses. I would consider a Cow hunt in my home state (and the three units I hunt) a 99 percent success rate. Hunting on public land.

It is common to pass up cows that are going to be difficult to pack out.

Not writing this post to be arrogant, but I am finding this thread interesting. I do not hunt cows and haven't researched cow hunts in other states.

 

[journeyman713]

 

[Wprinkle]

 

[Brandon_SPC]

During the rut, cows are harder to hunt IMO. From the middle of October-end of season, cows are easier to target.

 

[bz_711]

IMO...most archery seasons cows are harder to hunt than bulls

 

[mt terry d]

Spikes are idiots.
I'd like to see them always off limits.

 

[roadrunner]

Depends on when and where. I have a cow tag right now. Last time I saw "the herd" where I've been hunting they were at 10,000 feet elev last Friday.

You can't drive up to them. Road hunting consists of glassing them up 1/2 mile away and putting a stalk on them up a 15 to 20 degree slope and then shooting at 400 yds.

These cows are not easy to hunt.

 

[5MilesBack]

Spikes are idiots.

Raghorns are too. One evening I'm hiking up the bottom of this long semi-circle draw. I throw out a bugle and immediately a couple bulls reply back. Within seconds there are now several bulls lighting up. I'm trying to judge how to play this and which one I want to go after, when I see this 4x4 raghorn about 200 yards down the draw come out of the trees on a dead run right towards me. He got to about 50 yards and I jumped out into the open with my hands and bow in the air. He screeches to a halt and stands there, then starts walking towards me. He gets to about 30 yards and I'm thinking "dude, you're going to mess up my hunt tonight if you don't beat it".

So I run towards him a little bit and he turns and runs, then stops and circles back further to my left. Then he starts walking in on me again. So I threw a couple rocks at him, he looks at me like "what the heck", then finally turns and runs back the way he came in. And I swear he entered the timber between the exact same two trees that he came out of at the start.

 

[RevJim]

In early 90's, here in Utah (to let the heard build up) all we could get in OTC Tags were Spike Only. Special draws for any bull or antlerless. They were driven off by the herd bull and they hung around the edges of the herd. They were like hunting quail! They were kept on edge by the herd bull and super nervous. As far as luck, in 35 yrs I have never, ever seen a Bull when I had a Bull tag, only cows. When I drew an antlerless tag, I always saw bulls and now and then got my cow. I leter on just hunt late season, private land cows. Getting too old for the DIY hunts. But still crazy about hunting and eating them! ha

 

[Weldor]

Simple answer, Yes Oh wait No. LOL. I think all Elk hunting is a challenge for sure.

 

[RevJim]

Yes (sorry sir)