Are you a bull hunter?

I hunt bulls till the last moment. Last day I will shoot a cow if a shot presents itself, however I have never had a shot at a cow the last day.
 
For my 2 week hunts, the first week I'm bull only. 2nd week anything that has backstraps is in trouble. Only been out twice, and killed bulls both times.
 
I would shoot a cow later in the season, because I hunt for the meat. Haven't had to yet though. I saw how much the herd rebounded where I hunt after they closed the cow season for a couple years. In my mind, more cows mean more bulls down the line, so I like to let them walk as long as I can. Once you shoot a breeding cow, how many future elk have you taken out of the picture?
 
I would shoot a cow later in the season, because I hunt for the meat. Haven't had to yet though. I saw how much the herd rebounded where I hunt after they closed the cow season for a couple years. In my mind, more cows mean more bulls down the line, so I like to let them walk as long as I can. Once you shoot a breeding cow, how many future elk have you taken out of the picture?
One for sure is all we know.
 
I reply on the Game Depts to determine if shooting cows is appropriate or not.
If they severely limit cow tags, well, good reason.

But there are Soooooo many leftover cow elk tags in Colorado right now, I serious dont think shooting a cow is going to effect the future of the elk herd.
 
I've shot a cow on the first day and passed cows on the last day. This year I may shoot the first cow I see. Just depends how I'm feeling at the time.
 
I’m a new elk hunter this year and it’s bulls only for me. I raise cattle and put my own beef in the freezer, so there’s never a real “need” for meat. Plus I can shoot plenty of white tail here at home with very little effort or expense. I’m looking more for the experience of being out west in the wild. If a nice bull shows up, I will take him. If not, I’ll go home a happy man as well, just from the experience. I consider hunting my vacation.
 
I've shot 4 cows with a rifle but never really had a good look at a bull I could legally shoot. Maybe some day it will happen, but focusing on cows kind of changes when/where I hunt to the point that my odds of taking a bull seem slimmer. I haven't found hunting cows to be easy, pretty much a 50% success rate for me. I also worry about packing out a bull because I am usually hunting alone.

Sent from my SM-A205U using Tapatalk
 
First legal but usually see more bulls than cows by far. Not sure what difference it makes since I don't have headroom for a bull mount in my humble house.
 
I'm sitting on 3 elk tags. That first one is for a stud with my longbow.....the rest are opportunistic.
 
I either want to shoot the biggest animal on the mountain, or a cow/doe. So, if the 320 or better six point bull comes in to the waterhole, I'll shoot him. Dinky 4 point comes in, I'll wait for a cow....
 
I'm not out there for the meat, and I'm generally not out there for the antlers. But during archery, I do target mature bulls because they provide the most fun........and that IS why I'm out there. I'll shoot any bull that provides me with a good experience, but it seems that only bigger bulls apply to that. Cows and small bulls just don't provide much for strategy or a good chess game. I don't need to fill my tag every year, but I do need those good interactions and encounters regardless of whether I actually get a shot.
 
What if this is your 1st hunt and have 2 weeks time with an E/S tag OTC archery ? Do you take the first cow you see or hold out and try for a bull ?
 
Back
Top