Will you kill an elk anywhere?

[mighteywhitehunter]

I would say the same as others, I focus on killing them first and foremost. I would pack any animal out of just about anywhere. That being said I have passed on a few animals over the years because the juice wasn't worth the squeeze.

A man has got to know his limitations, but you have to push yourself to find them.

 

[frank church guy]

Just gonna go kill a couple 7x7s a few days apart. NBD.....

Maybe. I worked harder for those elk than you will know. NEVER KNOW! Not only the whole summer I watched them, but all the work to get those critters out. And I hate every moment i killed them. So f-you.

 

[PurpleDriver]

Not so young anymore, but still plenty dumb. I’m still looking for that first elk, so wherever the moment allows, I plan to take the shot.

having said that, if I can’t get in there, then I don’t shoot in there.

 

[WeiserBucks]

Maybe. I worked harder for those elk than you will know. NEVER KNOW! Not only the whole summer I watched them, but all the work to get those critters out. And I hate every moment i killed them. So f-you.

I think he was giving you and your friends a compliment, it's not easy to take a couple very nice bulls in a short period of time in that area.

 

[WanderingFarmer]

Sure, I'm still young enough and dumb enough hunt in areas that are hard to get a critter out of. But, I'm also not hunting areas where I don't feel comfortable letting the meat hang for a day or two if it were needed. Having a partner helps immensely.

I suppose I might think twice if I were solo.

 

[Lil-Rokslider]

Maybe. I worked harder for those elk than you will know. NEVER KNOW! Not only the whole summer I watched them, but all the work to get those critters out. And I hate every moment i killed them. So f-you.

Take it easy fella. It was a congratulations. I know that's not easy to do.

 

[Lil-Rokslider]

 

[Lil-Rokslider]

 

[Lil-Rokslider]

 

[crrakcrrak]

Of course, Even as a child i hunted around the states.

 

[hobbes]

I don't hunt where I'm unwilling to pack an elk out from, so I don't worry about it. I've pushed that boundary farther than I probably should on occasion especially if a bull is bugling. Maybe not killing those has been better luck than I realized.

If it's hotter than hell, like opening week in 22, I either hunt closer to camp/truck or I hunt something smaller than an elk. It was 90 on the opener last year. I don't like 90s for doing anything. But......I'm typically on my own without a lot of help. I have a couple sons who can be voluntold to pack, so that helps. They have jobs now so their availability varies.

I have a single llama who is finally mature enough to help and I could probably round up someone with horses if I did something too dumb. However, the horses would probably cost me in dollar bills more than the bitching from my boys because I'd shot a bull in such a dumb place. We'll see if I get into farther reaches of the backcountry this year with the llama and if it really makes any difference.

 

[bow_dozer]

View attachment 550630

LOL!!!
My buddies and I are age 25-35, we haven't found a spot that we opt to pass. Although it certainly crosses my mind during some pack outs. Solo is nuts, 2 sucks, 3 is a treat, never had 4 people to pack one out.

 

[Broadhead]

I think experience has a lot to do with where and where not to harvest an elk.

On my first elk hunt my buddy and I hiked in 8 miles and set up shop. The only other people we saw had horses or llamas, showing how young and naïve we were hiking that far into the backcountry. We split up for an evening hunt and I started thinking, "Man, if we both harvest something tonight we'll have to camp back here and eat it till it's gone because there's no way we can carry 80lb packs 32 miles one way, then an empty packs back 32 miles before the end of the trip." On the last day of the hunt I had a 4x4 at 15 yards and drew back. Looked at the cliff behind him and made the right decision to let him walk. My buddy was pissed that I let him walk. Never been back to that spot.

 

[Lil-Rokslider]

LOL!!!
My buddies and I are age 25-35, we haven't found a spot that we opt to pass. Although it certainly crosses my mind during some pack outs. Solo is nuts, 2 sucks, 3 is a treat, never had 4 people to pack one out.

I've never done one solo. I've done bunch of em with just me and another guy and we do it in one trip. It's hell every time.

One time we killed 2 elk right next to each other, 7 miles from the truck, and there were 3 of us. We briefly considered trying to do it in one trip. But there was no way.

 

[bow_dozer]

I've done bunch of em with just me and another guy and we do it in one trip. It's hell every time.

This is 75% of the time that we kill something. We will always bone out as well. Most of the time we shoot something in the areas we hunt it is all downhill to the truck. If I have to do any uphill grade, we will be shuttling meat.

 

[208Logan]

Last year on my AZ hunt I definitely did not hunt some areas that had potential due to being alone. I found an elk closer to a 2 track that was big enough and went after it because I knew I could get him out by myself without killing myself. However, I think I may have acquired a hernia on that trip. Surgery in 2 weeks .

lets see him

 

[MuleyFever]

lets see him

I posted it on the 2022 meat pole.

 

[Geewhiz]

Funny how after a few miserable packs your criteria start to change.

 

[5MilesBack]

When I have a big bull in front of me, there's not much that goes through my mind except "shoot him"......location isn't even in the discussion. Except one morning in 2017......I drove to a spot I had scouted a few days earlier and found a lot of fresh sign. I got out of the truck at first light and bugled. Immediately got a response a couple hundred yards away straight in front of me. I could feel the wind coming from my right and took off on a dead run. I stopped about 100 yards in and bugled again.....another immediate bugle response and he was coming. So I ran further about 50 yards and stopped.

Here he came.......and then stopped exactly on the other side of a big Christmas type of tree off to the right. He was a really good bull. He started raking that tree like crazy and then would stop and bugle. The tree was at 35 yards and there was nothing between me and it, so I went to full draw and figured I'd just wait for him to step out. The last place I bugled from was 50-60 yards to my right so I figured that's where his attention would be, the wind was in my face, and there I was waiting for him to make his move. All I could think about at that moment was......"It's 150 yards to the truck and I can probably even drive halfway of that to him. Easiest packout ever. 2 hours to break him down, get him into the truck, cape him, get back to camp, break camp, and I can be home by 4pm."

Well, that was the kiss of death. The next thing I felt was the wind on the back of my neck. Done.......over. Sulk back to the truck. SMH

 

[nphunter]

Depends on the bull, lots of spots where I've passed up smaller bulls or even some questionable bulls due to them being in a hell hole. The juice just has to be worth the squeeze, I would kill a good 6x6 bull anywhere I've hunted.