Good luck with school! Hope the elk meat is good!

You have to understand that most people on here don't like high fenced hunts no matter how big the place. I think the words "it was an exciting hunt" together with the high fence will bring the pruists out every time. Had you been up front that you harvested a "captive" animal for meat you would not have had near as much resistance. Certainly on 3000 acres, the animal has some advantages, but they are not free ranging. That is why Boone and Crockett (Pope and Young) won't recognize animals taken behind a high fence.

I live in Kerr County, Texas too, so I know this type of "hunt" is common in this area, but you have to realize that most of the people on big game forums are for lack of a better term "real elk hunters". I don't hunt on a high fenced ranch, but take exotics (axis, blackbuck, feral hogs, etc) quite often for meat from our family's ranch. Not much real hunting, but they are fun and produce excellent food! So, you can either learn the lingo and be upfront with taking a meat animal, or get the wrath of hunters on forums like this.

I do wonder though about the point brought up about the possibility of a young calf being orphaned this time of year. Many elk would have dropped their calves by now. Are you sure this was not the case? I hunt axis and it is extemely frustrating because they breed year round like a cow. It is rare that I ever kill one that is not pregnant. And I killed one in mid December one year and was gutting her as her fawn jumped up and ran off. He was probably 2 weeks old! Talk about feeling bad! However, if you hunt axis does, there is nothing else you can do because they drop fawns every month of the year.

Hope some of my ramblings make sense. Good luck in school and job "hunting"!