Which elk would you shoot?
 

There' s five of us going to CO next month for the early season muzzleloader hunt. My friend that lives there claims we' ll do real well. I hope he' s right, and I' ve tried to do my part with the preparation. We purchased five tags, 2 cow, and 3 bull. So, here' s the question. What would you meat huntetrs be looking for in a cow? Take a fawn, a one and a half year old, or would you take the biggest fattest thing you could find? I know as a whitetail hunter I' ve had my choice a number of times and just wondered which one you would take?

RE: Which elk would you shoot?
 

I think its just personal preference and mine is the biggest, fatest thing I can find. They' re as good eatin as any of em in my book.

RE: Which elk would you shoot?
 

IMO, they all eat good, but I also believe that the older they are, the tougher the meat tends to be. Handling the meat correctly after the shot can play a large roll in what it tastes like too. Get it cool, and keep it clean, and try to avoid sawing through any bone.

RE: Which elk would you shoot?
 

Hale87,
I' m a meat hunter and when I hunt elk it is the 1st leagle one that gets in my sights,if I have a choice it would be Bull,Cows and calfs and I would probaly pass on the calf and look for mom and dad.Most of my elk have been large cows(Lead).BBJ

RE: Which elk would you shoot?
 

if i was out for just meat id take the first legal bull or cow that presented me with a good shot. id pass on a calf.

RE: Which elk would you shoot?
 

I' d be looking for a medium sized cow. I wouldn' t want something too old because the meat would be tougher, although still great, just tougher. I wouldn' t want a calf because of quantity. I' d be looking for that perfect in between medium. [8D]

RE: Which elk would you shoot?
 

When I was a guide in Montana, I used to recommend to my clients to shoot the first LEGAL elk that you see. It may be the ONLY elk you have an oppurtunity to harvest. I have hunted CO the last 4 years in a row. I have been lucky enough to draw the Non Res cow tag all 4 years. (including this year) I brought home a cow the last 3 years. However, if I had not shot the elk that I did, I would have come home empty handed. This is my .02 from 18 years of hunting elk.

RE: Which elk would you shoot?
 

First legal antlerless elk from yearling size on up. Pass on the calf. Chances are if you see an actual calf, you will see some cows with it. Good luck.

RE: Which elk would you shoot?
 

The first elk that you have a tag for. Like mathewsarcher said, there may not be another chance at an elk. Not too many years that I have had multiple opportunites at elk.

Now, if I had a heard standing in a meadow and had the time to choose then I would take a cow on the bigger side of the scale. The cows all taste good.

RE: Which elk would you shoot?
 

Fat cow. Good luck on your hunt!!

RE: Which elk would you shoot?
 

If you have a choice, a yearling usually makes fine eating. Fine grained, lighter in colour, not too gamey in flavour and more than likely very tender.
However any animal in good condition will be good eating, even an old bull, if he has a good layer of fat over his back, chances are the meat will be tender.
Poor condition and stress results in gamey and tough meat, age isn' t necessarily the reason the meat is tough or gamey.
Hang your meat in a chiller for a week, keep it dry.

Good luck with your hunt.

RE: Which elk would you shoot?
 

Well, here in PA there isn' t a large enough elk herd to have an open season so the Game Commission has a drawing for elk permits. If I were hunting here for elk I would take the first thing that walked by. But, if I were in CO, would take the fattest thing. Good luck!

RE: Which elk would you shoot?
 

You guys bring up an interesting point. Do you usually see loner cows? A lot of you have said take the first legal one you see. But in 10 years of elk hunting experience I can' t ever remember seeing a loner cow. I' m sure once in a while it happens but my point is I' ve also taken 3 cows in the last 3 years and every time I had a choice of a minimum 5 cows to choose from. As far as I know loner cows are not the norm so the question of which one to take is a good one. Now bulls are a different story.

RE: Which elk would you shoot?
 

Ok,say there is 5 cows all together in the timber,wich one to shoot.I say the one that is standing broadside.[8D]

RE: Which elk would you shoot?
 

What if they are all standing broadside? I say it because it happens quite often. I don' t know about you guys but as a bowhunter I' m used to sneaking around or sitting on a good vantage point while rifle hunting. That means usually I see elk before they know I' m there. (At least cows)

Last year I was sneaking through some trees on the edge of a meadow. I peaked a small hill to see 5 cows grazing on the other side of the meadow. They didn' t know I was there. I had enough time to range them, pull out my shooting sticks, adjust my objective lens on my scope and pick out the cow I wanted. Once I had the scope on them I could actually see they varied in size by quite a bit.

2 years ago a group of about 10 cows comes around a corner and starts grazing on a meadow I was watching. Again picked out the one I wanted and dumped her.

3 years ago another hunter spooked a herd. They came busting over a hill only 70 yds from me and I had to make a decision a lot faster but there must have been 50-60 head.

Geez I' d say you guys need to sneak around a little more, you might get to actually pick your cow out instead of shooting the last one heading into the timber running from you. :D

Again a bull is a different story.

RE: Which elk would you shoot?
 

Like I said I' m a meat hunter and the more meat in the frezzer,the better.I choose the largest cow in the herd.If the are running in single file like elk do,I shoot for the last one in the group.Alot of folks try for the front or herd shoot and that will get you in some trouble.So I say the one elk(leagle)that offers a clear shot.

RE: Which elk would you shoot?
 

I try and find the biggest fattest on I can. this year My wife has her first ever elk tag and my oldest daughter has her second one. my daughter took a bull calf 2 years ago on the last day of the hunt so she can make her own choice as for my wife it will be first come first served for her. what ever gives her a clean shot. we will be hunting with muzzle loaders.

RE: Which elk would you shoot?
 

Optimism springs eternal that one will have choices.
If you hunt on public land and have a cow tag....

First rule, if you are a meat hunter, then first legal match to your license -- shoot. If the light is dim, then BE CAREFUL of spikes that may still be with the cows and " blend in" , easier to miss those " near nothing" antlers than many think.

Second, if you have a choice go for the fattest beefiest cow and if you have time to ponder it, then the one with the most pronounce " pot belly" = likely dry cow.

EKM

RE: Which elk would you shoot?
 

Talk about an appropriate topic. I' ll be hunting a cow elk in NM this year and have been thinking about just which cow I' d be looking to shoot. This was a great topic to read. My decision? The first good shot that presents itself.

RE: Which elk would you shoot?
 

I' d definitely go for the first legal elk that is in your effective shooting range. This presumes you' re a meat hunter first and trophy hunter second. Think twice if you guys manage to get in range of a nice herd bull and his harem - you could have a few elk down and it would be quite the bear magnet if it happens.

RE: Which elk would you shoot?
 

First legal elk that is ABOVE the road.:D After you shoot one no matter where it is you will know what I mean. They are big & heavy.

RE: Which elk would you shoot?
 

Wolf Killer brings up an execellent point. Make sure that you can recover your elk. They are big and they are HEAVY!!. Back in my guiding days, I had a client drop a nice bull that took us 5 tank fulls of gas in the chain saw to get him out of the nastiest northside thicket I have ever seen. We refer to that bull as the " frying pan" bull. We should have just started the fire and eaten him right there! It is amazing how these huge critters can go into places that you can hardly fit yourself!

RE: Which elk would you shoot?
 

The first one that presents a clean kill shot and fits your tag (not someones elses in your party) It' s real hard to fill a freezer with ambition. ( not very filling and often hard to swallow) There are a lot of elk in Colorado, and a lot of country. Like some of these other guys have pointed out: Take your first, best, opportunity. You' ll feel like a genius when you sit down to that first piece of loin.

RE: Which elk would you shoot?
 

Wow[:o], you veteran elk hunters have really given me something to think about. I am going on a 5 day hunt, Oct 11 through 15 for either sex elk in Colo areas 77, 75, 78,751 and 771. I was planning on hunting for a legal bull the first 3 days and if not suscessful then try for the first legal elk I might find the last two days. Now I don' t know what I will do:(. I plan on getting there a couple days early to scout. Guess I' ll make up my mind then, but you can bet I will be thinking about what you have said. Anyway, good hunting to you folks :) and may God bless you and yours.

RE: Which elk would you shoot?
 

a year and a half on up , but nothing to old because , the meat is tougher on those , plus i think a younger one would be a little more juicy . i won' t shoot anything younger than that in any species if i can help it , it just goes against me :)