Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting What is it about elk.....

As elk tags become harder to get, things will only get crazier. Throw in the money involved in NM authorizations and people do some crazy stuff.

I guess I’ve been pretty lucky and haven’t had some of the issues I hear from others.

Perhaps that is what Montana needs - more difficult to obtain bull tags. Some areas are drawing for bulls, most are an OTC tag. The area I'm in is OTC for brow tined bulls, drawing for cows. I think. Seems to change every season. Never have I understood the brow tine thing. Instead of people shooting spikes, they shoot raghorns. Not sure what difference that makes. Other than raghorns seem to make the pumpkin army even more stupid than spikes or cows.

If the elk can get thru one season passed the spike, they usually get a little smarter in order to stay alive, but I confess I have killed lot of really stupid raghorns. Then too, spikes are usually still running with cows which makes them easier to find. In Colorado where it is 4 on a side or a 6"brow tine, we saw more mature bulls passed the raghorn stage after it took effect.Before that, most bulls killed were spikes that never got a chance to mature.

They are not big deer.

They are not easy to find.

Elk are magnificent animals and there is nothing in North America as spectacular, available and desirable. Sure, there are other species that have similar qualities, Sheep, Moose, Goats, etc but elk, through their range and opportunities, present something that other game doesn’t.

Intoxication isn’t confined to liquor, there are other things that take over a person’s ability to think clearly, elk is that drug.

Once the attention is paid to any animal or sport, people become more aware of it and then all Hell breaks loose and things can deteriorate. Elk have been highlighted in every form of media and the attention to them is prolific.

How do you not know that there are big elk out there and one is waiting for you? People come to Montana thinking the state is covered with elk and opportunity. The truth is, big elk; 340+ are scarce, and the % of success for getting that elk is minuscule.

Few understand elk and elk hunting, but many try. Next time you visit Las Vegas, look at the lights and casinos and you will clearly see the similarities with people winning a jackpot and elk hunters killing a big bull…

they both have money?.....

shrapnel, You sure as Hell have drank a bunch of the Elk Kool-Aid, They are big Deer, not hard to kill but hard to find, you have killed more Elk with A F-250 than anyone one the fire, say's you where did you find them ?? on the Hi-Way? Rio7

Sorry, but they are not big deer. That isn't because of their DNA, it is that they are an elegant and unique animal that is different than what deer are considered.

Yes, I'm sure I've killed more than most, and they can take a ton of punishment before dying. As far as Elk Kool Aid, this site seems to give the idea that fast twist and small calibers are elk killers. It's not that elk can't be killed with small calibers, it is just Kool Aid to think a 243 and such is more than enough to hunt elk.

Any time you want to compare notes, feel free to ask. Killing elk and being around killed elk will number past 200 for me and I am talking about first hand experience, not hunting sites and magazine articles.

I thought if you didn't twist dials and have a 1:7 twist, you couldn't kill anything period. Those old 30-06 bolt rifles with a good 10 power scope will more or less make bullets bounce off animals lol. I think people more or less get caught up with a different environment in which the elk live in and then when they see them in the wild, thoughts enter the brain that can't be explained. I think it's awesome to get fired up about hunting, but when it's illegal, dangerous, or your tearing up stuff to "get it done" that's when it's bad. 25 years ago it was a whole different ballgame. Just my two cents. Also, the hunting "reality shows" didn't make things any better.

87 mega mag and hubble telescope. That one is still getting me.

Shrapnel,

Killed my first of many Elk in 1948, with a model 94 30-30 at about 60 yrds, I doubt you were born yet, I don't know how many Elk I have killed never kept tabs, but i doubt your 200 would exceed my #s,

Yes i carry a fast twist 6mm daily, but I normaly hunt Elk with my 300WBY and 180 gr. AB, but have killed a few Elk with my fast twist 6mm, I have killed Elk with a number of chamberings including 38-55,
44-40- 45-70-32-SPCL-30-30 270-30-06, 308 German 8mm, killed a spike bull with a bad parrot mouth with a 22-250, have seen 2 bulls killed with a .223 55 gr sp both were killed inside of 100 yrds by disabled vets, I have never been a fan of gun and hunting rags.

I greatly admire your Gun Collection and Admire your using them to hunt many different critters, but keep in mind you are not the only one here with Elk hunting experience. In all my years living around Elk And Deer I have never hit one with my pickup, just luck I guess. Rio7

Rio7. My first elk was about 18 years later than you (66). Since then, 30-06, .308, 7mag, 45- 70,30-30, 44 mag carbine, .375 Winchester, 3 different 50 cal muzzle loaders. More than a few, buy not as many as some. From 15 yards to almost 400. I could never tell much difference in how they died, as long as I put the bullet where it needed to go and found they were not hard to kill. As shown I am not a fan of smaller caliber/light weight bullet rounds.

This past season was the first elk season I missed as far as I can remember and not of my choosing. I don't hunt out of state, I have only been one guided hunt in my life and that was required in Alberta. My success rate is probably 90% +.

I came close to hitting an elk with a little Subaru Hatchback years ago, but lucked out when she dodged. Deer , 3 so far in my life. I hit none of them. They all hit me. One jumped on the hood of a 56 Chevy off a bank. One jumped into the wheel well, driver's side door of a 98 Dodge truck, and the last one jumped into the side of my horse trailer.

There are some members here that if you say some thing contradicting to their ideas, it is like pulling on Superman's cape and they have a large following. So I don't d say much about them.There are more than a few here that have a lot of elk hunting under our belt.

Have good year.

There just isn't a deer that eclipses a Monarch like this...

Good stuff Rio and Saddlesore. Well said.

They are some neat beasts. Never gets any spicier than an elk cartridge thread!

Thank you, but it was you that said I was drinking the Kool Aid, hence my response and it wasn't to be snide. Please don't confuse me with Buzzh..

Well said, Shrapnel.

This is also the magic of hunting Iowa's Late Muzzleloader season for whitetails...you'd have to hunt hard to find another hunter!

shrapnel, I don't think you are being snide just stating your opinion. Rio7

Saddlesore, We have covered a lot of the same ground hunting Elk on the Flat Tops, and South Fork of the White River, I sold my place on the White River a few years ago, and bought a place West of Durango, next to my son's Ranch nothing better than having owners permits on private land. hunting in Colorado has changed a lot sense the old day's, Been many miles on Horse back and Mules, packed a lot of Elk And other critters, out of the mountains just as you have, now my day's of hunting the mountains are over at 84 old age has taken over. Rio7

Again, great stuff fellas. I enjoy hearing about the elk hunting of old.

Rio, I’d love to see more pictures similar to the big mule deer you posted a few times.

Several years ago. I was packing out a cow I got at first rifle season in NW CO.. It was the first or second year I hunted alone. Made camp almost two weeks before opening day. Hadn't spoken to anyone in that time. A game Warden stopped to check me, and I was excited, and talked his ear off. He was really nice about it, and humored me, even though he had a lot of work to do.

Fast forward about nine years or so. A man and his wife made camp near mine in September muzzleloader season. Same location. I stopped by to chat. He said he didn't like people running their ATV's up and down that road as it was posted unlawful at the entrance. And he intended to stop and harass anyone doing so. I've never owned an ATV and had switched to that season for better crowd avoidence. I thought privately that his intentions were foolish, but wished him luck.

In an effort to shorten the story. Turns out the first four wheeler he stopped was the Game warden. As it happened the same guy from 9 years before. Well he had his badge hidden, but later came back secretly to watch the guy. Guess he got suspicious about him. When he checked me, I recognized him, and we spoke awhile. When he further questioned me about the man and his wife, I asked about his interest? He said, "they're in trouble." I didn't inquire why because he had a very serious tone that seemed final. Turns out that they had put salt out near a tank. I don't claim to be an elk expert, but I thought the act really stupid.

Point is. I think I understand the gist of this thread. And I don't know why people behave so strangely sometimes. It's a puzzle.