Which would you prefer?
Elk
Contributors to this thread:
A 10 day elk hunt in great elk country where you don't take an elk, or a 5 day elk hunt where you tag a good bull on the first day?
I'd take the memories and enjoyment of the longer hunt with no trophy at the end.
You?
Well, seeing as I have only shot two elk, I'd take the kill. Lot's of things to do in elk country, besides elk hunting, if you live in the east. God Bless
Can I kill my bull and then spend nine days calling and packing for my buddies?
5 and the kill for me. :)
first day kill for me. i did that last year and got to call for my buddies the last few days of the hunt and it was a blast as we were in elk everyday!!!!
I can go backpacking or sightseeing anytime and for far less money and work. That isn't why I'm there.
My first 3 quarters of hunting these days I might pass up rag bulls, I want so bad to take a good mature bull (all bets are off in the 4th quarter with the game on the line though....) but if it's a shooter I'd take it in the first 15 min. (45 min.?) much less the first day. I'm filling a tag in the end if at all humanly possible.
If I don't.... I eat a tag.... I can say I enjoyed the hunt. And come back for more punishment next year without a second thought. I can enjoy the hunt for what it is. I can live with the outcome. But somewhere deep inside in this little white hot raging place..... I'm pizzed off.....
There is nothing as satisfying or fulfilling to me than taking the game I set out to take. First day (actually has never happened to me, but I'd take it) or last day. (many times) That is the purpose, that is why I am there. It's not a vacation.
I'm with orionsbro. Hell, there's nothing wrong with spending the next four days shooting grouse and fishing.
For that matter, I'd shoot a cow on day one if I had the opportunity. It doesn't mean I'm going directly home though.
X2-JLS I've spent many a day after a kill enjoying my peace and quiet, shooting other critters and calling/hunting with others. Elk down don't mean trip is over.
So yes I'd take the kill.
I have experienced both-----
I don't feel better or worse on either---
Good luck, Robb
I live within a few miles of elk hunting, I'll take the kill and hunt grouse afterwards or call for the wife and try to help her get one, plenty to do once the elk is on the ground!
I can't eat an empty tag over the winter so I'll take the groceries.
My one question would be can I hunt the 5 days and then still hang out, hike around, and do homework for next time? I've been on hunts where I killed early but stayed and "hunted" for future reference.
Should we assume the 10 day hunt costs twice as much as the 5 day hunt? That would seem likely. Very easy decision with that scenario! I know a guy that shot his bull in the first 45 minutes of a five day hunt and continued hunting with his brother filming and taking pictures the entire hunt and he had a blast!
Another option is take the 5 day hunt then hunt public land either before or after for as long as chose. I'm retired so that's my choice butt some guys can only leave work for a week at a time!
5 and a trophy. I am fortunate enough to have a few trophys on the wall and I look at them multiple times every day. The memories flood back as clear as if it just happened. Most of my hunting memories involve being miserable-A night time rain storm at 11,000 with an open bivy, or miles and miles of hiking steep, swampy, deadfall. The memory of the kill is what I'm after regardless of how long it took.
If I want a vacation Ill head to Key West with the Wife. I'll take the trophy and stick around for the next four days enjoys the country.
You guys are missing the gist of the question.....its 5 days with a very early kill or 10 enjoyable days with no kill.....
5 days with a very early kill - I need to fill the freezer!!
I just spent 22 days hunting one of the best Colorado Elk units and had Monster Bulls under 50 yards, encounters, screaming bulls, lots of action and numerous smallish 310 to 330" bulls I could have shot-
I would still like to have killed one of those Giant Bulls- so even though I had about the best experience hunting you could imagine, putting my tag on an elk would have made the hunt complete for me.
Elk on first day tastes better than tag soup every time.
I'm kinda like MathewsMan. . .
I just spent 15 days in two separate trips in Wyoming. Didn't tag out. Passed two bulls, passed a lot of opportunities to attempt to get closer to bulls.
I had a lot of fun, was into bulls every day except for the last day, and missed a giant.
I learned a lot too.
But I still wish I'd tagged out
Bake
even thought it's on my bucket list, I've never been elk hunting. so if anyone wants to fund a 5 day and a 10 day trip for me, I will let you know which I like better. :>)
I'd take the 5 day every time. Once my tag is filled I really enjoy calling for others.
I've had several of choice "A", so I'll go with "B".
5 days and shoot an elk each and every time.
The hunt doesnt end when you shoot something...
Given that I'd probably be with my wife, also hunting, I"ll take the quick kill on day 1, then spend 4 days helping her!
wow, smallish 330 bulls being passed and eating a tag.
There is nothing that says, you have to go home after harvesting an elk. Run to the nearest town and have it processed while you are spending the remainder of your time camping or hiking/scouting.
I would take the early kill. If I tag out early and don't have a friend to help, it is the only time I have to scout future units and possibly even other states. Or I can head to CO and buy an OTC tag and keep going!
I would also take the first day kill. I can find some where else to hunt and get the experience and maybe get one there as well.
10 days! I mean...."IT's 10 DAYS OF HUNTING" ...right? who wouldn't want or needs that.
I'm with TD 110%. When I'm hunting, I'm there for one purpose and one purpose only, to fill my tag...first day, last day, or any day in-between. Doesn't mean my enjoyment of the hunt is exclusively tied to filling my tag, but killing what I go after is certainly my #1 priority. Once it ceases to be that for me, then it'll become just another camping trip, which I can already do the other 11 months of the year.
Besides, as many others have mentioned, if you tag out early, you can create even more great memories and enjoyment doing a multitude of other things.
I would go for the kill. I only live 20 minutes from where I hunt but on the years I get an elk early on, I have always wanted to take my camera up and play with the elk a little. See just how many times I could get close enough for a shot and shoot them with my camera. I realize it would educate the elk somewhat, but hey, you will get plenty of education yourself. I have never actually done this however because things always build up throughout the summer that needs to be taken care of before winter hits.
I've done many of B and one of A. Killed on both. Loved each class of experience for what it was. In the end, I'm an elk eater. My goal is to kill and eat one. I did not feel I missed a thing when I killed a bull 1.5 days in on a 5 day hunt.
I once killed a giant on day 13 of a 14 day season. Every day, dark to dark, by myself. Loosed 1 arrow. In retrospect, I believe I was as happy that it was over as I was to kill the bull I was after for 2 weeks.......if the question can be answered by which was more fun, that one wasn't. Hunting with my buddy for 3.5 more days after I killed on the 5 day was a blast.
My advice, shut up and just hunt!!
: ^ )
5 days and 1 elk, always over anything!!!!
The only thing worse than packing meat is not packing meat- Dwight Schuh
I will take the 5 day hunt reduced by a kill.
My choice must be the dead bull because if I see a good bull on day 1 of any hunt (whether it be 5 days, 10 days or 30 days) I'm taking the shot. I don't think it would ruin a hunt to be successful on the first day.
I'm 0 for 5 on archery elk hunts. I've had plenty of time in the woods and have learned and experienced a lot. I'm ready to punch a tag.
If I didn't want to kill one on day 1 I wouldn't be carrying my bow on day 1! Seeing as I do always carry my bow on day 1 that means I would like to kill an elk on day 1, so ya, I'd go with kill and elk on day 1.
My goal is to kill an elk...so it doesn't really matter when it happens.
I'm going to try to make it happen to the best of my ability every day I'm out there, but still enjoy just being there. I can multi-task ;^)
Best of Luck, Jeff
Without looking at all the responses, if I hunt my primary goal is to get whatever it is I'm hunting for. Otherwise I could save a heck of a lot of time and money by just going out with a camera and taking scenic pictures. Now, I'm not saying that I wouldn't enjoy the hunt otherwise, but I wouldn't have achieved my primary goal.
5 and the kill
if I want to go 10 and no kill, I'll take a camera mid-summer and enjoy the fishing/scenery
Interesting stuff. It's clear most would take the quick kill. I hunted 15 archery elk hunts before taking my first - most by choice. I passed up plenty of smaller animals. Out of my 5 elk, My best bull is still only 280 class but I still don't regret most of those unpunched tags.
Maybe I'm different, but I love the whole experience...I'd rather hunt 10/days without a kill than take a lesser bull early. Just me. It's likely my next bull will be larger or I come home empty....but still fulfilled.
I love a first day kill! Pressure's off!
I understand what you're getting at SteveB. The thing is your hypothetical was a five day hunt with a bull killed on the first day or a ten day hunt with no bull.
I think the responses would be very different if the choices were a five day hunt with a bull killed on the first day or a ten day hunt with an unknown outcome.
I want the fifteen to twenty day option, maybe more.
If you kill day one and have 4 or 9 days left in elk country, if you can't get a bear tag, you can drive 500 miles in just about any direction and you'll be able to hunt with another tag.
I backpacked avidly for more than 10 years before I ever hunted. I still backpack. It's called scouting. Hunting season is a very short period we get to hunt. Once a tag is filled and the animal is out, for me, it's time to help someone else hunt or go hunt somewhere else.
For me, the hunt is all about the chase and the setting adds to the experience, but does not define it. I live in the mountains and hike on an almost daily basis. Wilderness, the mountains, and that experience is not something I can do 5 or 10 days a year. Hunting elk is something I'm limited by law to a short period of time.
orionsbro,
I'm sitting here in my motel watching football and drinking a Rogue Chocolate Stout, and thinking the 20 day option might be reasonable. Maybe 30.
I love Rogue Chocolate Stout! I just want to clink mugs with the chick on the label!
I just clinked mugs with her for you. She said hi :^)
You are a wise man Jason. Thirty is better. Chocolate Stout chicks are tasty.
When the time runs out, switch species, restart the clock. In between, research hot chicks on beer labels.
Now you've done it. Now I have to pull an Old Rasputin out of the fridge. It's all your fault.
10 days and two elk, a bull and a cow or a cow and a bull!!!!
Don't pass an animal on the first day of a hunt that you would be happy shooting on the last day of the hunt.Set the bar before the hunt and stick with it.
As for the "number of days" portion of the question, I simply can't relate. My elk hunts are over 1,000 miles from home. I have never, and likely will never plan a 5 day western hunt. When I go west to hunt, two weeks is the minimum....and a three week plan is more the norm.
Punching a tag doesn't mean the adventure has to end. This year, I spent four additional days on the mountain after my bull was on the ground.
Ok. Orionsbro added a caveat to Steve B's original hypothetical question, then JLS and idyllwild further confused the issue. Is the question now being asked.....if you kill a bull on a five day hunt, do you hang out in elk country for the next 20 days, drinking various tasty craft beers, cooled in a mountain stream, fetched when you need a new one by an amazing, always happy chick that also lights your cigar......?........while you eat the best part of the elk you killed, OR, do you hunt for 5 or 10 days and go home and back to reality and work, happy whether you killed an elk or not??
I'm confused....please tell me what is the best way to hunt elk.
Although I always appreciate the journey, one of the main reasons I enjoy hunting is for the meat. I don't enjoy any recipe that includes the tag! I will take the first day kill almost everytime.
".....if you kill a bull on a five day hunt, do you hang out in elk country for the next 20 days, drinking various tasty craft beers, cooled in a mountain stream, fetched when you need a new one by an amazing, always happy chick that also lights your cigar......?........while you eat the best part of the elk you killed.."
Oooooh. That sounds very good. I like your thinking. Could I have had the amazing, always happy chick massage my right heel? And are there good trout in the stream?
Wait a minute. That's a horrible idea. I would never be able to face the end of that season and return to work. You gotta throw in some lottery winnings and year 'round governor's tags or something.
I am fortunately able to do all my recreational hunting out my door. Deer, rabbits, coyotes, quail, woodcock, ducks, doves, squirrels, turkeys, bobcats and great fishing. When I leave the state to hunt, I am hunting for the result. At this point, after a lifetime of travel, I really do not care for it at all. Too much fun at home with family and friends.
I prefer rabbit, turkey, squirrel and deer to elk meat by a large margin. Have killed many elk and only looking for a great one now. Have not killed one in my last few hunts. I prefer a kill of the bull I am looking for to an expensive walk in the woods. But, I am not returning to the city when it is over. If so, I might look at it differently.
I've done both when I only had a short time to hunt. Early in my elk hunting career I just wanted to tag an elk, then a bull, then a decent bull, then a bunch of bulls, then a big one, then a REALLY big one. Been there, done all.
This year I had the whole season - solo - in a unit where I could only kill one either sex elk. I passed on a couple slam-dunks halfway through because I wanted to hunt with purpose in a couple other areas the last two weeks. Then things happened (injuries from a mountain bike wreck, other hunters, etc..) and the second two weeks didn't turn out as planned.
Had close calls with a couple big bulls, met some great new friends I wouldn't have otherwise, learned a lot, helped a wonderful trad couple each kill a cow moose, sniffed the roses. I'm not sorry I made the choices I did because I got to hunt elk for 26 of 30 days, but do wish I had elk in the freezer.
I think the real answer to Steve's question is based upon the person's breadth of elk experience and the overall goal of the hunt. There is no right or wrong answer.
5 day hunt with a good bull tagged. My family and I like elk meat!
Only been elk hunting once. Two weeks in the beautiful mountains of CO. Nobody in my party connected. When I am fortunate enough to go again, ill take the kill on the first day.
I myself may take the Elk on the first day and spend the night and head home. Lots of things to do in my life. I am hunting to kill something, if the other things come along with it, thats fine but I get tired of hearing about how the hunt is all about the experience(it is but only to a point)I hunt to kill animals, if not I would just carry a camera. Shawn
deerman, understood. We all hunt for our own reasons.
Just curious - how many archery elk have you killed?
Rereading the OPS question, it sounds like it should be taken as "You go out and shoot a good bull elk the first day or don't take your bow (because your not getting an elk anyways, remember your going home empty handed) and hike in the woods for 10 days; which would you prefer.
Well my answer still is unchanged. I can hike in the woods any day of the year. I can only hunt elk during the elk season and I am all for getting that meat in the freezer.
I prefer elk hunting which leads to elk killing over elk hunting which does not result in elk killing.
I prefer the charge of hiking and camping in the mountains during an elk hunt which does not result in elk killing over hiking and camping to scout.
I prefer hiking and camping to scout over just hiking and camping.
I like hiking and camping a lot.
I have lots of things to do in my life. They take up an inordinate amount of my time the rest of the year. No way that I'm bailing out early on the time that I've carved out for myself. No way that I'm bailing out early on my friends instead of helping call and pack. Not unless there's some sort of true disaster.
Like you ran out of craft beers, or the hot chick left?
Let's not mention the apocalyptic Jason.
5 days and kill the elk. Everytime, all the time.
I live in the east and don't have the ability to make multiple trips. I don't view my hunt as a vacation either, though I have some friends that do view their hunting time as vacation time.
This is the main reason why I'm considering getting my own place to stay on our hunt next year. I'm thinking there is going to be too much goofing around going on which isn't the time or place for that.
I think Jaquomo's reply above gets the prize:
"I think the real answer to Steve's question is based upon the person's breadth of elk experience and the overall goal of the hunt. There is no right or wrong answer."
Well, I just got back from a 10 day pronghorn hunt and didn't take an animal. While it was a great trip and had plenty of exciting moments walking away without what I went to get didn't sit well.