Shot my first elk BUT

[demontang]

I finally got a shot at a cow I had been playing with the last few days. It was around 6:00pm last night I heard an elk moving around so I set up and waited. At around 7:30pm a cow finally walk in to a clear shooting line at about 5yd's and I let one fly and it connected Well being so late I just made sure there was a good blood trail and went back to camp and planed on returning in the morning(mistake) . I woke up this morning after being excited all night that I had gotten my first elk and headed up to where I had shot it. It took me about an hour to track it down (rained) but when I got there all I found was a gut pile someone had found it and taken it and on top of it I miss a shot at another today because of a stick I didn't see . When I got back to camp tonight my tent had leaked and all my stuff was wet. Talk about going from an all time high to an all time low Now I have to what tell late season to give it another try.

[ICEMAN]

   Someone stole the Elk? WTF is this world coming to?  Hopefully they just decided to tag it thinking someone else had surely lost it...and that was their only concern...

Bummer for sure.

[demontang]

I dont know why they did it but man I was pissed off when I found the gut pile

[boneaddict]

Honestly, you are lucky someone found it and tagged it and it didn't go to waste.  With these temps its Hollywood that you see ont he TV screen of the animal sitting overnight withthe guts in them.  Its my opinion the animal would have spoiled.  You have time and will get another shot at one.  Sorry it was your first.  And maybe they didn't just steal it, but thought  they were salvaging it.  Some people lose animals and never find them....They may have thought they were doing a good thing

[12Gauge]

Those people that found your elk must have been watching you and worked all night to get it out before morning.  That is really to bad there are people like that

[demontang]

It ran across a main trail so maybe someone found the blood trail on there way out There where 3 sets of tracks there too.

[bankwalker]

the first elk i ever shot was 2 years ago. i had lost the blood trail after hours and hours and hours of looking. i had told some guys about what happened and the general area. a couple days later i shot another elk in the same area and my dad found my first elk with my arrow still in it and the back half of the elk cut off. with about 100ft of rope laying next to it.

[demontang]

I wish that it didn't rain so much and get my stuff wet, I still had one day of early season left. It might be a sign that I should go down and try to get a bull late season

[robodad]

I guess I am with Bone on this one, you really needed to get some lights and help and get that thing found and packed out and cooled down ASAP in this weather, Leave all the weapons at camp and grab some good lights and get at it, not trying to bust your chops but you shouldn't have even taken the shot that close to dark knowing you would likely have a tracking job to do. If nothing else get out and find it and get the guts out and hang the quarters in a tree or something and leave the packing for daylight but leaving it over night with guts in and not even making the attempt to find it is irresponsible in my opinion.

I am actually kind of glad someone found it and made use of it cause you would have found it in the morning and then tossed it in the trash because it was spoiled.

I'm sorry you had to experience that for your first elk and maybe this is a bit of a lesson we can all learn from !!!

Sorry Dude !!

[Curly]

+1

[hard hunter]

I had a similar experience in Idaho.  My buddy and I came across 2 bulls at 25 yards. He shot the smaller 4 point that turned and walked back to the main trail.  I shot the larger 5X6 and it went up the hill. I ran back down the trail and cut up a draw.  I was able to anchor it with a second shot.  I then returned to help my buddy with his because it was on the main trail.  We packed his out in a couple of trips (we were almost 4 miles from the road on a foot trail). My buddy took my pack for the last trip while I finished boning out the last little bit of meat.  As he was returning he hear some noise up the draw from where my elk was and figured I had finished and was starting on mine.  WRONG, when he go up there he found two guys quartering my elk.  He asked them what they were doing and was told that they had shot this elk.  He informed then they were wrong as the only shots that had been fired were by us.  At that point both of them put there hands on their pistols and told my buddy that this was their elk. He came and got me and would not let me go up and confront them, I was ready to, and we went back to camp and then down to the nearest town to call fish and wildlife.  When they finally called back they told me to go back to the area tomarrow and get a licence plate and description of their vehicle and they, fish and wildlife, would see what they can do.  I went back to camp for the night feeling dejected and then back to the kill area at first light.  I found that they had worked all night to get that elk out in 19 degree temps.  I ended up leaving and coming home because of an emergency that same day. 

Funny thing was if I had known I was going to loose that first elk I could have shot a big 5X5 at 50 yards and would only have had a two mile pack.

My condolenses and I sincerely wish you luck on connecting with another.

[bucklucky]

I agree with Bone also, cant leave them elk over night they will bone sour. Trust me I learned the hard way in the snow , made an iffy shot and didnt want to push him, next mornign found him dead but had started to bone sour, managed to save some meat . That was in 30 degree cold weather too.

Get after it and get another one, at least that one didnt go to waste!

[demontang]

Man a lot of tough love one here. I was by myself and figured with the cold of night it would be fine, and with the rain I didnt want to try and track it at night and loose the trail . I think how ever found it was on it right after it was down because most of the tracks where pretty wet and there was nothing recent. Another lesson learned

[bucklucky]

Sorry man, wasnt trying to be negative just giving good info on leaving elk overnight Dont want people to think they can let elk lay over night and they will be ok in the morning.

[demontang]

Wasnt realy talk about you, And like I said figured it would be ok and now I know.