Shooting cows with calfs

[Justin7mm]

I am hunting an area for archery where cows are legal.  I would rather not shoot a cow with a calf, but i was curious about what other people think.  Does anyone actually know how much calf mortality goes up if it loses its  mother in late summer early fall?

[Dbax129]

Tag

[buckfvr]

Depends on where you're talkin..........calf recruitment is poor at best here in n.e. wa, not many make it the first month.....me...dry cows only.........

[blacktailcody]

Pretty sure if its part of a herd they will take care of the calf/calves. But don't trust me talk to someone who knows.

[TommyH]

Depends on where you're talkin..........calf recruitment is poor at best here in n.e. wa, not many make it the first month.....me...dry cows only.........

 

[washelkhunter]

Calves are grazing and actively fending for themselves 1 month after birth and fully weaned by Oct. Elk are herd animals and the calf will rejoin with them. I wouldnt worry about it. However it does make you feel like a total @#$%&*-+ to be gutting momma out whilst baby is nuzzling her face.   

[furbearer365]

If you can keep from doing it I would.  I personally wouldn't enjoy cleaning up a cow while her little one looks back for mama.

[wildweeds]

Shooting any big game animal with younguns on their sides is similar to fishing with monofiliment net in the river,Same thing as pooping where you eat. Go for it on  a barren old hag that takes the feed off of producing animals.

[Coastal_native]

I'd try not too, but if you're hunting herds, it'd be pretty difficult to determine if a cow had a calf or not...in the heat of the moment.  From my perspective, if you're hunting cows, you're either killing a cow with a calf, a cow that is pregnant with a calf, or a cow that will have multiple calves throughout it's life.  It sucks to leave a calf stranded with no mommy, but no other predators take that into consideration...in fact most of them would just assume kill the calf as well. 

[Bullkllr]

Calves are grazing and actively fending for themselves 1 month after birth and fully weaned by Oct. Elk are herd animals and the calf will rejoin with them. I wouldnt worry about it. However it does make you feel like a total @#$%&*-+ to be gutting momma out whilst baby is nuzzling her face.   

What you're saying may be generally true, but I have seen calves nursing in Late November/December.
In September there are plenty of cow/calf pairs not attached to a herd yet. I think if you take the mama in that situation, survival chances for the calf are slim to none.

[Kain]

A lone cow with a young calf?... probably not.  Part of a herd?... probably.  From what I looked up the calves are weaned after a couple months and are grazing with the herd. 


Edit: I have seen some pretty young spotted calves early season but not often.

[TheHunt]

A buddy shot a calf many years ago.  I had the opportunity to eat one of the steaks.  It was fantastic... 

[Kain]

A buddy shot a calf many years ago.  I had the opportunity to eat one of the steaks.  It was fantastic...

Oh shooting the calf?     I hunt with my dad...we got two tags.   

[Coastal_native]

A buddy shot a calf many years ago.  I had the opportunity to eat one of the steaks.  It was fantastic...

So...if you're worried about leaving a calf stranded, shoot the calf and let momma go.  Problem solved.   

[coachcw]

the thing is no matter what your standards are 90% of the guys will shoot the first cow they see .

[Justin7mm]

Interesting replies.  I agree that as part of a herd the calf would do better than if on its own.  I have had cameras out for 6 weeks and haven't had any predator pictures as its kind of a rural area.  I guess I started the thread because nearly all of the cows in my pictures have calves.   I once shot a 4 pt. buck that had a spike with it and the spike would not leave the older buck.  The spike was actually trying to encourage the dead 4 pt. to get up with his antlers the entire time i was approaching. Finally, at about 50 feet i ran the spike off by hollering at it and i felt bad even at that.  I think it would be tough to deal with a cow/calf situation like that.   I'll be crossing my fingers for a bull to walk past first.

[buglebuster]

I'd smoke the first cow i see and not even think about it

[RoyBoy]

Shoot the CALF they're delicious.

I'd smoke the first cow i see and not even think about it

A buddy shot a calf many years ago.  I had the opportunity to eat one of the steaks.  It was fantastic...

So...if you're worried about leaving a calf stranded, shoot the calf and let momma go.  Problem solved.   

I'd smoke the first cow i see and not even think about it

  you gotta think about it a calf elk is the size of a Big deer and taste AMAZING! look at this for example

[deerslyr]

That made my morning RoyBoy 

[Justin7mm]

I like your rationale royboy. Nice pic

[MIKEXRAY]

I saw a herd two weeks ago on the east side and was surprised at how little the calves are and that they were still spotted up. I never see spotted animals in early Sept, surprised at how much they grow in a month.  I think I would look the situation over,  if the calf appears mostly full grown then shoot.  Smaller then not. Seems like watching for 5 minutes you would get a sense.

[Button Nubbs]

Its September, wait for the bull...

[D-Rock425]

Its September, wait for the bull...

what if you can't shoot bulls.

[Button Nubbs]

Its September, wait for the bull...

what if you can't shoot bulls.

Then I would find an area where you can.

[turkeyfeather]

It really depends on whether or not there is a herd to protect the calf to me. If there is I'm shooting.

[wildmanoutdoors]

While myself and my hunting partner trek out alone, we are always in contact and have a pact that if one shoots a Cow with a calf and the calf is hanging around we will take both and split the meat.

But if Im alone and see a Cow in range Im shooting it no matter.

[DOUBLELUNG]

Elk calf survival is fairly high for calves orphaned in September or later.  Same for whitetails and mule deer, though orphans do have lower survival (normal winter mule deer fawn mortality is around 50%).  Killing a cow moose with a calf or calves is a death sentence for those moose calves.

If you are really concerned about the fate of the juveniles, and have to shoot, you can kill the calf or fawn with a clear conscience.  I deliberately killed a calf elk years ago (standing next to its mom), it yielded 76 pounds of the most amazing, tender delicious meat ever.  I'd do it again in a heartbeat.  When I lived in Wyoming and doe/fawn tags were plentiful and cheap, I several times deliberately killed whitetail and antelope fawns in alfalfa fields that had already been orphaned.  Not as a kindness measure, but because they are so amazing to eat.  I have not done the same in Washington, only because tags are so much scarcer; however, I'd still whack the calf where antlerless is legal.

[6x6in6]

My former hunting partner subscribes to the "if you're concerned about it, shoot the calf, they taste better anyways" theory.
Just one of many reasons he's a former....
If they ain't got legal bones sticking out of their head, they live.  But that's just me. 

[JLS]

Elk calf survival is fairly high for calves orphaned in September or later.  Same for whitetails and mule deer, though orphans do have lower survival (normal winter mule deer fawn mortality is around 50%).  Killing a cow moose with a calf or calves is a death sentence for those moose calves.

If you are really concerned about the fate of the juveniles, and have to shoot, you can kill the calf or fawn with a clear conscience.  I deliberately killed a calf elk years ago (standing next to its mom), it yielded 76 pounds of the most amazing, tender delicious meat ever.  I'd do it again in a heartbeat.  When I lived in Wyoming and doe/fawn tags were plentiful and cheap, I several times deliberately killed whitetail and antelope fawns in alfalfa fields that had already been orphaned.  Not as a kindness measure, but because they are so amazing to eat.  I have not done the same in Washington, only because tags are so much scarcer; however, I'd still whack the calf where antlerless is legal.

I agree.  Calves are great eating.  Orphaned calves will very likely survive.  If it was that big of a concern, I imagine you'd find a state where it's illegal to shoot a doe/cow with a fawn/calf.  I'm not aware of any.

[MLBowhunting]

To me I wouldn't do it.  Just wait it out and hunt hard.   

[DOUBLELUNG]

Elk calf survival is fairly high for calves orphaned in September or later.  Same for whitetails and mule deer, though orphans do have lower survival (normal winter mule deer fawn mortality is around 50%).  Killing a cow moose with a calf or calves is a death sentence for those moose calves.

If you are really concerned about the fate of the juveniles, and have to shoot, you can kill the calf or fawn with a clear conscience.  I deliberately killed a calf elk years ago (standing next to its mom), it yielded 76 pounds of the most amazing, tender delicious meat ever.  I'd do it again in a heartbeat.  When I lived in Wyoming and doe/fawn tags were plentiful and cheap, I several times deliberately killed whitetail and antelope fawns in alfalfa fields that had already been orphaned.  Not as a kindness measure, but because they are so amazing to eat.  I have not done the same in Washington, only because tags are so much scarcer; however, I'd still whack the calf where antlerless is legal.

I agree.  Calves are great eating.  Orphaned calves will very likely survive.  If it was that big of a concern, I imagine you'd find a state where it's illegal to shoot a doe/cow with a fawn/calf.  I'm not aware of any.

In Wyoming it is illegal to knowingly shoot cow moose with calf.  All other species it is legal.

[bowguy]

Like wildmanoutdoors, my hunting partners and I are the same by staying in touch. Shoot the cow and get ahold of the other to try and get the calf. When the season is all said and done its tags filled and elk meat in the freezer.

[JLS]

Elk calf survival is fairly high for calves orphaned in September or later.  Same for whitetails and mule deer, though orphans do have lower survival (normal winter mule deer fawn mortality is around 50%).  Killing a cow moose with a calf or calves is a death sentence for those moose calves.

If you are really concerned about the fate of the juveniles, and have to shoot, you can kill the calf or fawn with a clear conscience.  I deliberately killed a calf elk years ago (standing next to its mom), it yielded 76 pounds of the most amazing, tender delicious meat ever.  I'd do it again in a heartbeat.  When I lived in Wyoming and doe/fawn tags were plentiful and cheap, I several times deliberately killed whitetail and antelope fawns in alfalfa fields that had already been orphaned.  Not as a kindness measure, but because they are so amazing to eat.  I have not done the same in Washington, only because tags are so much scarcer; however, I'd still whack the calf where antlerless is legal.

I agree.  Calves are great eating.  Orphaned calves will very likely survive.  If it was that big of a concern, I imagine you'd find a state where it's illegal to shoot a doe/cow with a fawn/calf.  I'm not aware of any.

In Wyoming it is illegal to knowingly shoot cow moose with calf.  All other species it is legal.

Given the solitary nature of moose, that's not surprising.