Elk Hunt Focus/Resolve?

[WapitiTalk1]

Date: Late September
Time: Mid-Morning
State: An elk state
Season: Stick n String
Tags in pocket: Elk (any bull); Deer (MD buck only).
Solo Hunt
Hunting Pressure: Minimal

Many of us head into our annual elk hunt time period with two or more active big game tags in our pockets. While you're on your elk hunt, do you/would you take a deer, bear, cougar if you have a tag if the opportunity surfaces? Let's say for the purpose of this super scientific discussion, you "are" into elk this fine September morning and are moving in on at least two vocal bulls (with the wind in your favor at the moment). As you stall for a moment to listen to the elk choir perhaps a few hundred yards ahead of you, this fine fellow pictured below appears and stops well within your bow range. Do you/would you take this guy home for dinner or is your focus solely on the elk hunt at hand? FYI, you do have a deer hunt blocked off on your calendar for the third week of November. Just throwing this out to see what your thought process is during an elk hunt, with additional legal tags in your pocket, if given an opportunity at a non elk species.

[ghosthunter]

SHOOT

[Reidus]

uphill or downhill from vehicle?

[Jonathan_S]

Washington very likely, Idaho probably/maybe

I really like filling tags early in the year because that means more tags!  In Idaho I could buy another tag.  In Washington, I could buy another Idaho tag 

[Jonathan_S]

Tasty young mule deer buck isn't going to ruin an elk hunt.  If the elk are vocal and in a minimal pressure area, why not?

[blackveltbowhunter]

  if he has eyegaurds he dies for sure .

[X-Force]

Ive had this scenario play out in the Naneum with 2 legal bucks (heavy 22" wide 3 pt. and a smaller frame 4 pt.) walking by at 13 yards. I figured I was elk hunting, they walked, I tagged a cow with my permit, I ate my deer tag that year.

Looking back I don't know what I would do, I'm probably 50/50 just depends on the day.

[Dhoey07]

Camp meat is camp meat.  Break the ice, get him hanging and good things will happen 

[WSU]

Unless I'm far enough from the rig that it would be a serious ordeal to get him packed out, I'd shoot without a second thought. 

[jstone]

Shoot

[Karl Blanchard]

In Washington he'd eat an arrow.  If I was anywhere else in the West he'd get a pass.  Heck he'd get a pass if I was deer hunting only 

[yakimanoob]

I can't REALLY answer because I've never archery hunted nor carried an active elk and deer tag at the same time. 

I think it would highly depend on whether taking the deer meant giving up the chance at an elk.  E.g., if I was deep in on a backcountry on the last day of my elk hunt, taking this deer would mean I for sure don't get an elk, and I might pass. 

But as others have said, if I'm uphill from the truck or otherwise thought I had a decent chance to get back into the elk afterward, I'd take the shot without hesitating.   

[northwesthunter84]

Arrows already flying, broke down, packed out and ready to chase elk the next morning.  Wouldn't think twice about that opportunity.

[Rainier10]

In your scenario I am elk hunting with two vocal bulls out in front of me.  If I'm in Washington that means a special permit and that means I am focused on filling that.  The deer gets a pass.  I can hunt those any other year and like in your scenario I can hunt them for three weeks in November.  I would smoke that deer in a heartbeat come November BTW.

[bobcat]

There's no way I'd pass on a buck like that if it's in bow range. Shoot the buck, then continue on after the bugling bulls to see how that works out. Go back for the deer either after you shoot a bull, or miss out on the opportunity.