Shoot or No Shot 2021 - Episode #2

[WapitiTalk1]

Location: The Spud State
Hunt Pressure Status: Nobody’s up in your basin, woot!
Hunt: Partner Archery Elk Hunt
Camp Type: Backcountry Spike Camp
Tag: Archery; 3 PT or better bull.

Hunting journal: 22 September, Idaho archery hunt, early afternoon. You have both an elk tag (any bull) and a general deer tag (any whitetail or any muley buck). This is the only time this year you'll hunt elk but will be back later in the year to hunt deer in boomstick season (a 5 day hunt).  You're on the fourth day of your ten day hunt in the Tato State, and, the hunting gods have blessed you with some early season, high country snow! The bulls have been very vocal and you've been into elk each morning for the past three days but no shot opportunities. As you sit on the game trail planning your evening hunt, you hear a bedded bull bugle on the far hillside, perhaps 300 yards away. The thermals are wrong to go directly at the bull (he's on the hillside) so you figure you'll head down the game trail a bit where you may have a place to use your optics to scan the bull's hillside and make a plan of attack. About the time you get ready to move, here comes this fine young fellow straight at you at around 30ish yards! From your position, thermals are flowing gently uphill into your snout. You have good cover to your back and are wearing your super cool snow camo pattern.

Shoot or no shot here?  Are you shooting, not shooting the MD, or, are you gonna continue with making a plan to go after the vocal bull? 

 

If you or your partner are shooting, save the picture to your desktop and open in MS Paint, then place a spot, X, or whatever on the critter (marking the point of impact/shot) before you save it back to a jpg or png and add the marked up pic with your post.

[Stein]

No shoot, I'm not going to send an arrow at a fairly small target with the buck looking right at me.  Given the chance for a better opportunity, I would shoot the deer.  If not, go after the bull.

[Rainier10]

Not shooting that deer and burning a day of elk hunting.  Plus I am not liking the risk versus reward of that shot.

[dvolmer]

Shoot!!!  Always shoot!!!  300 Win Mag seems to love most angles!!!

[Shawn Ryan]

No shoot at 30 yards, but if he keeps on that course, I'm shooting the frontal shot when he's under 20.  I say that now, but I know that a kill blows my 5-day hunt later and I might change my mind in the moment.

[SpurInSpokane]

No shot for me. Slink away, go after the bull, and drop a waypoint for October's hunt.

[KFhunter]

Gotta be a booner to blow an elk hunt for, I'm snapping a pic and making a move on the bull.

Couple years ago I passed on a massive boar, that was a mistake, but I tend to focus on one species at a time.

[pianoman9701]

Not at 30. Too small a target. At 20 or less, right at the darker patch in the middle of his throat.

[Bullkllr]

Given the scenario I'd pass on that buck.

Funny I had a similar situation a few years ago, only it was a BIG blacktail buck. I made the decision I'd rather shoot the buck, but could not get a shot. Eventually the buck and the doe he was with wandered off and I went after the elk. Ended up with a nice 5 point bull, but the buck was something special.

[big wood]

Don't shoot your elk hunting. The deer tag is good for the same time but only if you see a big buck. That buck is not worth missing a day of elk

[WapitiTalk1]

Nice, I’m glad you wild bohemians brought this back up. 

[Threewolves]

Yep, deer a smaller, agree with Shawn and P-man. Let him get into 20 an smoke him, gut him and then go after the elk. There only so many sunset left, don't dick around get after it. Coming home with one or two animals is way better than coming home with none, something might screw up the elk hunt. Don't have to worry about coming back for deer, besides it is way cooler using a bow, like my Uncle used to say "Anyone can do it with a rifle".