Would you kill her?

[BowBender87]

I'd shoot em both.  Got lots of tags to fill!!

[stickbuck]

Shoot the cow. The calves are already weaned unless they were born extremely late. As stated above, they are herd animals and will not be affected the same as deer are.

[Jeremy Leaf]

I would pass.  I love hunting too much to ruin my season feeling guilty about the way I killed an elk.  It's the same as taking a sketchy shot for me.  I put a bad shot on a deer many years ago.  It was archery season and it was a shot I should not have taken.  I ended up having to hold it down and stab it in the heart to end it's suffering.  It ruined the hunt and I would feel the same way gutting a cow in front of it's calf.  Besides if you have a cow tag you will have opportunities to take another animal and your season will last longer. 

[PolarBear]

Not a chance.

[PA BEN]

I don't have a cow tag but I probably would.  Cows eat really well.  Not much meat on the calf.

I've arrowed two bull calfs over the years. Over 80lb's of boned out veal on each.

[grundy53]

Elk are herd animals so the calf would be OK. As for deer momma would be kicking the fawn to the curb come November anyways. so not a big deal especially if your a rifle hunter shooting one in late October....

[boneaddict]

Wouldn't shoot either one. 

[bowhuntersd]

I like how so many people on this say "they don't kill cow" or "never taken a cow and never will". Are you kidding me? I thought the point of hunting was to provide meat for your tribe? I guess now a days every thing is so protested and wuss-a-fide it only makes sense. Have fun eating trophy bone, I'm eating meat... Wack'm -n- Sack'm 

[seth30]

I like how so many people on this say "they don't kill cow" or "never taken a cow and never will". Are you kidding me? I thought the point of hunting was to provide meat for your tribe? I guess now a days every thing is so protested and wuss-a-fide it only makes sense. Have fun eating trophy bone, I'm eating meat... Wack'm -n- Sack'm 

Lots of horn hunters out there.

[Mike450r]

I whack the cow.  With the kids still in the house there are four of us hunting and fishing.  Haven't purchased meat from a store in many years and not about to have my family eating inferior meat due to a misguided sense of ethics.

[ghosthunter]

I would shoot.
I was in the Naches Meat shop dropping off a elk one time and the husband wife team made quite a bit of fun of hunters who brought in small elk. The owner would come through the door with a elk on a cart and say"Look momma they shot a baby and than she would say oh no it still has the nipple in it's mouth" Pretty funny for anyone standing around except the guy shooting it.

[Recurve-Elk]

I would most likely pass if the calf was this years.  However if there was a group of several cows with a few calfs I would take one of the cows I guess.   

[Recurve-Elk]

I'd shoot em both.  Got lots of tags to fill!!

Unless you drew some nice multi hunt raffle or something, don't shoot more animals than the amount of tags YOU have.  Shooting an animal for your buddy messes with the system and is likely considered poaching.

[Thefisherman83]

 

[cem3434]

Have passed on the same scenario in the past and will continue to.  Not a cow killer, calf or not.

So you wouldn't shoot a cow at all?

Your comment seems to suggests that you are against the harvesting of cows.  Its our job as good stewards of the outdoors and conservationist to keep the female population in check. Someone has to do it, but I guess that someone just isn't you.  I am not ignorant or oblivious to this fact, so cow or calf would fall if I could make a good, clean and ethical shot on either animal.

With that being said, we have 7 cow permits in our group for MF in Winston.  I am hoping we can find a couple mature cows that are calf-less, but the freezer is pretty empty.  Come hell or high water, we are going to restock the freezer in November with bulls, cows or calves!