Hunting Washington Forum

Big Game Hunting => Elk Hunting => Topic started by: Boogieman509 on September 07, 2014, 11:24:42 PM

Title: Dilema
Post by: Boogieman509 on September 07, 2014, 11:24:42 PM: Not sure what to do here. I live in GMU 124 and have a nice deer honey hole. I hunt it with my uncle who prefers Modern firearm. For elk I archery hunt in the 368 unit with a group of lifelong friends. Well as of two weeks ago I am having elk show up on a regular basis. They are all cows and I have yet to see a bull. It is a any elk unit. I have the elk patterned and am confident I could bag a cow. Will the bulls eventually show up? I would prefer a Bull since I can get a cow in the 368 which is cow only but these ladies are walking 15 feet from my deer blind.. Any advice??? :dunno:
Title: Re: Dilema
Post by: Lucky1 on September 07, 2014, 11:28:39 PM: Kill one of the cows?
Nice problem to have.
Title: Re: Dilema
Post by: h2ofowlr on September 07, 2014, 11:30:46 PM: They should be coming into heat, so the bulls may be close behind them. Later this week may be a good option, unless you have a mult-season permit and that unit is good for muzzy as well.

If you want some good eating meat, I would take a cow. :tup:
Title: Re: Dilema
Post by: RadSav on September 07, 2014, 11:51:42 PM: You should be in pre rut over there right now. I doubt the bulls are very far away. Might try a bugle or two. Maybe even an estrus call and see what you get. I expect come muzzy season all mature cows will be trying there best to keep the sex crazed bulls away with little success ;)

Those do look like adolescent cows so they might be staying on the fringe of a harem. Could be what they are looking at. We get those little adolescent groups around here too. They tend to stay clear of the rutting bulls, but are never too far away from the mature breeder cows.

Good luck no matter where you head to. Should be a good time either way.
Title: Re: Dilema
Post by: Boogieman509 on September 08, 2014, 12:48:55 AM: Thanks for the help. Kind of a newbie trying to learn as much as possible.
Title: Re: Dilema
Post by: MLBowhunting on September 08, 2014, 10:37:06 AM: A bull will be there any day now. :tup:
Title: Re: Dilema
Post by: jackelope on September 08, 2014, 12:51:55 PM: Quote from: MLBowhunting on September 08, 2014, 10:37:06 AM
A bull will be there any day now. :tup:

:yeah:

Wait for it.....
Title: Re: Dilema
Post by: pd on September 08, 2014, 01:05:51 PM: Funny that you ask this question. I was just talking with my father the other day about this type of issue (he is a lifelong elk hunter in Idaho). His answer is always the same: Take a fat cow over a bull any day, because "cows taste better than rutty bulls."

I realize the cows in your picture are adolescents, not mature cows. I guess it depends on your perspective, if you are a horn hunter or a meat hunter. But there is nothing wrong with passing on a big bull to take a big cow.
Title: Re: Dilema
Post by: Eli346 on September 08, 2014, 03:46:43 PM: That's wild veal on the hoof right there!
Title: Re: Dilema
Post by: KFhunter on September 08, 2014, 03:55:32 PM: A bull could gather them up and push them out of that area and then you wouldn't see them for a while.

If nothing else he/they will mess up their pattern.