Success at Last

COEngineer said:
Welcome to the club! I came here to post my story and clicked your post first. I feel the same way every time I get an elk. The emotions run deep and people that don't hunt, or maybe even those who have easier success hunting, will never appreciate what that elk means to us.

Why not shoot the cow?? Or bull tag only?

Doing your own processing is absolutely the way to go. My dad is a butcher, so nothing against them, but if you have the time, doing it yourself will give you another level of satisfaction and appreciation of the bounty in your freezer.
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Thanks a lot, I saw the pics of your, but to be fair I haven't read it yet but Congratulations to you as well! I was going to try the cow after they all spooked but I never got a shot and was hoping my buddy who was positioned closer to the bull would get a shot at him. I had nothing against filling my tag with a cow, it just didn't work out. Yes, I finally got him in the freezer today and have meat marinating to put in the dehydrator tomorrow so I am excited.
 
wllm1313 said:
Nice! You really can't beat beetles. Personally I don't think any mount looks classier than a well done euro.

100% agree with COEnginner, butchering your own meat really adds to the experience... even if all you are comfortable with is cutting steaks and having someone else grind. As much as you can do by yourself the better.

Careful with that pocket full of tags, my 2nd year in MT I filled 2 elk tags, 2 deer, 2 pronghorn, and a bear... had to buy a freezer and my wife wasn't exactly pleased with our apartment kitchen being a butcher shop for 4 months.
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Yes, the guy I take them to is top notch he gets busier every year because of his quality of work. This year I got a grinder and dehydrator as well so the only thing I will be paying to get done is summer sausage or snack sticks. I already have a freezer and no longer have a wife so I think I'm good to go in those two areas, haha.
 
kansasdad said:
Good work with the following shot to seal the deal. Some might have frozen and really buggered it up.

....and just a thought....your success this year was built on the tag soup of previous years. Had you not gone through that then, this year might not be as sweet, or even possible due to the learning curve that is archery elk.
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Thanks. Yes, I knew instantly that I had to get another arrow in him. Not sure if its from hunting waterfowl so much and knowing when a follow up shot is needed to keep them from getting away, but it seemed like second nature and I was already back on target for the second shot.
I think you're right about how good this tag feels. I almost got lucky last year with a very big bull in a chance encounter and while it would have been nice to have him on my wall, I almost think this little fella means more to me.
 
Well done, sir. I hope to someday get my family out there to Montana as well. My wife is slowly warming up to the idea.
 
Congrats on your first bull! That high you're feeling will last for a while, which is great. It makes my whole year. Sounds like a cool experience with the cows walking right to you - that's exactly why I hunt with a bow. Looks like plenty of deadfall around to make for a fun pack out. It is definitely satisfying to process your own animal, so well done on that too.
 
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