every elk is a trophy

[Rooster52]

Talking with a hunting buddy and told him I was going west to hunt cow elk and he said I was crazy to drive over 1300 miles to hunt a cow. He cannot understand that a animal does not have to have a big set of antlers to be a trophy to me.
what do you think of hunting antlerless animals ?

 

[shoots-straight]

Talking with a hunting buddy and told him I was going west to hunt cow elk and he said I was crazy to drive over 1300 miles to hunt a cow. He cannot understand that a animal does not have to have a big set of antlers to be a trophy to me.
what do you think of hunting antlerless animals ?

Nothing wrong with it. Better chance at success. Great meat. What hunting is really about anyway. Find new friends.

 

[Rooster52]

Also ,the tags are less money and helps with the overall cost of the trip.

 

[Bugle 'Em In]

I think we all have friends that subscribe to the horn porn aspect of the industry. To each their own. Me personally, each and every hunt is a journey and if you're soley focused only on the end result of a HUGE bull, a person will be oblivious to the "little things".

Go on your cow hunt, enjoy the experience, and post the story / photos when you get back!

 

[LCH]

I had a coworker say the same last year about driving all the way to Wyoming just for an antelope. He's never even been west, he's a shoot 'em in a pen kind of guy.

I hunt for the experience and the adventure. Horns are always cool but not required for a great experience.

 

[EODRay]

Big horns or bust I always say. JK What I really say is "if it's brown, it's down". It's all about the experience.

 

[worm]

Rooster52,
After you return from your successful cow hunt invite your buddy over when your are grilling back strap steaks. When it's time to eat hand him a horn. Good luck on your hunt.

 

[1_pointer]

I have no problem traveling a long ways to hunt a cow elk and I'll be doing just that later this year! Better than not hunting elk at all. Most the folks I know that make those same horn or bust comments never hunt anywhere but where they always have.

Also ,the tags are less money and helps with the overall cost of the trip.

While true, in the overall costs of a trip it's not really a make or break amount IMO.

 

[sbhooper]

I have killed some bulls, bucks, etc., etc. Now, I could not care less about antlers. With me it is all about the full freezer. The does/cows are usually better eating than the bucks/bulls and it takes fewer trips to pack them out. There are generally more of them, which makes a hunt simpler to a degree. Perhaps the biggest thing about hunting antlerless is that the permit is substantially less than an antler permit. You can pay a big chunk of the trip just on the cost difference of the permit. Hunting doe antelope in Wyoming is a great deal when you can get several permits for what one buck permit costs.

If someone is all hung up on big antlers, that is their choice, but I like looking a pic of a successful hunt of a cow elk as much as I do one with a big set of antlers.

I have to admit, though, I do have one more buck antelope hunt planned to burn up my preference points!

 

[ScottP]

Rooster52,
After you return from your successful cow hunt invite your buddy over when your are grilling back strap steaks. When it's time to eat hand him a horn. Good luck on your hunt.

HA!

For me its totally about the hunting experience. For the average hunter, shooting any elk is a considerable accomplishment. I shot my first two elk this year (both cows), and couldn't have been happier. Sure, I'd love to shoot a big ol bull but my success in the hunt isn't defined by that (at least at this point).

I had several unsuccessful hunts driving out from the midwest, not understanding the magnitude of the preparation and time it takes to hunt elk. Getting out there and learning is the biggest thing, so the more you can afford to do it, the better. And yes, you can't argue with a freezer full of young cow steaks!

 

[deer_shooter]

I'll be driving the 1500 miles to hunt cows this fall too. It's all about the time in the field for me. And a good steak makes a fine trophy.

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

I think it is all personal preference, if horn is was motivates you, get after it. I hunt for the experience, commraderie, and putting food on my family and friends tables. I would be a liar if I said I didn't love the challenge of outsmarting a mature animal though, but it is secondary.

Last I checked alot of people drive 1500+ miles to see Yellowstone or the Grand Canyon. What's the difference, other than when you are hunting you actually get to interact with the awesomeness of nature? I have always been more of a doer than a spectator.

 

[Rooster52]

Thanks for the replys.

Just living the dream !!

 

[buckykm1]

Agree

Talking with a hunting buddy and told him I was going west to hunt cow elk and he said I was crazy to drive over 1300 miles to hunt a cow. He cannot understand that a animal does not have to have a big set of antlers to be a trophy to me.
what do you think of hunting antlerless animals ?

I agree with you totally, if we don't draw a Bull tag, We apply for Cow tags. I just love being out west Elk hunting, getting one is just a bonus.

Kevin

 

[HighDesertSage]

A trophy is in the eye of the beholder. I have a forked horn whitetail mounted on my wall. It's a small buck, but it was my first buck and I got it when I was 14 with a bow.

 

[BlakeA]

It's about the adventure and getting out in beautiful country that most of us only get to spend a certain amount of days in each year. I feel sorry for people who don't enjoy the journey and strictly look at score of an animal. They are missing out

 

[sluggo6850]

I agree that horns don't make the hunt, but with all of the shows on tv now days, about all they talk about is how big of an animal they want to harvest. That is the driving force for a lot of people, not just the joy of getting out in nature and experiencing it first hand. Good luck this fall!!

 

[sbhooper]

I agree that horns don't make the hunt, but with all of the shows on tv now days, about all they talk about is how big of an animal they want to harvest. That is the driving force for a lot of people, not just the joy of getting out in nature and experiencing it first hand. Good luck this fall!!

Good point. TV has made it look like if you are not after something wearing big head gear, then you somehow don't matter. You rarely see a hunt for cow elk on TV. There are quite a few doe white-tailed deer shot as incidentals. I don't think this attitude really helps the perception of hunting all that much.

Meat Eater is the show that to me shows it how it should be. Kill it and eat it and quit making such a big deal about how big the antlers are.

 

[Ben Long]

Nothing wrong with antlers, but I think they are over-emphasized today. I put in for cow tags every year because elk meat is tops. That's just the way I was raised. Hunting is foremost about putting meat on the table, antlers are a bonus.

 

[idnative1948]

To me it is just the experience of hunting a magnificent, smart, animal.