Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting The 300 Wby Mag for elk- is there anything better?

If you want to paint me as a douchebag, you might want to improve your credibility by getting your facts right so you don't look stupid.

First, I’ve been hunting Colorado elk for 34 years, not 27 and have never claimed 27 except possibly back in late 2008 and before the hunt in 2009 when it was true. This fall will make it 35.

Nor was the elk I shot and later lost on Snake River ranch close to a fence or the other ranches - unless you consider half a mile “close”. We followed the blood trail over one ridge, across a valley and over another much higher ridge before we lost it. At that point it was still 100 yards from the fence marking the property boundary. Half a mile as the crow flies, per Google Earth.

The other property, where the elk I shot was harvested by another hunter, yes, it went over a fence. That area of public land is only half a mile wide so the furthest an elk can get from a fence is 440 yards. As it stands I've put 3 elk in the freezer off that strip of land, including the one last year, and plan to return there this fall.




Unless you are in charge of the adjoining ranches – and to my knowledge you are not - how you would handle a call is completely irrelevant. Moreover, you clearly have no idea about the level of the antipathy the adjoining ranch owners feel towards Snake River.

You are the one missing the point. Even if I had contacted all three other ranches and gained access, which the Snake River people told us was unlikely based on past experience, we had no idea on which – if any – of the three adjoining ranches the wounded elk might be found or if it was still on Snake River land. We did attempt, unsuccessfully, to find the elk the next day, starting at the last point where we had found and marked blood. By the end of that second day my hip was so bad I was physically incapable of going up the mountain again, making any additional search impossible.

In any event and with no further blood trail to follow, the idea that we should have contacted all three ranches and randomly searched them is ludicrous on its face.



As far as I’m concerned there wasn’t anything “stupid” about it. I was dealing with a very painful physical handicap and knew that, in spite of the season length, I was only good for 2-3 days of walking, if that. We had been watching the elk for over 2 hours waiting for a clear shot. When it came it was at a mature and healthy looking cow at just under 400 yards, a range at which I am pretty comfortable and well short of the 600 yards that I practice at. Further, I was shooting from a comfortable and stable sitting position using a tripod.

In my judgment and that of my “young” 32-year-old son-in-law, the only other person there, it was an excellent setup with a high probability of success and the best we were going to get. Maybe that isn’t “discriminating” enough for you, but it was for us. You, on the other hand, were not there and your assessment of the situation reflects that. You are like a blind art critic passing judgment on a painting he can touch but not see - and one that is willfully blind at that.



There was Snake River, two ranches adjoining it on the west and one on the north, hardly an unusual situation. After following the blood trail over 700 yards as the crow flies, the last drop of blood we could find was still about 100 yards from the west fence. The cow could have gone to one of two different ranches, one immediately by getting over the fence, the other by going about 600 yards or it could have followed the fence line about 1000 yards downhill to the ranch on the north. It could also have stayed on Snake River but our search for it there the following day was unsuccessful.

There is always the possibility that a shot will go wrong and an animal may escape as a result. Considering the elk was half a mile from the fence when I took the shot, the primary risk was one of placement. I misjudged the wind, a mistake anyone can make.



Is the sky blue where you live? Do the men in white coats treat you nicely? I don’t think you are trying or even want to understand anything.

You can't hunt bulls with a Ranching For Wildlife license, which is what I had and why I was hunting a cow. Further, I’ve never “alternately claimed 27 and 33 years elk hunting experience”. If you think you can point to where I have, please waste your time trying. I’ve always stated I started in 1982 and have missed maybe one year since. My recent reference to 27 and 33 was in response to a post from bwalker who stated he had been hunting 27 years and hadn't lost an animal. My response was that at 27 I hadn't lost one either and that it took 33 years before I did.



What a bunch of bullschitt. To get to my hunting elk in 3 or 4 units you have to include multiple years, which tells me you need to take your anti-confusion pills. In 2014, the year I lost my elk on Snake River, I hunted elk on Snake River and in Unit 3 as my cow tags were only good in those areas, one tag for each area. That is 2 units, not the 3 or 4 you claim. In 2013 I hunted public land with both a cow and a bull tag and could hunt pretty much any public land I chose. My cow tag was only good in units 12, 23 and 24. As it turned out I hunted elk in units 12 and 211 that year.

Regarding 2014 You stated " It is clearly a ranch hunt. Somehow it is also a road hunt between 3 different game units. This part is never clearly explained." As already pointed out, I only hunted elk on Snake River and Unit 3 that year - not 3 units. On Snake River we were hunting 2 miles from the truck - hardly what I would call a "road hunt". It was " never clearly explained" because the scenario you describe exists only in your mind.

In 2014, the year in question, I did switch to unit 3 and did a lot of driving to explore the unit. Further, I spent a lot of time sitting in the truck on high points on public land, simply because walking was too painful - something I've never tried to hide and something that had absolutely nothing to do with losing the cow days earlier. I saw exactly as many elk as I expected while sitting on those points, which is to say 'none', but had a great time nevertheless. Perhaps you have never had to deal with serious physical handicaps and I hope you never do. I have and made the best of it - for which I offer no apologies.

Again, I don’t think you want to understand anything and you certainly have a weak grasp on the facts. Put the bottle down.



You said I lost my elk in 2015, just one more case where your confusion is rampant and your ‘facts’ are completely wrong. The picture of my 2015 bull shows otherwise. Yes, it is a small, public land, raghorn 6x5 bull. So? I’m a meat hunter and that bull filled my freezer nicely - even after I gave a considerable amount to my long time hunting buddy and Daughter #2. The meat has been great and I make no apology for taking it.

By the way, Dave, my hunting buddy of 17 years, took a 400-yard-ish shot at the bull first. This was on the last day we had to hunt and his last elk hunt period due to diabetes-related problems. We didn't know if he had hit it or not, but Dave is generally a very good marksman and I thought a miss unlikely. He decided he couldn't do it though so I shot the bull moments later at 411 lasered yards. It went 4 steps and down. When we dressed it out there was only one bullet hole, indicating a clean miss by Dave. His family received a good portion of the processed meat and they also agree it tastes great.

Your mental confusion, lack of reading comprehension and/or propensity to intentionally misrepresent the facts – or outright lie, a distinction without a difference – never ceases to amaze me. A good start for you would be to get out of your fantasy world and stop spewing your sanctimonious crap.