Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Meat Hunter or Trophy Hunter?

I drew a Wyoming bull tag for this fall and I will be hard pressed to pass up a legal bull. I have an 8x8 on the wall and I don't ever expect to top that.

That being said, elk meat is GOOD!

donsm70

I hunt for the whole ball of wax, I hunt for trophies usually, but oddly enough, they've got a lot of meat attached to those antlers.

The "cows, dinks, and calves taste better" comments always makes me laugh.

I've kept my freezers full of elk meat since 1971, and I have shoulder mounts of my two best 6 point bulls, so...what Pat said.

I am a meat hunter, love the Elk hunting. This last year we hunted 12 days and the experience was unbelievable. Shot my 4x5 bull on day 6, helped two friends with theirs on days 8 and 10. Could have shot a couple of spikes early and if I would have held out might have been able to get a small 6x.

First elk I ever killed was a big 6 pt ( '71 or '72) since then cows, raghorns, a few 5 pts and one spike-- all were good eating and hunts but as age (65 now) and backpacking the quarters gets tougher each year I sure wish I bump into just one more 6 before I'm done and if the pack kills me - what a glorious way to die!!!
Every elk is a trophy

It won't kill you. You just take more pack out trips.

I guess if I were much of a trophy hunter, I wouldn't have spent so much time hunting rabbits and squirrels and coons and such. I just love to hunt and it don't matter much what. I have shot some big bucks over the course of my life but never had one mounted. I know damn well what a deer looks like and don't need one hanging in my house to remind me.

Yes!

KC

I agree.

I get an either sex tag here in Colorado. I usually shoot the 1st legal animal I see. I'd rather shoot a cow. Horns are nice but they do get in the way of field dressing the elk. And they are another trip out. With all that said, I shot a nice 6x6 this year on the last afternoon. He was all alone. Bob

Both. I love the meat

My 5x5, 600 + pound raghorn ate good - my pal, Ed's 1,200 lb cowzilla ate LONGER and just as good - maybe better. We both shoot whatever shows up first. At our age we don't need any more horns in the garage.

All the above. Between guiding, my 81 year dad and his cronies, my 13 year old son and usually another kid or two, I get in on plenty of both meat and trophy hunting.

If I'm carrying a bow, I'm usually looking for largish bull. With a rifle, I'm generally happy with a little bull, or better yet, a yearling cow. Of course, if I run across a big one.............


Casey

1st elk I see......anymore. Hunted for big bulls for too many years and went home empty as a result of being greedy.

If I have a bull tag, I'll watch for the big boys till the end. If it's either sex, it depends on what kind of bulls I've seen.
If it's a cow tag, I look for a nice young yearling, cause that's the best eating of all.

Trophy hunter. I have no problem eating tags. It usually takes 3-4 years for me to draw a tag, I'm not punching it on a small bull.
Cows and cow tags are for eating. We get enough guys donating meat so that helps too.

I'm a meat hunter simply because I don't have the skill to be a trophy hunter. If I see a huge rack and have a shot and tag I would take it. I also don't have the money or free time to invest in extensive scouting and weeks spent in the field. I get a couple of weekends and I have to shoot what I'm able to find.

You can't eat the antlers and tag soup doesn't taste good either........

I couldn't have said it better.

Here on the ranch, there are a lot of choices. That being said, I always use land owner tags, and try to take a fat cow.

Personally, I prefer the taste to that of bulls.

Some say you can't tell the difference in flavor, I beg to differ!

Respects,

Richard