If you were presented with an opportunity where you could look over a herd of elk consisting of varying ages from calves, 1.5 year olds all the way to an old matriarch cow, which one would you choose to shoot and why?

Closest one!

Preferably up hill and near the truck.

Edit: And why? An old cow has a value to the herd, but if she is the closest, she sucks at her job. Every herd reduction elk I ever harvested (two so far) has been the closest one. Easy to haul out is a huge bonus!

I would shoot a medium size one, standing close by and broadside.
Much quicker to cut; easier to carry out; more tender than old wise ones.
BTW, this is exactly what I just did last weekend

Consistent with the other posts, it being above the road is the most important thing.

A 1.5 year old cow was the best one we ever shot--almost as fine a calf, but much more meat.

If they're moving so you can tell which is which, I'd avoid the one in front - the lead cow. She got her job by being the meanest, raunchiest old bitch in the herd. There's no guarantee on meat quality but odds are that there'll be better ones following her.

Last fall I picked out 1 cow in a herd of maybe 80. It was pretty much a guess but I lucked out and got a good one, very good eating. It helped that it was in the 30's and raining a bit. She was way up on a steep mountainside & I had to skin & dress her then leave her there until morning when I could bring up the llamas.

anyone who shoots an elk below the road is one of the following:
a. inexperienced
b. has a horse
c. is brain dead

Mr Chuck,

d. all of the above.*

Are a riot to watch!
Well worth the price of admission!

Good time to brake out a cereal bar of some jurky , especially when they get to a water crossing!

*Admitting the 'all of the above' tendencies, on occasion.

I like hunting below the road! Everybody else is smarter than me so they don't hunt there but they push the elk down there for me. I don't have any problem walking up hill!

What's a road in elk country.

I shoot the youngest. Even if it's a yearling.

We like medium sized cows... Even at that I have never had a bad cow elk.. one or two calves.. My wife liked them, but I thought they were too soft or mushy.. I would take a nice cow every time over a bull..
Often the choice of what cow is decided by which one moves into a clear shooting zone.. that is the one I pick..

I shoot the one that looks the chew-ist

Calf first; dry cow second.

it's not that hard to pick a dry one......

if you have time to 'look over the herd', they's a bit different color......

If it's not far from the truck, the biggest, healthiest-looking one that looks like she's got some fat on her. If it's a long haul and I'm alone, maybe a smaller one, maybe not. I like elk meat.

One that looks like an elk and has lots of meat on it's bones?

How hard is it?

The one that gives me the best shot. From calf to grandma.

I eat them all.

With the coming of the wolves, we're more and more finding them in subdivision backyards. You need to shoot them over the delphiniums.

It's funny to think what kind of chit goes thru ones head just before taking the shot. Last year I took my cow and there were about 20 others there to pick from. They were traveling single file away from the road and truck. I parralleled them for a while (unnoticed) so I could find a good shooting lane. Scrub oak was too thick when I first heard them and then moved in to where I could see them. They were moving single file about 80-90 yards away and I pulled the rifle up to pick the fattest juciest looking one. I didn't want to take the lead cow, watched about 8 head go by and told myself I needed to pick a good one before they were all gone ...Sometimes hesitation will get you an empty plate: Knowing that, I pulled the trigger on this one (which looked pretty tasty to me ..)...



The 9.3x62mm did an exceptional job on her...

My brother and I laid prone, 235 from a herd and waited for one to clear. They were up hill, the evening wind was in our favor and we had time on our side... They only needed to go about 5-10 yards to be clear, and had over an hour of light to do it in. There was a HUGE cow in the group, that looked like she was hitting the gym. Every time she would move, her muscles would ripple and flex. She was easily one of the largest cows I had ever seen. We opted not to shoot that one! This one stepped clear first and I think she was an excellent cow to take. She was mature, but not huge I would guess 500 ish pounds, but probably less. The meat was great and the downhill drag was cake

Awesome story, that's what it's all about....

Several years ago we found a group of 10 cows and calves. We took three cows and a calf out of the group. My cow was considerably larger than a spike a friend got the next day. Good eating too.

The last elk I paid to have processed (over 25 years ago) was one I took out of a group of about a dozen. The skinned quarters totaled 335lb on the butchers scale. She was a real horse.

If possible, an older and dry cow. If not, what is most available, but probably not a calf.
The lead cow should be preserved and calves are too mushy for me.
jmho
Tim

1) the one that presents the best shot
2) if possible I try to avoid the very old or very young

my guide last year said that he shot a lead cow once, and would never do so again.

age is a significant concern here. a mature herd bull might only be ~4-5 years old. the lead cow is often 10+ (or so I've heard/read, be cautious taking elk advice from a flatlander Texan (like me...))

like others, my favorite would have a foot in the road bed at the time..... never been quite that fortunate though... shortest packout I've been involved with was only about 250 vertical feet ABOVE the road, and only about 1/2 mile in horizontally. very nice.

Give a equal opportunity shot at any of them, I would shoot for the one with a nice bright and shinny coat. It shows that she is in excellent condition.

Shoot the one with an apple in its mouth.

It will be the tastiest.

A healthy looking adult, not the young or old.

I usually look for the full size cow that stands still the longest! For those of you that remember the late season Gardiner hunt (Yellowstone Park Elk) , one year I shot a huge (tall) cow out of a group of 6 all the same size. After about a two hours drag, I checked her in to the check station (mandatory) and the biologist couldn't age her because she was too old He said 15 plus years. She also had a calf in her! The guy that was with me wouldn't take his half so I ate all of her! She was very tender and tasted good! I agree, I have eaten calf elk and they were mushy and flavorless!! The 2 and 3 year old cows I have eaten were delicious! The bulls tasted like crap and were tough!!
I do know I would have to pass up a calf!
By the way I don't think there are any late hunts for Park elk anymore! I think the wolves may have something to do with that!!
Ken

I'd shoot the biggest one there cuz an antlerless tags are for meat.

Eaten cows from first fall off the tit yearling to a salt and pepper mane old hag. Ain't eaten a bad one yet, if aged properly, but I promise to keep trying and report back.

I'd shoot the big one. EVERY time.

This isn't the formal ball, looking for the most beautiful girl to dance with, this is shooting elk. Always shoot the first, closest with no elk behind that might take a bullet from a pass-through.

Nothing more, nothing less...

I had a feeling the responses would range from the simplistic view of they are just cows so what's there to think about to those that hold to beliefs about herd dynamics or meat quality by size or age. Thanks for all the responses.

I finally got my tags in the right order this year as I hunt cows before bulls so I'm looking forward to some tender cuts.

This.

But, given the choice, dance with the big one. It ends well. No matter what your buddies think.

Sorry, but I can't resist posting this clip from the movie "Get Smart". It's the funniest 'dance with the big one' I've ever seen.

Best choice without a doubt.
The info you shared previously on how to pick one was excellent.

Yes! These ones last the longest. More bang for the buck!

I think it depends greatly on the number of elk you have previously taken, distance you have traveled to hunt elk, the time you have to hunt and the number of legal animals you are seeing.

If I drove 1200 miles one way and am hunting a highly pressured area, the first legal cow that gives me a shot is going down. I just make sure I'm not standing in a spot too many miles from the truck when I see that cow.

I usually hunt public land, general season, so the first legal cow gets lead sent her way. I've never had enough time to think about it. Calves are tender and tasty and easy to get off the mountain, but I just don't think I could bring myself to shoot one if given the choice between it and a cow. See others do it all the time though...

Like a few have mentioned, first off there are no roads where I hunt elk, second I drive almost 1500 miles each way to shoot two of them. Third, I have to be home with the meat in the frezzer by sunday night, so I shoot the first legal bull and the first cow that allow me. Uphill, downhill, sidehill. It doesnt matter. we have frame packs and can call for horses.

Shoot the yearling cow that's in the clear.....

And yes, above the road would be nice.....otherwise I gotta go all the way home and get the horses........

Of course, sometimes there's the blowdown to contend with.



Casey

Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp. If you can pack it out you can shoot it.

A full sized yearling close to the truck.

closest to the road!

Can someone shed some light on this? What should a person be looking for in color?