What would you do?

[Waxxy]

Buy the tag, You can always decide whether you want to use it or not. Better odds than lotto tickets.

 

[Barn]

Meat is meat and a fella's got to eat. Get 'em both and if ya need help, let me know and I'll jump in the Ranger and come help. I'm retiring at the end of the month and am an elk virgin. I've never hunted them, but will spend 3 months in Colorado flinging arrows at one until I connect.

 

[Ninering62]

On a side note...I have tried Elk burger vs Bison burger vs Deer (venison) burger. My favorite is Bison burger, at least the last I ate. I have had some Bison burger that tasted like where the tail begins...Elk didn't impress me, Deer is OK if mixed in with Beef burger. Just my opinion and taste buds!
Never had Elk steak or Bison steak. I do like Deer steak an of course tenderloin!

I got to eat Bison Burgers about 30yrs ago when I went to Ok. to visit my brother that was stationed there. I had Elk as well for the first time. I loved the Bison burgers, I liked the Elk steaks better than deer. I liked Moose better than all of them. I like my deer meat regardless, it’s been a staple in our diet since we were able to eat solid food.

 

[Ninering62]

This is not a question. Yes, both, absolutely. Not sure what could be ho-hum about it. I understand it's more rewarding to strike out into the great unknown wilderness to hunt, but I'm not above tagging something from the back porch, if need be. I figure I've trekked the mountains enough miles that I've earned the adventure already. If I can back the truck up to it now, I'm okay with that.

Great post. I love heading out miles into the woods or swamp in my younger days, but we all enjoy shooting critters out the back door or off the porch, when the op presents itself. Fortunately, for most of my life, I’ve been able to do just that. I’ve even lived in a small house right on a river, in a beautiful cove & id cast my line from my back patio & pass the pole thru the side window next to the big bay window & watch TNN or OLN & fish from my couch in my living room. Now that’s redneck lovin life.

 

[Ninering62]

Meat is meat and a fella's got to eat. Get 'em both and if ya need help, let me know and I'll jump in the Ranger and come help. I'm retiring at the end of the month and am an elk virgin. I've never hunted them, but will spend 3 months in Colorado flinging arrows at one until I connect.

I love your outlook & mentality. Congrats on retiring & good luck on your first Elk hunt. I got to go on an Elk hunt while visiting Ok., but I couldn't carry a gun. I was still incredible to go with my youngest brother when he was stationed there. It was my first time seeing Elk & Bison in the wild as well as wild Tx Longhorn cows. Man, ya talk about some ornery critters right there, they ain't no joke with their attitude. I got to go on a cpl Rio Turkey hunts as well out there.

 

[Walkingeagle]

Nobody ever asks me what I would do. I’m honoured.
My entire adult life was spent providing wild game meat for my family, and I do mean almost everything. I had a mark that I had to reach to ensure there was enough for the year. We had very liberal bag limits for years, and still do for some species. Moose was priority one, and took my first at age 17. When moose went to draw elk became its replacement, then deer were added until that mark was reached.
Now the kids are grown up and on their own, wife decided life with me alone wasn’t so good, darn cancer in the guts makes eating meat tough at times, and the mark is no longer necessary. Point being I hear what you are saying. If some meat gathering is still important, and the tag cost is manageable, I would carry both. This provides you a few things. Firstly you can choose when to harvest by your own choosing vs a small window in time. Secondly, opens more opportunity to ensure a success. Thirdly, gives you a reason to get outta bed!
I call it a harvest cause as you stated, its not really a hunt. Basically no different than a rancher knocking down a beef for his family. Nothing wrong with that my friend
Just my thoughts.
Walk

 

[MTY]

I'm retiring at the end of the month and am an elk virgin. I've never hunted them, but will spend 3 months in Colorado flinging arrows at one until I connect.

This is important. If you are bugling elk remember three things. First, the elk has your position pretty well narrowed down. Second, not all elk sound like the recordings you may have listened to. Some sound so terrible you will swear another human is responding. Third, when a bull comes in, he will be focused right on the spot you last bugled from, so move immediately after bugling into a position where you can draw without being seen. And keep the wind from him to you when you move.

If you have a partner bugling for you, always separate so that the bull is unaware of your location while focused on the bugler.

 

[CatamountRob]

I can’t tell you what you should do but I know what I’d do. Someday I’d like to go on an elk hunt but for now it’s deer and a slim possibility of a moose draw.

 

[BuffaloSoldier]

I have never hunted bison, but there was a bison ranch south of town that sold to our market. It was excellent, when we could afford it!!

 

[Dave James]

I loved bison and beefalo, excellent burgers, but I have eaten all kinds of burgers around the far east, as close as I get to any of that now a days is my daughter's range feed longhorns

 

[bronko220002]

Definitely get the elk tag. If I had a choice between elk or deer meat I'd take elk every time

 

[MTY]

I applied for a controlled elk tag today. The hunt area includes my yard and has a longer season than the regular hunt in this area. The drawing is for antlerless only, but that is what I would prefer to eat. I am hoping with the price of fuel fewer people will apply.

If I do not get drawn, I still can buy a regular season tag.

 

[Lost Oki]

Get the tag(s). Elk is great, like it better than the Bison I shot with my Muzzleloader, but the bison is good. Deer, the only issue is have with deer (not the corn and soybean fed I used to shoot in Indiana) is getting the fat off the meat. Not an issue with Elk and Bison. Eat good and enjoy life.

 

[BigBoresmokepole]

Quarter and pack out get a army surplus pack and pack it out. Mollee 2 rack with the stuff sac bag attacted to the rack it works slick . You only need a Wyoming bow bone saw and a12 in. Filet knife that's it. I would take a elk over a deer any , if you have both tags for the same time frame hunt them both . Then the next day hunt over the gut pile and pop coyotes I have done that many times it's a blast all with the accura v 2 50 cal.using 250g.xtp sabot and 3 x 9 scope good luck and have fun

 

[MTY]

I prefer a Kelty freighter frame, a skinner and a filet, and no saw. My plan is to get up early each morning, have a cup of tea on the porch and watch the sun come up. If an elk wanders through the old hay field, and they do each year. I intend to plug one and go fetch it with the excavator.

The only flaw with the plan will be weather related. They usually do not move in until there is snow higher up

 

[BigBoresmokepole]

If I could use machinery I would use a bucket loader and leave gut pile. But packing out leave hide on and quarter the bone saw is for cutting off the legs at first joint above hoof (knee joint) and then the pelvic bone split. If caping the head it speeds up cutting neck. Cutting legs off saves alot of weight.

 

[MTY]

My old hunting partner was a meat cutter. He taught me how to take a critter apart using only knives. The legs will pop off right at the joint if you cut the tendon, bend the joint backwards until it pops, insert a filet or boning knife into the front of the joint, wiggle the tip around a bit, and then break it sideways. This leaves a nice clean end that will not cut a game bag and the tendon is still attached allowing the use of a meat hook for hanging.
I have used this method for taking apart deer to moose. The bigger the critter the more force necessary to pop the joint, but it works well.

I like to save one leg so that if I spot a friend's truck parked, I can make tracks around it while he is off hunting.

 

[Barn]

Can you post a video of how you do it? THANKX

 

[Ninering62]

My old hunting partner was a meat cutter. He taught me how to take a critter apart using only knives. The legs will pop off right at the joint if you cut the tendon, bend the joint backwards until it pops, insert a filet or boning knife into the front of the joint, wiggle the tip around a bit, and then break it sideways. This leaves a nice clean end that will not cut a game bag and the tendon is still attached allowing the use of a meat hook for hanging.
I have used this method for taking apart deer to moose. The bigger the critter the more force necessary to pop the joint, but it works well.

I like to save one leg so that if I spot a friend's truck parked, I can make tracks around it while he is off hunting.

I love the practical joking with the tracks. I’m a big joker/prankster myself.
as far as your break down method, it’s not the way I was taught as a youngin, but it it the way I eventually learned how to do it. I use to carry a lg blade knife & a saw, but for the last over 20yrs I only carry a Browning folding knife with a 4” skinning blade, a bone saw blade & a blade with a hook on one side & a short blade for goin through the sternum. I wish the knife blade was better quality steel, but it’s really great overall. But breaking the joints apart, hitting bone, dulls the blade right up. It only costed me 80-90.00 over 20yrs ago,so it’s to be expected. I carry a small sharpener as well. I can skin out & break down a critter in about 1/4 of the time & work from how I was taught as a kid.

 

[MTY]

Heck, I do not even have a smart phone, and no critter to work on so unless I sacrifice my dog, no video