870 yard cow elk shot

[BIGJOHNT]

My nephew didn't draw any tags in this years draw. He was hoping for a buck tag of his first year big game hunting. Well being really disappointed we put him in for the cow/doe draw. He was lucky and super excited to draw a doe mule deer tag and a cow elk tag. This being the last weekend for his Utah cow elk hunt. We spotted a herd for elk the night before. The next morning at first light. There they where rolling over into the canyon and heading south into the dark timber. We started hiking up into the canyon hoping to meet them at the timber. As it goes with elk we got with in 1036 yards of the last few elk as the headed into the timber. We moved up further to get across from them hoping to see into the timber where we thought they bedded. Well the sun was just coming up in our eyes and we couldn't see any of the elk.So we decided to sit tight and try to warm up for a few hours hopping they would come out for a little lunch. After about twelve we decided the elk won and started to hike out of the canyon. Just then the elk start coming out. They made it threw the canyon we where in and above us on the other side of the canyon. More and more started popping up across from us. So we ranged the closes broad side cow and 870 yards and set up my nephew on the gun. Most of you know I shoot a 300 Tejas rifle built by Brad Stair of Performance Guns. Shooting out to 800 yards is pretty much a give me. The gun can do it easy. We get my Nephew on a good rest. Have him take a few dry fire runs. Making sure he is not flinching and has a good follow threw and is keeping his eye on the cow threw the scope before and after the the shot. He fills good so now where are going hot ! So what would you do in this situation ? There has been so much talk on long range hunting as of late. After getting a few of your comments I will finish our story of a great elk hunt.

 

[DW]

Seems to b the popular topic. I hope the story ends with yer nephew makein a perfect I shot quick clean kill, whatever distance he ended up shooting from. Im not a fan of the long range hunting game so I hope he said it doesn't feel right and moved closer. The 1 variable that seems to b ignored repeatedly is the flight time of the projectile (bullet/arrow) and what that animal does in that 1-3seconds. It's the variable that can't b controlled. I won't hate yer nephew if he took the long shot, I'll just politely disagree with the action. Hopefully the thread stays constructive and productive, and we leave the "hate" comments to our idiot politicians. They seem to have the market cornered! Lookin forward to the grinnin nephew pic bigj!

 

[BIGJOHNT]

LAST EDITED ON Dec-08-14 AT 12:57PM (MST)[p]Dw thank you for your comment. I hope we as hunters or outdoors man can support each other. I do hate the bickering and fighting among-est our self's when we should be sticking together to strengthen the things we all love. The great outdoors and gods creatures that share them with us.

 

[DW]

>LAST EDITED ON Dec-08-14
>AT 12:57?PM (MST)
>
>Dw thank you for your comment.
>I hope we as hunters
>or outdoors man can support
>each other. I do hate
>the bickering and fighting among-est
>our self's when we should
>be sticking together to strengthen
>the things we all love.
>The great outdoors and gods
>creatures that share them
>with us.


+1

 

[HuntinFool]

The gun can do it no problem, but can your nephew? If he has the practice and is confident I say it's a dead elk. My uncle built a 7-300 win that my 12 year old cousin has been practicing with all year. He shot a doe antelope at 1007 yards and dropped her right in her tracks. The top half of her heart was gone.

 

[hossblur]

Personally, I would hunt cow elk for meat. I wouldn't shoot a cow elk that wasn't within 870 yrds of a road. My personal opinion is hunting cows is like killing milk cows, their is no trophy only food so why make it more work than you need. I actually want to edit. I wouldn't shoot a cow more than 870 yrds from a tractor, seems like that would be my ideal.


"The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun"

 

[elkassassin]

Was She Standing in the Road?

To even Mention an 870 Yard Here on MM will net you lots of Trouble!

I don't Really care if it was 1870 Yards if you've got the Equipment & the Ability to make a Clean Kill at that Range!

If I can Accidentally take a Rabbit at 600-700 Yards with a 22 I don't see a Problem here!







[font color="redhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMsueOnu0kY

 

[elkassassin]

Hey BIGJOHN!

If your Nephew didn't make the Shot He's gonna get RAZZED by his Cousin!

Cuzz I remember when She Pulled off a Long Range Shot on a Cow Herself Last Year!







[font color="redhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMsueOnu0kY

 

[Gator]

I'm betting it was a shot to be proud of, I hope he filled that empty spot in the freezer.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
>[Font][Font color = "green"]Life member of
>the MM green signature club.[font/]

 

[BIGJOHNT]

No Elkassaasin the cow wasn't standing on the road. We had a nice 6 x 6 standing 400 yards off the road earlier that morning. He was pretty to look at. We would have loved to find a cow closer to the road for a easy pack out. But with little snow the elk where scattered high and low. I brought up four sleds. But they dont do well on yellow grass. ;-)

 

[eelgrass]

It's the last weekend, maybe the last chance. If there's no way to get closer (which would be my first option, and it looks like she's not coming any closer), let him decide.

I hope he held right behind the shoulder and hit her in the head

Eel

It's written in the good Book that we'll never be asked to take more than we can. Sounds like a good plan, so bring it on!

 

[DW]

How bout it BigJ, we gonna see that grinnin nephew?

 

[elkassassin]

The Rest of the Story?





[font color="redhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMsueOnu0kY

 

[one_dryboot]

I think it all comes down to one thing. If he was wearing a flat brim hat then he shouldn't take the shot.

 

[Zeke]

>
>
>I think it all comes down
>to one thing.
>If he was wearing a
>flat brim hat then he
>shouldn't take the shot.
>

So true! ha

 

[BIGJOHNT]

Ok after his dry fire shots I asked him how he felt. Did he move the cross hairs at all, before and after pulling the trigger. We explained to him at that yardage he can't have any movement and has to have a good follow threw.
He said it did move a little. So we said one of three things can happen. It's your decision. Remember we are talking to a fourteen year old boy here. 1. You can be lucky and make a great shot and drop the cow. We hike over and pack her out. 2. You make a clean miss and that's fine. You didn't make the shot. 3. You wound the cow. She goes back deeper into the canyon. We have to track her and finish her and spend the next two days packing her out and you miss a day of school. Ok leaving out the missing the day of school thing may have been better on our part. He thought for a minute..... you can see he was working it over in his mind and said. Ok lets let her go ! We watched the herd for a little longer found a small spike with them . Counted all of the cows that kept coming out. It was a good time.
We couldn't really getting closer. We where on top of one side of the canyon . They where on the top of the other side.Down the the canyon and back up the other side was about 3/4 of mile. The way the hill rolled they would have smelled and seen us coming long before we got there. So the day didn't end with a kill. But we felt good that we got to see a lot of elk and a few bucks and does running around us all morning.

 

[DW]

I'd b a proud uncle BigJ!

 

[BIGJOHNT]

This is after we hiked out of the canyon. But you can still see the elk on top in the snow. We where straight north of them .

 

[DW]

And it sounds like he's got a good mentor!

 

[Zeke]

Tough call but the right one for him.
The elk probably would have been in the bag for you, BigJohnT, but possibly not for him.
Some guys would have just started blasting away without a second thought. We've all seen that behavior before.
Zeke

 

[Elkduds]

Very sound guidance you gave, a great investment in that boy's lifetime of good hunting. I respect posts in which people write "this is what I did," and leave out "this is what you all must do."

Also, nice pic.