Would u take the shot ?

[jodog]

I drew a pretty good bull elk tag for 2012...One night I was headed back to the truck on my atv when I saw another atv parked in a wide spot on the trail glassing up the opposite side so I pulled in and asked him if he was on something ...I didn't want to ride by and blow out what ever he was glassing . Turns out he was just glassing the side of the mountain.

As I sat there talking we heard a noise behind us, he said it was coyotes. I kept listening and it was no coyote it was a cow elk mewing and snapping branches as she walked. We all got off our 4x4's and headed over to get a look. He had already killed a bull a few days earlier in the week and his buddy only had a cow tag. We glassed across a draw into the side of a steep wooded game trail and saw 6 to 8 elk coming down.

The last elk down was a big bull and Im the only one with a bull tag. Well it was dark 30 for sure but I could see him through my Swaro's. Pretty soon one of the guys moves around too much and the elk bust out....Well the 6 to 8 elk turned out to be a herd of at least 80 elk and they were stampeding out of that draw and across a big meadow...

They stopped about 350 yards out all 80 - 90 of them looking back at us. Every one was saying ...he's the 7th one from the end...Now, I was standing there with no rest to get steady with and it was REALLY dark. I could tell it was a bull but knew it was way past shooting light. I stood there looking through my Swarovskys then my scope I could make out a bull (kinda) and knew it was a good one and I hadn't been seeing much all week.

I stood there thinking do I take a shot??? or hunt him again tomorrow.... The next morning I was back there and never saw an elk. But I have a good story to tell my grandsons.

 

[chewyman55]

I think you did the right thing. To me, if you have to ask yourself if it's a shot you could make...then you shouldn't pull the trigger. It's better to have the story you have then to have a story about a monster WOUNDED bull. Those ones will haunt you.

 

[trophyhunter]

Jodog you did the right thing. I also would not take the shot. That dark you may have just crippled that big bull and that would have been a tremendous waste. You played by the rules...There are hunters trying to take game and then there are Sportsman. Congrat's you are both

))))-------->

 

[nfh]

could of taken the shot and walked up to a dead cow. you did a good call and teaching your grandkids a good thing. that makes you a better hunter than than tagging a 350 pig..

 

[sagebrush]

If you can make a 350 yard offhand shot in broad daylight with no wind, you are a better rifleman than I. Usually, if you have to ask yourself "Should I take this shot?", you already know the answer and it's "NO". You did right.

 

[horncrzy]

Man....you guys have me all mixed up! I thought thats why we shell out thousands of dollars for the top of the line glass so we can be that person that gets to hunt after dark when everyone else is heading back to camp

 

[SureShot]

You did the right thing. Did you end up filling your tag?

 

[littlejoe]

Almost dark and you were "kinda" sure. Good thing you did not pull the trigger. You would have regretted it. I am curious as well, how did your hunt turn out?

 

[jodog]

I've never regretted "not" pulling the trigger on that big bull. I could have shot a few smaller bulls but I was looking for a good one and was willing to eat my tag if I had to and thats just what happened.

 

[kingfish]

No to taking the shot...Good decision.


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