Which is tougher to bag, a big whitetail buck, or a big bull elk?

[runrumsun]

Elk, for sure

 

[Longwalker]

Heck, if I it was legal out here in B.C. to shoot spikes or cows or even little 5 point's like that one you got there, I'd think elk hunting was pretty easy too!!!! We're on a 6 point or better for a legal bull out here (thanks to continued lobbying efforts of guide/outfitters and trophy hunting clubs). We got plenty of elk - finding "an elk" isn't that hard (though, because of the way the tend to move around out here, you can spend an annoying amount of time in the bush not seeing elk), but finding a little dinky six point, nevermind a big trophy class 6+ point - yeah, it's really a tough thing to get done.

That "little" 5 point was a fully mature bull, considerably bigger in body and antler mass than the 6 point one I am packing out in the picture below.

Maybe Manitoba strain elk are different than Rocky Mountain strain, but in our district it is not very unusual for fully mature bulls to grow 5 point antlers, and never get a 6th point. See the trail cam picture below.

Two years ago I took the picture of the two nice bulls leaving with the 4 cows in the snow.

The day before I had seventeen branch antler bulls pass beneath my tree stand within 50 yards. Six were six pointers. That is an extreme example, but I have had much more opportunity to see mature bull elk than I have mature whitetail bucks in our district.

I have passed up mature bulls several times in order to take a spike, which I prefer to eat. I also prefer to let herd bulls do the breeding, I think it is better for the herd. But I do shoot a big one now and then. Cow tags are on a draw here most years, but I have had several opportunities to shoot nice bulls that I was legally obliged to pass up.

The small 6 point bull below was called in for the photo a few days after the regular rifle season closed. You won't see whitetail buck from our district hang around for a photo like that.

The picture of my son and I with a bunch of bucks that we shot at our camp was taken in 2004. Two years later a bad winter wiped out 90% of the deer in our district. The elk are still doing OK, but mature whitetail bucks are now very rare.

The answers to this deer/elk question really does depend on where you are hunting!

 

[brotherjack]

Don't want to be controversial, but I'm just curious to know how many Bull Elk you have shot & how many big whitetails? Saying Elk hunting is Vastly, vastly harder than hunting whitetails is just not true in my experience [About 3 dozen of each] They are both difficult animals to hunt successfully. A cagy whitetail buck with some years on him will sit tight and let you walk by him, something an Elk just cannot/will not do. Bull elk are a bit stunned in the rut, and even though in a herd, will come to a call. I agree that Elk usually cross a couple of valleys before stopping if spooked. But a whitetail that is spooked will certainly not hang around close either, and once he is in his cover, which he knows every inch of, he's going to be mighty hard to find. I spent a couple of months in summer a few years back casing out a big whitey, building a stand in his area, etc, etc, Opening day, I was in that stand. I spent the better part of the next 10 days in the stand and around the area. I saw his fresh rubs and scrapes, his tracks, but never even caught a glimpse of that big sucker. A week after the end of open season, I spotted him within 15 yards of my tree stand. I figured he just knew I was there. I managed to whack him the following year, but I had to shoot 470 yards to do it, and he knew something was afoot when I shot him, cause his flag was coming up prior to flight. I never underestimate the wariness of a big whitetail buck. Regards, Eagleye.

The Wife(tm) an I have hunted whitetail and elk both for 6 years. Approx 40 days hunting whitetails, and we have 13 deer to show for it (bag limit, else it'd be more), most of them full grown (I am a bit less picky when hunting with my bow, else they'd all be full grown). I've hunted mule deer for 4 years - approx 25 days of mule deer hunting, and I've got 4 deer to show for it (bag limits again), none of them smaller than 4 point/full grown. By contrast, I have over 200 days of elk hunting under my belt, and I've only ever had the opportunity to shoot one (and yes, I shot him!), and I've only ever seen two that were legal (6 point) in all that time during hunting season (The Wife(tm) shot the second one).

You tell me, which is harder?

 

[brotherjack]

That "little" 5 point was a fully mature bull, considerably bigger in body and antler mass than the 6 point one I am packing out in the picture below.

Maybe Manitoba strain elk are different than Rocky Mountain strain, but in our district it is not very unusual for fully mature bulls to grow 5 point antlers, and never get a 6th point. See the trail cam picture below.

Oh no, rocky mountain elk have the same tendency to grow 5 only. I've long since lost count of how many 5 point elk I've seen. Heck, the biggest elk I ever saw in my life (by a mile) was a 5x5. I swear the ground shook when he walked by - just a monster tank of an elk.

And side note - I re-read what I wrote, and I owe you an apolgy. I didn't mean to insult your 5 point there; you're right, that is a very nice elk (bigger than the 6 point I shot). I was intending to be sarcastic with my disdain for the silly 6 point laws in B.C., I wasn't intending to belittle your trophy.

 

[Longwalker]

Brotherjack, No insult taken here, and no apology needed. I just thought things need a little 'explaining', and you did too.
I feel very, very fortunate that we can enjoy such wonderful elk hunting in our district of SK. And I agree that elk in your area of BC must be a far greater challenge. I was just pointing out that the answer to the original question depends on location....

I don't think that Saskatchewan hunters realize just how good we have it here. When it comes to Canadian elk hunting, I'd bet most hunters in North America would say it's all in BC or Alberta. They are the classic destinations, but only because they allow non-resident hunters. We have excellent elk hunting opportunities in Sask, but for residents only, so we tend to go unnoticed and unappreciated. I kinda like it that way but sometimes I feel a need to "blow our horn".

- and a comment about "trophies". I don't think the size of an animal that I shoot reflects on me or my prowess. I admire antlers as nature's art, but I don't measure them any more. So I can't be insulted if someone thinks an elk I shot is different than their ideal, trophy quality is in the eye of the beholder. One of my most precious whitetail trophies is a tiny hand-size rack from a deer I took deep in the Cumberland Delta on a solo hunt in December. I camped out for three days with only a pack of wolves for company. I was 25 km from the trail head, and the weather was 42 degrees below zero. It was so cold that my rifle mis-fired on the doe I tried to shoot first. The little buck that ran in her tracks wasn't so lucky, and his antlers always remind me of a very hard but very satisfying hunt. I wish all hunters would value trophies for the memories, and not for the bragging rights. But then it's personal, right? And the fun is in the learning and the challenge.

 

[Lazy Ike]

The problem with Elk, is that they can't count and therefore don't know that a smaller bodied six point satellite Bull should get the herd based on the number of tines.

 

[Eagleye]

The Wife(tm) an I have hunted whitetail and elk both for 6 years. Approx 40 days hunting whitetails, and we have 13 deer to show for it (bag limit, else it'd be more), most of them full grown (I am a bit less picky when hunting with my bow, else they'd all be full grown). I've hunted mule deer for 4 years - approx 25 days of mule deer hunting, and I've got 4 deer to show for it (bag limits again), none of them smaller than 4 point/full grown. By contrast, I have over 200 days of elk hunting under my belt, and I've only ever had the opportunity to shoot one (and yes, I shot him!), and I've only ever seen two that were legal (6 point) in all that time during hunting season (The Wife(tm) shot the second one).

You tell me, which is harder?

Brotherjack; I guess, to you, based on your experience, the Elk is the tougher trophy. For myself, based on my experience over the past 40 years or so, I still will have to give the edge to a large, mature Whitetail buck. FWIW, in which basic areas of BC have you been hunting elk so as to have put in 200 days of hunting time and shoot only one elk? Regards, Eagleye.

 

[hunterfisher65]

elk

bull elk cuz the nutz are higher

 

[brotherjack]

Brotherjack; I guess, to you, based on your experience, the Elk is the tougher trophy. For myself, based on my experience over the past 40 years or so, I still will have to give the edge to a large, mature Whitetail buck. FWIW, in which basic areas of BC have you been hunting elk so as to have put in 200 days of hunting time and shoot only one elk? Regards, Eagleye.

LOL - no, I've seen thousands of elk (during the rut, it's not unusual to see 50+ a day) - I've just only ever seen two legal 6 point bulls during hunting season (which runs about 40 some-odd days around here). As to the area, I live in the East Kootenays, which is supposedly one of the premier elk hunting spots on planet earth (and I suppose it is, if you're a trophy hunter who doesn't care if you put one in the freezer or not - there's certainly a lot of elk around, so you get lots of chances to see some).

If it weren't for the six point restrictions, I suppose I might have a different opinion on the difficulty level -- but then, maybe not -- the whole "honk a bugle, and wait till the big stupid bull runs up within 10 yards of you thing" like they do on hunting videos has never once happened to me. 75 yards is as close as they like to come, and they like to live back in thick nasty timber so you'd need him to come to more like 30 yards before you could even hope to start counting points.

 

[Cinch]

Brotherjack, No insult taken here, and no apology needed. I just thought things need a little 'explaining', and you did too.
I feel very, very fortunate that we can enjoy such wonderful elk hunting in our district of SK. And I agree that elk in your area of BC must be a far greater challenge. I was just pointing out that the answer to the original question depends on location....

I don't think that Saskatchewan hunters realize just how good we have it here. When it comes to Canadian elk hunting, I'd bet most hunters in North America would say it's all in BC or Alberta. They are the classic destinations, but only because they allow non-resident hunters. We have excellent elk hunting opportunities in Sask, but for residents only, so we tend to go unnoticed and unappreciated. I kinda like it that way but sometimes I feel a need to "blow our horn".

- and a comment about "trophies". I don't think the size of an animal that I shoot reflects on me or my prowess. I admire antlers as nature's art, but I don't measure them any more. So I can't be insulted if someone thinks an elk I shot is different than their ideal, trophy quality is in the eye of the beholder. One of my most precious whitetail trophies is a tiny hand-size rack from a deer I took deep in the Cumberland Delta on a solo hunt in December. I camped out for three days with only a pack of wolves for company. I was 25 km from the trail head, and the weather was 42 degrees below zero. It was so cold that my rifle mis-fired on the doe I tried to shoot first. The little buck that ran in her tracks wasn't so lucky, and his antlers always remind me of a very hard but very satisfying hunt. I wish all hunters would value trophies for the memories, and not for the bragging rights. But then it's personal, right? And the fun is in the learning and the challenge.

I would like to think many SK hunters realize just how good the elk hunting is here but prefer to remain silent on the subject. Having learned the lessons from blowing our own horns on white-tailed deer and waterfowl hunting, which are both under increasing pressure from NR's and outfitters alike. Having said that, in the areas I hunt a "trophy" class white-tailed deer is more difficult to harvest than a "trophy" class elk.

Longwalker, nice bulls/bucks by the way.

 

[Eagleye]

LOL - no, I've seen thousands of elk (during the rut, it's not unusual to see 50+ a day) - I've just only ever seen two legal 6 point bulls during hunting season (which runs about 40 some-odd days around here). As to the area, I live in the East Kootenays, which is supposedly one of the premier elk hunting spots on planet earth (and I suppose it is, if you're a trophy hunter who doesn't care if you put one in the freezer or not - there's certainly a lot of elk around, so you get lots of chances to see some).

If it weren't for the six point restrictions, I suppose I might have a different opinion on the difficulty level -- but then, maybe not -- the whole "honk a bugle, and wait till the big stupid bull runs up within 10 yards of you thing" like they do on hunting videos has never once happened to me. 75 yards is as close as they like to come, and they like to live back in thick nasty timber so you'd need him to come to more like 30 yards before you could even hope to start counting points.

Very interesting! I shot my second best 7x7 bull in the Brule creek area near Sparwood, but, in all fairness, that was a number of years ago. I have hunted a fair bit between Fernie and the Alberta border, and all up the elk valley because I had relatives that lived in Sparwood at one time, so had a home base to hunt from. My last hunt there was about 10 years ago. As to bugling, I have had some very, very close, but a big herd bull [with a large harem] does not like to get out away from those "vulnerable" cows of his, particularly when there are several other bulls circling around, hoping to get some action. . I have always set myself up so that, if I have to take a longer shot, so be it. And I have shot a couple of elk at over 450 yards, so I know that it can be a challenge. I am basically a meat hunter also, so a trophy bull is more opportunity based than it is my main focus. You cannot eat big racks, but elk in the freezer is superb fare. Good luck on your continuing quest! Eagleye.

 

[brotherjack]

Very interesting! I shot my second best 7x7 bull in the Brule creek area near Sparwood, but, in all fairness, that was a number of years ago. I have hunted a fair bit between Fernie and the Alberta border, and all up the elk valley because I had relatives that lived in Sparwood at one time, so had a home base to hunt from. My last hunt there was about 10 years ago. As to bugling, I have had some very, very close, but a big herd bull [with a large harem] does not like to get out away from those "vulnerable" cows of his, particularly when there are several other bulls circling around, hoping to get some action. . I have always set myself up so that, if I have to take a longer shot, so be it. And I have shot a couple of elk at over 450 yards, so I know that it can be a challenge. I am basically a meat hunter also, so a trophy bull is more opportunity based than it is my main focus. You cannot eat big racks, but elk in the freezer is superb fare. Good luck on your continuing quest! Eagleye.

Yeah, elk is great eating (my all time favorite, to date). Though, it's not much of a "continuing quest" for me anymore. It quit being fun a couple of years ago, and I should have quit it then, but I didn't, I kept going till it really really quit being fun. I'll still pack a tag so I can shoot one if I stumble on to one, but my days of waking up at 3:00AM for 30+ days straight to go hurt myself climbing mountains for an animal I get to see about once every 100 days of hunting are done -- and in hindsight, I wish I'd come to that conclusion years ago. "Elk hunt" is kind of synonymous with "goose chase" around my house.

Besides, real men hunt mule deer.

Here's one of mine, that I just picked up from the taxidermist last night, actually:

 

[Longwalker]

"Elk hunt" is kind of synonymous with "goose chase" around my house.
Besides, real men hunt mule deer.

That's a beautiful deer! I have to comment though, that goose, elk and mule deer hunting are all excellent around here. Maybe you need to move east to the boring ol' flatlands?

 

[Turkey010]

Depends on how big the bag is.