Just words ... maybe Last Year's Calf is better. or Next year's bigger cow.
No Legal Bearing in NL either ...
Did i just let a calf walk away?
- Thread starter Slooshark1
- Start date
Just words ... maybe Last Year's Calf is better. or Next year's bigger cow.
No Legal Bearing in NL either ...
I had a similar dilemma on opening day about 6 years ago or so. Took pictures and videos to show the team. It was hard to tell, but the smaller cow was obviously not a calf. Unfortunately I found the yearling cow dead a week later, reported to the mnr and charges ended up being laid on some local hunters who thought they missed a calf.
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Walk slow? Cute! I absolutely agree on all these posts. The OP is to be commended for restraint and a cool head. Good job! It was darn thrilling to see,though,wasn't it?
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- WMU248 near Edmonton
good call.
I've hunted calf a lot. Easy to get draw where I normally hunt.
then thing is that cows will often have last years calf (yearling) or young adult still hanging around if they don't have a calf. So you see 2 dark lumps and try to determine which is the calf.
But in reality the difference is easy, a calf is obviously smaller like 1/2 to 2/3 the size of the cow.
worst one for me was looking at 2 moose debating which one was the calf and they both looked like calves but couldn't tell the difference... then the cow stepped out and I realised that there were 2 calves..
boom and I had a nice little baby bull that year.
I've hunted calf a lot. Easy to get draw where I normally hunt.
then thing is that cows will often have last years calf (yearling) or young adult still hanging around if they don't have a calf. So you see 2 dark lumps and try to determine which is the calf.
But in reality the difference is easy, a calf is obviously smaller like 1/2 to 2/3 the size of the cow.
worst one for me was looking at 2 moose debating which one was the calf and they both looked like calves but couldn't tell the difference... then the cow stepped out and I realised that there were 2 calves..
boom and I had a nice little baby bull that year.
Things you get from this experience;
1) you trusted your gut instinct and were right
2) you saw these animals in a great way and respected the animals enough to do the right thing
3) your methods of cover, and patience worked exactly the way you want
You may have not taken the shot, but everything you did was right.
1) you trusted your gut instinct and were right
2) you saw these animals in a great way and respected the animals enough to do the right thing
3) your methods of cover, and patience worked exactly the way you want
You may have not taken the shot, but everything you did was right.
Nice restraint holding off! That is double cow scenario for sure. I've seen far too many hunters I've encountered over the yrs trying to justify a 500-700lb moose lying on the ground being a calf. When u see a cow and calf together and you are confused which one could "possibly" be a calf then u are dealing with a cow. A calf is 5 or 6 months old at hunting time and unless they reside next to a nuclear plant will never be bigger than 400lbs and the size vastly different then it's mother. Twice I've seen "calfs" tagged as such that barely fit in a full sized 8ft pick up truck box and a flat bed atv trailer. They had hooves like dinner plates. Both times i offered the shooter the opportunity to call it in themselves and say they made a mistake or I would make the call and the outcome would be less positive. Both parties involved chose option A and are still enjoying the sport. Everyone that takes up hunting has the responsibility to identify whatever they are targeting and self educate themselves about its physical appearance. Again great job on passing those creatures and good luck in the future harvests....
Excellent choice OP. Neighbour out for open moose week a couple days ago. He had a bear tag and a nice big black was wandering the shoreline. His mates said go for it. Something did not seem right and they got a good look at it. A black grizzly. He took his time as you did and made the right decision. The excitement has to be controlled as your decision is final, no take backs. Good job.
