Elk hunt this year (17-21 Sept) was an absolute BUST! I drew an antlerless moose tag this year so I didn't want to fill up too early on venison. Found a local family that needed help so I decied to get them some wild meat (Yes, yes, I know the rules about giving away meat, that's not a problem). Anyway, I figured I had better get on it so Monday night I got my supplemental white tail tags and got ready for Tuesday. Tuesday evening I went to a field I had scouted and within 15 minutes of getting there out came a bunch of does. I picked one and Wham! She went 30 feet. When she went down, the remainder didn't run away, ran off a bit, but stopped to look back. I picked another one and Wham! She went almost 50 feet. I dragged her down to the first one and then went about gutting.
Wednesday I took a friend out to the same spot and withiin 20 minutes he had one down.
Thursday was a bust, too skittish then. Figured it was time to change tactics, so Friday I went out to where Ii had seen losts of moose sign and a few moose. Sunset was at 4:35 and at 4:45, I was dropping the hammer on a nice cow.
Thats a 1-ton strap come-along hanging it. I got it up another foot, but that was all I could do, I couldn't move the handle anymore and still could not get her neck off the floor
(I am 6'1", 215 lbs undressed.)
Now, not to offend anyone, but these were all shots in excess of 200yds (except for the headshot), with plain vanilla ammo (my loads using cheap-ass remington 165gn bulk bullets) from a Mossberg 100ATR in .30-06 (so, they WILL do the job)
I will admit to throwing a couple of additional shots at the cow. Evidence showed that first round was a heart shot, but she was making for the woods, and I HATE dragging moose and elk (esp since I don't own a quad) out of poplar deadfall brush. So I gave her one in the shoulders, She reared up and pawed the air, settled to the ground and lay down. There was a young bull in the field who didn't let her stay down so I ran forward to close the distance as she stepped reluctantly into the woodline. All I had was her ass showing. I yelled at her and she turned her head to look back at me, from 150yds I threaded a round between two poplar trees and went for the head shot. Moose down, 10' into the woods. Not so lucky with my buddy, his went 200 ft in before it went down and we had to find it. Heart shot totally destroyed the heart, touched nothing else, went between 2 ribs and exited the animal. Second took out the near shoulder and exited the animal just in front of the off shoulder. Third round, well, enough said about that one.
I have a buck tag left. Lots of meat in the family this year.
I got a buddy who does own a quad to drag the moose into the shop after I dragged it across a few fields and down a woods road or two to the shop. His winch wouldn't do it. He had to literally drag it in with me sitting on the back for ballast. Figured she was about 800lbs when I dropped her.
Wednesday I took a friend out to the same spot and withiin 20 minutes he had one down.
Thursday was a bust, too skittish then. Figured it was time to change tactics, so Friday I went out to where Ii had seen losts of moose sign and a few moose. Sunset was at 4:35 and at 4:45, I was dropping the hammer on a nice cow.
Thats a 1-ton strap come-along hanging it. I got it up another foot, but that was all I could do, I couldn't move the handle anymore and still could not get her neck off the floor
(I am 6'1", 215 lbs undressed.)
Now, not to offend anyone, but these were all shots in excess of 200yds (except for the headshot), with plain vanilla ammo (my loads using cheap-ass remington 165gn bulk bullets) from a Mossberg 100ATR in .30-06 (so, they WILL do the job)
I will admit to throwing a couple of additional shots at the cow. Evidence showed that first round was a heart shot, but she was making for the woods, and I HATE dragging moose and elk (esp since I don't own a quad) out of poplar deadfall brush. So I gave her one in the shoulders, She reared up and pawed the air, settled to the ground and lay down. There was a young bull in the field who didn't let her stay down so I ran forward to close the distance as she stepped reluctantly into the woodline. All I had was her ass showing. I yelled at her and she turned her head to look back at me, from 150yds I threaded a round between two poplar trees and went for the head shot. Moose down, 10' into the woods. Not so lucky with my buddy, his went 200 ft in before it went down and we had to find it. Heart shot totally destroyed the heart, touched nothing else, went between 2 ribs and exited the animal. Second took out the near shoulder and exited the animal just in front of the off shoulder. Third round, well, enough said about that one.
I have a buck tag left. Lots of meat in the family this year.
I got a buddy who does own a quad to drag the moose into the shop after I dragged it across a few fields and down a woods road or two to the shop. His winch wouldn't do it. He had to literally drag it in with me sitting on the back for ballast. Figured she was about 800lbs when I dropped her.
