Weapon of choice?

[Buckriser]

What is your weapon of choice when your hunting Elk?
For me it is with a bow. Although if for some reason I cant hunt with the bow I would deffinately hunt with a rifle or muzzleloader. As long as im chasing them around, it doesnt really matter to me too much.

[Broken arrow]

My recurve and wood arrows that's all I hunt with! If I couldn't use a bow then a muzzy with a conical or patch n ball and flintlock for sure. A centerfire just does feel right in my hands unless I'm swinging on a duck or snow goose with my bennelli

[Freebird134]

Never tried muzzleloader (but want to!), and i've never been big on rifles. If I'm elk hunting, I'll be bowhunting.

[Broken arrow]

Freebird squeezing the trigger and having a cloud of white smoke roll out that barrel and cover your field of view is awesome and I love the smell of black powder. And I have never laughed so much as waiting in 0 degree weather for hours freezing my _ _ _ off only to have the cap go off but not the charge!

[Freebird134]

I've only shot them a few times, and it was a blast. If I did it, I'd be going pretty traditional. I have no interest in the inlines with scopes. I think Idaho even prohibits them in muzzleloader season. I recently held a flintlock an older guy at my gun club built in the 70s. It was a piece of art. As soon as I held it, I thought "how cool would it be to kill an elk with this???!!!"

Of course, I'm not sure how much I trust your opinion if you shoot a Benelli!

[planebow]

The bow is my choice but I have taken a few with a rifle

[CrazyElkHunter]

Been hunting them with a bow for over 35 years. love the rut and talking to elk. Never had the desire to hunt them any other way. Nothing like a screaming bull at 10 yards. When I watch hunting shows where they are shooting bulls at 800+ yards, to me that's marksmanship, not hunting. Just my opinion.

[foxvalley]

All bowhunting since 1987,mostly with the longbow and handmade cedar shafts.Never did the gun thing for elk. The last couple years switched to a compound......but...... I really miss my 2lb.longbow.

[Goneelkn]

Always been bow. Wish i had the time to dedicate to a longbow, until then, compound.

[JohnFitzgerald]

Raised as a rifle hunter, switched to bow hunting 15 years ago. Haven't looked back since.

[Buglemaster]

My parents were rifle only hunters & thats where I got my addiction 45 years ago. I always liked archery gear as a kid & played around with it probably as much as I did bb guns & 22's. I killed my first archery buck when I was 17 years old & was instantly hooked. I hav'nt hunted big game with anything other than a bow for the last 30 years. Black powder is a lot of fun & if I could'nt pull the bow, that would suffice. I've killed antelope, deer & elk with all 3 weapons & have to say bowhunting is by far my preference. Predators on the other hand get the lead.Love calling those yotes!

[mongopino915]

Also grew up elk hunting with a rifle and put lots of elk in the freezer. My mentor/hunter partner, also my older brother, moved out of state so I decided to give elk archery a try three years ago. I have found my calling.

Went out two years ago with a muzzle-loader tag and quickly concluded that muzzle-loading elk was just a little on the easy side. Muzzle-loading may come back when I can no longer hike 15 plus miles/day up and down elk country.

[elkaholic]

I have taken a couple elk with a rifle but switched 7 yrs ago and haven't picked up the boom-stick since.

[bowpackerrob]

I love to hunt with a muzzleloader expecially during Colorados September season but the bow is my weapon of choice if I had to choose.

[Harmy]

Rifle and muzzy for me (cap and ball as well as in-line) but all you pointy stick and string guys are making me jealous. I suspect I will have to convert soon as my two sons just bought bows and they think they are way more fun than shooing lead. My oldest (11) was listening to Worse than Wolves in the truck with me last night, he then picked up one my of my reeds and on his first blow produced a far better bugle with chuckles than I have after much more practice (of course, he can play and read music while I am tone deaf and musically incompetent so I wasn't too surprised). I told him he would have to be my caller. He said, "no way Dad, you are going to be my caller because I am going to be the bow hunter, so you better practice more"... He then tried to reproduce the growl/scream and started laughing so hard he nearly choked on the reed and spit it on the wind shield-yuck!. He said it tickled too much. By the end of half hour he could mimic many of the cow/calf/bull calls. I was amazed. I deffinitely have a partner in the making...

[Swede]

I started hunting with a rifle, played around with a muzzle loader, but prefer my bow by far. I think I would go hunt rocks or pan gold if I could not bow hunt. I might even take up fishing.

[PREZ]

Bow only now. I haven't gun hunted in years.

[Nelsonv]

Carbon Element or bust. I refuse to rifle hunt anymore!!

[elkohalic]

Mathews,, catch me if you can

[bowpackerrob]

Carbon Matrix and CARBON Element as bow hunting is my first choice. Actually though, I just love elk hunting so it doesn't bother me to pick up a rifle or muzzleloader if I get drawed for the right unit.

[Flintlocker]

Custom built Pennsylvania longrifle in 54 cal is my preference. Grew up with flintlocks. Pennsylvania has a late season for flintlocks, not modern muzzleloaders. Great time to be out hunting with it.

Bow comes in second.

[iRem]

Bow hunting is my first choice and I shoot a Mathews Switchback!

[elkohalic]

Flintlocker, That thing is BEAUTIFUL !!!!

[cnelk]

I've shot elk with bow, ML, rifle.

Bow is Fav, ML is fun too but takes a few PPs, Rifle is leftover tag.
With Colorado being generous and able to have 2 tags, I like to spread my elk hunting out as far as I can...

[weaver]

Bow

[bullrub]

Bow is my first choice, been doing it since 1970, but sure do love my old sidehammer muzzle loader. I still shoot my rifles also and would use them all the time if something happened, that i could pull a bow back anymore.( God forebid that ever happens) LOL

[WapitiTalk1]

Bow. Haven't shot anything with a rifle in over 20 years. Just like the solitude of the elk woods without boom sticks going off.

[dotman]

Bow. I sold all my rifles other then my henry lever action .22 years ago. I have no interest in rifle but and am really considering a muzzle loader, they seem cool and would be a blast to get into even if I didn't hunt with one.

[stykbow67]

Longbow,carbon shafts and wensel woodsmens make good elk medicine...... I hope!!!

[hornart]

grew up rifle hunting ,played around with archery and muzzleloaders when I was a teenager,but never hunted with them, then after a work accident ,was unable to pull the recurve anymore,,now being mobility impared I hunt with a muzzleloader primarily

[eltaco]

Still trying to decide...

[stringunner]

bow only for me thus far, I can't imagine using a rifle, not opposed to rifle hunters, I just really like archery.