Books/videos recommendations for cow elk hunting

[nippip]

Because my wife does not like the taste of game I want to focus on hunting cow or calf elk. This will be my first year bow hunting and would like to learn as much as possible pre season but it seems that most books / videos focus on big bulls vs cows. So on that note would you please mention any books or videos you have come across that have info for hunting cow elk as well as bulls?
As you may have figured out I have only been elk hunting for a few years so I will also be looking for good books on elk behavior. Lastly I will be hunting in Montana if that matters.
Thanks -- Nippip

[WapitiTalk1]

Welcome to the forum buddy. Glad to have you at our campfire. OK, you're hunting archery which means you'll be hunting during a significant portion of the rut in Montana. Many areas allow you to shoot a cow or bull. Where there are bulls during the rut, there will most likely be cows and vise versa for sure. I would recommend you stay away from just the hunting videos. They are more than a bit glorified and they all end up with a guy shooting a big bull for some reason They're made and produced that way to sell. Dig around in this forum and you'll find a ton of knowledge about how to get into elk, period! Many of the guys and gals that frequent the Elknut's forum pages are equal opportunity killers and have a main goal of first, finding elk and second, killing one (regardless of their head gear). Check out the archived tips and Elknut's tips and clips for certain. Studying these free tools will only assist you in your endeavor to harvest an elk. Lastly, if you can swing it, you may want to look at Elknut's instructional videos, and, the playbook. They are packed with a ton of elk hunting information that will cut years off your learning curve.. There's my .02 cents buddy. Again, welcome to the forum and look forward to seeing you on the threads.. RJ

[Swede]

nippip: Welcome to the forum. It is our off season camp. Make yourself right at home here. You have an interesting question for a couple of reasons. !. Most people want a big bull as a trophy, but many would settle for a cow or calf. 2. It is obvious that you have a misconception about the difference in taste between cows and bulls. A bull that is gaining weight like the cows will taste as good as a cow. I cannot tell the difference. A big herd bull that has lost significant weight chasing off lesser bulls, could be tough. If you shoot him you could have a good supply of hamburger. Gamy flavor in elk is usually due to poor care of the carcass/meat. In other words you are dealing with spoilage or contamination. Elk gender is not a factor there.
If I were in your situation I would discuss this matter with your wife and just tell her you have a better chance of bring home some meat if you do not discriminate based on elk gender. If she has never tried ,well taken care of and prepared elk, she is in for a great surprise. We have served elk (bulls & cows) to our guests here many times and they asked if it was elk afterward. They had no idea it was not beef.

[nippip]

Phantom and Swede, thank you for the great feedback and advice. I really appreciate the clarification on taste of game and gender. I will put satellite bulls on my radar as well.
I got a calf elk my first season out with a rifle and my wife really enjoyed the taste and her only requirement is that I don't bring home a few hundred pounds of gamy meat. I will study up on how to handle game in warmer temps to avoid spoilage and contamination.
Thanks again and if you have any good links / threads from the site besides the archived tips please pass them on and I will check out the playbook.
Nippip

[ElkNut1]

Yes sir, welcome to the forum bud! Glad you stopped by!

As for the best tasting gender, I agree with the above as well, the normal bull will taste as good & be as tender as an equal aged cow. Spikes are in a league their own as quite possibly the best table fair! Can not speak for calves because I've never taken one but it's fairly obvious it would out right veal! (grin) You know if you were to tag an old cow she too could be less desirable as a big old stinky herd bull. The cow/spike is definitely your safest bet to have best odds for great table fair! Meat care in the field is also very important as to the quality & flavor of your meat! Between taking a cow/spike they are the easiest to to come across throughout the month of an archery hunt. There are a variety of ways to get elk to come to you or Spot (glassing generally) & Stalk them! For a cow/spike I would resort to calling, sitting active trails or active water sources! Between those you have a very good chance of success! Hunt as many days as you can!

ElkNut1

[Swede]

I have never killed a poor tasting, tough elk. I have passed over only a couple that I had my doubts about. If the elk is skinny and its ribs look like a picket fence, or the elk resembles a bicycle with a hide stretched over it, I'm passing. If an animal looks or acts sick or has an obvious serious defect, I let the coyotes finish them off. Obviously a worn out old bull is not in prime condition. All of these things should be easily discerned by the quick look of a bow hunter. All I do is observe the condition of the animal. Forget the antlers and look over the body. As the old saying goes, "you can't eat the antlers."

[nippip]

Great points and tips. I am taking it all in
On the cow call note are there some you would recommend for beginners? I picked up some diaphragm calls last year from Primos but am not sure if I am in the ballpark with the sounds I make and there are three different diaphragms to choose from.

[Lark Bunting]

You can check out the Tips & Clips section right here for sounds and how to use the diaphragm calls. Also, there are CD's and DVD's available in the elknut store.

Tips and Clips:
viewforum.php?f=11

[nippip]

Lark, Thanks for the suggestions and I love the pic. Did you do the Photoshop work on this one?

[Lark Bunting]

Lark, Thanks for the suggestions and I love the pic. Did you do the Photoshop work on this one?

You're welcome.

No, just some random GIS.

We also have several sponsors that sell calls right here. Wapiti did a give away recently and I got a few calls, I really like them. I also got some from Paul. I LOVE the Mellow Yellow, and the Raging Bull. My son got the Closer and ...(can't remember the other one). My daughter git the Mini Master. It's for small palates. She LOVES that thing!

[Wyo67]

nippip - Welcome to the forum. Don't be afraid to try some external reed cow calls either. Had a calf pass within 3 yards a couple of years ago when it responded to a lost cow call.

[nippip]

nippip - Welcome to the forum. Don't be afraid to try some external reed cow calls either. Had a calf pass within 3 yards a couple of years ago when it responded to a lost cow call.

Any recommendations on an external reed call? I have a set of three Primos diaphram calls that I really need to work with, but it sounds like an external just needs some wind to go past it.

[ericleep]

My first elk was a yearling, I had a large party for some classmates and a few brought along wives and girlfriends. None had ever seen an elk, and had no idea they were eating it till after. They just thought I was the college student who could afford to feed ten people steak.

My hunting partners have shot a few calves. When they would bust a herd out of their beds they would sit down for twenty minutes then give a cow call. Usually during the breakup a calf would get separated and come on a string. It could be the silver lining to kicking a herd.

[ElkNut1]

There are some very good external reed cow calls (bite & blow) on the market today, most will do the job just fine so it's a matter more of choice than does one excel over the other. Which ever you choose master that one or more you favor most! Good ones are the Temptress, FightN cow call, Cow Talk, Cowgirl, Phelps Cow Call, Sceery, etc. As I mentioned there's quite a few! When I'm using one (I use mostly mouth reeds) I use the Temptress as first choice.
http://stores.elknut.com/bugling-bulls-the-temptress/

ElkNut1