Bone Yard

[Solitude]

So I am curious, how many bone yards (elk remnants/skeletons) do you run across on a typical 5 day elk hunt? I realize elk density, hunter numbers, amount of ground you cover, wolves, bull only or any elk GMU, etc all come into play.....but just for fun how many bone piles do you see in your typical 5 day hunt?

Me, I average about 1 every 2 days....what about you?

[LckyTylr]

I have never encountered any. It might be that I'm nowhere near where the elk winter . . . . and I hunt some pretty thick stuff where whole herds of elk could die and I'd only find them if I were following a blood trail.

[slim9300]

About 1 per day in MT. Most are not killed by man.

Did you guys hear that MT Fish and game now says that leaving the bones and hide is "littering?" They are thinking about implementing a fine for leaving these items in the future. Gotta love those government biologists.

[JGH]

Littering?

So odd that the "green" solution is ... to waste the bones and hide in a landfill.

One of the neat things about wild game on my plate is that I know nothing went to waste. What I didn't use, the ravens, coyotes, bugs, and soil used. Everything unused by my was used by other creatures, large and small, and that is something that gives me a little comfort, actually -- makes me feel like I'm part of "all that" year-round, not just while I'm in the forest.

To take a carcass to the landfill is the ultimate disrespect.

[Freebird134]

I don't think I've ever run across more than a bone or too here and there.

Did you guys hear that MT Fish and game now says that leaving the bones and hide is "littering?" They are thinking about implementing a fine for leaving these items in the future. Gotta love those government biologists.

Where did you hear this? I wonder if it is in response to people dumping the remains in not-so-discrete places after butchering. But don't blame biologists--they usually just do research and it's usually some politically appointed d-bag with no biological or hunting experience that's making these asinine rules.

[RockChucker30]

I saw 5 or 6 in just a couple days last year in the area I killed my bull.

I found one spot near camp under a big pine with a log drug up as a shooting rest and a foam seat there too. It's been used a long time, because there were 9 or 10 empty brass stuck in the bark of that tree and a cow skull leaned against it.

Tells me that spot holds elk every year but that I better get there before rifle season.

[buglmin]

We found five carcasses last fall in unit 76 where just the tenderloins and the big cuts off the hindquarters where taken...we took pics and video and showed the F&G guys. Its an area five miles into the wilderness, where the guys that brag about spikng into the wilderness hunt. The guys from F&G will start watching the area, and if you have an elk rack, you better have the meat to match the rack!! Seems a lot of guys these days are hunting for the rack, the pics, and the publicity!!
We've also found bulls that were shot and just left to lay...two years in a row now, almost the same area, same FMJ arrow with Muzzy heads. Small bulls...really really sad!!

[Freebird134]

Seems a lot of guys these days are hunting for the rack, the pics, and the publicity!!

Aint that the sad truth.

How's that Guardian set-up going?

[slim9300]

Littering?

So odd that the "green" solution is ... to waste the bones and hide in a landfill.

Liberal hypocrisy at its finest.

[slim9300]

Where did you hear this? I wonder if it is in response to people dumping the remains in not-so-discrete places after butchering. But don't blame biologists--they usually just do research and it's usually some politically appointed d-bag with no biological or hunting experience that's making these asinine rules.

It was a MT hunting magazine in the grocery store line in Bozeman, MT. The article's content regarding the littering of game animals was submitted to the magazine from a MT Fish and Wildlife biologist. My partner and I had just packed out my boned out bull. Needless to say, we had a good laugh.

[elkmtngear]

We found five carcasses last fall in unit 76 where just the tenderloins and the big cuts off the hindquarters where taken...we took pics and video and showed the F&G guys. Its an area five miles into the wilderness, where the guys that brag about spikng into the wilderness hunt. The guys from F&G will start watching the area, and if you have an elk rack, you better have the meat to match the rack!! Seems a lot of guys these days are hunting for the rack, the pics, and the publicity!!
We've also found bulls that were shot and just left to lay...two years in a row now, almost the same area, same FMJ arrow with Muzzy heads. Small bulls...really really sad!!

I truly hope they find those jokers, no excuse for this!

We find one or two per Season. Usually just the bones. If the rack is still on the carcass, we know it's either a mountain lion kill, or a hunting loss. We've only found a few of those over the years.

[Swede]

Finding bones is dependent on where I hunt and how I hunt. If I just go to my tree stand I know where there are some old bones is a few places. They are likely from kills (litter ) we have made over the years. But most of the time I see no bones.
There is one area my son and I refer to as the "bone yard" in a pass that we believe is an escape route. We have speculated why there are so many bones is that area, but are not positive. It seems unlikely they were either just winter kills, or severely wounded animals that escaped from hunters. We have no wolves to speak of yet.
On the south facing slopes above the river, and in other wintering areas, it is not uncommon to find bones, but I would be hard pressed to say just how often I run into them. In most areas finding bones is fairly uncommon.
Over the years I have found at least two skeletons with a broken off arrow and broad head in the mix. You just know there was a story that went with those bones.

[buglmin]

Freebird, the Guardin is killing me...Ive lost three arrows due to robbin hooding, and with broadheads, Im cutting vanes off of arrows. I had to crank the draw weight way down, but at 30 yards, Im shooting 1 1/2" groups with field points. Its flat out loving 398 grain Black Eagle Arrow Rampage shafts, and just stacking them together. Pin gap is very tight, almost too tight. Cant wait to see what the bow will do at 65#...

[Lefty]

I find moo cows . Found a fresh dead moose stuck in a gooey mud hole the flies hadnt even startted on the nose and eyes
A shed or two every year
Rodents eat up the bones fast

,....... Seems a lot of guys these days are hunting for the rack, the pics, and the publicity!!
,...!

I ran into a couple of those guys in Utah one year. I was coming out to the trucks about the same time they came out with a big mulies horns and just the back staps, at first The fellow said they shot em up too bad.
I said "with one shot!"
" I hunt that area hard The only reason you didnt see me today was I heard you guys coming in on top of me and and moved away"
I pulled the camera out of the truck took a pic of their plates then them,..
Next day they were in there recovering the meat,..

[cnelk]

I found a bear carcass last fall.
Its too bad, as bears just dont 'die' during bear season...
Someone must have either left it as it wasnt very big or lost it.