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Shoot or No Shot 2021 - Episode #2

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Shoot or No Shot 2021 - Episode #2

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 02 02, 2021 •  [Post 1]

Location: The Spud State
Hunt Pressure Status: Nobody’s up in your basin, woot!
Hunt: Partner Archery Elk Hunt
Camp Type: Backcountry Spike Camp
Tag: Archery; 3 PT or better bull.

Hunting journal: 22 September, Idaho archery hunt, early afternoon. You have both an elk tag (any bull) and a general deer tag (any whitetail or any muley buck). This is the only time this year you'll hunt elk but will be back later in the year to hunt deer in boomstick season (a 5 day hunt). You're on the fourth day of your ten day hunt in the Tato State, and, the hunting gods have blessed you with some early season, high country snow! The bulls have been very vocal and you've been into elk each morning for the past three days but no shot opportunities. As you sit on the game trail planning your evening hunt, you hear a bedded bull bugle on the far hillside, perhaps 300 yards away. The thermals are wrong to go directly at the bull (he's on the hillside) so you figure you'll head down the game trail a bit where you may have a place to use your optics to scan the bull's hillside and make a plan of attack. About the time you get ready to move, here comes this fine young fellow straight at you at around 30ish yards! From your position, thermals are flowing gently uphill into your snout. You have good cover to your back and are wearing your super cool snow camo pattern.

Shoot or no shot here? Are you shooting, not shooting the MD, or, are you gonna continue with making a plan to go after the vocal bull?

MD%20Buck.jpg
MD%20Buck.jpg (214.28 KiB) Viewed 1909 times


If you or your partner are shooting, save the picture to your desktop and open in MS Paint, then place a spot, X, or whatever on the critter (at the point of impact/shot) before you save it back to a jpg or png and add the marked up pic with your post.
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Re: Shoot or No Shot 2021 - Episode #2

Postby Swede » 02 02, 2021 •  [Post 2]

I would not take a shot at this time. I would stay still and see what develops. If I get a good shot opportunity, I would take it. If not c'est la vie. I am elk hunting and focused on elk. I have passed on deer too many times to get excited about this critter.
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Re: Shoot or No Shot 2021 - Episode #2

Postby Trumkin the Dwarf » 02 02, 2021 •  [Post 3]

I'm gonna pass on Mega Bambi. Especially at 30 yards.
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Re: Shoot or No Shot 2021 - Episode #2

Postby 7mmfan » 02 03, 2021 •  [Post 4]

Pass. If you're coming back to hunt with a rifle later on, why cancel that trip now? He is young and has great potential. Hopefully he makes it and grows into a real jaw dropper.
I hunt therefore I am. I fish therefore I lie.
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Re: Shoot or No Shot 2021 - Episode #2

Postby ishy » 02 03, 2021 •  [Post 5]

He'd need to be 220 for me to give up a day of elk hunting to take care of a stinky muley!
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Re: Shoot or No Shot 2021 - Episode #2

Postby Elkhunttoo » 02 03, 2021 •  [Post 6]

To far...pass...if he does turn and give a broadside shot I’m going to shoot. If I follow the scenario I probably would pass and wait so I could come back and deer hunt....but I’m not going to follow it :P because I live in Idaho so I’m going to take this buck if he turns :D
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Re: Shoot or No Shot 2021 - Episode #2

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 02 03, 2021 •  [Post 7]

Elkhunttoo wrote:To far...pass...if he does turn and give a broadside shot I’m going to shoot. If I follow the scenario I probably would pass and wait so I could come back and deer hunt....but I’m not going to follow it :P because I live in Idaho so I’m going to take this buck if he turns :D


Sound wisdom mister 8-)
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Re: Shoot or No Shot 2021 - Episode #2

Postby Lefty » 02 05, 2021 •  [Post 8]

30 yards nope not me,
However my daughter forgets all about elk with deer around..two years ago a 4x4 basket head at 22 yards, yep dad ranges him. She wants closer, .
This year I got a crappy selfie of a little 4x at 3,4 yards she had chased , oh was she mad,
This year I was near the herd bulls below me. Cows all around I'm in those 1-2 inch quakies at full draw facing a similar buck. And a cow elk either hit me running full tilt or a small tree was between us..
After that day twice I glassed the location. The elk moved from one canton and hussle to the bedding area a kind ways off.we played that place wrong twice. When the elk are leaving they are leaving




However the first week next year, any deer with an easy pack to truck trail or camp will be camp meat.
If my tag is full I have a pup that go duck hunting in Montana
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