DO you?

[Lefty]

Do you follow the Philosophy of taking the animal on the first day that you would take on the last!

Not me; I try to hold out for a longer hunt.
I do regret passing on a 5x 6( I think)20" blacktail the first morning of the hunt in Washington state before sunrise he kept hanging around. I put the cross hairs on him a half a dozen times or more.
My boss really got after me for passing on that one

[wawhitey]

No! I enjoy hunting, and i think that "philosophy" is a recipe for a lifetime of mediocre animals. Ill speak about deer hunting, since thats really where my experience lies. Every single year i pass on nice bucks because i just dont want to fill my tag right away. I want to hunt. Sometimes i end up taking something smaller than what i passed up earlier, but thats okay, because that means i got to hunt deer for a few weeks instead of a day or two. Its all about spending time doing what you love to do. Somebody a bit more poetic than me said "i dont hunt to kill, i kill to have hunted"

[saddlesore]

I never pass up a legal elk and I have more than a few better than mediocre animals hanging on my wall . So I can't answer that question . However, me and my hunting partner typically go the Wednesday before the Saturday opening day of the muzzle loader season and the 2nd rifle season. Being in Colorado we can buy an "A" tag and "B" tag and hunt both seasons. Our plans are to always stay until the Monday after the season ends which makes it a 13 day trip x two. Only reason we leave is if both of us punches tag. If one does so early , we do what is required to keep the meat from spoiling. That is priority No.1. After that is done the one with the filled tag goes out and either stays with the mules where the other fellow is hunting or doe some bird dogging. We never hunt the 1st rifle season in Colorado as it is only 5 days long. It takes longer than that to get all the knots out of your rope that it took all year to tie yourself up in.

We have done this for at least the last five years and enjoy 25+ days in the field elk hunting. Sometimes we kill one elk, sometimes two, sometimes three.t doesn't matter though if we don't kill any. We have both killed enough in past years that we don't ever need to kill another one, but we just enjoy getting out and chasing elk.

I usually hear this from non residents and can't figure it out. Many times I hear, towards the end of the season, that some guy passed up several cows or a raghorn bull and now the last day of the season, they are going to kill anything that walks by. Those guys end up eating tag soup 9 times out of 10. In later years, those same guys learn that a fat old cow or a two year old bull taste a lot better than that soup.

[Lefty]

Also as an avid waterfowler I use to take the first good shot on geese.
It no longer bothers me to not bring home meat, yet have a great hunt

[wawhitey]

It no longer bothers me to not bring home meat, yet have a great hunt

Id rather spend a couple weeks hunting, and come home empty handed, then spend 6 hours hunting and come home with a young animal. I like hunting, tomorrow ill go out looking for a coug and come home empty handed again, but it will be fun.

[six]

Passed a cow the first hour of the first day of season this year. Man I'm wishing I could take that one back. Tag soup for me. I'd say it wont happen again, but it probably will.

[Swede]

It depends on where and what is being hunted. I have never shot a calf or fawn. If the meat is the main consideration, then I probably won't pass up any good sized animal. If I am hunting in an area with plenty of good trophies, the first critters that are legal may be passed over.

[Lost Dog]

My experience is that I may only get one chance per year to shoot a bull. Therefore, I take the shot when it presents itself. Never have regretted putting a bull on the ground.
Now when it comes to deer I do pass up lots of small bucks, partly to prolong the hunt and also to have the option of bringing home a bigger coat rack.

[WapitiTalk1]

I guess I'm a "waiter". I've been this way for quite a few years. I normally won't shoot cows (in a cow area), or, smallish bulls early in the season as it shortens my hunt. That said, I've had empty freezers many years at a time with this philosophy. Wife doesn't eat wild game so I end up giving a lot away anyway. For me, it's al about the hunt and being out there with singing bulls; the kill is secondary. Refer back to the empty freezer thing

[saddlesore]

In Colorado, they manage the herds for quantity ,not quality ,except for a very few trophy areas that take a bunch of points to draw. Unless you are hunting private land, that smallish bull is more than likely the only one you might see. Either the first or last day of the season. When you let it walk, more than likely you won't fill your tag. A few times I have put the safety back on when the elk is in an extremely difficult area to get it out of

I have killed bulls the first day of the season, in the middle of the season and the last day. The ones I have killed later in the season are still the only ones I saw.
I don't get the premise that one doesn't want to kill one early in the season so they can extend their hunt. Does that mean if a 350+bull walks by, they let it walk?
I bet not. So why let any legal elk walk by.. A person might as well let their bow or gun in camp and take hikes the first 4-5 days if that is the case.

If wanted to just watch elk, I would go I out when the weather is better and do everything except bust a cap or lose an arrow. However, I go elk hunting with the intention of killing an elk. I give it my all to do that. It's no big deal if I go home empty handed, but like all things I do in life, I do it the best of my ability.
Horns mean nothing to me . A full freezer does. At present I have 1& 1/2 elk, an antelope ,a whitetail deer and 1/2 a moose in my freezer from this year. That means more to me than a big set of horns. The big horn ego thing wanes in later life. I have antler stuck up the barn rafters, nailed to the outside, or laying about in a pile that the squirrels chew on. The few I have mounted are in memory of special hunts, not necessarily humongus bulls.

[Elkduds]

I didn't. See the thread Tried CO 4th Season.

[ElkNut1]

OTC first day & 5-point or better comes in, he will go down! (grin)

ElkNut1

[elkstalker]

Depends on the hunt. Almost all the meat we eat we harvest ourselves. On draw hunts I try to limit myself to 6 point or better bulls, but a general hunt I'll pretty much shoot any legal elk. Deer is a different story, if I have elk in the freezer I'm holding out for a nice one.

[cohunter14]

I like being part of the 10% club, so if I get a chance to fill my tag, I do so. I hunt with a group of guys every year, so I am staying for the duration of the hunt no matter what. If I punch my tag early, that means enjoying my vacation even more by getting to relax a bit It also allows time to go do some additional scouting while the others are out hunting.

Now, if I am hunting a tag that took several years to draw, that's a different story. I'll decide beforehand what the minimum size is for that hunt and if something shows up above my minimum, it goes down.

[CurlyTail]

I am 75% interested in the Elk Meat, 25% interested in the Horns. I do not like the idea of going a year without Elk steaks. So for me - I am thankful for first legal Elk. Overjoyed if it happens to be a big Bull. I just go flyfishing or help my hunting partners if I tag out early. I don't like coming home early either.

For Deer, I would be much more selective since I due not care so much for the meat. In fact, I don't hunt deer much for this reason. I do like to sit in the tree stand with my friend and watch him shoot a deer every year.

[Tigger]

i do not subscribe to that theory at all. i passed a cow on day 1. on the last day, faced with the strong liklihood of eating tag soup, i thought about it and was fine with it. Then just before dark I shot a nice 6X6. I am fine with not getting an elk. I am also fine with lowering my standards the last day. We get plenty of deer meat every year so the meat is not important to us. Like it? Sure, but not needed. The personal excitement I get with shooting a mature buck or bull vastly overshadows the need to fill my tag. it always surprises me how many people I run across who feel it is important to fill their tag for the sake of filling their tag (this is not the same as discussed above where people like the meat). In fact I can think of a few acquaintences who think those who dont are less of a man. I have no interest in hunting with those types. In fact, I dont even like to talk hunting with those types. I just dont roll that way.

[Indian Summer]

I never say never. But I never say always either. My standards change as my hunt goes on. They also change from year to year. One of the biggest factors is how much time I have to hunt. I've shot 3 cows over the years. One thing I always told myself is that I won't shoot a cow 2 years in a row. So if I'm hunting and I did shoot one the year before I'll shoot the first decent 5 point I can. On the other hand if I shot a bull the year before I might not shoot anything but a 6 point for the first few days and then it's 5 points..... and eventually any legal bull. I'm 50/50 on the meat/horns thing. So when it gets down to 3 days left to hunt I'll shoot any legal elk including a cow. Back when I was outfitting Montana I had things figured out so well that I would hunt bulls only until I had 1 or 2 days left in the season and I always managed to fill the freezer.

In 2014 I saw 26 bulls. I could have killed 3 or 4 of them early in the hunt but didn't. I went home with a cow. Did I kick myself in the butt? Yes, repeatedly. But I'd do it again. I had a nice long hunt and went home with meat. And.... I learned a ton more about my area. The final reason I am adjusting my standards: Age. We can't do this stuff forever. I think that at some point I'll be 95% meat hunter for elk. I'm already 100% horn hunter for deer.

[ishy]

Until I draw a good le tag I'm shootin first legal elk. I love calling and videoing buddies as much as when I'm the shooter, so punching my tag doesn't end the fun.

[Ridge Ghost]

I'm more interesting in keeping the freezer full and getting more elk kills under my belt, so I'm not picky. Tagging out doesn't early doesn't necessarily mean that your season is over. Get back out there and call & pack for your friends in order to stay in the woods.

[Indian Summer]

I'm more interesting in keeping the freezer full and getting more elk kills under my belt, so I'm not picky. Tagging out doesn't early doesn't necessarily mean that your season is over. Get back out there and call & pack for your friends in order to stay in the woods.

There's something to be said for that. I find it's great to learn without the actual pressure of trying to kill an elk.