What do you call this??

[Stick]

That thing when you see an elk in a seemingly inaccessible place, to far away, with time against you. Makes you bale off into there?????
Stupidity
Chance
Luck is with me.
Worked before.

We all now when that moment of decision comes and we say we are going! What makes us do that?????

[Roosiebull]

gotta try

there is only one way to know if it can work, and it has before...mostly doesn't...I did a good one last spring bear season, spotted one in a swamp that looked big, it was far away, and it didn't look very practical...but I was looking for a big bear to shoot...I found a big bear, now I need to go try to shoot it.

I finally got back to the perch I spotted it from about 2 hours later, defeated, scraped up, sweaty, bruised up, and swamp mud up to my waist...it was pretty funny, and exactly as expected, but I don't like taking shortcuts hunting...if I don't fill my tag, I want to make darn sure it wasn't because of lack of effort.

[saddlesore]

About ten years ago,when I came across that type of scenario, I started to put the safety back on,enjoyed the view,and go onto the other things.
It became less and less important that I needed to fill my tag, no matter how big the trophy. Funny thing,I have still been killing elk every year.They may not be 300+ bulls,but I fill me freezer. That 343 bull that I killed back in 2009 and took me five years to eat because it was to tough to eat pretty much sealed the deal.

[WapitiTalk1]

Lots of variables I guess, but, if a hunter has a chance of getting close enough for a shot before nightfall, gotta try. There's only stinky hunters waiting back at camp and we only get so many days each year to do this. I've shot a good handful of elk and deer at the last waning moments of shooting light. Why do we do it? It's what we do .

[Swede]

I call it hunting. Think it over and make your decision. At least with elk seen in the evening, there is a high likelihood it will be there in the morning if you don't mess things up in the waning last hour of today.

[Lefty]

That thing when you see an elk in a seemingly inaccessible place, to far away, with time against you. Makes you bale off into there?????
We all now when that moment of decision comes and we say we are going! What makes us do that?????

Ive been know to make such choices!

My wife has asked for such explanations, maybe someone has my answer

[Stick]

Hahahah! Now you see why I ask the question.....and did not attempt to answer! Maybe it's a male thing--having never been female I couldn't talk for them!

[BrentLaBere]

Weather. Made me second guess and im glad I backed off. I just posted a picture of my tent from that night of sleeping on the mountain while the weather was moving in. It was just mild snowfall to start but it ended up being much more. I am not afraid to back off the mountain after learning the hard way, twice, let alone backing off an animal with weather moving in.
Hunting partner not wanting to go after it because its too far away, cold or wet.
These aren't exactly what you are referring to, but they are variables in the question so I added them to the conversation.

If you know the area and have the wind, im dropping in 100% of the time.
If its inaccessible, I probably don't know the area. I would wait, watch and learn for the evening.

[Tigger]

So your telling me there's a chance???

Actually, you have to weigh that odds of killing that bull with the odds of killing a bull by doing something else. If that is the only thing you have going, get out of the way! If, however, you have another bull in another area to go work, that complicates things.

Also, where you are in the hunt, are you exhausted or (relatively) fresh, how much time will you have when you get there, can you call him to you, is he moving, etc. All these things play a major role in the decision making process. But I am there to kill elk, not sit on the sidelines!

Having said all that, we knew where 2 bulls were last year and didn't go after them. Steep and deep does not describe it! We actually felt it would be dangerous getting them out of there so we let them go. This year, I would like to find a better way into there.

[six]

Wont know unless you try.

[Elkduds]

Wont know unless you try.

Unless you already tried some version of it, and learned from that experience. I ask myself if I will need to bring a skillet in there. If so, I tell other hunters there are elk in there.

[Indian Summer]

Um.... a total lack of self control.

When I see the antlers of a bull moving around whether he is eating, raking a tree, or just walking along it is like pushing the button on a nitrous booster. I'm 25 years old again with no aches or pains. I will do the right thing and watch him for awhile to try to get inside his mind. How fast he is moving. Where he is heading. But then I jam everything into my pack and frickin get over there as fast as I can!

The one and only thing that will stop me is if I know for sure I'm going to run our of daylight. In that case I keep watching and decide where I'll be sitting at first light.

[Roosiebull]

it's like at work, when the ocean looks too big for what we are doing, or there are a bunch of crazy acting sea lions in the water we got to jump in with...or any other factor.

my boss will ask what I think, I say I will go check it out "i'm running low on war stories"

[Grousewit]

Being my 49th hunting season there are a lot of variables that I actually take into consideration now that never entered my mind 25 yrs ago. If it's possible go for it. At least you tried!

[Swede]

Patience. Sometimes doing our best means resisting the urge to go for it right now. Many things like wind, time of day, or where the elk are headed dictate we hold off. This is especially true of bow hunting but applies to rifle hunters to. The thing that is worse than not getting the critter now is pushing them out of the area and not getting another opportunity. Sure, sometimes you have a situation where it is now or never. Wisdom is knowing the difference.

[WapitiTalk1]

Damn the torpedos, full speed ahead; dive, dive, dive .

[Roosiebull]

Patience. Sometimes doing our best means resisting the urge to go for it right now. Many things like wind, time of day, or where the elk are headed dictate we hold off. This is especially true of bow hunting but applies to rifle hunters to. The thing that is worse than not getting the critter now is pushing them out of the area and not getting another opportunity. Sure, sometimes you have a situation where it is now or never. Wisdom is knowing the difference.

Very true, but those details are to be figured out on the fly...I at least make an effort...don't need to go all in...just check things out. Some times you dive off into the bottom, bust brush the whole way and the wind is bad, but sometimes you drop into a canyon, find a huge elk trail you didn't know was there, and the wind is good...if I walk away from an opportunity based on assumption, that might potentially haunt me later.

[Swede]

I agree you won't get anything if you never go, but the situation as described in post 1 was the area was inaccessible, too far away and time was running out. The time was running out was not explained, but I took it as the tail end of the day. Maybe the hunter needed to get back on the job or risk losing employment. In that case, if the boss has any sense of decency, he/she will completely understand why you were late or even missed work that day. If it is a job issue, it is time to go for the big bull.

[Roosiebull]

I agree you won't get anything if you never go, but the situation as described in post 1 was the area was inaccessible, too far away and time was running out. The time was running out was not explained, but I took it as the tail end of the day. Maybe the hunter needed to get back on the job or risk losing employment. In that case, if the boss has any sense of decency, he/she will completely understand why you were late or even missed work that day. If it is a job issue, it is time to go for the big bull.

I agree...I don't mind walking away...do it lots lately, I would rather they make the mistake and not me...inaccessible can turn into acessable real quick if you find a route...I always will turn back before running them off....at least I try to.

[CurlyTail]

I call that a "whatever it takes" attitude. An attribute of a cold blooded Elk killer.

[TimeOnTarget]

I see elk, i go kill elk.

I can account all my elk kills to this mentality. It creates lots of long nights and sometimes I even get to enjoy a nice sunrise on the pack out. All worth it.

[Lefty]

Um.... a total lack of self control.

When I see the antlers of a bull moving around whether he is eating, raking a tree, or just walking along it is like pushing the button on a nitrous booster. I'm 25 years old again with no aches or BRains.

Im sure that was a typo,.. I corrected it for you

[Lefty]

,...We all now when that moment of decision comes and we say we are going! What makes us do that?????

I know I ve had solid reasons for backing out.
Years back I cut the line on a catfish I had been battling for 45 minutes literally running up and down the river because the professor said we had one chance for the final.
Time is an issue: most of my teaching career Ive had Principals that were understanding. I had a backup plan ( and lesson plans) if I had to stay in the woods.
Twice Ive watched bulls bed Sunday mornings, And I had other obligations that I took care of.
I havent taken that easy buck, bull, coyote, fox, cow, doe or other game not that it wasn't fair chase, but it may have seemed too easy or just wrong. I will also say I have also regretted one of those
But the original question of why I go after something in such conditions,.. I still havent seen the answer, maybe it is a man thing. If something comes too easy I tend to see less value in the experience.

Years back it was common to hear about beaver trappers "Big shoulders, small waist, strong as an ox, but not much between the ears"
Squrril"
Those of us that were somewhere in that category use to joke about it,.. but maybe its an ADD thing

[Charina]

What makes us do that?????

Sometimes it's desperation.
Sometimes it's optimism.
Sometimes it's the allure of overcoming all odds to achieve victory.
Sometimes it's primal instincts.
Usually it's some combination of the above.