How many elk a year are you allowed to shoot ? I read the post about 600 pounds of meat on a quad and was thinking , hell , if a guy gets one a weekend you'd have 30 deep freezes full . (I realize there is a season)

From your nick it looks like you get them with a bow , very impressive , how close do you have to get ?

I have eaten elk at a party once , tasted like a beef to me (I am sure proper preparation is part of the recipe) . I was much more impressed with the flavor of elk over whitetail deer for sure .

I just want a little elk hunting education is all . :-)

Thank you and please reply ,

Rick Ritter

PS . Out of the kindness of your heart , may I have a lower elk leg ? I had an old man once I went to bars with that had one behind his truck seat , very nice ornimental billy club .

 

Hey Rick,
In New Mexico we are only allowed one elk per year and its a draw. If you shoot a big bull it can go 1,000 pounds....if you are boning it out, you can have alot of meat, I quarter them, on a big bull you can be strapping alot of meat on the racks.

I do hunt with a bow, its a longer season, and the elk are in the rut, so its alot more fun chasing bugling bulls and they are easier to locate.

Elk is awesome easting, I have elk in the freezer now and it alot of it. Doesn't take much preparation to cook them, they don't taste wild at all, they have a slightly different taste, but for the most part taste close to beef, just alittle different. I would take elk over whitetail or mule deer, anyday, elk is much better.

Even with one elk you will have a freezer full....I've taken several elk. I always have elk in the freezer, if I don't shoot one, like this year, is because I had plenty of meat in the freezer and I was trophy hunting. I passed over a dozen bulls within easy shooting range this year. As far as how close you need to get, it depends on your shooting skills. I practice to 80 yards, but have taken almost all of my elk within 30 yards....

If you want to come out next year, let me know, I'll take you out. If you want to come out with muzzleloader, I can take you on that also....if you want rifle, well I can help set you up on a hunt and may even be able to go along and guide. I have guided before, just don't do it because of time. You're welcome to come out, our draw opens around the beginning of February, you can apply online, and then they draw the tags at the end of June.

Let me know if you are interested.

Dave

 

I shoot a 55 pound martin x-100 recurve . I don't use sights or pins . I don't really hunt with it either . I just enjoy target shooting . I am good to a pie plate at 20 yards . At 30 yards I am not close enough to being accurratte for a clean kill , or a kill at all , I would never even attempt a 30 yard shot on game . Would I be wasting my time with my current setup ?

 

with practice you'll be able to shoot 30 yards, but I can get them alot closer than that for you....

I have a friend that hunts purely with recurves and has taken alot of elk, some huge bulls....

when the elk are bugling, its easy to go after them, then figure out a setup...in your case with a recurve, I would do the calling, work the bulls, find out what is in the herd and then sit back aways from you and call them in....alot of times the satellite bulls will come in, but after a herd bull, takes some extra work and depending where it is in the rut, they will act differently...

alot of times if the bulls have the cows herded it up, its hard to pull away the herd bull, I generally get in close to the cows and then call to get the bull worked up...alot of times the satellites will screw it up and come in...depending on what size bull you want sometimes you have to wait....

I can always get you in on bulls though, thats not a big deal....I pass on alot of bulls and alot more cows each year....although last year on the last day I took a cow right at the last light of day...there was a bull somewhere with the cows as he was bugling, but I ran out of light...I quartered that cow in the dark with a flashlight and actually got my Polaris up the hill to it to get it out....then I had to get back downhill, quite a ride, don't know how I did it after I looked at it again in the day time...then my truck was 20 miles away....I actually passed on 7 bulls in two of the nights before that, 4 one night and 3 on the other, sitting on a water hole...depending on the weather, if its dry, water holes work well and I can put you in 20 yards from the hole...but I really like going after bugling bulls...but they're not always bugling, depends on the weather, moon, etc.

dave

 

Dave ,

Thanks for the information . I appreciatte the heads up on the subject . If I ever get effective enough with a bow that is something I would love to do . Using a high powered rifle really doesn't interest me much at all . I wish you a great hunting season and I would like to see your pictures if you take any this year .

Rick Ritter

 

Thanks Rick....again, you're welcome to come out and hunt with me. You have to put in for the draw for next year between February and I thinks it 1 April, then they draw in late June.

Its really the most excited hunting I've ever done...having a bull elk screaming away less than 20 yards from you gives you the chills.

Rifles don't interest me either, I hunt almost everything with the bow, except varmints...which I've used the bow on coyotes before and taken them with it.

Let me know at any time if you want to come out, only costs you the tag and whatever you bring with you....

here is the last thing I put in the record book with my bow, it scores 82 in the books

Pronghorn
dave

 

Elkbow...awesome pic.......


Rick...you are from the land of BIG deer...do you hunt 'em?

 

i used to live in southern illinois "golconda" and the amout of dear there was crazy it was common to see
HUNTERS WELCOM HOT COFFEE SERVED AT THE HOUSE spray painted on the sides of barns because there was just so many white tail.

 

thats about the only thing I miss about the great white north...alot of deer to hunt and you can hunt them during archery and gun season...well in Illinois I think it is archery and shotgun or whatever...but still fun to hunt..

here in NM, I haven't drawn a deer hunt in the last 4 years....purely a draw here and i put in for the Sandia mountains right here on the fringe of Albuquerque, alot of big mule deer up there and now they lowered the number of hunters even more....

 

From my talks with Dave he sounds like a Master hunter, very knowledgeable.

I hunt whitetails a lot with my bow (Browning Single cam set at 60#) I practice out to 30 yards and have pins and shoot out to 50 yards for 3D shoots but I would never even think of taking a shot at an animal more than 30 yards.

Most all my shots in the woods are w/i 20 yards and 90 percent were at 10-15 yards.
I think you could do it Rick with practice and Dave's help.

IMO too much could happen at 40+ yard shots like if the animal moves, hell they jump the string at 15 yards.
All depends on your skill and equipment, I know people take longer shots and on moving animals and have been successful.

Jim