Fat Cow-Meat for another year

[rock rat]

Despite appearances it's a cold day. Strong winds and temps in the 20s. Skin is off, now it's just a lot of work cutting it up.

[fitch270]

Congrats Rat, you'll be eating like a king.

[WA Mtnhunter]

Congrats, buddy! I spared your population this past season and didn’t elk hunt. I think I have enough meat until Fall! Be well!

[dewman]

Elk is my favorite mammal to eat! Good job RR. A few more details if you would. Equipment, how the hunt went down, The Who's, what's, & where's if you would.

[MattM37]

Just sent my address via private-message. Don't go overboard -- four or five pounds of steaks will be plenty, maybe half a backstrap, too, if there's room in the box. Thanks, man!

Congratulations, RR.

[Pmacc60]

Congrats to you RR, your set now !

[Dougfir]

That's good stuff. Congrats!

[Ontario Honker Hunter]

Looks like a yearling cow. Should be very good eating. Those are ponderosa cones so she must not have been too high up. Easy to haul out I'm guessing.

[DakotaMan]

Congrats Rock... that will be lots of great steaks.

[rock rat]

Elk is my favorite mammal to eat! Good job RR. A few more details if you would. Equipment, how the hunt went down, The Who's, what's, & where's if you would.

It was on private land, my safety elk, and a good thing this year as all my units were closed due to fire.

Like a lot of pieces of private elk are hard, they aren't there for fifty days then they move across the land in half an hour, if you are there you might get a shot. It's different than having hundreds of miles of public, but the season lasts 6 months. We go after Thanksgiving when things are cold.

I'd heard they were in the area, went up and they were about to enter the land, when I parked I could see them in front of me already. I ran down and got a place where there is a good hill as a backstop and shot one from close as they were walking by. 45yds 180 grain 30 06 Barnes. I didn't even watch it after it fell, snuck back out and called buddy to get one. They spook when one falls but if the human is moving away they seem to settle down. Elk continued over the hill, then back the way they'd come from and off the land. Gone in 1 hour.

Buddy came up and we winched it onto back of pickup, hung in garage, butchered in kitchen. Cow had already had a calf, just finished lactating, teats but dry. Fairly good sized, I had no time to pick and choose, made sure it wasn't a spike or a calf that's all. bullet behind front leg, clipped tops of lungs and blood vessels there, out in front of front leg other side. Healthy. I didn't weigh the meat this year, usually around 200lbs.

Spent a lot of days since looking for that herd. I think they disappeared up into the National Park, hardly any snow here.

Usually all the elk gone, WAM cleans em out, none left for us locals. 😀