So I shot my first elk last Monday...

Yukon Mike

Yukon Mike

Well-known member
Back in the summer I won a draw for a cow tag (one of only 18 permits) near town here and have spent a lot of time looking since the opener Sept 1. I got a shot through the trees back in late Oct and missed but other than that I haven't found any cows in the area I'm allowed to hunt until last week, then they were everywhere.

After cutting hot tracks at sunup, I trailed a bunch through the bush and caught up to them in a little clearing. One shot, dead elk.

It was really tough getting her out of the bush by myself with my screwed up back and maybe I should have gone and got Mac out of school to help, but my pride said I could do it if I was careful. I used a snowmobile and skimmer and only had to cut a 1/2 mile or so of trail through poplars to get to her. I went slow, tried to be careful, and after I got her gutted was able with a come along to roll her into the skimmer. When I got back to my truck I took an almighty run at the snowmobile trailer and managed to get the load halfway up before I ran out of trailer for the skidoo. Again the hand winch did the trick and pulled the tobaggan the rest of the way up on to the trailer. Back home I slid her into the garage and used ratcheting tie downs to get her hung from the ceiling so I could skin her without having to bend over. The whole hide and head were a compulsory submission for the moose cops, so I rug'd her like a bear with the hooves attached just for the heck of it. It was super clean meat hanging by the end of the day, and I didn't wreck myself. I was very pleased, except that I felt surprisingly bad for killing a female.

Even on Tues I wasn't feeling very good about killing a cow and I hadn't taken any pictures or anything. Then I cut a couple of t-bones off with the bandsaw and threw them on the barbq for breakfast. O MY GOD!!!!!! That is the most tender, best tasting wild meat I have ever had! Since Tues I've cooked up some sirloin steaks, burgers, soup bones and ribs and they were all AWESOME! So I have totally gotten over my guilt for shooting a female and sneak a peek into the freezer several times a day, it just makes me smile. I haven't shot any big game myself for several years and it is very satisfying to have gotten this critter. And also, the fact that I was ABLE to physically do it is very encouraging. Since I had back surgery in '08 there have been a lot of setbacks and a lot of disappointments, and honestly, I thought my hunting adventures were going to be limited to birds forever. I am not as strong or as able as I was before the surgery, even after 4 years of physio and trying different stuff, but getting her back to town was the most physically demanding event I've been able to endure since 2007, and I am very grateful. To someone young and strong this would have been no big deal, probably back to the truck in 1/2 hour. But to me, it was a tremendous gift, and I savor the day. Here's to the things I chase that get me out of bed on days I'd rather sleep, to walk on days that hurt, to see country I've never been in before, because they might be.

Mike

"If we aren't supposed to eat critters, then why are they all made of meat?"
 
Sound like that elk herd is expanding and they just wanted to keep it in check. All of the guys I know down here would much rather shoot a cow than a bull any day when the freezer is in mind. Funny how a cow elk T-bone will make a guy forget!
Al
 
"Here's to the things I chase that get me out of bed on days I'd rather sleep, to walk on days that hurt, to see country I've never been in before, because they might be. "

No better words could be spoken! Congratulations on both counts.
 
Mike
Many of us on here know what you were going thru. Glad you did no serious damage. Enjoy the meat.
wis boz
 
Great story, Mike. Glad it turned out so well for you. To bad you couldn't have shot her from your ladder stand with the truck just a short distance away. :-)
 
Great story, glad you filled the freezer and glad you are able to get out & about after back surgery. Just remember not to overdo it, you've got Mac when you need a young guy to pitch in!
 
Very nice, Mike, congratulations on all aspects of your adventure. Yep, elk is tasty, I'm cooking up a bunch myself today for my archery league tonight. Glad you are able to get out.
 
Yeaaaaaa Thats the way to go. I am glad you found a way to do it without hurting your back. It takes a new way of thinking.

 
Good for you. Nice to hear you are getting out there after 'em again.
I haven't had enough elk to tell the difference between a bull and cow but I do know that almost any elk meat is better then no elk meat. :)
When deer hunting I will usually 'settle' for a doe if I can instead of waiting for a buck. Not normally a huge difference but sometimes it's enough to tell.

Tim
 
Mike,

Glad you're able to get out and hunt. Like you said plan your moves, take it slow and use mechanical methods when ever possible. As far as the cow I wouldn't think twice about it. After all they wouldn't offer cow tags if it were a bad thing. I had a biologist tell me that a sick cow/doe is just as bad to a herd as a sick bull/buck. Both need to be harvested to keep a herd healthy. Eat and enjoy!
 
Thanks guys, encouraging words. From a herd health standpoint we needed to kill some cows because when it was left to hunters to decide if they wanted a cow or a bull, everyone shot bulls resulting in a less than ideal bull:cow ratio. Since the herd is relatively small, about 230 head, we didn't want just a few bulls parenting all the calves. So in the interest of genetic diversity it was decided to give the bulls a break from harvest for a year or two, and manage the overall number of the herd by harvesting a few cows. Actually, there is no good reason to harvest any of these Yukon elk as they have tons of range to expand into where they would not compete with moose or caribou, but due to the expansion of country residential properties handed out by the Ag Branch, elk are finding themselves unwelcome in the new hay fields, hence the limited harvest. When I moved up here 20 years ago and saw some of the bulls running around I dreamed about trying for one someday and have put my name in every year they've had a draw. I actually turned in a cow tag I won two years ago in hopes of getting a bull tag another year, but this year when I got drawn again, and Mac got drawn on his first try, I decided hunting for 2 cows with the boy would be way funner than hunting by myself. So we still have two more months to try to find him a cow. The cool thing is, I can still carry a rifle while looking for him, because there are wolves and bison in the same area, and I can hunt them while scouting for Mac. If I shot a bison I wouldn't even try to move it. I'd just go get a bunch of people to help. The walking is what's helping my back get stronger better than anything, I just can't get too far some days before it spazzes out. But that's a whole other story.

Mike
 
Good going Mike. I fully understand the doing it on your own desire. In 2011 getting a caribou 100 yards back to the truck nearly killed me. Legs and lower back and left hip locked up for two weeks after that. Luckily I had help from the ex-wife's ex-boyfriend I was mentoring. I did a horrible job mentoring him due to all my issues with my body after that point.

In 2012 the caribou was a mile off the road, and my only issue was my left arm locking up towards the end of breaking the animal down. My left hand turned into a claw while sleeping that night. That will wake you up. I had to sit on it to keep it flatten out. Due to the left arm injuries from earlier in 2011 I could not pick up a pack frame that was fully loaded. I just had to deal with it one small meat piece at a time by sitting down and crawling into the pack and rolling over on my knees to stand up. I did not fully understand how dense the neck and brisket of a animal was until that pack out. A two foot long piece of critter and it must have been about 70 pounds with only about 20 pounds of meat on it.

I recall a time when I put two caribou legs on a pack and walked at a brisk pace across the tundra. Those days are well behind me now. However, I am getting fitter and maybe next year it will be easier.

Using tools to get things done rather than strength is a good thing.
 
I always like reading about your adventures, and see the pictures, especially the beaver ponds, sheep pictures with your son. the winter hockey tourney
 
Great story. No wild game finer than elk.

Sorry about the back, but it sounds like you are living with it and not letting it control you.

Very best,
Steve
 
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