hunting2

Hunting Pg.2

This was not my first elk with a bow but it was my first bull. My first elk taken with a bow was a magnificient cow.
It may sound silly here but I want you to know that I knelt beside the first elk that I took with a bow and I cried. Not for shame or guilt but for appreciation. Appreciation for God's creation and provision.

This bull was taken in the Gila Wilderness in Southern New Mexico. It was taken by a man whose name I forget but the picture came out nice so I include it here. I WISH it were my elk.

This is my first and only Moose. I shot it west of Dubois, WY with a 8mm/06 Ackley Improved.
This was a young moose and the estimated live weight was about 1,000 pounds. Not bad for a "young" animal. Moose sure is a fine meat. Maybe that's because they don't spend a lot of time running or traveling like other deer species.

I don't know how many Mule deer I have taken through the years but they have all been trophies to me. I'm holding my all-time favorite rifle here. A 6.5X55 Swedish Mauser with a 1.5 to 4.5 variable scope. I've taken some long shots with this rifle and never felt like I needed a scope with more than a 4X magnification.

You may not see this little Black Hills whitetail buck as a trophy deer but he sure was a welcome guest at our dinner table. I shot him with a 7mm Rem. Mag. in a Ruger Model 77. No, I was not hunting in my buckskins. I have been justafiably called dumb at times but never for hunting with a tan leather coat on.

Yup! Turkey with a .45 cal. Thompson Center Hawken. I knew enough to not shoot it in the middle of the body. It worked just fine to shoot it just behind the legs. The head would have been a better shot but a very small target. This turkey was taken in the Black Hills Fall season in which Toms and Hens may be harvested. Obviously, this is a hen.

This is my first of two bulls I killed with a Foxfire Crossbow. A crossbow like this works just fine but I tend to enjoy the simplicity of a bow and arrows. The greatest advantage I found with the crossbow is the ability to have the bow a full draw and wait for the elk to come into range. A that moment you need only squeeze the trigger.

Her I am with the second and last bull I've taken with a crossbow. I have nothing against crossbows and feel that the skill needed to harvest an elk with a crossbow is about the same as with a traditional or compound bow.
If you can get an elk in range of any kind of bow, you have achieved an exciting memory. Whether you collect the elk or not, you will talk about seeing one of these magnificient animals up close for the rest of your life.

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