Hold him off for a big one?

[Big O]

I have an 11 yr old who has never shot an elk. There is no way he would let ANY mature bull walk. I don't think most guys on here would either. Elk are to hard to come by. My dad and uncle always had a saying out hunting- "get greedy, get nothing". I can live with that but not sure my son could. Hate to see a tag like that not filled at all. If he can hold out, good for him. I don't see kids saying "I should held out for a bigger one" like most of us, he'll be proud of whatever he shoots.
-My 2 cents, good luck with whatever happens.

 

[Mikeflies]

Those Desert Elk are nice & some can be very large. A man I worked with took one out of the desert about 3yrs ago that is a 350 class bull. He told me he saw larger one's, but took the first good bull that gave him a good clean shot. He put in for yrs before being drawn & was rewarded with a nice bull of a lifetime. I say scout the area well and make sure your son goes with you so he can see what is out there and make a good choice on a nice bull. Good luck & God Bless.

 

[nmtaxi]

At 12 years old, just make sure you guys have a good time and enjoy the hunt. It's hard enough getting a 12 year old on an animal without the pressure of the score. My son has had two elk hunts that I heard from everybody "Don't shoot if he's under 330". My son shot a raghorn on the first hunt, and a 280 bull on the second. He's still thrilled with both bulls, and both of those hunts are burned in our memory forever. Some of those guys that gave me that advice had kids that ate tag soup because of their dad's score minimum.

The great thing about hunting premium units with kids is usually premo units have more animals and gives the kid more opportunities. That's just my thoughts.

 

[noharleyyet]

MuddyBull....betcha I can guess the topic of most dinner conversations. What a cool adventure to look forward to and plan. Savor it, they grow up too fast.

 

[MuddyBull]

Had a good talk with the boy this morning. He will be thrilled with any decent 5 point or better. His eyes were lighting up at the thought of any kind of Bull. He said for his first one he didn't care at all how big it was. We decided we will scout what we can and hope to get on a big one, but will not pass up a modest branch antlered Bull on opening morning. If he is happy with it then I am thrilled. If the Good Lord decides to send a 300+ our way first, well that will be icing on the cake!
Thanks for your thoughts fellas.

 

[Brandenbowhunter]

I would gauge a few bulls for youself and see what is really in the unit and decide from there...go scout...and IF you find a big boy...decide...250" might be a big one in there this year..doubt it...but I have seen guys hold out in a unit here...that is know for big bulls...they hold on an off year and never see the "big" bulls.

 

[Khunter]

scout the hunt rather than assume some line about what the potential is. Take you kid on the scouting and let him see what is there, then let him decide what he wants and if he wants to pass on whatever opportunities come along. most kids are going to kill one of the first animals in range. Let him. Surely you want him to get an elk on his first elk hunt?

Try not to think about this being a OIL tag. It isn't since there is no such thing to the mind of a 12 year old kid...and 5% odds are pretty decent

To me, it is not a hunt of a lifetime if you do not get out there and spend quality time learning the area and trying to find the older age class animals--regardless of what you come home with, it is the time afield and the effort you know you put in that makes the hunt.

 

[MuddyBull]

With all the moisture this year I am hoping for above average antler growth. We will be spending time out there with lots of glassing and should have a good idea of what an average bull is for this year. It's going to be a busy Fall. My nephew has a Bison tag and we hope to get it done with a bow, He also has a Limited draw elk tag in SE part of State that I plan to help with. My 2 older boys will be hunting with me on weekends. I am continuing my quest for a general tag 300" bull with bow and hoping to fill an additional cow tag along the way. I have done this the past 3 years and ate my general tag every year with no regrets. There are lots of memories to be made!!

 

[Carrion Carrier]

Any first elk is a trophy!

 

[MHMT]

When I was 15 years old I drew a decent Mule Deer special permit in MT. My biggest buck prior was pretty much a forked horn. I was eager to shoot the first 4 point we saw, I even had a nice 140ish buck in my crosshairs at first legal light on opening day. My dad told me to wait, the buck took off and I was really upset... but we looked over a lot more bucks that day and ended up with a pretty nice one. Even though it all happened within one day, I was glad my dad had me hold out for something a little bit bigger. Not a monster, but a good solid buck (plus, there has never been a Booner taken in this unit to my knowledge, so we were pretty happy with this buck)

 

[chadderbox]

I agree with your son!!! Any 5 point or better, don't ruin the hunt with to much pressure!! He has many years of hunting ahead or him... Hopefully he will luck out and the first good bull will be a monster... My first elk was a 380" bull that I didn't truly appreciate until I was much older!!! Keep it fun and good luck...