bowhuntmontana
Well-known member
I was lucky enough to have a few late season cow tags this year and my freezer and family were calling for meat.
On the first cow, a good friend and I hiked a few miles up to a main ridge, and then back in another mile to get to a side canyon that often holds elk late in the season. We were set up in our glassing spot and just waiting for the snow to quit and fog to move out so we could see. It was about 5 degrees, so the 60 minutes was a cold wait. But when the weather cleared, we spotted a cow and calf bedded on a maple and oak brush bench low on the other side of the canyon. My buddy stayed put and I dropped down to a shooting position and was able to take her. Just lucked out that we were at a spot where we could even see her. By far the biggest cow I have ever been around and her teeth were worn down to the gums. Still tastes good. For some reason, I couldn’t stop smiling on the pack out. It just felt good.
About a week later, I was able to try to fill another tag. On the second cow, another friend and I were hiking up a trail to get to a ridge top. I always like to stop and glass some of the faces on the way up, but my buddy kept going, figuring I would catch up. This was in maple and oak country, and it seems the elk think they are hidden when they are actually quite visible with snow on the ground and leaves off the trees. Sure enough, I spotted a cow. I tried to get my buddy’s attention, but he didn’t notice. It took me about four minutes of steady glassing to pick up that cow again. She was broadside, staring at me, but seemed to think she was hidden. I got prone and took my time and made a good shot through the shoulders. She flinched, rocked back and forth, and went down. My friend came back after the shot and was sorry to have missed it. We crossed the canyon and found her, then wrestled her to the bottom whole, then boned her out from there and took her back up the other side. I think packing elk is my favorite type of exercise.
I love having the meat in the freezer. Canned about 40 pounds of it for the first time, and that has been delicious. Wish I had looked into canning some of my game meat before.
On the first cow, a good friend and I hiked a few miles up to a main ridge, and then back in another mile to get to a side canyon that often holds elk late in the season. We were set up in our glassing spot and just waiting for the snow to quit and fog to move out so we could see. It was about 5 degrees, so the 60 minutes was a cold wait. But when the weather cleared, we spotted a cow and calf bedded on a maple and oak brush bench low on the other side of the canyon. My buddy stayed put and I dropped down to a shooting position and was able to take her. Just lucked out that we were at a spot where we could even see her. By far the biggest cow I have ever been around and her teeth were worn down to the gums. Still tastes good. For some reason, I couldn’t stop smiling on the pack out. It just felt good.
About a week later, I was able to try to fill another tag. On the second cow, another friend and I were hiking up a trail to get to a ridge top. I always like to stop and glass some of the faces on the way up, but my buddy kept going, figuring I would catch up. This was in maple and oak country, and it seems the elk think they are hidden when they are actually quite visible with snow on the ground and leaves off the trees. Sure enough, I spotted a cow. I tried to get my buddy’s attention, but he didn’t notice. It took me about four minutes of steady glassing to pick up that cow again. She was broadside, staring at me, but seemed to think she was hidden. I got prone and took my time and made a good shot through the shoulders. She flinched, rocked back and forth, and went down. My friend came back after the shot and was sorry to have missed it. We crossed the canyon and found her, then wrestled her to the bottom whole, then boned her out from there and took her back up the other side. I think packing elk is my favorite type of exercise.
I love having the meat in the freezer. Canned about 40 pounds of it for the first time, and that has been delicious. Wish I had looked into canning some of my game meat before.
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