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October 18, 2011, 11:22 PM | #1 |
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Deer or Elk? Discovered an animal in photos, after the hunt.
Yesterday, I was showing my wife the pictures from my Elk hunt. As I was telling her that I hadn't seen a Bull Elk on the entire trip, I ran across these photos. (It's a "Trophy Bull" unit -- there are big ole bulls all over the place. Not seeing a single bull was very odd.)
I can't tell you why I took these photos, other than them being in the middle of a few shots I snapped to show my wife what the conditions and terrain looked like (and how dark a little stand of pines can be in the middle of the day). Because I had been zooming in on many other photos to show her some details, I just happened to zoom in on these. ...And there was an animal staring at me. ...But I can't convince myself of two things: 1. It's an Elk. (I'm 90% certain... but there's still that 10%.) 2. It's a Bull. (I can't decide if I'm really seeing antlers, or just weeds blending in with the obscured head.) What do you think? (Ignore the dramatic change in light levels. The extra snow in the second image made the camera have a fit, and screwed up its light balance. If you look carefully, you can verify that both photos were taken in the same place.) I kept telling my hunting buddies that the Elk were all in the pines, just watching us go by. ...I may have been more correct than I want to admit.
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October 18, 2011, 11:33 PM | #2 |
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Yeah that's an elk
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October 18, 2011, 11:33 PM | #3 |
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im a total amateur, but i would say 99% elk, and 60% bull.
my two cents. hope you had a nice trip! looks fun |
October 18, 2011, 11:54 PM | #4 |
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Definitely an elk, but I'd say a cow-- I think all the lighter stuff are branches in the foreground.
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October 19, 2011, 12:16 AM | #5 |
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Looks like an Elk, but the head is obscured too much to tell if it's a bull.
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October 19, 2011, 06:12 AM | #6 |
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Yeah, elk. Look at the rump. But I cannot tell bull or cow. Amazing how a critter this big can just blend in, but they certainly do. And that's why it's fun!
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October 19, 2011, 07:59 AM | #7 |
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Franken,
At what distance were those photos taken? Stalking or still hunting? Just curious. Others, How many would have taken the shot if you had a bull elk license? |
October 19, 2011, 09:50 AM | #8 |
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I live with elk. Around 500 winter within 1/2 mile of my house, so I have seen a few. My guess is a cow. Bulls in general are considerablly lighter in color than cows. When the herd is feed below the house I can easily tell the bulls from the cows just by the color.
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October 19, 2011, 10:54 AM | #9 |
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Definitely not a mammoth.
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October 19, 2011, 11:15 AM | #10 |
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Amazing.
I have been reading articles on stalking. It says one very important piece of equipment is a good pair of field glasses. The reason is to see into the dense brush. I never really thought about why until I saw those pictures. I'd bet if one had scanned that with good glass, that animal would have been much easier to spot.
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October 19, 2011, 01:21 PM | #11 |
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100% elk, about 70% sure it's a cow, if it is a bull it's a spike. you have a weed in the way that kind of looks like antlers
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October 19, 2011, 03:47 PM | #12 | |||
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Quote:
At the point that those photos were taken, we weren't really doing either. It was more of a casual stroll down a logging road (coming down off a 10040 ft peak, just barely back into the pines). And, the shot? Not me. Positive ID, only. I had a "Spike-only" tag. The Bull must have at least one antler with no branching above the ears. If the spike isn't there, or it has any points greater than 1"... it ain't legal (for that particular tag). Quote:
I missed it with the naked eye, and wouldn't have been using magnification. So, I just missed it. Quote:
The terrain, local conditions, and demeanor of the animals is unique everywhere you go. And, every hunter has their own preferences. The best way to figure out how to stalk, is to try what feels right. Adapt, improvise, and press on, from there.
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October 19, 2011, 04:43 PM | #13 |
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probably an elk cow
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October 19, 2011, 11:14 PM | #14 | |
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Quote:
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October 20, 2011, 11:08 PM | #15 | |
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Quote:
That photo was taken at about mile number 5 of 10. The trail we were on rises in elevation about 1,200 feet, and travels through valleys, over ridges, through and over creek beds, and snakes back and forth for 4-5 miles each way (up and back down). All of it lined with thick oakbrush, pines, quakies, willows, sagebrush, falllen logs, beaver dams, old logging slash piles, as well as 4-5 acre meadows thrown in here and there. Sometimes visibility is 20 feet, walk around a bend and you can see half a mile. I scan with the eyes while moving through the terrain, following up with the glasses if something catches my eye. While it is possible to scan every single square foot of area we hiked through, the amount of ground covered would most likely be far less. I happened to be standing next to Frankenmauser (with my "Spike" tag as well) as he took this picture, and neither of us saw the Elk (which is what I think it is). We did however see Moose, other elk, deer, coyotes, grouse, bear and cat tracks, and a few little fishies, so the hike wasn't a total waste.
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October 21, 2011, 12:27 AM | #16 |
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You really think you guys wouldn't have seen that elk at ~150 yards, standing at the edge of a clearing, thru 10x binoculars??
I agree, you are giving up ground covered by moving slowly and glassing more. I'm just pointing out that if you had that particular spot instead of taking pictures, you would have seen that particular elk. And, perhaps not the ones you saw further down the trail since you wouldn't have made it as far. I'm not trying to say I disagree with your methods. I'm just saying that I tend to move slower thru thick stuff and watch a lot. And I have glassed up elk in thick, nasty crap at 80-100 yards that I never would have seen with a naked eye. My point is that binoculars are nowhere near useless in thick stuff.
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"When there’s lead in the air, there’s hope in the heart”- Hunter’s Proverb "Feed me, or feed me to something. I just want to be part of the food chain." -Al Bundy |
October 23, 2011, 07:49 PM | #17 | |
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Quote:
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