My wife finally drew her first archery elk tag 5BN

[elkslare]

Hello everyone I am a newbie on the block. I love to hunt elk or should I just say love to hunt period. Weather I have a tag or not it is nice just to be in the woods. I have hunted a couple different states in quest of big game. moose bear caribou elk antelope. (just a little about me beings i am new to the sight)

After putting in for 6 years she finally drew an archery tag. She is excited and already shooting her bow. What is cool about this hunt is our son got drawn for the same unit. Though they wont admit it there is a little bit of a compition going on here. I will be helping my wife, and my son will have a friend helping him.

I have hunted 6A and 10 But have never hunted unit 5Bn. Question is what is a good bull in this unit .we have 2 weeks to hunt, Is a 350 bull duable. or is this pushing the envelope? or is this not high enough?

 

 

 

[8OWHUNT247]

I think 350 is doable but if it were me, anything over 300 would be on the hitlist.. I have seen several 360ish bulls in there the last few years..

 

This guy still had some time to grow too...

[CWpredator]

350 bull in 5BN is doable. I've seen some dandy bulls. My dad took a 389 bull gross (377 net) out of there years ago. I killed a 330 bull in there 3 years ago and we hunted 2-3 bulls that were solid 350-360ish on that hunt just couldn't get it done on them. My family has 3 early archery bull tags and 2 cow tags in 5BN this year. Set your standards and stick to them you will be able to find a good bull there. Good luck to your wife and son!

[ForkHorn]

I would definitely say possible (especially a few years ago). But I consider a 330 + bull in that unit big. You shouldn't have too much of a problem finding a decent 6x6 that would make anyone with a bow in their hands excited.

[bonecollector]

Welcome to the site and good luck to your wife and son.

[GJMauro12]

I hunted it two years in a row on the archery hunt in 2009 and 2010. I had a blast and got into a ton of bulls. If either of them haven't taken a bull with a bow before I would shoot for anything over 300. You can find some studs in there if you put the time in and find them though.

[elkslare]

Thanks for the replies

 

forkhorn: I would have to agree with that especially when you consider this is her first bow elkhunt. I cant wait till she is close on a screaming bull. Her ticker will definatlly be pumping.

 

cwpredator: Congadulations to you and your family. All of you will have a great time. Those family times are ones that are not forgotten. Good luck to all of you.

 

80whunt247: Thanks for sharing the photo. That bull had some nice g3s. That other elk was probally a bull as well. I noticed he was in the big timbers compared to the pinion trees.

Will we find more of the bigger bulls in the Big pine trees or more out in the juniper and pinion trees in that unit?

I was wanting to put up some trail cams here in a couple of months better off putting in the big trees or pinion trees?

[Snapshot]

I have never hunted there, but I know a guy who is religous about applying for that hunt. He has taken some decent bulls, and missed opportunity at bigger. A few years ago 4 of his group had tags, and they came home with 3 bulls. Biggest was 340 ish,, the other 2 were in the 300 class. He showed me some trail cam pics of a couple bulls that would go around 350. It's been a few years since I have talked with him. Don't know what he has harvested since.

 

I am not picky. The first decent 6x6 I could get my sights on would be fine with me.

 

Good luck. Hope to see some of your hunt pics this fall.

[cosninocanines]

Good Bull? One with a small hole through it's heart laying next to a useable road

[120carp]

I have the same tag. I had the tag in 09 as well. Going to see what we see during the scouting to choose what the magic number. It could be 300-360 i dont know yet.

[Seldom Drawn]

Every elk unit up north holds a 380 plus bull If you are hunting the whole 13 days and scout hard 350 Is very doable.

How many animals has your wife killed, It might be really hard for her to pass up a 320 bull I had this tag 2 years ago and could

have let an arrow fly all 13 days at 6x6's let a 360 bull go first morning at 7:30 am holding out for the 2 bulls I wanted missed one of them

on day 10 and called the other in on day 12.and waited for a better shot and didn't get one.I drew this tag again this year.hopefully I

can get my 380 plus bull.Good luck on your family's hunt.

 

Seldom Drawn

[bstpeter]

Great Unit I drew it last year..scout early and I mean Early in the morning start at about 4am a few weeks before if they are answering you'll get a better feel for where they are. Don't be afraid of Pinions I chased a very big 6x7 last year four days in a row but had other hunters in the area so he was very hard to get close to. Saw three huge bulls and blew a shot on a nice 6x6 easily above 350. I walked away with some great memories but no Elk meat. Personally if I get to do it again and a smaller Bull came in and gave me a shot...I'd take it. Archery is Archery and I'm sure some people who are extremely awesome at Elk hunting with a Bow have the chance to pass..right place right time. But every day could be different calls were spotty and hunters started running and gunning areas and pushed Elk all over the place and made them skittish. Good luck to your wife and have a blast. small set I found in 5bn this weekend

[huntlines]

This is a great unit and should be lots of fun. If it is her first elk hunt I'd be letting her shoot at anything over 300. Lots of nice bulls in this unit but don't have her hold out for 350 bull for her first time. The rut could be hit or miss and can change overnight!

[Tines]

Geez, I need to hunt with you guys. Seems like 350+ bulls are pretty common no matter where you go.. ; )

 

First of all, you've got two full weeks to hunt and that's the best thing you've got going for you. You talked about hunting in other states so I'd imagine you have an understanding of all of the variables that come with archery elk hunting in the rut. But in a nut-shell, you just can't predict what's "doable" and what's not. Several have mentioned things that will increase your odds so by all means, stick with those.

 

I do have a question for you. Do you know what a 350"+ bull looks like on the hoof? I don't mean to insult, it's a genuine question. Many think they have an idea what 350 inches of antler looks like but probably less than 1/4 of those can accurately identify them on a regular basis. Things in the field can happen really fast and we all WANT to see one so by no fault of our own (minus inexperience), excitement sets in and the magical "350" comes out in a conversation. The "400" is even better. Elk are no different than Coues deer- a 3x3 can score anywhere from 50"-130"+ (approximately). And that's a HUGE difference! A pretty 6x6 bull elk screaming his brains out at 30 yards through the trees as he's coming in on a string can look big. Angles play tricks too. But ultimately he might be 280". And if you don't have much experience and it happens real fast, he might look like a magical number. Especially if your wife or son happens to be by themselves when it happens.

 

This isn't meant to discourage you. I just want you, your wife and son to have a great hunt and not put too much pressure on the final inches measured. It sounds like your wife is fairly new at this and I'm assuming your son's in the same boat? If you've got two weeks of hunting and you're already thinking about 350" bulls, be prepared to deal with some worn out (physically and mentally) hunters by the end of the first week and possibly some great bulls being passed up in the mean time. It's one thing for us to hold out but another for first time hunters. Most first time hunters who go home empty handed feel like they've failed. Many times they don't know what to expect so we've got to be careful not to set the bar too high. I'm sorry if I sound negative. Not my intentions. Just make sure that the number one goal everyone has going into this hunt is to have fun and instill those memories/experiences that encourage a desire to come back and do it again the next year. THAT'S more important than anything else.

 

Good luck. You've got a good tag and it should be a blast!!

[Seldom Drawn]

Every unit up here has at least a 350 bull you just need to put In the time looking and when you live In the middle of the elk country

It can be a little easiser, 5bn Isn't any better then ,5bs 7w ,8 an 6a except to many tags given out in these two units.

 

 

Tines, you are being to generous I would guess only 1 or 2 hunters out of ten can score an animal on the hoove close.

I see people and score there animals they kill or sheds they find who think they might have a 330-340 bull and It might score 265- 270

I have found three sets of sheds this year in three units that break the 350 mark using a 35 inch spread.and they wenen't In unit 9 or 10