Elk tag filled.......

[Tuc]

Eyed this fellow up on a grassy slope about 9:30 Wednesday morning. He had one cow with him....at least that's all I could see.
After I finally made it to the top (huffing and puffing :lol:) they were gone. I could smell him as soon as I got up there and seen 3 or 4 young pine saplings he'd been sparing with. I knew then the rut was still on. There was a pine thicket (flanked by another grassy knoll) across the clearcut and my hunch was he was in there. I nestled in behind a few young trees and started to bugle. After about 6 calls he came out silent and stood on the edge. (about 100yds) I love neck shots so I turned the scope up to 9x and he dropped on the spot. Being alone, I knew I had my work cut out for me. It was starting to get warm and I wanted to get him cooled down real fast. Not wasting any time, I cut him in half, dragged him to the truck with the quad and took the hide off him there.

This guy had a tag on his ear, could he be one of those problem elk relocated from Banff or part of some study? I'm going to call F&W first thing Monday morning. Any suggestions?
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c110/Tucman/1-2.jpg

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c110/Tucman/2-2.jpg

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c110/Tucman/100_2049.jpg

[honda450]

Some good eats there Tuc. Good job.

[Rackmastr]

Congrats! Nothing like bull elk on the ground.....

[chuck0039]

Good job Tuc Nice looking bull. congrates

Man i hope the rut is still on when I leave Sunday, All these pictures of Elk down is really making me wish I was out there now.

[Brady]

HEEEEYYYYYY, look at you old friend. Congrats, I will have a snort of Jag, right now for ya.:D:D

[Tuc]

Hey Brady, after your good advise on the Primos Terminator, I bought one....and it paid off.

[Brady]

LOL, yup, it sure did!!!!! Right on.:D

[spudislander]

Nice harvest, congrats.

[TBark]

Way to go Tuc,

TBark

[gramps73]

Tuc
Nice bull for sure, I am heading up north on Wednesday hoping that I can connect with one of those bad boys
Gramps

[Cowboy Al]

Congrats! It's nice when a little sweat equity pays off:)

[TC7]

Why is it always about the grassy knoll's first it is JFK and now this poor elk. I wonder if there is any video footage about this one that we can examine for the next sixty years or so. Awsome elk , he is going to be perfect on the BBQ.Great job!!!

[shooter]

Congrats on your elk Tuc. That i'll fill the freezer!!

[matathonman]

That'll be good eatin.Way to go Tuc!

[BIGBADJOHN]

Atta be Tuc great job man .

[Duk Dog]

Congrats Tuc.

[ABwhitetail]

nice job!!!!

[ehntr]

Nice Tuc!

[Walleyes]

Well done Tuc,, and some very fine photo's for being alone as well I might add.. Thx for sharin..

[CBRHunter]

Great pics for being by yourself x2. Sure is nice that your hard work paid off!

Danni

[slopeshunter]

Congrats Tuc, nice lookin elk. Well earned!

[Albertahog]

WOW nice elk you old timers make it look so easy.:)

[Wild Bill]

Congratulations Tuc. That's one fine looking bull. x3 on the solo picts.

[The Anvil]

Nice Elk Tuc.... gonna be eating good for a while!

[mountainmike]

way to go Tuc....nice work, Congrats

Mike

[270man]

Nice goin', Ron.

270

[huntforlife]

Great job tuc. Was this back in 402?

[hayseed]

Congrats Tuc, Hats off too ya man, good job.:)

[hunt_and_fish]

Way to go Tuc. Congratulations on a fine bull.

[Rockymtnx]

Congrats Tuc.
Thanks for sharing with us.

[Alberta Bigbore]

Good Job Tuc!! Congrats on that Bull!!

[Tuc]

Thanx guys!

Well done Tuc,, and some very fine photo's for being alone as well I might add.. Thx for sharin..

Ya Walleyes, once I got the timer figured out to my camera it was a snap. Automatic one that is. :lol: No pun intended. :lol: :wave:

Huntingforlife,
Yes, the elk was taken in 402.

[huntinggr81]

Way to go Tuc! Great looking bull.

[mh_3000]

congrats on a great bull!!! thats a "gagger" good job can post what happens about the tag on his ear plz?

[Stinky Buffalo]

Congrats, Tuc! Awesome elk.

Gotta respect a man who will pack one of those out solo. :D

Stinky B.

[TreeGuy]

Tuc, what a beauty bull! I can't believe I'm only noticing your thread right now. Huge congrats from this corner. I love neck shots too. Probably a Maritimer carryover thing about not wreckin' the meat. Congrats my friend!:wave:

Tree

[glen d.]

Nice bull Tuc , another memory in the bag , there's nothing like it ,the area looks familiar .
Tuc , not to be critical , just a suggestion , when i have pulled out elk with the quad i also tie on the antlers and a half loop around the nose then up to the top rack just enough to get the head and upper body a bit of a lift so it don't catch on logs , and tie up close to the quad , it does make the front end a bit lighter but pulls much better i find , mind you the 800 Polaris has no problem.

[Tuc]

Glen thanx for the tips. I did tie it up after I got it out of the hole. I know going across clearcuts can be hell if you don't tie the head close to the quad racks. :)

[Cam-hunter]

Way to go Tuc let us know what you find out about the ear tag

Cam

[Tuc]

Well some of you were asking about the ear tag....

I talked to a F&W officer yesterday and he said it is quite common for hunters to shoot an elk with an ear tag. As I suspected, he said it could be a problem elk from Banff or a farmers field that has been relocated, it could also be one they are doing a study on. He did ask me if I'd check the back of the tag to see if it was stamped with a "Do not eat". That I didn't do and I told him we had already fried up the TL..... I also added I couldn't check the tag right away because the head was with the rest of the elk in my buddies cold storage room. I've been trying to contact buddy to check the tag for me but he's hard to get a hold of.

Anyrate, the officer took the number on the tag and ran it through the computer, he couldn't come up with any info, at that point, on this elk so he said he would do more research and get back to me ASAP. Apparently, if it is stamped with a 'do not eat', F&W will issue you another tag if you turn over the elk and the head to them....

I also asked why they stamp 'do not eat' on the tags. He said if it was a research elk and had been tranquilized they suggest not eating it for a period of one year. With that said, he also assured me noone would get sick from eating the tenderloins and they do this as a safety precaution. He said the drug is usually out of the elk system after 1 week. They also net some of the elk they relocate and in that case there would be no drugs used.

I'll give an update when I know more.

[honda450]

I also found a tag in 402 years ago, never shot it just found the tag. Stamped H of A, Alberta 8K93437

[Tuc]

I just got a call from Cochrane F&W office and my ear tagged elk came from a farmers field south of HWY 22. This is in the problem area they opened up a late season (in Dec) on X amount of elk tags two years in a row. CO said the buggers were chewin up the farmer's hay pretty bad.

This elk was corralled along with 3 or 4 of his buddies in 2006 and relocated to Hidden Creek in 402. The officer asked me a few more questions on antler size, when and where he was shot and thanked me for reporting the tag.

Always glad to help out in the name of conservation!

[honda450]

Good show Tuc. You worked for that critter. I gotta bring my pack mule in for the hunt...........my son. Yeah could do those pack outs in 402 in my day. Age takes its toll. Shot some nice bulls way up high there in my younger days Now I wouldn't even go up there.

[Tuc]

I hear ya Honda.
I had a couple of buddies with but they went out early to go back to work.

My days of going in there alone are coming to an end, just too much work for one guy. I cut that elk in half and managed to get both halves (hide off) up in the truck by myself.
The ole legs and back were sore for two days.

[honda450]

Well Tuc I got a couple of draws in 402 not this year but future, maybe a couple of old farts like us could show the youngin's how its done.

[M70]

Congrats on the bull, Tuc. That's a big job for a lone hunter.

[Tuc]

Well Tuc I got a couple of draws in 402 not this year but future, maybe a couple of old farts like us could show the youngin's how its done.

Sounds like a plan 450.

Thx M70!