Yesterday morning while guiding a hunter we spotted a huge bodied bull elk with massive 6x6 antlers, 13 cows and calves about 100 yards into land closed to public hunting, it is leased to an outfitter. They were about 30 yards from another fence where I've permission to guide hunters.

What would you do?

We watched them run off, in the wrong direction of course. It was on this guys last day of the hunt. We did get into some elk later in the day so it wasn't a total loss.

The hunter seemed to appreciate the ethics of the situtation and my handling of it, lots of cussing, beating my head on the hood of the pickup and hand wringing.

Barny

IMO you did the only thing you could do, legally and ethically. Why even bother to ask?

I think I would have tried to find some way to have them catch my scent in such a way as to get them to run into an area I could legally, morally and ethically hunt in...after all these are free-ranging animals.

GatoGordo is right in that you chose the only real option. Damn I would have done anything possible to get 'em to cross that fence though!

JohnTheGreek

You obviously did the right thing.

I'm just surprised the elk ran off, I'd expect them to just stand there and wave at you. I'm convinced game animals check calendars.

A couple years ago I went scouting on a public WMA near here where I never saw a live deer during season. I jumped one right away, just off the road I usually walk in on.

While pig hunting in Calif. last week I had 5 mule deer come within 20-30 yards, looking at me as I raised and lowered my binoculars. I was obviously armed, dressed in hunting clothes, but the season was closed and I had no tag and no permission.

John

Barny,

Course you did the only proper thing after all its mighty hard to drag an elk carcass 30 yards and toss it over a fence... now a roe deer, thats a lot smaller!

Pete

Way to go Barny it does my heart good to see an honest and ethical hunter. But Dang I hate it when something like that happens. How do they know where you can't hunt? I guess this is one way to prove God has a since of humor.

barny,
Congratulations on a proper hunt. I say this as some hunters care only for the game taken and to heck with the fact that the big bull is 30 yards from the property line. The "I can see it I can shoot it" mentality.

Your attitude goes a long way in furthering the sportsmenship we all should strive for, in this day of continuous challenges to our hunting rights.

Deja vu, Barny.

I was in the same predicament in June in Zimbabwe.

We were driving back to camp for lunch, via the grassy plain where the wildebeest always stayed.

Suddenly the PH stops to look at a group of sable crossing the track from right to left, about 300 yards away, right near the wildebeest.
While he was watching the cows, I said "There's a huge bull!"

The bull was standing still, while his cows were walking to the left.
I couldn't understand why we were just sitting in the truck watching. Why not at least try to stalk through the short grass.... I can take him at 200 yds...

Then the PH said, "That's forestry land on the right. If he crosses to the left with his cows, he's ours."

After about 3-4 minutes, he started walking.

To the right.

I have it all on video, including the PH's last comment to the sable, "Your lucky day, I suppose..."

As it turned out, we came by that area for three days, hoping to find him on the other side of the road. On the third try, we found him way across the savannah, close enough to camp that the ladies could watch our stalk with binoculars from the veranda.



All's well that ends well.

Rick.