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Once again we have something that really starts to cause a major frenzy on the Internet. Message boards and emails are draining the bandwidth of America trying to find the "real" story about this huge bull elk. The last few days I have been hit so hard with emails about this bull I had to just make a post.
Similar to last year, we have a huge bull elk that is making people wonder. Last year we had two instances that I was able to clear up on the King's Blog. Kevin Reid and his two monster Idaho high fenced bulls and also the big archery bull from Texas caused quite a storm of interest. Fortunately, people were able to find some closure on the King's blog and find out the real story on all of these bulls. Well, here we are again…another big bull and nothing but questions seem to arise with not very many answers.
For all of you who are already very familiar with this bull due to the emails that have been forwarded to you, this is basically what is being stated about the bull:
"This Elk was killed with a bow in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. He green scored 575″ and should net out at about 530″ non typical. He has and unbelievable outside spread of 79″. This is the biggest bull ever taken with any weapon."
There is no question after looking at the photo of this elk, that a score of 575 seems very possible. Some people have claimed that the photo has been doctored up and points have been added to it. That could very well be the case. However, let's just assume this bull is legit and really does score 575 gross and 530 net non-typical. This would clearly destroy all records whether you are talking Boone & Crockett, Pope & Young, or Safari Club International (SCI). However, the biggest question that is coming to everyone's mind…is this a legit, fair chase, no high-fence bull elk?
The email states that it is from the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness area. This Wilderness is found in Idaho and ranges over 1.3 million acres of land. This area is the Idaho Montana border and the Wilderness also extends into Montana. Idaho does have high fence operations, therefore Idaho is a very valid location that this bull may have come from. I don't believe it came from the Montana side as high fence hunting is illegal in this state (however, I know there are some operations who are getting around the system there…but that is for a different time and topic).
So Idaho could be the place, but a bull of this caliber just doesn't match Idaho's elk. Sure there are some good elk – potential big stuff, but Idaho is not a state that is continually producing big bulls. I have also heard of people talking about a huge elk taken up in Canada. Canada, specifically Saskatchewan, has many high fence hunting operations. One thing you can probably tell from my own assessment is that this bull is a high fence bull. Too many things lead to this, but I will keep my mind open to the contrary until I can finally prove otherwise.
I will be honest. I just got done with a marathon session busting out our next issue of the magazine and getting a fall catalog ready. I have not had a lot of time to research this bull out. I am feeling in a pretty good mood and therefore want to put all of our heads together and get this one figured out. I will go out on a limb and call this a high fenced bull. THE FIRST PERSON TO PROVE THE LEGITIMACY OF THIS BULL GETS A NICE FREE GIFT.
Yes, you heard right. The first person to email me correct information about this bull or a lead that will help me track down the correct information I will give them a free ShadowCamo fleece jacket and hat. Hey, that is about a $100 value! Not bad for a Tuesday. Good luck.
NOTE: This is now over…the prizes have been given out and I no longer need you to email me stuff about this bull. We have it covered now. Thanks…Read on.
UPDATE: Here are some additional photos that have been emailed to me. I think this pretty much clears up the fact that this is a high fence bull elk. Where it was taken and who the hunter is is still unanswered.
CONCLUSION: So here we are after 115 comments and many versions on what people may think about this elk, what is the final conclusion. I have actually been waiting the last few days to make this post as I have had trouble getting in contact with the person I needed to at the Ranch. After emails and multiple phone calls I have been able to talk to people there, but unable to hook up with the person who had the details I was looking for. However, I do know enough to make my own conclusion in addition to a lot of information that is out there and information that people have emailed me.
It is not that hard to conclude that this bull elk IS a high fence bull elk. The elk was taken within a high fence confinement. That is confirmed. The elk was NOT taken in Idaho, Montana or anywhere in the U.S. This elk was from a game farm/ranch operation located in Quebec, Canada. It was taken during their 2006 hunts. Rumors that the bull scores 575 gross is not true, however it is close. The bull elk scores 560 gross or 560 SCI. It was in fact taken with a rifle, not a bow. Many people are concerned that a bull of this size will somehow trick everyone and make it into the Boone & Crockett or Pope & Young record books. This is not going to happen. You don't need to worry about this at all. B&C and P&Y are very protective of their records program and go to great pains to keep them clear of these types of animals. Many have wondered if the photos of the bull in velvet eating out of the dish is really the same elk in the kill shot. It is.
Contrary to what people think, the "shooter" in the photo next to this huge elk is not stating any kind of record, is not claiming any kind of B&C or P&Y status. It could however be a world record for SCI in their "high fenced" category, but I am unsure of this. Whoever started the email stating the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness location is unknown at this time. My purpose of posting this photo and information was soley to confirm and clear up all of the confusion that the bull caused and the concern that thousands of people had that this may or may not be a world record and was it a legit, fair chase, non high fenced animal. I think we have all helped in clearing this up. Thanks.
Well, if it was taken out of the Selway, I'd be extremely surprised to learn its a high-fence bull. The Selway is damn steep; if you're going in the best access is on the back of a horse. Be awful hard to run a high fence operation up there, especially since it's federal land and all, but I suppose it could be from some private operation that borders the Selway or something like that…
Wish everyone would quit rasing all these "big bull in Idaho" stories. Those of us who grew up here and have hunted Idaho all our lives understand; these articles just draw in all the out-of-staters. As if the wolves weren't bad enough, now we gotta contend with the number of people running around too…
Nice to know if you live in Idaho you own all of it. My tax dollars buy just as much Federal hunting ground as yours. See you in October.
Other sites – accurate reloading, hunt talk, have pictures of this bull alive eating out of what looks to be a feeder. I would guess this is a farm raised elk.
I have pictures of this bull in velvet behind a fence eating from what looks like a dog dish. sad, very sad
I would love to see those pics !!!!!
There is a huge buzz about this going on here in Montana.
I emailed them in, should be showing up here shortly
DesertSheep, do you have the exact pages that those picts are on? I searched and came up empty.
Hunt talk:
Accurate Reloading:
Boone and Crocket:
Rumors are that the bull came from this place:
Do fenced bulls get considered for B & C. They are fed antler enhancing food. that is ridiculous.
Who cares. You know, the more money you have the bigger the horns you can bring home. I worked with some rich kids that got to go to Colorado for a genuine "guided hunt" and they brought home some nice bulls, huge horns with marks in the antlers from scraping the metal food dish. These guys would not even know how to take care of an elk they killed and I would rather have my 2 year old, Gabriel to help me pack it out. I shot a cow 2 weeks ago with my bow and she tastes great! I wish people would quit focusing so much on the size of the horns and just get out there and have a great time and bring home some good meat.
To #9 This elk definatly did not come from pine mountain outfitters., the biggest one shot this year was in the 450′s
nice bull whereevr it came from. wish it was going to be hanging on my wall for the next 50 years.
It dosen't matter how much money you have, fair game is fair game. Eating out of a dog dish isn't fair game, it's shooting your pet. Someone should be ashamed of their hunting ethics.
Shaun, would you please tell me where you took the pictures.
Everyone here wants to know if was in Idaho. Thanks.
I did not personally take those pics, they were emailed to me. I do not believe it was Idaho. It sounds like Canada somewhere.
This is what our hunting has become in this country a sad excuse for those of us still hunting in a honorable way,do what you can to expose people like this for what they are frauds,hound the fish and game near you to stop high fence hunting ,and do not support shows on TV that support this type of hunting..make a difference,our hunting depends on us to keep it ethical.
If this bull was taken from a high fenced area. Which it sounds like is was from the pictures. I would not want it on my wall nor would I accept it to perform the taxidermy work. Anything that is not fair chase I do not want anything to do with. I elk hunt in Colorado and do not see allot of large bulls, but they are to me allot better than any high fence bull.
If you want to raise something like that and have it on your well, fine; but don't claim to the world that it was a legit fair chase. Heck ya that's a trophy, but that's like killing the Grand Champion Breeder Bull (cattle variety) from any state fair, just plain wrong in all aspects. As far as how you take an animal like this one… just walk out there with a rifle and shoot it, because there is no sport to it. My opinion is you might as well pay for a replica of your favorite "Kings" bull, it's just as fake as "hunting" a high fence area. I do have to say that it's too bad they didn't keep him alive and ship his strain across the US to improve some of the WILD heards that are really lacking in genetics.
I have been doing alot of research on this bull trying to find out what the real story is, i have made a few phone calls and found out some information but still waiting for more. From what i do know, this is a high fenced elk, The hunter is not trying to make it public either, and he is also not saying it was fair chase (FemHunter). The guy is actually trying to keep it qiuet. It is a trophy elk even though it was feed enhancers.
I would say its a farm animal, these two in the picture look like they just walked out of the lodge.. I dont look that pretty on a good day, let alone after a grueling one week plus, fair chase hunt.
I may be killing a farm raised pig soon, for the pork, and also for the fat for my deer sausage. I wonder, if I kill this pig with my bow, if anyone would like to see my field photos.
Sorry but I have to put in my two cents. In my opinion, calling this animal a "Trophy Elk" and the shooter a "hunter" is a slap in the face of our free roaming wild elk and hunters everywhere. These are magnificent animals in the wild and I find it sickening to call a purchased animal a trophy. Trophys are earned and not bought. I agree that this animal is truly huge, I think it deserves a blue ribbon in the county fair, just as any other farm animal, but don't try to pass off something with a price tag as being in line with the hunting heritage that most of us grew up to appreciate.
I will have to agree with most of your on this one it is a disgrace. However, we differ in only one area: I would like it if we could stop playing the political correct card and calling these outfitters "High Fenced" game. It is not what it seems to be in my mind is a "Pet and Shoot" and I for one will not degrade myself to ever taking a magnificient animal from a specific location just to have the horns on my wall, they don't taste that good anyway.
Bob Eisenhauer
Gillette Wyoming
those bulls areHUGE
Shouldn't there be some type of drug testing policies on these animals? I think this one has been on the juice for awhile. Huge animal but that is not a tropphy. A trophy is something you earn not buy. Sometimes you get lucky and get an easy trophy, and sometimes you have to work your rear off to get a trophy. But writing a check and calling it a trophy does not work.
I am 100% positive that that bull was a high fenced bull and it's been on steroids.
BULL, As a matter of fact BULL *&^^%! How a man, let alone a so called hunter could show this deception off is dispicable. Clearly, I agree with the majority here!
I would rather shoot a rag horn that shoot that bull after it had been behind a high fence, and if i was kneeling beside that bull in that picture, i wouldn't be happy, that bull most have cost a billion dollars.
Don't even know what to say. He should be embarrassed to call himself a hunter. Have they tested it for any unnatural substances? If not, they should. It is probably so loaded with "steroids" or whatever they use on the farm to grow them that big it's probably not safe to eat.
Huge bull, but there's no way that can be considered a trophy. Trophy bulls are killed in the wild. This bull had to have fed enhancers?
When you look at the pic its plain to see the bull is canadian just look at the " du " look on that guys face, he dosen't believe it himself. Its better hunting in the woods, why would idaho outfitters not say they want nothing to do with this conterfiet?????
This is my first year Bow Hunting,(i'm 43) and even I can tell thats a pen raised bull. If it's a wild elk, how come the rack's not polished??? no ivory tips, just brown. I'd rather have my picture taken with a nice fat cow or spike.. STICK IT TO UM'
That's a discrace that they are calling this a fair chase elk, when it's plain to see that it is much more…about 175 points more!!!
somebody has way to much money on his hands!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Whoever these people are they really need to get a life, and try to kill a fair chase animal it is much more gratifing even if it is smaller.
how is it a fair chase bull when it is laying on the ground because its laying on the ground
i think hes awsome and all i can say is good for you man . what a bullllll….
All i can say is what a bunch of bull. It's not even hunting when someone buys an elk from a farm like that.
Theres a rich land land owner in oregon that has a small herd of his own that look just like this MONSTER . My company owner is good friends with him and has a set of sheads from him …….FENCED BULL HMMMMMM.?
Don't blow a gasket on this. Most of us have thousands invested in our hunts with vehicles, trailors, campers, gear, weapons, etc. etc. Some people live in urban areas and have money, but no time to learn how to hunt. Even so, we shouldn't be so judgemental toward them when they pay for their trophies. If it's legal, who are we to judge. Some hunters drive 40,000 dollar pickups into the mountains and shoot across canyons with 2000 dollar rifles with scopes for their trophies. The guys that took that bull probably support the hunting sports with their money also. It may not be our idea of a legitimate trophy, but if it's the first time in 10 years those guys got out of city, and they had a thrilling experience, I'm not going to rip on them for it. Personally, I hiked about 40 miles in 13 days this year and shot a spike elk with my bow. I'm happy with that. Enjoy your own hunt, and unite against the anti-choice crowd.
Oh come on.. Let the horn hunters shoot the fenced animals and have their fun… It will keep them out of our beautiful mountains..
Good point Bill
Thanks Bill you said you it perfect. This bull was shot on a legal Ranch and no laws were broken therefore don't hammer down on the hunter. And yes i say hunter, just because it was taken on a high fenced ranch does not mean he didn't have to hunt for it. I know people who shoot elk on opening morning every year, and i still call them hunters. Nobody knows the true story of this elk yet so in other words it could have taken this guy two weeks to kill the elk. I understand this may not exactly be what many people call hunting but whoever shot this elk would be on all hunters sides against the "anti-choice crowd" as said by Bill.
I participate in the largest sports show in the country every year, and the young guy in the photo (right after it was shot) also has a booth at this show selling high fenced hunts in New Zealand, and brags that he kills 500 inch elk every year. So when I saw the picture I recognized him and knew that it wasn't fair chase.
I have doubts that this bull came from Idaho, I live here, have hunted in the selway many times.We don't have any fenced areas here either(up North)That elk just doesn't look natural!
i still wouldn't consider it hunting. The definition of "hunt" is to chase or search for wild animals for the purpose of catching or killing. I didn't see anywhere in the dictionary where it said anything about chasing farm-raised animals around in a fenced in area.
Whom ever the rancher is that rasied this brut I tip my hat to you a true grand champion and you earned what you charged these fellas to harvest him(not hunt him).
I will not proclaim to be an expert but I have hunted this area in Idaho and saw a few big elk and the one thing I made comment on were ALL had incrediable ivory tips.
And I am here to tell you after a couple of hours in those hills the shirt tails are out and your tounge is out its tough hunting, these boys look like they are posing for a Cabelas add.
My fair game hunt is in 2 1/2 weeks in some tough eastern Oregon country i will be taking my 14 year old son on his first Elk hunt he is going to be introduced to the true sport of fair game hunting and he will learn, as most of us have hard work,learn from mistakes, take advice from veterans , gather the skills and reap the rewards. Taking a spike or a trophy has to be sweeter than any POINT AND SHOOT 500+ farm bull.
Lets all teach our kids right we all love a big bull but the future of our sport will fade if we allow short cut hunting to be promoted. I for one see a magnificant bull but so is the hefer in my pasture. I pray I dont see these type of bulls in the books to promote short cuts to our kids.
Just a thought. People have mentioned that the anters had points added on to them in the photo. How do we know that someone didn't make a fake dish in the photo of him eating?
They probably feed the Bull a cereal bar a week before and polished his antlers,who knows couple extra thousand even brushed him.What I'am wondering wheres the blood did they jump on his back submitt him in a rear naked choke?? Doesnt look camera shy at all in the bottom pic.
I also agree that it's a magnificant bull. I would give it a blue ribbon at the fair.
Despite what everyone says the truth is only known by the hunter. All of you would have shot that bull out from underneath your best friend. The only reason you are all complaining is because he isn't hanging on your wall. If you had the opportunity to shoot I guarantee you would. I am not a high fence hunter period. However the hunter wasn't boasting or bragging he was just happy to shoot a bull that big.
That big was killed on a FARM outside of Montreal Canada. He will score 503 !! End of story.
I have been hearing about this bull for weeks… I live in the Bitteroot Valley, and everyone is saying this bull came from the Bitteroot Selway Wilderness.. I know there is some big bulls there but it just doesn't seem like a bull from montana or Idaho..I know some of the outfitters in the selway and they havn't said anything about it…
What was this elk's name? and whats in the dog bowl that makes his coat nice and shiny? pretty sad this guy had the urge to shoot somedody's live stock.
I agree with all of the real hunters on this page!!! If you think you're an elk hunter, then and go find one like the rest of us do!!!!!!! As far as I'm concerned, ALL you guys with the fat checkbooks and total lack of ethics should stay home and away from the sport that we "REAL HUNTERS" cherish so much. You do absolutely nothing for the sport but make it and the real hunter look bad!!!
It's all about "ethics" Clint! ANYONE who has any at all wouldn't shoot something like that. And if you claim you would then I would have to wonder about your ethics pal… I have friends of the family and my wifes uncle who had elk farms both with monsters including a 500+ inch bull and never once did I desire to shoot any of them.
I live in Idaho, & have hunted all over it. I have hunted the selway very rough terrian. The bull is very nice. To all of you who think it was a high fenced bull, I think that you could be right, but I am not going to say it is or is not. Here in Idaho we wish they would take all of the ranches out of our state. We love our state & want it to be a state to wich our herds stay clean. We have recently had one of these ranches loose some elk & we are worred if they will pass anything on to our wild elk. I hope not. I hunted for 10 days this year saw some good bulls, did I get one, No but I had a great time to be in the peaseful place where I did'nt have to listen to people who love to judge others.
I live in Idaho also, spent 15 years outfitting, have bowhunted for
20 years, and have never saw a bull that would even warm this bull up. Why aren't his tips polished! Plus if this was the Selway there should be a pack of wolves standing over his once regal corpse instead of the would be giant slayers. Also, if you just killed the New World Record wouldn't ya pull out the ol' switchback and lay it between a couple of tines and wait for the endorsements to roll in! As far as the ethic of hunting High Fences for Big Dollars, more power to ya! It will hopefully keep ya from cluttering up the huntin' grounds. Watch out ya don't fall off the fence when your shooting the pet out from underneath your buddy, nice job of wiping the grain off his mouth though
To whom ever shot this bull,
I have a proposition for you. I have a prime Angus steer that is broke to halter, and if you are interested let me know and I can tie him to a fence post and you can shoot him. It will cost less money, taste better, and he's probably less tame then the elk you shot.
To "the thunder",
Its not that we think we own the land, it is the fact that we see how messed up the states that the "out of staters" come from have become, and we do not want our state to become the same as yours. The sad truth is that our once grate state is starting to take the steps down that long dark road.
I almost feel sorry for the man who shot this bull. Here we all are belittling him and discracing his name all over the web pages and he probablly shot the elk, sent the picture to his buddy and his buddy sent the picts to everyone in the nation. Now he is getting smeared like he's bragging about it. No one knows the hunter and apparantly no one actually knows the circumstances. Please don't try to tell me if any of you saw this bull you would not shoot it, and proudly hang it on your reinforced trophy room wall. Give the man a break you envious creatures.
there is something wrong with a man who would shoot this bull in a fenced in situation. it would be just like shooting "CUBBY THE BEAR" that gentry of montgomery gentry fame did. he is no part of a hunter and he deserves to be smeared as bad as humanly possible, ran right out of town.if cabelas or pro bass end up with this bull on thier walls, i'm through spending my money there, and i wish we all would do that "IF IT HAPPENS". it is just like shooting the monster white tail we use to see on buckmasters, if someone shot him it would have been criminal, and so is this.
This should be illegal. Especially after all those elk getting out of that game farm near yellowstone in Idaho. We are going to spread deadly diseases that make it so we can't eat wild animals anymore because they'll give us some deadly condition like Chronic Wasting Disease. Not to mention it is canned hunts like this that make hunters look like idiots to all the nonhunters. Not exactly a brilliant move when it comes to preserving our sport into the long-term future. Wake up Idaho, wake up Utah, wake up Canada – you're ruining the future of hunting and the health of wild game herds. All I can say is CWD, CWD, CWD
These internet hoaxes are getting old. I'm sure the guy that shot this elk is probably not responsible for the hoax, but whoever is shouldn't be proud of it.
What is amazing is how gullible so many people are. This elk hasn't been feeding on willow and sparce idaho fescue…he's been eatin fortified wheat…his eylids have fat rolls.
Poor bugger must have a strong neck.
Bull was shot at the Laurentian Wildlife Estate near Mont Tremblant, Quebec. Tony Barber, of Laurentian, says it was killed inside a 1000 acre fenced enclosed ( Thats 32 acres square). Must have been a challenging hunt.
1000 acres would be 1.7 square miles. Probably not so challenging. I cover that before breakfast.. My cows reside in a 6 mile x 8 mile pasture….48 square miles…31,000 acres. Couple of days…I can find em all.
I am sure and agree that is a gamefarm bull, but by some "slim to none" chance it wasn't, with a 79 inch spread how in hell is it going to move and live in the timber as shown behind in the photo, it looks pretty thick and if the bull was wild it wouldn't grow that big due to lack of genetics and nutrition. theres no way he is that big by living in open parks his entire life he would have probably been shot probably by the time he had a brow tine.
You all have way to much time to sit hear and fret about this Elk
who gives a S–t about some guy who's a wanker anyways and went out and shot the pet dog. As for me I'm going HUNTING !
that would be a huge bull if it was shot in the wild, this is what the world of hunting is coming to, shooting world record bulls in a fence. not cool man…not cool. i feel better listening to all the other HUNTERS on here that actually hunt, im glad to hear that.
Take a good look at this animal. Not just the lack of ivory tips but he overall coloration of the face hair and body hair. How about the CROWN on
the left antler set. This boy is huge but looks alot like some Stag cross or Stag mutation. New Zeland or Austria maybe.
I think that this bull is huge and I will ask that you send me some more pictures of this amazing bull.
i think that bull is real, and huge!, but from seeing the pictures of it feeding out of a bucket, and it being a big fenc bull, its the most non-fair hunting scheme i have ever heard, we should start growing all animals behind fences!
here is my two cents. The bull is huge no matter how you look at it. However the reason the story sounds dumb about being a fair chase bull is this. #1 When I kill an elk or deer I show the weapon. Picture shows no weapon for all we know the elk is sudated. #2 I have shot a 2 point buck and had a smile bigger then that. Imagine what kind of smile I would have with that bull. The guy in camo to me is saying " Suck Grandpa do you think we will get away with this, He said back Yes son just look at the camera and give a half ass smile but dont look so damn nervous. Point Being You would see pee running down my leg if I shot him. Good Bye
I live in the bitterroot selway area.there is not the genitics nor the proper feed to have a bull grow a set of antlers that large. If you get a mid 300 class bull it is a great bull for the area.Also look at the picture the one ear is folded down so you can't get a look at it. Is it because there is a tag in that ear? Yes it is a great bull but the last time I saw a bull that big it came from a game farm!
Atleast you all have something to talk about LOL I thought most of the comments were funny. I agree with comment #55 from clint.
There is a link on the Boone and Crockett website that states this elk is from a game farm in Quebec. I won't repeat it here – another person has posted it above.
I grew up in Billings MT, hunting elk out of Billings in the Beartooths just north of Yellowstone, the Breaks up north Jordan and Garfield and in the Snowy's by Lewistown. I now live in Washington and hunt the Roosevelt elk. I have seen a lot of elk.
My first reaction to these photos were that this elk was definitely not from Idaho or Montana. I have never seen an elk with hair that short out of velvet, esp in the cape area. The horns were way too red for Montana and Idaho (speaking from my personal experience, so drop a note if you know areas in either state where the antlers get a red from the rubs – maybe alders in some places?), and by the knurled ends, I couldn't help but think this guy was some cross with a european deer species. While I think a big record from MT or ID would be great (love to outdo UT or NV or CO or NM or AZ!), I am glad this rumor was sorted out.
I like the differing views and comments about game farms. I think they serve a purpose and keep a lot of land that would otherwise be developed or logged or used for some other purpose wild and supporting game animals.
While I admit to hunting for a trophy everytime I take up a fresh track, I also like to remember that hunting is a lot more than just the rack on the wall or the meat in the freezer. The guys that want to pay for it – let them have it. Leave the unfenced mountains and the open praries to the rest of us.
This Bull did not come from Idaho. the Spokesman-review out of Spokane had some help from some people at different agencies. first the horns, there is not enough nutrients in Idaho to get that big. second the trees in the background are not Idaho hardwood trees. It was found out that this elk is from Canada and from a ranch up there. Now I have no problem if a guy wants to spend a ton of cash to shoot a bull this big, but don't claim it to be a fair chase kill. Thats like shooting a big buck while it's standing under a deer feeder.
This kind of @%*p really Puts me in a bad mood. I kill myself for two weeks every year to take a wonderful animal in a fair chase hunt, and I am very thankful when my efforts prove to be successful. And I am very glad for the time I spend in the trees.
When did this wonderful heritage become all about what they are packing on thier heads instead what we learn about ourselves those cold wonderful days waiting for the sun to break. That is Idaho hunting and Its the only thing I want to pass on to my 5 kids who see this as I do. Garbage, that puts unrealistic dreams in the minds of our kids, and progresses this canned hunting cra*.
Attention all hunters. I have been hunting elk in Idaho for fifteen years, and have harvested seven fine bulls, not one was from a high fenced area. I have personally seen three bulls that would have scored in the 475-525 range. Based upon my experience I believe this bull could have very well been taken out of Idaho's Bitteroot wilderness area.
I think that it is pretty chicken &%$$ to go hunt a fenced in bull (almost 2 square miles of area) that has been eating only the best feed and saying it was fair chase and that it is a world record bull. If you want to name it a world record, go somewhere that isn't fenced in and work for the bull. 2 square miles ain't nothin compared to a whole mountain range. Then after you kill one there you can name it a trophy and be proud of it. I don't know how that guy has the guts to say all of that. Hope he feels pretty good about himself though!!!!
Same as what clark said man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It just makes it harder for all of us when you go and cheat like that!!!!!
Just a couple of observations about the photo. 1st is where are the other pictures. I'm sure more than just one would be circulating by now if this is legit. 2nd, look at the folds of skin over the legs. Looks like a fatty. Bulls I've killed usually don't have a lot of excess skin to fold over like that. 3rd, who's the guide and who's the hunter and where's the bow? On most shows and magazines I've seen, the high fence hunts usually have guides that don't wear a lot of camo like real guides do. Also, I'd think that this bull was shot out of a spike camp, and these guys look a little too clean shaven to me to have been on a wilderness hunt. Maybe I'm wron…..just some observations…..
Discuss amongst yourselves!
I've been watchign this blog since there was only 10 posts and it amazes me how people like # 86 think that the killer of the bull is still trying to say it's a world record. So, Clark if you would have read the other 85 Posts you would know that the killer didn't even want this elk to get public, If you could have put two and two together you'd realize that theres not very much information about the killer because he isn't trying to say it was fair chase or a New World Record. If you pay enough attention to what other people say and maybe do a little research you won't make yourself look so bad.
the Issue here is what are we teaching our kids save your money and buy a record book animal. The future of hunting is at steak here. I only hope our major hunting orgonizations will lobby to ban these high fence farms. My gosh this fence harvesting will give the anti-hunter all the amunition they need to ruin the sport we love for our children. I only hope anyof you that belong to a ligit orgonization will put up a few dollars to remove the fenceing of wild game in the USA. Save or heritage for our children before its to late!!
i am with everyone else who thinks this is a bunch of crap that is the biggest way to shoot a big bull. what did they do let him out of the trailer and shoot him as he jumped out
im hate this bull!!!!!!!!!!!!! granted its huge but it aint a real taken on a fair chase hunt. i have hunted my whole life and seen a lot of elk and they dont even compare to this one. it is not fair to put this bull in the books.
Pretty cool picture though.
This is a big elk! However, the tines are not polished and he is just a little too "clean looking". The bigger guy in the photo is from the area I live in and is suppose to be a "hunter": i.e. "fair chase". From all the comments I don't think this is the case. Having known Gene Wensel who wrote "Hunting the Rutting White-tail" and One Man's White-tail" I know what a big deer is! On a rainy Saturday evening in 1987 my Father-in-Law and I saw a White-tail buck that whould have been a new world record on a ranch in Eastern Montana. He had a spread of 30+ inches and more pointsd than we could count. Palmated horns. A sight to behold. Now I could have killed this deer and waited untill the next day ( opening day) and got my picture in all the magazines. I just would have a real hard time sleeeping at night! PS Never did see that big boy again! And yes I did hunt that ranch hard for five days! I feel sorry for those guys in the photo as there zeal for hunting has overcome there ability to think.
I pretty much agree with everyone else on this except one issue. If someone wants to go out and kill a bull of this caliber on a private game farm, so be it if they can afford it. But don't pass the photos around and claim it's a new world record, when it wasn't even a fair chase hunt. I live by two of these "ranches" in Idaho and think they are a joke, along with the lazy people who go out and shoot the poor animals living on them. What really cracks me up is all of the TV shows and the guys on them that are actually hunting on these ranches and calling it Fair Chase Hunting. It's a sad time for hunters when this is accepted nationwide by so many people.
I've bow hunted for over 10 years,spent every free minute chasing elk aroud hoping for a trophy and going with out, seen good bulls on private property that would be easy to kill but didnt because it better to brag about the one that got away than be ashamed of the one that was taken illegally. this has to be grain fed bull,more pics of bull at gssafaries.com with fence behind it
The general Idea among all of us is that this needs to stop. We dont need this in Idaho or any other state and instead of debating this guys CANNED hunting efforts we should put our minds together and find away to put an end to this kind of crap. I, for one hope this guys ears burn long enough to realize that we as hunters dont want to see this, we work hard for the animals we are able to harvest in fair chase situation.
This is like going out in the back yard and shooting tweetie birds off the feeder.
Something else that bugs me is if one of these brutts gets out and spreds disease to the real elk herds of Idaho… Thats about as nice as the wolf packs our big game haft to attend with already…..
The below article is from the Thursday, 10/05 Spokesman-Review. This picture has been making the email rounds lately. It turns out that those who were suspicious were right. This turned out to be a case of a fat-cat rich guy shooting what amounts to a caged animal.
Story about biggest bull elk turns out to be big bull
Guide Tony Barber, at left in the photo, confirmed that this bull elk was not killed in Idaho, but rather on a game farm in Quebec.
Rich Landers
The Spokesman-Review
October 5, 2006
News travels fast by the Internet and e-mail. So do rumors and lies.
The latest hunting-related fib to come across my computer screen is a photo of two hunters with a monster elk accompanied by this
"This Elk was killed with a bow in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness.
He green scored 575. . He has an unbelievable outside spread of 79 inches.
This is the biggest bull ever taken with any weapon."
The reference to the Selway is the first clue that at least some of the information is bogus.
"That was a big red flag to us," said Brad Compton, Idaho Fish and Game Department big-game manager who also had received the digital image.
"That would be 150 points bigger than any bull that's ever come out of the Selway. It's too farfetched."
"Anybody who knows anything about Selway elk could take one look at that bull and know that information is wrong," said Ryan Hatfield, who works with the Boone and Crockett Club in Missoula. Hatfield, who just finished researching and publishing the book, "Idaho's Greatest Elk," said he'd received at least 150 e-mails regarding the so-called Selway elk in the past few days.
After some sleuthing on Tuesday and a tip from a game rancher in Riggins, I found the source of the photo and the bull: Laurentian Wildlife Estate, which has operated as a shooter-bull ranch for six years near Mont Tremblant, Quebec, Canada.
In a telephone interview, Laurentian manager Tony Barber (at left in the photo) said his California client killed the bull earlier this year inside the 1,000-acre estate, which is enclosed by a game-proof fence to hold the domestically produced elk and red deer.
The elk is a Manitoba strain, not the Rocky Mountain subspecies native to Idaho, Barber said while offering the following details.
The bull was 10 years old and weighed 595 pounds. Its non-typical antlers had 12 points on one side, nine on the other with an outside spread of 79 inches.
The bull has been monitored closely as it matured. "We picked up its shed antlers last year and they measured 516 (Boone and Crockett points),"
Barber said.
Here are other numbers to ponder:
Barber said the bull's score, using Boone and Crockett measuring criteria, is at least 560 green, that is, before the drying and shrinkage required for official scoring. (Two unofficial measurers scored it 566 and
561 green, he said.)
For comparison, the official Boone and Crockett world record bull, found floating dead in Upper Arrow Lake, British Columbia, scored
465 2/8.
The biggest fair-chase bull to be taken by a hunter came from Arizona. It scored 450 6/8.
Cost to hunt elk on the Quebec shooter-bull operation starts at $4,900, but prices for trophy bulls are negotiated, as Barber put it, "into the high five digits."
If the unofficial measurements hold up, the bull's dry-score antlers "would be the biggest ever taken by a hunter," Barber said.
Most sportsmen, however, take exception to his reference to "hunter."
Indeed, sportsmen who hunt the old-fashioned way for elk that run wild and free won't have to compete in the Boone and Crockett club's official North American record books against this farm-raised specimen.
Jack Reneau, Boone and Crockett big-game records director, said the club, founded by Teddy Roosevelt, does not recognize or score animals that were not taken under the club's rules of fair chase.
Shooting big-game animals inside an escape-proof enclosure is not considered fair chase, and therefore not endorsed or accepted by Boone and Crockett, he said.
You guys are pathetic. All I see here are assumptions and accusations. (Well mostly anyway.) So what if he killed it in a high fence area? What to you care? It's really none of your business. It's not obvious to me that the guy who killed this elk is trying to push his conquests on us in fact we don't even know who he is. For all we know he found it dead from natural causes. SCI accepts trophies killed in a fenced area because they are honoring the animal and B&C doesn't because they are presumably honoring the hunter. Either way we don't know if this guy is even going to try to enter this magnificent animal in the books and you MUST admit it is a magnificent animal.
When you purists start hunting in a loin cloth with a rock and a pointed stick… maybe just maybe I'll give a damn about your opinion. Until then PLEASE keep it to your self.
If you don't want to hunt in a fenced area… don't. If you do… do. Our issue is not with each other… it's with the antis. So PLEASE spew your venom in that direction.
Get over it. It's a magnificent animal and it died presumably legally and hopefully it will grace someone's wall for a long time.
To Lewis, the non-Purist:
The problem here is not the fact that you are a myopic jack-ass that probably views this animals demise as a way to honour it and probably the same SOB that does not consume the meat and lets it waste, the problem here is the fact that the picture in question and your attitude toward it fuels the "antis" passions to stop my traditions, my way of life and my active conservationism.
Undoubtedly, this is a magnificent animal, but so is my Red Bone Hound….you won't see a rug made from him anytime soon. If SCI is to "honour" this animal, then why not an 8×10 over the mantle rather than the head….isn't the idea here to preserve it for the next generation to enjoy, or just for the greedy ones that can afford it now.
The high fence "hunters" come to Idaho to take a nice animal from a farm in an easy manner without fair chase.
Scenario: Lewis goes to any Idaho Shooter Bull operation with $4995 and intention to take a "trophy" Bull home. The "guide" drives Lewis out to a grassy pasture surrounded by a fence and much like shopping at the supermarket says, "which one do ya prefer? Number 215 over there or pay a little more, and take home number 121?"
I have been hunting for 20 years with a bow. I have seen many advancements in equipment technology, but one thing remains the same, in the wild areas where I hunt on the public lands, 5 miles is still 5 miles and 30 days the same and there may or may not be elk where you hunt….that's why it's called hunting and fair chase. I am a HUNTER and I'm damn proud of it. That's why the fellow in the photo has a half-assed smile: he bought and paid for that elk with money, not honor.
One last thing; apparently the statements made about these high fence "hunts" has gotten under your skin and therefore you do give a damn about our opinions. My beef is not with the ignorant because ignorant can be educated, but stupid runs deep.
Idaho Purest Hunter,
The fact is I've never hunted in a fenced enclosure and the only time I hunted with a guide was when I was in Zimbabwe. I grew up hunting in the Southwest and my usual mode of hunting is drive to where the road ends and then head up hill away from roads and 95% of the people. For your information, when I shot my last elk it was the last day of a hard 7 day hunt on public land. I was alone and about 4 miles from a road. I made 5 trips to carry out the meat and horns on my back. I shot it at 8:00 am and got back to the truck with the last load of meat after 8:00 pm (about 3 hours after sundown). It was a 9X5 (it was broken past the sword on one side) and I didn't keep the cape because I had no intention of mounting it. And yes… my family consumed every ounce of that elk. So the odds are you and I have more in common in our hunting practices than you think. That is the way I prefer to hunt.
My point is simply that I am not going to sit in judgment of anyone else who chooses to kill an animal by whatever method they chose (as long as it's legal) and you shouldn't either. Heck I could be as wrong about him as you were about me.
As you, I want to preserve my way of hunting for my sons and their suns but the enemy is NOT the guy with the gun and the camo… it's the anti hunters and we need to be united against them.
You're right… stupid DOES run deep.
Thanks Kevin for the info
This is what you call garbage elk hunting.
Lewis hit the nail on the head. Its the antis that are the enemy.
i gotta start with WOW thats an impressive elk, than i have to say can this be real. from the pictures that i am lookin at how can you get so close to a bull in the afternoon while its from the middle of no where, than i look in the back ground and i see what looks like a fence and is that a bowl of steroids hes eatin out of or what? this elk should be displayed and should be honored, but it should not be put in the good book PY because it was payed for and any rich fool thats never been hunting a day in his life could have bought this magnificent creature.
Take an animal how you want i guess. But apply the word "hunting" carefully. It does seem odd that the shooter of this large elk remains unspoken. I'd be all over the news.
Lighten up on the guy with the huge elk will ya! HE did not say this was a fair chase animal and until you know the whole story stop judging him! As far as high fenced hunting… I own a small whitetail deer ranch that will soon be operating as high fenced hunting, The people we are targeting for our hunts will be youth hunters and handicap individuals, youngsters and handicappers because it's safe and controlled and guaranteed to retrieve your animal! Yes these deer are considered to be livestock by our local DNR and are treated as such but I would challenge any of you to try to get close to one! they are absolutely wild and definately NOT pets! We do feed our deer corn and deer pellets bought in any livestock store and high protein feed when we can find it, as far as steroids? come on you act as if this stuff is available anywhere… Stop watching so much TV and get outdoors!!!
In our area land is at a definate premium and high fenced hunting sad to say will be a big part of our future do to development. Don't cut down high fenced hunting until you've tried it BUT trophys taken from high fence hunting SHOULD NOT qualify for
B & C or Safari Club or any other Records. Thanks for letting me have my say…take your kids, your wife, your neighbors kid and any one else that wants to go Hunting! God Bless
To the non-purist
Congrads on your remarks to "Lewis". Pathetic is a word that is best used by his Ideas as a hunter.
Are You ALL ANTIS????
I sat here and read each and every comment from all of you (hunters) and the majority are smearing other peoples way of hunting.. Good for you and God Bless if you live in Idaho and have an abundance of land to hunt or Montana or any place else where the human population is on average one person per 20 square miles! Unfortunately for the rest of us we have neighbors that can practically see in our windows at night .As far as hunting land??? Most hunters I know show up this time of year begging for a spot to hunt because the land tracts are all developed. We try to accomodate as many as possible but we only have so much room without sitting hunters on top of each other, so if hunting in an Enclosure is the only way some hunters can get their venison or elk and their feel of nature than that's what they should do, most of you make it sound like you corner the animal in a 10×10 foot pen then shoot it…it is not that way at all and you obviously don't have a clue about hunting an enclosure!
Come on hunters we must stick together on all of the hunting issues, each person has their own reason for where and what they hunt and who are we to judge them? Do all of you who only hunt with bows want to ban guns? Probably not and the same for people who only hunt with guns, maybe bows should be ban… how about my 80 year old uncle who hunted all his life with a bow but now can't pull it back for lack of strength he now has a permit to use a crossbow, should he have to stop hunting now? Judge not lest ye be judged!
God Bless the American Hunter!
How do you consider that hunting when the animal is bound by fences and can not get away as most wild animals can.
did anybody else notice or was it just me, that the pic of this beast standing doesn't appear to have the same rack as the one on the ground or the one eating out of the dish? Curious wouldn't you say?
Karla, The problem is this kind of canned hunting is on the incline in the United States. When big bucks buy hundreds of thousands of acres to pursue activities such as Fenced in hunting we loose small parts of our public land to people looking for profit.
There are folks that want to kill animals and there are plenty of places they can go.
As big dollars roll threw the system more and more land is lost to the public to hunt in fair chance arenas. What happens in 50 years when your kids as well as mine are grown and looking for a place to take a nice trophy and all the public land is so over hunted or draw only.
We live in a area that we have hunting perserves that cost 100.00 a point for deer and 125.00 to hunt birds per day. And its growing like wild fire! More and more lands are being locked up unless you have cash to spend.
When I was a kid there was more open ground to hunt than you can shake a stick at, now its very limited.
Whats next?
Isnt that bull just dollars? I retired at 38 and I dont want to see this become a trend in the U.S
There is enough of it already and as far as I am concerned its only fuel for Anti's . Its great that you are thinking of the disabled to hunt in your fenced area. Whats the charge.
I made my life in the taking care of those folks and I do have private land that is full of white tails. To this date 9 deer have been taken off my property and the cost was zero to those folks. But the joy behind it will last me the rest of my years.
Its nothing that will be stopped soon… Bummer for all of us…
George ( comment # 47) – I agree with you on bill's comment(#44) and the fact that the guy who gets a bull on opening morning IS a hunter, but thats all I agree with. These photos of this bull eating from a dog dish TEN YARDS AWAY, tells me this bull was not hard to find. He's not afraid of man, he DEPENDS on man. It doesn't matter how large the ranch is, that bull comes to ONE spot to get fed, by people. We have a large elk farm here in the boise area & I've been there at feeding time and in fact have personally had a massive 7×7 in full velvet eating out of my hand. If it took YOU'RE HUNTER 2 weeks to find this bull, he's as blind as yourself. As george said, to each his own for DOING it, But see george, we can rip on this guy, ( notice I didn't call him a hunter) for saying It was a fair chase hunt! I just wonder how he got a side shot with the bull wanting to walk straight at him!
I just took 1600 of Ibprophen to take care of the headache all of that reading just gave me. Don't get me wrong here but are (most) of you guys stupid. I think I read the same post 100 times. Everyones reads the first one skips to the bottom and adds their 2 cents. Big Bull, yes. How anybody would belive that a bull could get that big in Idahos wilderness is obsurd. Do you guys know how hard Idaho in general gets hunted, No chance.
and Just an observer was right the elk in the above pictures are different, the guy with the elk is defferent. And to you guys saying that I would kill this monster if I had the chance to in a fenced hunt, up yours. Not in my lifetime, I have worked my tail off over the years to get rid of this caged hunting for years. Darla, how much do you charge the krips, sound sick to me trying to make a profit of these special individuals. And to whomever said that this elk is a special creature, how sweet you must have a good spirit. Am I jugemental— YES. Why?
I was 12 years old when I first started hunting with a bow for elk and deer here in SE Idaho. I have spent countless days hunting the public lands here over the past 20 years and have had the incredible luck to have harvested 12 elk with 2006 being number 12….a spike bull taken on the 4th day of the season. I have taken 2 350 class bulls and have never seen anything larger than a 370 taken from my area. The point is mute now, but this bull was most definiely not taken from public lands in the Selway.
Recently, an Elk rancher from Idaho near Yellowstone (Rex Rammell) lost control of his heard and 160 domesticated elk escaped onto public lands….because of this, Gov. Risch prescribed an immediate kill order to regain control of these animals as to not pollute the natural heards of the area. This obviously cost a bundle that will not be recovered from the rancher, but from us public lands sportsmen. The ordeal took a few weeks of work that otherwise was not bugeted by our F&G thus they will have to recoup this cost from the increases they will impose on our fees. This has a lot of us upset, because our fees already have seen a tremendous increase in the past 10 years. I used to buy an elk tag for $16….it's now around $30.
As for the handicapped hunters….I admire the courage and determination of these very special individuals….in Idaho, there are provisions for handicapped hunters. During archery season, with the proper documentation, a person can use a crossbow and shoot from the window of a vehichle on public lands. It just doesn't get any easier than that….guided or unguided. These so called high fence hunts charge a large fee, the same fee, to these individuals and make no provisions.
Strait up, I feel that these high fence operations should be banned here much like Wyoming and Montana….or at least strictly regulated by the USDA in conjunction with the IDFG and taxed ridiculously to supplement the costs associated with any "mishaps".
I realize that the day of the white collar hunter is here, but us blue collar hunters have been here a lot longer and our roots are deep…really deep and our branches broad and firm. We may not have the money, but we have the numbers and we vote. I personally rather see 4 midwestern blue collar public land hunters in my unit than any white collar hunter on any game farm in Idaho.
Karla Rocks!!!!!
Funny how such a little picture can generate the opinions of so many people. Many ligitimate I agree, but WOW ! I have observed many so called "fair chase" hunters do some really stupid and illegal things in their quest for an elusive trophy. All I can say is "Thanks Dad,for teaching me the true ethics of hunting !" In closing……. I think we all take for granted the freedoms we have to enjoy the things we do. From someone who has served out of this great land, feel good that you have the "right" to have your own opions and beliefs!
Semper Fi,
One thankful "Hard Huntin'" Jarhead
WOW….I can't believe I spent the last two evenings reading this blog…you sounds like a bunch of teenagers sitting around talking *&*&$%#@… if we don't stop fighting each other, there won't be anyone left to fight the real fight (the tree huggers),as for this guy, he has never said it was a fair chase elk..NO..as for the guys at the game ranches, if you can make a living for yourselves and your family's doing what you love, then great for you,..besides it is YOUR land… but please make sure you are double fencing, so your ranch elk can not have any through the fence contact with the wild elk in your area, we don't need any more cases of CWD going around…has this guy ever said he was going to try to enter this great bull in the B & C or the pope & young, HECK NO..so get of his back, and climb on the back of some tree huger, I'm sure we all know some of them, if not, there the ones that are winning the real fight….game ranching is fact of life, and can be a great wildlife management tool, but please don't save a spot for me…I will be out hunting and guiding for these truly amazing animals in the wild of British Columbia and Alberta….as for you so called ethical hunters out there, remember the story about the guy who lived in a glass house and couldn't stop throwing stones….lets take this bull and put him on public land, lets even put him 10 yards from you, broadside, screaming his head off…by the way, it's two minutes past legal shooting time, but there's a full moon,….DO YOU SHOT…just something for you to think about….
This bull is huge but i still dont agree with it if he is shot in a fenced area why call it a fair chase it isnt fair it is murder what did the elk do to you.
I think that some are missing the point here. This was killing and definately not hunting! If you put an animal behind a fence it quits being hunting and becomes killing.There is a vast difference.There's a bunch of guy's on here that know the difference. What really got by blood boiling though, was the fact that these 2 yahoo's tried to pass it off as a fair chase hunt in the Selway, with a bow. I waited for their story and until today hadn't heard a peep. Maybe someone else spread a false rumor and for now I'll try to give ya the benefit of the dought. A few have commented to give these guys a chance to explain. I'm waiting. If they had posted a story on the internet about "Enourmous Bull Elk Killed in Canadian Enclosure", I would have definately let this one go.
I could give a crap. But you can't look at this "Elk" with any reference to Records.
Fair chase is fair chase and this ain't. Had you hunted and harvested this "Bull" in the Selway under fair chase conditions , he would be 300 pounds lighter ,scored 300 . you would have had a deep sense of accomplishment, with my hat being "Off to You" . As it is I'm just disgusted!
Right on, Mike! That is exactly correct….these clowns have not posted anything 'aboot' this yet, 'eh'.
I don't know how they do it up there, but down here we're proud of what we take….be it a 300 bull or a sickly calf. If it's elk, we take it and it's an accomplishment and everyone knows about it.
I don't know about you, but my father raised me to be a very ethical hunter….if it's 10 am on the last day of the hunt and I'm too far from the truck or help on a hot day (70 or above) I don't care how big the elk is, I'm not taking it 'cause it's gonna spoil. We don't camp where we hunt, and we walk in….leave the quads at camp. We also try to hunt low pressure because these critters need their fat stores for the winter and we don't need to run that off of them.
Anyway, you get the point….
From a Selway-Bitterroot hunter……Not only did the hardwoods, the water, nor the general flora and fauna not match anything in the S-B, but did anyone else notice that when this bull was supposedly taken Idaho's Selway zone wasn't even open? (giggle)
hay Idaho"purist Hunter"….you say you leave your quads at camp…i'm woundering why you even have quads in the back country…oh ya, becouse you can aford them…why don't you try hunting on horse back like real men…
This guy who shot this bull elk is full of it and should have his hunting license take from him forever & the F&G should take his horns from this lying loser… Cause as you can se he aint no real hunter… he has to buy his elk.
To Jim:
I'd rather hunt from my own feet than an animals, plus I'd rather hunt than mess with the horses. Besides, genius, last time I checked living the equestrian life was much more expensive than a quad…..by the way, tough guy, learn some grammar and/or some spelling.
that's the best come back you can think of……I'm not sure of how it is down their, but up here in Alberta it is the friken quaders that are tearing up the back country that is giving us hunters a bad image with the tree huggers, not the rich guys and gals that spend there hard earned money at a elk killing ranch…don't get me wrong, I am not interested, nor will I ever be interested in hunting on a killing ranch, but as long as it is legal, than so be it….we all need to take a good long look at ourselves before we start judging others
Alberta, eh? Well, then you should know I'm all aboot introspect.
Like I said before, leave the quads back at camp and walk in…I leave NO trace…no tracks, no weeds from my hay and no horse shit.
Molson and Labatt Suck!
Pisse vers le haut d'une corde. And have a nice day.
That bull is HUGE, and i gaurentee any of you guys that dont think he should of shot that bull because you think it was a high fenced bull, you guys are just jealous cause thats the biggest bull any of you guys have seen, and you know none of you guys will get a bull that big EVER.
Does anybody else besides me , think at least half these post are from anti's?
I agree with the purist hunter. horses leave alot of mess and they tear the trails up with heavy use. Blame canada
hey byan, you obviously do not know what your talking about.
This is to Bryan, # 126. Nobody is jealous of this guy shooting that bull. That would be like someone getting jealous over their neighbor's prized farm cow. And of course everyone knows they won't ever get a bull this big……it's not natural, it's farm-raized. So how could someone be jealous of a high-fenced bull like this? Come on man, it's not even the world record.
Umm… Sorry Mr. Idaho Man but I'm sorry horses don't leave a big mess! Would you please explain to me how they do? They just like an elk or deer that crap and eat the same thing!!! SO can you please explain????
well everybody, i've just got done reading all your e-mails about this 575 bull. It's amazing how a story like this can get so much reaction, neg and pos. I agreed with some and disagreed with others but my thoughts are my own. It's not good that we get so mad at each other but thats how it goes i guess. We should realize one thing and that is we all need to stick together. Those damn anti hunters are another story. What this guy did is what he wanted to do and pay alot of money for a fenced elk. I'm thinking it is bad to fence a bunch of elk and let somebody come in and pay big money to hunt them, but i guess if they had the money to start a business like that they must have worked hard for it. What pisses me of to know end is he is trying to say he killed in a far chase hunt in my home state in Idaho. Anybody can kill a fenced elk, but a far chase elk, most of the time you go home with just the good memories of the scenery. There's no fences in the Selway or feeding pans it's awsome country not a liers country like this man is. He should stay inside his fence. Stick together guys.
well yes this is an amazing bull. but the only thing that I would like to know is where on the selway is there that easy of ground to hunt on. I have guided the area and i have hunted the selway many times and every where that i have been on horse and foot is steep. If this guy wanted to lie about how he killed this elk then maybe he should have said some where down south. I have hunted my whole life in northern idaho and have never seen but maybe one or two bulls that would even come close to scoring 400ish. And JSC is right!!! All this bullshitting that is going on is bring'n out-a-staters in to an area that is already getting hammered by the wolves we dont need any more ppl then there already is. Plus its not a place for the first timers to go into. It is way to easy to get last or hurt in that area. It is no mans land.
I love how people jump in to an arguin mode just cause someone uses horses verses not. I have 5 real good pack horses. In the last 10 years that I have had these horses I have only taken them once. They are a royal pain in the ass to hall up into the mountains. (at least where I go). I perfer to hIke in to the back country and bivy camp it for a week, when I've ruined the career of another beast, I call my buddies up they meet me at my truck and we get busy halling meat out. I reward them with beer, it works great.. Which ever way you perfer to do it do it. But what eveer way you look at it, high fenced hunting is a wast eof money, to me at least.
I love how people jump in to an arguin mode just cause someone uses horses verses not. I have 5 real good pack horses. In the last 10 years that I have had these horses I have only taken them once. They are a royal pain in the ass to hall up into the mountains. (at least where I go). I perfer to hIke in to the back country and bivy camp it for a week, when I've ruined the career of another beast, I call my buddies up they meet me at my truck and we get busy halling meat out. I reward them with beer, it works great.. Which ever way you perfer to do it do it. But what eveer way you look at it, high fenced hunting is a wast eof money, to me at least. And JACOB, southern Idaho isn't that flat of country, come on down and i'll show you some rogh country.
To Jim from Alberta, and Idaho Purist. They have seemed to have divided what seems to me like two hard hunting, ethical, consious, give a shit guys, over a means of transportation. I liked the passion of your convictions, but they got you bickering like a couple of school girls. Whether you ride a quad, or use a horse, as long as you do it ethically, Obey vehicle and game laws, keeping the spirit of the hunt and fair chase in mind, more power to both of you. Doesn't sound like either of you are afraid of useing up some foot-leather either. Let's not trash ourselves but save it for the real threat to hunting. Anti's and wolves.
To Bryan,
Yes this is the biggest elk any of us has ever seen,
But jealous, No. It's called ethic's and fair chase.
I don't care that these two Jokers shot a High Fence Elk.
I'm just pissed about the claim of hunting this bull fair chase, in the Selway Wilderness and harvesting a "New World Record with a bow. If I ever did get a chance at this bull I'd throw down on him with my Canon Camera, Snap a couple pictures, then run like hell to the gate before he hooked me in the ass. Those tines are long and they'd probably leave a mark.
ok i have heard enough about this bull, it didn't come from the states, dude paid a butt load of cash for it. he never claimed anything about it. maybe he sent pics. to a friend and that friend sent them to someone else and it snowballed from there. gossip spreads like wild fire. so enough.. I think fence hunting sucks and should be banned. i spend a lot of time hunting in Idaho i don't hunt from a quad or use a horse just a lot of boot leather.
I've been following the posts on this site ever since someone in the office here received an email and posted the picture on the wall. It got everyone oohing & aahing about it's size and questioning if the picture was doctored. My first reaction was that it had to be an animal that had been raised on supplemental feed. So, on to the computer and let the searching begin. When I reached this site, I was satisfied that I was right. I 've spent most of my life in Montana and was raised in a single parent household, every hunting season my mother would drag me (the oldest at home at the time) out to the woods to sit, walk, sneak around for hours (or days) waiting for someting to put on the table. My mom always said "you can't eat the horns". Oh, she got her share of nice trophies but her main objective was feeding us kids. I learned alot about the ethics of hunting, respect for all forms of nature and survival from my mom. I'll always be grateful for that. I'm all for a natural kill and would prefer that every animal is taken that way.That said, this IS a remarkable animal. The rack will make a spectacular mount on the wall. No one has to live with the circumstances of it's demise other than the shooter. I'm sure the "hunter" of this animal doesn't call himself a hunter at home. He knows that he paid money to shoot the elk in a fenced area. The internet is the problem here because we all have access to so much info and it can be spread incredibly fast and inaccurately. We live in the 21st century and have chemicals, additives and fences to produce these extraordinary animals and as long as there is a market for them, this type of hunting will continue.
So be it, let them have their pathetic hunts. The rest of us can be satisfied that what we put on the wall or the table is hard earned and much appreciated. God bless America and the American hunter!
Interesting enough, this was spread by the RMEF not the guy that killed the elk? So why? to stir us all up and get us fighting amongst ourselves so the anti's can sit back an grin because they know we are vulnerable and will eat each other for breakfat while they do nothing except enjoy the frey.
I don't care if you think this was a "fair chase" kill or not, what matters is that this guy had the freedom to own a weapon and use it to "take" an animal. So if we ban game farms and disallow that type of activity, what will the anti's go after next? There is getting to be less and less game out there so that when it is gone, why do you need your weapons???
To Elaine:
Well put…very well written. English major?
My beef with Mr. Canada was just that he went off half-cocked and only skimmed over my entry….didn't really READ it.
As for the few posts here about freedoms and such; the subject we are all bitchin' about really doesn't pertain to patriotism, or the 2nd ammendment or some 'anti' causing a stir…more than likely, what happened here was someone posted somewhere this picture with what he had heard about it without giving it some thought….probably someone who has never been to Idaho's high country….causing quite a stir.
Mr. King has done the research on the back story and conclusion and has posted it as of yesterday morning….if you have not read it yet, you should.
However frustrating this all may be to most of us fair chase hunters, it has become an unfortunate reality here and will probably remain for a while….my view is that shooter bull operations are a danger to the true sportsmen in that they raise many ethical questions from the 'antis' and the like. Plus we have all sorts of nasty bugs that may or may not be transmitted to the wild critters in turn decimating our native heards. I expressed in more detail more ideas in comment #112 if you care to look.
Hey !
I have a great idea…….. We all keep knockin the fenced area thing, let's put all the anti's, their politicians backing them, and the wolves that they reintroduced into one big fenced area and sit back pop a beer and see just who would be the last standing. Then we can sell tags amongst us for who or what is left. That is one fenced area I would love to hunt.
Katie, in northern Idaho the horses are harder on the single track trails than the motorcycles, not to pick a fight but with my expericence horses leave a huge groove down trails that are heavily used. And where ever the horses where unloaded, there is a big pile of hay, shit and whatever else that was in the bottom of the trailer. Dont get me wrong, there are responsible people with horses who do clean up after their animals. Horses and elk do not eat the same thing, maybe this elk that is in the picture but most people bring feed in with them that contains noxious weeds and other invasive species.
I agree ( a red blooded IDAHO hunter) the wolves and the people that back them are a joke i live in idaho and i ablsolutley cant stand those wolves around my hunting areas.
The best way to protect YOUR rights is to help someone else protect theirs. When a right is taken away it can never be regained. Idahosportsmen and women lost on a bid for a "right to hunt amendment last legislative session. There are many that think we should not be allowed to hunt anywhere. High fenced areas are known a roadblock to anti hunting and gun control that the anti's need us as sportsmen to tear down for them. Many of my Montana friends now realize what a mistake they made when voting for I-143 and how it has allowed big brother to get a greater hold on private property rights. Best think about how hot the water is befor you jump in with both feet here. I tell you this was started by the RMEF to get everyone all worked up. And I bet most of you don't realize that the RMEF was the largest single donating organization to the reintroduction of the wolf.
Mr. Degodo
Where did you get the info on the contribution to wolf recovery?
I'd like to see this.
Ive hunted hard for the great beast and it always seems like i always get skunked, but it dosent matter its great being out there. so when some jerk tries to get the hype up it really is sad.
It sounds to me the "idaho purist" (#97) is having a hard time affording $30 for an elk tag and holds some resentment towards someone who can spend over $100k on the largest elk ever known to exist. At the SCI show last year someone paid over $130k at auction for a 500+ stag in new zealand. There is a high fenced place near Gunnison, CO that is also shooting elk around 500. It is a huge business with an even bigger market. People are too quick to hate someone who has more money or has shot way bigger animals. If you don't agree with high fenced hunts…. dont hunt behind a fence……but don't be jealous when you bring home a spike and your rich neighbor brings home a 400 from Quebec.
Its funny to me so many people are against high fences. Those same people can be found year after year road hunting, shooting from their vehicle at decoys, teaching their youngsters bad ethics, attempting shots at 500 yards and crippling animals, tesspassing on private lands, and hunting on top of other hunters. I know Idaho hunting, and I am sick of lazy "hunters" chasing animals on ATV's. You all are hipocrates.
sam, you are not a hunter if you can stand by your comment. there is no way that murdering a bull in a fenced area is the same as hunting and harvesting one in the wild. you just dont get it. hunting is not about killing something. its about the challenge, the thrill, hardwork, and the overall experience. you should listen to yourself talk about these animals, it sounds exactly like someone talking about there prize cattle or pig. this is not hunting it is shooting a TAME animal that was raised by a farmer. I hope you do not call yourself a hunter.
Idaho Mann are you card carring member of peta?
Why do all you hunters feel so threatened at high fence hunting? Are you afraid that someone might say they got a bigger bull than you? You should feel good that this person is not competing with you with his high priced guide that he hired with the money he could have spent on a big bull behind a high fence.
So, Dan…..are you a high fence rancher, or anti?
Because you sure aren't a hunter.
As for the comment eluding to being jealous of a "hunter" who took a 400 bull on a farm vs. my spike on PL….you are either very misinformed, stoned or retarded because any true hunter with a good sense of ethics will take greater pride in harvesting ANY PL elk rather than ANY ranch animal.
If I wanted a ranch animal, I'd walk out into the pasture and lead in a fat to butcher.
One last comment; affording a tag is not the problem….the problem is simple economics. It makes more sense to want to pay less for the same item….just like fuel. There was a time when it was more economically sound to go out after a wild animal for meat on the table rather than buy meat at the store and anyone could afford to do this….now, because of the mind set of people like yourself, hunting has become something closer to a sport rather than a way of life and a way to make ends meet.
Comment 150 just entered is actually intended for Sam and Dan…
Wow! There's a lot of hatred here! I guess we could debate the rights and wrongs of high fence hunting from now on. We could also debate bait feeding, feed plot hunting, waterhole hunting, etc., etc. Why can't we just agree to disagree, as long as it's legal? I've free range bow hunted for animals my entire life. I've bow hunted for Elk in Montana and New Mexico. I saw lots of Elk in both and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I just returned from Laurentian Wildlife Estate (the subject high fence ranch) in Quebec. It was an experience I will never forget. The people were absolutely wonderful, the scenery was beautiful, and the quality of animals outstanding. It is not, as many of you obviously believe, shooting an animal in a small fenced area – and it is not shooting an animal that's been baited. There are hundreds and hundreds of acres and I hunted (although I know a lot of you don't like the use of that term) just as hard at LWE as I did when I free range hunted in Montana and New Mexico. It was absolutely fantastic. Who cares that these animals are not recognized by B&C or P&Y? How many of us ever have the opportunity to see animals of this quality? Thanks LWE for the most exciting experience I've ever had.
Mike…well said, we need to stick together as hunters…Mr. Idaho, I'm sorry, the horse comment was totally uncalled for, but I did read your post and read that you leave your quad at camp, not at home, where it should be …those anti are to fat and lazy the go in the back country and see us walking our butts off, they just drive by our camps and see quads and coolers full of beer and some game hanging from a tree, and say to themselfs, those damn hunters, that's not the image I'm looking for, thanks … I guess after 25 years of guiding rich American hunters, their, my crap don't stink attitude might be rubbing off on me…again, I'm sorry if I offended anyone on here, but just like you Mr. Idaho, I'm entitled to my own opinion…
Idaho "purist"……I am a Idaho native, an archery hunter, and a true sportman. I recognize that not everyone has the ability to hunt in the wild or wants to. I could start calling you names but that would show the true character of a person now, wouldn't it.
I wa born in Missoula and logged in the Selway-Bitteroot. I can tell you there is a specific gene pool that does run in the herd there. In fact the area that supposedly where this bull was taken is smack dab in the middle. I have hunted there for the past 4o years and have seen bulls taken that, given a couple of years, could grow to this particular size. As well the area is vast, wild and extremly hard to hunt. Bulls can grow to a respectable and trophy size since they can live there whole lives without seeing a human. I will give this hunter the benefit of the doubt until he comes forward or if it is proven that it was shot off of a high fence area! If you want to do research or if you are old enough to remember, there was an escape of elk off of a ranch about 20-30 years ago that not all the elk had been located. I think in the later 60′s. In that herd some were cross bred Red Elk (deer) from Europe and if you check the horns, they do resemble the horns off of the Red Elk! Maybe a DNA test would be of help.Question, if it was taken in the high fence area, does it still qualify fro the books?
I think the "Idaho Purist," who hunts because meat is more economical than buying from the grocery store, is missing the point completly. If a guy from California is willing to pay six figures to hunt behind a fence, WHY SHOULD YOU CARE? Maybe in your opinion it is not hunting, but in his opinion it is. His actions DO NOT EFFECT YOU IN ANY WAY. Why should you talk so much sh*t about a choice someone else made, and then try to tell me that I am not a "real hunter" if I don't agree with your views? You seem very ethnocentric and a little facist. This man never claimed the bull was from Idaho, and obviously the only category of record books it is elligible for is "estate" in SCI. I think you need to stop judging other people and maybe take a closer look at yourself.
Sam, I think you have missed the point completely….you and a few others should maybe take a few minutes and read the blob start to finish….you should pay particularly close attention to entry 112and then maybe you will understand the points I have been trying to drive home this entire time.
Now read it….don't just skim it.
you still don't get it. killing this bull was not a hunt it was a purchase. somebody raised this elk, let it mature and this guy came and killed it. It's the same as you buying beef from the store except you didn't have to kill it. Or look at it this way. you know when you hide the easter eggs from kids on easter in a fenced yard. It takes a little while but the kid eventually finds the eggs in a few minutes. Thats what this guy did, the farmer unleashed the elk into a pin and the the guy eventually found it. This is not hunting as it is meant to be. The reason I care so much is because it's things like this that give hunting a bad image. And he claims to be a hunter, thats what makes people mad sam, and your defending him. I don't even know why the guy made the trip to canada, why not have the farmer execute the elk and send the antlers. save him a trip.
I like the analogy, Mann….Easter Egg Hunt….I here-by dub High Fence "the Easter Egg Hunt".
(mann and purist ) the fact that you make a distinction between yourself and someone who hunts a different way is what the antis are banking on to defeat us. The antis really dont care about details , they want to stop ALL hunting , and they have used the " divide and conquer " theory very effectively . So I ask you again are you antis or are you just playing into thier hands?
Mann and Purist,
Have you heard me once argue that what the guy did was a real hunt? No. Have you actually met the guy? No, but you seem to be able to speak for him when you say he claims to be a real hunter. I don't believe in canned hunts either, but if someone wishes to spend their hard earned money on such a hunt, so be it. Like I said, it has nothing to do with you and you have no right to rush judgement. If you personally don't like the idea of a fenced hunt, don't hunt behind a fence.
Do you people realize that MANY western outfitters are buying elk off game farms and trucking them into their private or leased lands for unsuspecting hunters? A domesticated elk isn't going anywhere after being transplanted. The hunters show up and "gets lucky." An outfitter can buy a live mature bull for a cheap price, truck it into Utah or wherever, and make a killing by selling elk hunts at 8 and 10 thousand bucks. You are ingnorant and nieve to think this isn't happening. How did our wild animals get behind fences in the first place? We are never going to get rid of the high fenced businesses as long as republicans are in office. Republicans care only about money and business, and high fenced operations have alot of both.
I really think that this is very sick… This has been on the news in SE Idaho on about every local station claiming that it came from the Selway. I agree, leave Idaho alone. We do not need any outsiders taking our animals.
( Mann and Purist)….my In-laws are from Idaho, and I've been there during hunting season many times, in fact I think I saw you two their last time, but I'm not sure with one of you two was driving the jacked up 72 ford with the big dog tires on it and a mouth full of Redman chew, and with one was in the back sitting on the lawn chair with a box of beer in one hand and a rifle in the other…….can you spell…".RED NECK"….
That really is uncalled for….you must be Canadian.
It's an '06 Ford, Copenhagen, a jar of moonshine and my buddy Mann in the front seat with a crossbow.
But seriously, you really ought to read all of the blog before throwing in your 2 cents….and yeah, I am a Red Neck.
jack, you sound like an anti hunting city boy. and learn how to spell.
(ruff country)
he's not a hunter, he purchased a living animal to kill it. he gave it no chance, it was in an enclosed area like your dog in the front yard. and you talk of dividing and conquering, there is no division he's not hunting, he's in the livestock business. Hunting is a way of life for me and is for many people in this great country of ours, and most of us know high fence operations are not categorized as hunting. at least the real hunters can tell the difference.
It's no use Mann, talking with some of these people and trying to get the point across about how these Easter Egg Hunts are ruining our way of life is like clapping with one hand…..and as for Canada Jack, he's like 2 cents waitin' on change.
When you have a conversation with the like, it's like drinking from the fire hose…you can give an awesome and unlimited amount of information, but they can only take in a very miniscule amount.
But boy-howdy, it sure is fun!
purist and Mann,
you guys are like a bow and an arrow, ya just go together you two make a lot of sence and i agree with everything you two have said, you hit the nail on the head when you said "Easter egg hunt"
You guys are right and I am sorry. I like to think I am a great hunter even though I never kill anything. I get jealous when when people kill bigger animals than I do. I too would hunt behind a fence if I could afford it. I like to use excuses and label others who have more money than I do, and who kill bigger animals than I do as antis or say they aren't hunters. I have also been posting using the name Idaho Mann. I know I should mind my own business, but I don't have anything better to do, so I like to talk crap on a blog about people that kill much bigger animals than I do, and are much better hunters. I know in truth I am the one who isn't a hunter, but when I road hunt I like to pretend that I am. Again I am sorry for being so ignorant.
I will give you this, you shot a nice bull but you did not hunt that bull. I really have no respect for people who hunt from a vehicle and I dislike paid hunters and outfitters more so you know were i stand. I am 16 and i have been hunting my a*# off with a bow every season and i have only kill one bull. i could of easily killed a elk every year with the right money.
That "hunter" should be ashamed of himself. My first reaction to the picture was High Fence Bull and that is really sad… what has happened to fair chase and respect from your fellow sportsman?
Just to let you all know, The news channels restated the article about the Record Bull Killed In the selway and said how sorry they were that the facts were not true. The shame placed on people when they tell lies…
i think you should go and find one like that in the the wild then on a ranch that got loose and bee happy if you find one that big in the wild then we will talk ok
Why in the world is everyone so worried about this bull? This guy shoots a tremendous bull, fair chase or not. He did not try to enter it in the books or gloat about it. It is his fellow hunters that take the story and make it into something awful. Everyday, people go to Red Lobster and pick a lobster out of a tank, then eat it. Can everyone afford to do that, No! Hunters complain because it is not FAIR. The only FAIR that people need to worry about is the County and State FAIR. As long as there are people willing to pay for monster bulls, then there will be high fences. People worry too much about what everyone else is doing instead of giving the way they hunt 100% and be proud of that. It is amazing to me that our Country can come together as one after 911 and Katrina, but someone kills a bull that is bigger than any other, and people turn rude, mean, and lose all sense of America. I do hunt, and I am so thankful that I have that opportunity. Look at the bright side, the people that are hunting in high fences are not crowding our public lands.
I think that shooting anything thathas been fed antler enhancing crap and raised by people behind a fence is stupid. That is not hunting in any way or form. I would be embarrassed and ashamed.
I live on a dairy, so I have to shoot cows quite often. We raise them for their beef. So when I shoot one, should I call that hunting?
Probably not is my guess. So, what is the difference? Oh, there isn't one is there.
Wholly Molly what controversy this "yard dog" has caused… I feel the same as many of you when it comes to the high fence crap. Is it ethical…is it immoral…is hunting…or is it just killing… these are questions that each person must answer for themselves… I mean, hey if I wanted to eat an animal that was full of growth hormones, antibotics and the such I would save a little money and just buy a big ol' USDA ribeye steak at the local grocery store but antlers do something to man. I see it every year during the shed horn season here in Nevada, it is an obsession for many the quest of the "Muy Grande" some can afford it some can only dream about it. In my opinion, let me state that again my OPINION about the high fence operations is that they will eventually begin to affect (or infect) the wild populations that have been in place for ever… it is inevatible that these genitically constructed varmits will introduce things like CWD, and other dieses that will wipe out the natural populations on our critters – For instance it is happening in Idaho as we speak… game fence broke, pet elk running wild during the rut none the less… Sure the Idaho fish cops and government have issued tags for the pen raised freaks but I still feel that the wild herd will be the ones to pay…
so what the bull is a high fence bull. it will go as a high fenced record, if it is wild then it will go in pope n young. let it work its self out. as for the guy who shot it he needs to come out and settle this once n for all. as for me ive hunted all over southwest MT and the only pace close to having bulls this big is yellowstone and they're few and far between
wow cares if it was killed in the high fence if you got the money to do it then go for it. And BILL said it how it is. No one can say they would'nt hang him on there wll.
I would like too think that the world would be a better place if the playing field was even. But if that was true, then all the worlds' resources would be drained in a day and there would be nobody too keep the world running. Sadly that is the reason that third world countries hate Americans. So if ya got that kinda money, too buy a bull of this caliber. Then somebody probably devoted a minimum of 4-5 years too build it for him. (Once again you have the rich employing the well, I would bet not so poor too do). ~~~So he has some thing too talk about with the boys at the club. But ya gotta face it, he now has the biggest~~~~ all arguments aside. Bar-None. So he can now be king of the hill, only in his purchased little world. So why not let him stand by his steroid boy and have his day in the sun. After all it cost him a small fortune. At least by most standards. Pet killer~~ does any body know how much he paid for this aberration? Snopes.com has this story if any body want too take a look.
yes this bull MAY have been raised on a game farm but it was still harvested in the forest with a bow therefor i think it should be scored and put in the record books, And no matter how you look at it this is a geat bull and if you dont put it in the rcord books it is your loss not the hunters. this bull is magificent so therefor i think the bul should be scored because then there will be a challenge for other hunters to find an even bigger bull or not, besides the world record white tail deer was raised and shot on a hunting preserve sos why should this be any different exept thi one was shot on the forest and not on the game farm
therefor i have made my point
your fellow fair chase hunter John-Michael
There seems too be no middle ground here. It is for, or against! I doubt that B&C will allow it as the rules are a set standard. There was a very large Mule Deer taken last year and I don't believe it was allowed for reasons that it was taken on a reservation by an Indian. So because it was not available too the public it was not allowed. And it was a record breaker-not a farmed deer. So I think this is a decision that B&C will have too make, and I would be surprised if they let this one through.
I was reading up the page. And I seems as though something may have made sense. Does anybody see a tongue or blood? Maybe this fellow is still alive and making babies! maybe this is nothing but a elk hoax. After all you do not kill a heard bull of this caliber, Do you? There may be a chance that this feller is just drugged. Like they have not done it before. If you are a farmer you don't kill your best seed. He looks like he is asleep too me. Maybe positoned?? His eyes are closed?
A Idaho Falls, Id new station did an interveiw and said the people appologized for saying the elk was killed in selway bitter root. It was actually killed on a ranch in Canada
this bull was not druged can you not see the european mount pictures. and i know some of you are saying well those could be fake and just a model of its horns. so also if it were druged do you actually think that those two pencil pushers would get that close two an alive bull elk…………..no way it might hurt them…………………..HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAA
I still feel that the point of these game ranches is being missed – Does anyone recall all of the crap that has been happening to the wild heards in Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico and now Idaho are all facing bad news in the means of Diease – most of which started at a high fence operation…Until fair chase hunters and Game Commissions, Local and Sate Govts get together and outlaw this these highfence operations they will continue to slowly destroy the natural elk heards and deer herds…
Did you know in parts of New Mexico you can't bring the skull or spine of an elk out of the woods due to Cronic Wasting Diease (CWD) this infection as I understand it has been traced back through to Colorado where several pen raised animals were destroyed and burned because of infection….
I dont think it should be a question of hunter or not but take a look at the big picture will your children, grandchildren and great grandchildren be able to talk about hunting the wild herds or will they be to containated to harvest???
hey guys this is mike and i was just asking where did you find the elk eney way beusec that is a huge elk buut just e-mail if you want thank you have a good day bye.
This is not a natural bull and should not be scored and/or recorded. The people that shot this are pathetic, to be a real sportsmen you have to go scout, time and then get ready have a plan and then shoot. You can't grow a bull and have it almost a pet and then shoot it it is unamerican and unsportsmen they should go to hell.
high fenced bull
This is pretty sad. I can't believe you would shoot that Elk after it has eaten out of your dog dish!
BOOOO on You!
what is the world coming to. pepole like you shooting your pet, think about it ridculous. sportsmenship.
IT MAY OF been the bull that escaped……It probally was why do you think he go so close to kill it
Wow, lets see some pictures like these but of wolves, Idaho has way too many, they have just decimated sbout all the elk herds,
hunted up yankee fork no elk tracks but lots of woves.
Angry Bear you should find out all the facts. The little know fact is that the case of Colorado Elk having CWA is not from private game farms but from a government research facility. They let both deer and elk go and gave some animals away to game farms because they thought they were starving from being in captivity but really had CWD. Every private elk that is penned in the USA has a pedigree better than your hunting dog, and when one dies of CWA is can be traced to every animal it ever came in contact with and if traced far enough will end up back at that Colorado government research facility.
I have raised elk on my property (which I can not do anymore because of people that believe what they hear and read and not what they truly research and understand) and hunt in the wild with a bow and rifle. Game farm hunting and hunting in the wild serve two different purposes for two different types of people.
When bull elk are raised for the sale of their antlers, they peak out on size and then are at the top of their value. It is economically the correct option to allow someone without the time, ability or desire to hunt in the wild, to shoot these animals and harvest the meat and heads.
For those of us that love to hunt in the wild lets keep hunting for the tradition so that our kids and grandkids can also hunt. But please don't knock those that desire to make a living raising these animals. Make sure the laws stay tough so that we protect the wild animals but be understanding of the rights of others.
Elk hunter – You are correct in stating that I should get all the facts, however I'm simply making a statement. Pedigrees or not when these animals escape from the farms you know it does increase the possibility of the wild herds contracting these dieases – what I'm more focused on is the gene pool if these animals are bred with the Red Stag and the Manitoba strain then they are truly not Rocky mountain Elk they become a super hybred – Im not knocking any of the Game ranchers for making a buck (no pun intended) because if you do that then lets start with pen raised chukar, pheasants and Quail – how many operations in South Dakota the self proclaimed Pheasant Capitol of the World would be put out, and Georgia Quail plantations with their call back pens – I mean we can argue, cuss and fight about this all you want but you pretty much hit the nail on the head when you mentioned the regulations of the farms. Hell I'm as guilty as the next man when it comes to booner bucks and bulls I love em – but what seperates Western Big Game Hunting from that of any other state or farm?? We dont feed the deer and we dont fence them in. Oh and Leave my bird dogs outta this… They dont like pen raised birds either!
ok the guy shot the elk…..hes not bragging about it…..stop whining about it
I shot a Jackalope bigger than that. Out here in Wyoming we shoot stuff like that for fun on a daily basis. Also, nice try lying about shooting it in Montana red neck.
blablabla… useless points talking about shooter as not being a true hunter. This was harvest and when the majority of you anti's / witch hunting folk hear the shooter going around saying otherwise and claiming fairchase then carry on about yer business. Until then…CHEERS to Lewis's #96 !!
oh and btw..where the heck were ya'll during the bann Jimmy Houston highfence debackle. Did you sign that petition then?. You do all know that was a true portrayal of something other than fair chase on a national broadcast tele show, right?…
John Michael,
I agree with you, This Bull should be in the record books. About the catogory though. Do they have one for steroid fed, chemically enhanced, High Fence Enclosure Monstrosities.
Granted , this bull is huge and should possibly be the measuring stick by which feedlot elk are measured. I'm not on the" Captive Elk Raiser's Association of Canada" board.
People are free to choose where they hunt and game farms probably have a place, BUT, Records are for those hard hunting, ethical, pursuit in the wild, fair chase individuals whom take it upon themselves, to insist, that the game animal has the advantage, and the pursuit is fair chase.
There are Record Clubs that will allow this Elk.
Fortunately B&C and P&Y aren't two of them.
i think this is a bunch of beeeeep. i would never want to meet the people that shot this elk because i would have to slap him. peace out my homies.
i think he is bad bad bad !!!!!!!!
im really glad to see this resolved there has been alot of controversy over this bull here at my work, everyone here was wondering if it was real or doctored photo and just basically if the bull in fact even existed so thanks KINGS for clearing it up.
I think that is bull crap. that had to be in a barn with mountains of steroids and every thing to make the horns Grow
I agree with will stoker you really should get a life and go after fair chase elk.
Also stop trying to be an idiot and get that into the record book. I say high fenced areas are a discrace to nature you idiot.
I've been watching this blog since it first appeared on here and have even jumped in and made a few waves with my 2 cents worth a few times. But this high fence vs. non high fence debate could go on forever, we might just have to agree to disagree ..but it could be a win / win for both sides if we just think about it…there have been some great arguments made from both sides here…The clients that support these high fence operations are either very wealthy individuals or multi million dollar corporations that send their employees or high end clients on these killing safaris, so if we could somehow get rid of the bad ones and put stricter regulations on the others, then get our governments to put a 20 to 25% trophy fee or killing tax on these operations and then take the tax revenue from them and put it back into local and provincial / state wildlife and habitat enhancement projects for the wild animals of our great countries….I'm sure those wealthy individuals and companies would not mind digging a little deeper in their pockets to help out all wildlife, and both sides would win; most importantly, wildlife would win with improved habitat…I also believe that we need to step back and take a look at the big picture, and I mean the BIG PICTURE., we have a clown over in North Korea playing around with nuclear weapons, and who knows were that's going to lead to….we also have men and women from both our great countries sacrificing their lives each and every day over in Afghanistan and Iraq and other places around the world to protect the things we sometimes take for granted….GOD BLESS AMERICA….GOD BLESS CANADA…AND GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS
incredible animal, hope the guy posts the real story.
Now that we know that antler growth has been perfected, maybe they could do some thing about that gamey flavor. Maybe they could work on it tasting like chicken. ROFLMAO
Jim #210,
It really comes down to the push of a button or pull of a trigger and how things change.
Well put, Well Said !
I liked your 2 cents!
i am fifteen years old and i only dream of geting an elk that size. but i dream of really hunting an elk. not shooting some ones pet. i think it is very unamerican to claim the title of something you did not really hunt. thats like cliaming to be a state champ in wrestling when you were the only one in the bracket. way to pay your way into the record books.
To those of you who don't think that the Game Farms aren't a threat….
It happened again in Idaho – another animal got out. A bull got out of its pen and was roaming free in SE Idaho. IDFG shot and killed the bull 10 miles from where it escaped. The owner of the animal did not even know it was out, how long it was gone or if there are more that got out.
This is getting ridiculous. Our neighbors think so, too. Wyomings gov. is calling for a ban of these high fence operations in light of current events. Brucelosis seems to be the biggest concern and then CWD. Preservation of the heards true genetics is also a concern; apparently these farmed animals have excellent pedigrees, but they're bred for antlers, not heartiness. I have also heard that a common practice is hybridization with european red deer….a common side effect with hybrids is sterile animals which would remove the genetic material all together.
Just something to think about….endless possibilities and what ifs.
I know of rich guys that pay out $10,000 for others to go "find" them an elk to shoot on public lands. They fly out on their helecopters to the land the night before yhe hunt starts, and then wake up and walk up the mountaqin to the elk that were put to bed by the "guides" and shoot it at first light. They spend thousands to find the elk, and only hunt one day most of the time.
what is the differance really? Should this "hunter" be in the record books for "making a good shot". He is not anywhere near a true hunter that takes the time to walk the hills, spot and stalk the animals himself, and actually do the work?
High Fenced hunts are just the next step down on the ladder to me as well.
A few years ago we had a bunch of elk crossing a busy road in central Utah. The fish and game gave out a tag a day for hunters to shoot an elk off the road. It was in late december to january and the elk were all shot from the road and dropped dead wihtin fifty to one hundred yards of the main road. Some of the elk were very nice, in the upper 370′s and higer. Is that a record elk, or trophy? I think not. It was a slaghter basically. The elk had never been shot at before in the winter and especially from the roads.
The year before the fish and game shot them them selves which awas even worse.
Anyway, I think there are a lot of different methods of "Hunting"
And I feel the catogories should be changed to show it. Like a hunter that takes a big buck or bull with out a guide on public lands should mean more than a fully guided hunt that a dude has paid out $10,000 for. And of course, highfenced records should all be shown as such.
That way, we can just look at the ones that have meaning. We can just cut the others out of the books and only the rich and wealthy Shooters can gloat over them. Like comparing thier bank books. LOL
Anyway, it would be nice to have a set of antlers like that around to look at though. Man, they are cool looking.
Who ever shot this bull has discraced the whole hunting community by saying 1. that it was a bow kill. and 2. that it was fair chase. amazing and majestic creature unfortunatly he was knocked out every day in velvet and had is rack spread. its a sad day when hunting has came to this!
I hope this guy is proud of his high-fence trophy. If he was smart he would have kept the bull alive, put a saddle on it and charged people $10 per ride. I'm still curious to see the actual kill shot because my guess is that he gut pumped it, even though it was probably 40 yards away…while eating out of someone's hand.
I don't know that it was ever determined whether or not this is a bow kill….I'll bet that if it was a bow kill, the animal was less than 20 yards out. Doesn't seem to be any blood in the pics.
The shooter in question really hasn't come forward with any comments of his own…it would be interesting to get his perspective.
I'm not with everyone else in saying I'd like to have this animal on my wall….#1 It's so fetchin' big, I'd have to move everything else and #2 it's a freak of science, not nature.
All of you game farmers and the people that stand beside you, need to give your heads a shake.
dude omg i think that i would craped my pants that is the biggest elk that i have ever seen ever. you are so lucky you dont even know
Personally I could care less if that bull was killed behind a fence or not. It is a huge bull. If some idiot wants to fork out thousands of dollars for a fenced bull then more power to him and the rancher he gave the money to. I am an elk hunter from montana and I think it is a shame that the elk farms were screwed out of a living. Not to mention the loss to an already slow economy. And I now have that much more competition to score an elk fairly. By having a bunch of knotheads running around the hills that don't know what they are doing. So to all you self-rightous fair chase hunters give yourselves a big slap on the back for ruining someone elses livelyhood. Myself I would never consider shooting a game farm animal. If I want to do that I will buy a beef from a local rancher and do it myself. And support my local economy. But that does not give any of us the right to take away the rights of a rancher to make a living. And if this is how you think then you had better be a vegitarian that only wears polyester and rubber flip-flops.
id say in the feder they put steroyds in it to make it that big and elk dont live in the green almost looks like it is a farm elk
Hopefully as sportsmen we can get rid of high fenced hunting or canned hunting as I like to call it. As Purist said CWD is alive and well in Idaho. My wife shot a nice 4pt buck that was certified by fish and game to have CWD. This was 4 years ago. If the game ranches that are popping up have so much as a 1% chance of infecting the natural herds the we all love to hunt, I say get rid of them. Lets not take a chance with the herds that have been here since our fourfathers.
I like your bull elk you guys shot. It is very pretty. I'm doing a report on the elk. I was just wondering if you could give me any information on how they adapt themselvs to live in a diffrent place.my e-mail addres is firstname.lastname@example.com. please e-mail me.
This is rediculous. You people can say that you would never shoot anything like this bull under these conditions, but do you know EXACTLY what the conditions were? NO you don't. Don't get me wrong, I don't believe in high-fence hunting, but come on, how do you know that if you were in the exact position this guy was in and had all the money or whatever that you wouldn't do the same thing? All I'm saying is how can you tell what you would do if you weren't there. You people need to quit ragging on this guy and get over it. Ya, he shot a monster elk and ya it wasn't fair chase, but unless you were planning on going in there on the same farm and shooting that same elk, why are you complaining?
Why so much hate? If a guy wants to fork out 30 Grand for a drug infested piece of meat with huge hardware, let him. The B&C and P&Y won't recognize the animal because it wasn't fair chase. Aren't those the only records that really count. If SCI wants to recongnize this let them. It will only be detrimental to their reputation and hit them where it counts, in the wallet. No fair game hunters will ever want to contribute money to them now, so it's their loss. Why turn on a guy that shells out that kind of cash for "hunting"(not really)? Why turn him against us, the hunters? We don't need a potential hunter to turn into an anti and to start giving that kind of money to them(the anti's). Congrats to the guy for purchasing the largest rack he could find. Don't hate the guy just cuz he has money.
sounds to me most all of you are just jealous. you would be talking it up at the bar if it was you. get a life and leave the guy alone and let him have his glory
to 228 robert roberts: Even if I had the money to put on an animal that size I wouldn't. How could anyone have any glory for shooting that elk that was raised by people and treated like a pet. that is not hunting. It would be more glorifed to shoot a neighbors cat.
neighbors cat? I'd be in the books for sure!
bull is farm bull from quebeq 10,000.00 and then hauled to montana and posed there. an absolute load of pucky and more fodder for the antis. Seriously all the focus on the "big " rack when all you can eat is the meat. I subsist 68 percent on my freezer of game and my wife hasnt found a recipe for horns yet.
I have hunted the west for 37 years and settled for more than one tender juicy spike. hunt hard . Brian Johnson
shame that someone killed this animal! cat and dog hunting should be a sport now! better yet, rat hunting! lets all go to chi town or new york!!
Yah i agree with robert roberts, there's alot of jelous people out there! I dont care who it is, if you had the chance at a bull like that nobody would turn that one down!!!! NICE BULL!
I agree with most all of you. This just ticks me off to see people making money domesticating elk…let them be wild and free. The website that stated they have 80 some elk ranches in ID…they all should be loaded up and put to work somewhere else. They say the "High Fenced" hunts are there for anyone…handicapped and the older generation hunts. BS…the govt has set up specific dates and hunts for these hunters to hunt. Fair Chase…another BS comment…when a person puts a fence in there is no Fair Chase about it…a fence is not natural but as we all know man made. If it were up to me, I wish, I would make it illegal to domesticate or run a "High Fence" operating. I would have the domestic elk destroyed because they probably cound't survive out in the wild any how…who knows though. They might. But still…keep the wild herds alive and get rid of the ranches.
Why is every one fighting on the computer that is so dumb. Lets just say that it is a huge bull and was shot in a fenced area (which i dont agree with) and lets say that if he was in the wild all of the rest of us would have got scared and missed.
I have hunted both fair chase & high fence (this year). I have gotten 3 elk on public grounds, so it wasn't just for antlers that I chose high fence. The reason I chose high fence (which if done correctly on 5000 acres, was challenging) was after 7 years of trying to get a tag in Arizona, I was frustrated after getting another reject notice. As everyone knows, AZ produces monster elk, but the odds of getting a tag are EXTREMELY small through their lottery draw system. Anyhow, I am not rich but had to save very hard to go bull elk hunting this year. A few of the hunters that were hunting had disabilities at the ranch, and in choosing high fence was probably the only way they would fulfill a dream of killing a bull elk. As long as a hunter gets a high fence bull but does not pass it off as a public ground or a fair chase bull, why all of the hostilities? Let's promote hunting before the Anti's have even more ammunition to stop a sport we all enjoy.
Again, B&C doesn't recognize high fence bulls, so what is the big deal if someone wants a once in a life time dream fulfilled, it doesn't impact the true hunters!
I know the hunter. He's been honest about he circumstances from the beginning.
Go to the below site to see pictures and get the skinny on what really happened.
i live in oregon and the fish and game has designated a high fence experimental area ( with out the enhancement drugs or feed) and people put in for these limited tags to hunt these animals every year. i have very little experience with high fence bulls since im to poor to even buy a new bow but i would hunt this area and have been in there and it doesnt seem much easier to hunt than the wild.
poor little you. each and evry one of you cry babys would shoot that bull if you saw it. high fence or not. grow up and be real men.
Get over it you whiners. If most of you were given the chance to take that bull, you would. Some people spend their money on fancy jewelry or fancy cars. It just so happens that these individuals spend theirs elsewhere. So get a life and move on !!!
They are not hunters! They pay to kill things which unfortunately is becoming very popular. Neither Boone nor Crockett would have ever been a part of something like this.
Only animals taken in fair chase on public lands should qualify for the record books. I have hunted for 46 years and believe that any form of baiting animals or fencing them in and feeding them supplements should be illegal, but the outfitter business is a powerful lobby and this will not stop unless each of us call his congressman/woman and tells them to stop it of lose a vote.
It appears Boone & Crockett are saying the mysterious selway bull is actualy a high fence bull from Quebec. I have a place on the Selway and I thought no way when I first saw this pic
One more thing, before I run out the door for a quick evening hunt. If you fellas dont feel stupid and or embarassed, dont worry, I will pick up the slack for ya. Its embarasing just reading half of your crap.
I have finally come to a consensus with this "High Fence Hunting". Here is the reason that I support them. While I believe killing an elk in a pen is just like going out and killing any livestock animal that is tied up. The nice thing is these HFH areas keep the elk locked in a pen(most of the time) as well as the unknowledgeable hunter from California that doesn't know the difference between a horse and an elk. See this type of hunter needs someone to tell them what to shoot, when to shoot, and do all the dirty work for them like take car of the animal after the shot. Do we really want that type of hunter out in the woods with the rest of us. HECK NO!! I do not want my horse shot out from under me or have me tied to the truck as a trophy. So let them have the pen to keep them inside. Better for us real hunters!!!
Everyone of you guys would have shot that bull high fence or not im sure he spent a lot of money on that hunt and if anyone of you had the money you would have killed it too it really isnt real hunting im sure he didnt have to walk his ass off but who cares he payed for it
Nice bull
That is on stroarods thats big bull
I shot one like twise the size back in 1916
I haven't had time to read all the posts yet, seems like it could take hours. So I hope nobody has mentioned this but FYI, just recently (Sept '06), a high fence outfit allowed about 120 farm raised elk to escape into the wilds, here in east Idaho. The outfit was very close to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National parks. You can't imagine the problems this caused and the timing couldn't be worse as the elk were just starting to rut. With worry about contaminating the native elk gene pool, the Fish and Game made an effort to find and kill all the farm raised elk. They only had limited success so the Governor extended the season for that area hoping that hunters would take the farm-raised animals while out hunting for the natives. This too had limited success. Last I heard, there were only about 30 animals taken, with about 90 unaccounted for. It's terrible to think they've found there way into the native herds. No one knows the long term affects it will have on the natives but if one GOOD thing has come of this, it's that Montana and Wyoming are now pressuring Idaho to make high fencing and game farming illegal. Nothing would make me happier. Some of these statements may be a little off, as I'm just stating what I recall from all the newspaper stories as well as the letter I received from the Fish and Game extending the season. Comments anyone? – Aaron
If you want to high fence hunt good for you. But dont try to pull the wool over our eyes
I would first like to say WOW! I was searching for the Oregon State Record Cougar and came across this link. Being that I just got back from Elk hunting I decided to read, learn, and sometimes laugh. Is that an amazing bull? YES!!! Was it hunting? Im not positive, because I have never been on a guided hunt nor have I been on a fenced hunt. What I do know is that hunting for me, is about the experience, the memories, the friendships, and the adrenaline. Did the killer of that bull bring back memories? Yes sir. Did the killer of that bull bring home an experinece? Yes sir. Did the killer of that bull bring back friendships? More than likely. And was the killer of that bull full of adrenaline when he spotted that bull and pulled the trigger? If he wasnt, that ELK should be posing with a smile on his face, above the HUNTER in that picture. Because ANY elk, while elk hunting, gets the adrenaline pumping and if it doesnt, your wife should hang your hunting boots above the fire-place and sell your hunting weapon because she has no use for them when your dead.
So in my mind he is a hunter.
I didnt harvest a bull this year. In fact out of the 13 spike only tags in camp we harvested zero elk. But the one thing we did do was have a good time. We all had great experiences. We all have some sort of memory about this year. We all made new friends. And whether it was the flushing of a grouse 5 steps away or a tree'd black bear 7 feet directly above my father in the pitch dark without a flashlight that got our adrenaline pumping, it was hunting!
The main reason that I chimed in about these posts is because not once, at least not in this thread, was any word mentioned about the killer of this bull stating this bull to being a new world record. Or any kind of record for that matter. Story line for this post, the way I stumbled acrossed it read "The Biggest Elk- 575 Archery Bull?"
No where in that title does it state new world record. Or that the hunter, or what I prefer to call killer, because Im not yet aware of all the circumstances behind the harvesting of this animal to call him a hunter, claimed anything other than a very big bull. Do I believe in high fenced hunts? Not sure that I do. But I know that I dont believe in bashing someone, or a magnificient animal such as this bull, because he was behind a fence, that for all we know could be surrounding 100,000 acres of 5,000 foot high ridges and narly windfall, until of course you get to the creek.
#239 posted about a high fenced experimental area in Oregon that was arranged by ODFW (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife). This high fenced area is 40 square miles, which you cannot hunt within a 2 mile buffer inside or outside of the fence line. He failed to mention however that all the animals inside this fenced area are WILD animals. Except for the cattle. All the animals were either still in the area when they put up the fence or trapped and transplanted into the fenced area after the fence and observation area were constructed. Now I know some of you big sky hunters would say that 40 square miles isnt very big. But I hunt in an area that is public land, no more than 5 square miles, and I have killed 8 elk and one bear since 92′. That might not be that many to some hunters, but the unit I hunt in Oregon, which is spike only, happened to have only 21 calves per a hundred cows this year with an estimated herd of 6300 elk. There were over 2100 spike only tags issued for the unit and it happens to be in the same unit that the experimetnal forest (high fenced) area that #239 menitoned.
I guess what Im trying to say is that this bull, although killed in a high fenced outfit, is still an AMAZING animal. DO NOT discredit the animal. He probably lived a pretty spectacular life as far as an elk's life is concerned. He didnt look like he was stressed by people, (from the pictures of him feeding out of the dog bowl), the people that manage the ranch probably have a pretty good control of predators, so he wasnt stressed from that normal elk stresser. And being as big as he was, he probably got to breed as many cows as he could, which if elk smiled probably put a big smile on his face.
You guys can bash me all you want. Thats fine with me.
Im just a hunter. Who has meat in his freezer from last year, a bunch of TROPHIES of spikes, and a rag horn on his walls, and sheds in his garage. And a scrap book full of memories of the hunt, and not just the kill.
I wasnt unhappy at all coming home empty handed this year. I was blessed with the ability to hunt with my father once again, and that makes him and I both hunters!
Im also the guy who gives a thumbs up to the other guy with the huge bull with the massive rack hanging out of the back of his pick up passing me on the highway, when I have nothing hanging out of the back of mine. Who am I to judge? All I know is that he has an elk in his truck, and will have meat in his freezer. He's a fellow hunter. He accomplished what he set out to accomplish. Kudos to him!!
Oh, and post #239, the Experimental Forest in Eastern Oregon that you call a high fenced area has conducted some great studies about hunting, camping, cattle grazing, hikiing, predators, vehicle traffic, timber cutting, and general elk behavior and the effects of such activities on the elk herds which have helped many states adopt management plans and objectives that I think we, as elk hunters, and hunters in general, should all be thankful for. You dont have to be rich to hunt this area. You just have to put in for the tag like any other Eastern Oregon Unit and some of the Western units. My father has a few co-workers that hunt this unit, and sometimes kill elk, sometimes dont. Nothing that would make the record books by any means. And surley nothing quite as big as the magnificent bull that once roamed a game farm somewhere in Quebec!
Good luck to all you hunters out there, safe and happy hunting!!!
Hunting in montana ,idaho,wyoming, coloradoect is somthing like this…..
The word "hunt" Means to get up at 5:30am, eat burnt toast and drink cold coffee. Scrape the ice off of the windshield of your '67 ford beater. get it started, drive into the willderness(must be more than 370 acres) get out hike through 2ft of snow for 3 miles, maybe find a spike elk or a cow, shoot it with your old 30-30, dress it out qtr it up and drag the peices back to your truck, get home at 11:00pm. tired and cold but with a grin on your face cuas theres meat on the table and meat in the freezer.
Anyone agree?
Ya, thats a big 10-4. But you make it sound easy ! ! Gotta love it.
just get over it it is a done deal…
there should be considered two record books one being for non high fenced animals and the other being fo high fenced animals
Dear Editirs.
Having been raised with good hunters here in Utah where we have high country fir , scrub oak and sage in the North to the Grand Cabnyon countrry in the south it sickens me to watch a program wher men and woman will go to a South Texas or midwest deer farm and sit in a blind overlooking a field that has been disced and windrowed to pick out a target then shhot with the latest high tech weapon.
My old 30-30 grandfathers would roll over in thier rendered mound to see todays sof butted hunter that brags so well on a T.V. program as a guide / farmer hauls his torso out to a feed lot.
Hunters indeed !
Here's a fsh here's a barell now catch it.
Dear Editirs.
Having been raised with good hunters here in Utah and throughout the Intermountain West where we have high country fir and Aspen forests, scrub oak, and sage in the North to the Grand Canyon countrry in the South, it sickens me to watch a program where men and woman will go to a South Texas or midwest deer farm and sit in a blind overlooking a field that has been disced , windrowed , special growth feed , salt licks, and apples/cornblocks set out to pick out a target then shoot with the latest high tech weapon wearing camo no less!
Myself as well as my old 30-30 grandfathers would roll over in their rendered mound to see todays soft butted hunters that brags all of the time and so well on the " hunter ? " T.V. programs while some dirt farmer turned ," guide" hauls his torso out to a feed lot.
Hunters indeed !
Here's a fsh– here's a barell –now catch it.
yea yea yea nice bull did you raise it your self i can go to the zoo and shoot too!!
I agree with most of ya'll and as a dedicated hunter It ticks me off that this farm raised bull could make the record books, I don't think they should even consider putting it in record books, It is hard enough to bag a big bull anyways, and if your hunting for record breakers it would be dang there impossible to bag a bull in the wild that would score over 560.
i just got back today from a HQ hunt up here in Valle Vidal in new mexico we saw lots of elk and got our cow. We had lots of fun and its not all about the size its about the fun. That bull is huge but not natural, i'd rather get me one thats 100 percent mother nature even if its not in the record books.
I would like to mention that, at least from this amateur photographer's perspective, these photos look fake. Each one of them looks enhanced with computer graphics, even the main photo with the would-be hunters posing with their "trophy". I think this thing is a complete hoax.
It is a huge elk, i want to shoot it, how did you shoot it, i would have been shaking too bad lucky duck
nice elk
This one is legit,All the comments about how the rack looks diffrent it's just camera angles.
You guys that keep talking about the farm elk spreading disease need to get educated. The farm animals have been treated against the diseases that afflict the wild elk herds. There are no laws being broken by raising elk to be sold like cattle. A ranch in northern Idaho provided an opportunity for family members of mine from a part of the country that doesn't have elk to take some wonderful pictures and they were able to actually pet one of the elk. The only true shame in this is if the hunter tries entering an animal in the record books that doesn't belong there. When the story is told, he (the guy that shot it) is the one who has to sleep at night knowing the story he told. Before you condemn, make sure you don't have any tall fish tales of your own.
MONEY! That's what it is ALL about anymore. I have but one simple question; Where does it all end? Are we all so bent on more money that all that "was" real is no longer a concern? Oops, that's two questions. We had better make our choices now or it will be too late. Idaho had an escape of farm elk this fall, right smak in the middle of WILD elk country. What are the possible effects? C'mon people think, then act. A zoo is the closest thing to us humans raising wild animals that should be allowed!
I think that if you don't have a want to learn to hunt than you shouldn't have the right to pay to shot a monster bull. Go shot a tame farm animal. How is this supporting hunting its supporting the farm that raised the animal. We have farms that raise elk in ND and I payed to hunt in colorado this year but the key word is hunt.
Hunting is not walking across a farm yard and shoting an animal at point blank range is stalking and the thrill of the hunt out smarting an animal that has out smarted hunters for years.
No one can contend that this bull is huge. Farm fed with enhancers or whatever, who cares? The genetics have to be there too. Besides If the guy has the money to fork out for something he wants mounted on his wall then so be it. I dont know why everyone wants to tear him down. He never claims a record status of any kind. Its just a large bull. Done deal. Congrats to the rich guy.
Thanks Mark (post #270) for your comments. I to agree with you, why the hostilities toward an individual who killed the largest elk? The hunter is not claiming any type of record (other than the largest elk taken). At the end of the day, who cares that he hunted a high fence area? None of us were there, it may have been very challenging, and that's all that matters. My sense is a lot of the posts that I have read regarding this subject appear that the hostilities are due to jealousy, maybe not that the individual hunted a high fence, but that they could not afford to! Let's just appreciate the size of the elk, and keep dreaming.
The Idaho Fish and Game reported that one of the cow elk killed that escaped from the chief Joseph high fence operation tested positive for Red Deer genetics….the Owner is of course refuting this.
Hate to say it, but, "told ya so".
Real hunting is not going into a pen and shooting a Bull that was payed for and then telling the whole north-west region that you shot it in the selway-bitteroot
people dont even no what hunting is these days all they do is feed them and wait for them to come in. i was watching one on tv and the deer was licking a feeder and she shot it
well it realy is sad the way that people are hunting these days. I dont know why they just cant go out and take one the way that all of us other people do these days.
I wish I would have found this 'request for information on the picture turned to teenage quibbling sooner'. But I'm going to put my 2 cents in and join the club. Most of you anti-high fence hunters don't see the big picture yet or just want to stroke your own ego by slamming the other guy. Everybody gets it. You guys are hard-core hunters. You don't do anything unethical. You are men that do everything the same way our ancestors did. Oh, except you use firearms and state of the art compound bows with mechanical broadheads…hmmm. Wait, maybe you guys try to corner the beasts in a valley somewhere and drop big rocks on them or jump out of trees on them or dig big pits for them to fall into? Or maybe you guys just sit in a treestand and WAIT for a deer or elk to come to a feeding or bedding area so you can shoot it? Oh I'm sorry, that's not waiting..that's HUNTING. Let's not forget all of the state of the art scent blocking camo and the truck you drove out there with and the canned spaghettios and canned beans you ate that day and even canned meat!, and, and, and…get the picture? I am NOT an anti-hunter by any means. I love to go out and kill animals…all sorts of them. And I love to put that meat in the freezer and feed my family with it. So, to finally make my point..we have evolved. Whether it be from necessity or just sociey's way of thinking, we have changed. I have hunted pheasant in the wild and on preserves and after it's all said and done, I end up with more birds on the table and less FUEL usage by driving to a preserve. I can hunt for half a day with my dogs and my friends and be happy my legs still work so I can go back to my job the next day. Walking all day in empty fields has become the norm around here because of the overhunting that's being done. PLUS the farmers seem to be ripping up all of that good hunting land so they can plant more corn and make more money. OR maybe they have chosen to leave the habitat and lease the land. It's all about survival of the human species while keeping a good balance with the rest of nature. If that means farm raised catfish, salmon, shrimp or ELK, then so be it. As it was said 100 times in this forum, this guy never bragged one word to any of US. It is a picture. Now that we know the real truth a lot of you will be eating your words, I HOPE. Oh and by the way, for all you HUNTERS out there that think it makes you look bad because of the way this guy hunts…please go back to school and learn some spelling and quit making the rest of us educated hunters look bad!!!
I would like to add a little more to my last comment. The term "fair chase" seems to have arisen here more times than I care to hear, yet I hear about people using ATVs and horses to hunt or at least get back to their camps. How does that make it a fair chase? Everybody here uses something to make their hunt easier and uses something that gives us an edge over the other guy and the animal. Maybe it's not a fence, but you are undoubtedly using something that makes it a little unfair. Is that map you're using to find the way in and out to the best spots fair? Is that 4 wheel drive you're using to get to the hunting area fair? And don't you think a big fence keeping out wild predators can serve as part of the reason these so called tame animals get larger? I have to agree that shooting an elk that will basically walk up to you is not hunting. But how many have you have driven up to your hunting spot, walked less than a mile and had a deer or elk or whatever, just stop and look at you because they don't know what you are? Many times we point the finger at the other guy. And if it was you in that picture, everyone else would be second-guessing your hunting skills or ethics. So, to all you people that are pointing those fingers….the next time you take a crap in the woods, ater you dig your cat hole, I hope you can find some good leaves because I don't expect to see your paper out there for me to step on. : )
Thanks TJ (posts #278 & 279) for presenting a lot of facts and different viewpoints that were overlooked by other hunters. Again, who cares at the end of the day how this hunter killed that elk, I certainly don't. None of us were there and don't know the difficulty of the hunt, so let's congratulate him and gt on with our lives.
Lot's of egos and too much pride for me, I'm out of here.
You know I completely agree with you guys. I was talking to a guy out here in North Dakota. He was talking about how he got this big buffalo Bull. I said how? I did not know you could hunt buffalo? It turns out he shot it at a buffalo ranch.I don't agree with game farms, but than again I don't believe in baitng deer either or any of the other so called moderen hunting Methods
So many people judge the hunters but I would like to know how many of them would actually pass up the chance at taking a bull like that. I bowhunt in Oregon and it is greuling at times and I guarranty that if I had the opportunity to take that one I would and so would 99% of the other hunters. Do you guys also object to hunting on private cattle ranches? because you know that they use salt and mineral licks that attract game. If a guys got the money let him be.
Obviously Allen 281 hasn't hunted much or he has poor eye sight. The first time I saw this photo I could tell by just looking at there clothes they look like the just stepped out a truck and shot this bull. That is what I told the guy that sent me this picture and I knew it would be proved a hoax in time. I see a whole lot of rationalizing to try and justify this as really hunting. I don't totally object to game preserves as long as it is done ethically. Yes, people that can't spell and use proper grammar on here still know the difference. TJ I agree you can break it down into different shades of how hunting is defined. Controlled permits at times can produce hunts that are extremely easy hunts for trophy size antlers. But don't rationalize here that these canned hunts qualify them as truly hunting. If it makes you feel better to convince yourself it is then continue to do so. But don't try to cram it down a person's throat, were smarting than that. I have a 400+ bull growing in my back yard. If you think coming over to my place and shooting it is hunting your mistaken. Now if you want to step inside with him and try and pet him during the rut now that would be a good show to watch and would be consider fair chase watching him chase you around.
To me the reward from hunting is defined by the challenge of the hunt. Take away the pursuit, the difficult terrain hunting, packing the animal out and the challenge would diminish the experience. Probably one of the memorable hunts was shooting my first spike elk. It was a hunt I would not quit or give up on when everybody had that day.
It wasn't the size of the animal but the obstacles and challenges I endured during that hunt. I have taken many more animals since then that would be considered outstanding trophy animals, Kodiak brown bears, Dall sheep, Glacier Bear, Mountain Goats the list goes on and on. But the challenge each hunt presented what was most important to me in the end. It was also being able to share it with someone else or helping them take their animal was as equal rewarding. Yes I like to take something home usually for the table. But I have no problem letting the animal live another day. It is not the guarantee of taking an animal is why I hunt but the camaraderie of hunting with family or friends, the experience of nature and being out there no matter how difficult conditions may get. We all have our own definitions of hunting and reasons for doing it. But that is how I define hunting and when the trips that I hunted and hiked my butt off and came home empty handed only makes it more rewarding when I finally do connect. If you haven't experienced it then I don't expect you probably to fully understand until you do.
well, if its such a fine specimin which it is then why not leave it alone and others can admire it when it is still living. i shoot deer in england regularly and use their meat, but there is no way that a family will eat that much and if it was a trophy hunt then it was pointless. please email me on the subject anione who is interested in putting me straight or so to speak!. zoe winlow
After spending the last 2 hours reading all of the posts I contemplated commiting suicide. When I look through these comments, I relize how much we all point our fingers at others to put them down because they don't hunt the same way we do. I like to think of myself as a hard working ethical hunter and am proud of my accomplishments. However, I don't think it's right to point fingers at hunters (who are probly apart of R.M.E.F) that like to hunt in fenced areas and say they arent as good as us because they don't hunt "fair chase". There money spend the same with the conservation programs just like ours. My real issue here is not about this hunter and his elk but the observation that I've made while reading this. I feel most people are really losing sight of what hunting really is….it's a time of bonding, friendship, hardwork, and just being able to get away from all the stress in everyday life. If you are successful in getting an animal than great, however your hunt should not be judged on how big the animal scored, but by how many memories you can take with you…
What gets me is everyone is quick to judge what they think is wrong . No this may be not fair chase.to some. How many people use Dogs to hunt coon or bear? You call that fair chase for them? Might not be in a fence, but they mid as well be. I have a personal protection shepherd, if some one starts something i could give him a head start and call that fair chase for the dog.. How do you look at it, just because you don't like it that makes it wrong ? I raise elk, if i go out and shoot one for meat and get the head mounted what do you call that ? I don't like high fence hunting, but who am i to judge ! I know some one who has high fence hunts for handicap people that cant get to the mountains. If what ever they shoot is a trophy to them then that is what it is .
Im Hunter i am 12 year olds and absolutely LOVE hunting and fishing.when it comes to fishing with me and my dad he's my partner in crime. and i've never seen anything like that Elk that big.on that trip did you have another tag to shoot another Elk or no?well thats all and love the elk bye
this is the BIGGEST ELK I HAVE EVER SAW I GOT TO ADMIT THAT THIS IS THE BEST WORLD CLASS ELK.GOOD JOB
are you kidding me everyone on this page would have shot this elk given the opportunity. cry me a river build me a bridge and get over it.
i have to admit that is a nice bull elk but i am 17 years old and have been bow hunting my whole life and to think that some one would raise a bull and feed it steroids to make horns grow just so they can say they got a world record my spikes have been a trophy for me so i wonder if you feel bad at night thinking you got a world record by cheating.
I dont know about any of you guys, but if had my own elk ranch, and had the genetics like that in my herd, i'd be selling alot of elk and i'd be making a good living doing it. Its a free country, like any other job!!! I think there's alot of jelous people. Anybody in their right mind would shoot that elk, no matter if it was fair chase or on an elk ranch!! Dont kid yourlself's….
A few times each year we butcher a calf, or a pig from the pen. Same diff. Thats not attacking anyone, just the truth.
wow is all i can say to your great hunt congrats