MDNR biologists told us in a mandatory class we had to take before getting the tag, that Michigan elk are, on average, quite a bit bigger than their Rocky Mtn. brethren. This is due to the fact that they are basically flatlanders eating agricultural crops for most of their lives. Their muscles aren't as lean as those at elevation out west. They simply eat and don't move as much or as strenuously.
Every one of the elk shot in the Michigan hunt must be checked in, aged, and weighed as they have for the past 30 years. heads must be submitted for CWD check. As you can see in the previous photo, that cow was 451 pounds gutted. Mine in '98 was 430 pounds gutted. gutted is hanging weight without the guts, but with everything else attached.
