Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Body Measurement?

A few days ago I posted a reply to this question with measurements from my elk mounts. Modern taxidermy use foam forms that are anotomically correct down to the details of facial blood vessels. I've been elk hunting for almost 40 years, and have shot 33 elk, including 23 that were 5-pt (one side) or better. I mounted two of my biggest 6-pt bulls. According to some of the posts here I must have two of the biggest elk in the world, but I don't think so. I think the elk that I have mounted are just good mature bulls.

The withers or hump is usually the highest point on most big game animals, and the chest right behind the front leg or the belly is the lowest point. Taxidermy shoulder mounts usually include some, if not all of the withers or hump, and the brisket in front of the front legs. Depending on the animal, the bottom of the brisket in front of the front legs is several inches higher than the bottom of the chest or belly behind the front legs.

This thread asked for the average body depth of elk. Answers have ranged from 24" to 4 feet. There have also been some posts on some other animals such as Buffalo and Moose. Since I have shoulder mounts of most of these animals, I took some pictures today of these mounts next to a 36" yardstick. These pictures show the depth of the animals in front of the front legs. I also took accurate measurements of that depth on these mounts.

This first picture shows how the depth of a mature bull elk is greatest behind the front legs.

Picture of a 6-pt bull elk mount next to a 36" yardstick. Marker on yardstick at 32 1/2".

Several of my mounts with the 36" yardstick next to another 6-pt elk that measured a depth of 31 1/2". The Shiras moose on the right has a antler spread of 40" and a shoulder depth of 33". The shiras moose on the left has 49" antlers and shoulder depth of 36".

My American Buffalo shown next to the yardstick has a shoulder depth of 46".

My Cape Buffalo, also next to the yardstick, has a shoulder depth of 32".

Since the greatest body depth of these animals is more behind the front legs than it is at the front of the brisket, which I measured on the mounts, I would add 2-6" to my measurements to get the actual live body depth of them. Cows, young bulls, and calves would be from several inches to over a foot less than the depth of mature bulls.