Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Elk size and antler development?

Generaly how many points do elk develope in the first 2-3yrs? I've got a chance to go on a cull cow/young bull elk hunt? Cows are a $800 bulls are $1200. Culls are 5pts or less. He said cows weigh 4-450lbs and bulls 'depends' is what he said. capt david

Assuming good feed and genetics, 4 points is possible. Maybe even a real small, scraggly 5 point, depending on how big a bump you want to call a point.

a basic 4 point is typical of 2 year old bulls, but 5 or more are possible. Will still be a spindly little rack. At 3, there's typically a little more mass and 5 points are pretty common.

Never know what you're gonna get though. This little guy is a 7x7:

Get up into Alberta and those 3 yr olds can have some fairly good sixe 5X5's

350 must be the live weight.2-3 3 yr old bull won't be much bigger,but some. Depends on the forage available.

I've taken a number of 5-point 2 1/2 yr olds, but 6-points, at least in my experience have all been a minimum of 3 1/2. Four points seem somewhat rare altogether.

Feed, genetics, and age produce mass and the most rare 7 or 8 point.

I saw a bull today that was a 5x6 and only 2.5. Tiny little bull, but he had six points. 3.5 year old bulls are noticeably bigger than 2.5 year old bulls, usually solid five points.

It's a crappy picture, but here's what's a pretty normal 2.5 year old bull, with a pretty big 3.5 year old bull.

Very true..My last 5X5 had a huge body more so than some 6X6's..Deliverance comes to mind and proper gene pools.

Nothing is written in stone when it comes to Elk.

Jayco

Here's a picture I took this morning. Lower one is a 2 year old, top bedded is a 3 year old. There's a big difference between them.

The largest bodied elk I ever shot was aged at 9 1/2. She was a dry cow I found alone in some deadfall timber. My partners accused me of abetting her suicide!
I've shot several yearling to 3 year old bulls but none as big as her. The largest bodied bull I've shot was a 360 class 6x6 we drug out with horses and I'd guess he'd give the old cow a run for the money size wise.
Guess it depends on if you want horns or meat.

I can't spit out the citation, but the antlers gathered annually from a bull on the Umatilla Army Depot here in Oregon were progressively heavier until the bull passed 9 yrs.

I just killed a spike bull that was #400 hanging.

My pard killed a two year old bull in a less agricultural area and it is smaller in weight....thank god, it was 4 miles deep.

Hey Ex.. - I've NOT seen an elk up-close so take this into consideration.

Our whitetail deer only get mass in the antlers w/age. IF your pic were of a whitetail w/that mass on the main beam, we would
say the buck HAD GREAT POTIENTIAL.

I know I'm only looking at a pic. Would you describe the mass of this 'young' bull in comparrison to an older one.

I also know in deer & elk ALL males are not equal.

From my perspective that 'young' bull had great potiential.

Explain how/why I might be wrong, please.
Jerry

That mass isn't particularly remarkable. Typical of a two year old. He probably did have great potential, and I figured he was just a 4 or 5 point run of the mill raggy when I shot him. Had looked over 100 or so elk that morning, and as my partners started putting elk down, I knew my next couple of days were going to be spent packing instead of hunting, so I "settled" on him, even though I told myself I wouldn't shoot anything less than a four year old before the shooting started. His frame is a basic 5 point, with two extras on each side.
Here's an otherwise very similar 5 point raggy with nearly identical mass at the base, but doesn't carry it as far up:


Another two year old, with fewer points, from New Mexico, similar mass at the base, similar spindliness up high compared to the last one:


This bull, is probably a 3 year old, from Montana, and is considerably heavier, though still just a 5 point:


Compare to a 4 old 6 point, which still doesn't have particularly long main beams, but is much more massive in antler, probably twice the diameter of those first two bulls, and step up from the last one. Body size is much greater too:


That little 7 point next to the bigger 6 point:

the 6 point in comparison to some 140 and 150 inch whitetails on top of the shelf:
[img]http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/pp5/richman_mark/Trophies.jpg[/img]

Once again, probably a 4 year old. Note the shortness of the main beams, but much heavier antlers and longer tines until you get the 5th point:

Probably a 5 year old bull. Huge body, much longer 4ths, but still short 5ths.

Could be a 5 year old, good 5ths, fair mass, similar to that 4 year old that I killed:

Probably a 3 year old, note short overall main beams, short tines but decent mass:

Remember, I'm just guessing here, if someone thinks I'm wrong, feel free to jump in.

Probably a 4 year old:


Finally found a better pic of that 3 year old Montana 5 point of mine:

4 year old 6 point:

Dunno, but probably 7 or 8. Significantly longer tines:

Probably 10 plus year old bull here. Note good mass, but declining tine length:

Maybe another 4 year old with the typically short 5ths:

Those two little raggies next to the 4 year old again:
[img]http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/pp5/richman_mark/P1040536.jpg[/img]
Could be 7:
[img]http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/pp5/richman_mark/IMG_1178-1-1.jpg[/img]
Could be 6, but might only b 5:
[img]http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/pp5/richman_mark/Colorado-doug-elk018-1-1.jpg[/img]

Thank Ex.. Great Pics All.

In the first post response, the pic with the little 7 INSIDE the bigger 6 SAYS ALOT...put things in perspective.

From original pic of 'little 7', I could see he had a small body, but the mass looked LARGER on his SMALL body.

I've really enjoyed your pics of the past in other threads TOOOO.

Thanks for your response, I appreciate it very much.

Jerry

6 or 7 maybe:

Probably 6 or 7 here too:

No prob. Like I said these are just guesses, but yeah, when you see a 2 year old next to a 3 and then 4 year old, the significant jumps in antler development are much more obvious

How old would you all say this bull was? 3 years old?