I drove out one of my properties early this morning, because I wanted to check on the trail cameras. My youngest blue heeler went on alert and began to point.



Three nice bulls busted out of the creek.









I've watched elk at this location for 15 years or so. Rarely do I ever see anything but bulls here and usually not any other time than January-April.

Later this morning as I was picking up the mail I waved at a guy wearing orange who was driving by.
A few miles down the road he waved me over and pointed out a bull that was even bigger than these three. Close to the road too, but by that time my camera battery had gone dead so no photo of that one.

If that doesn't get your blood pumping...........youre dead!

Great looking bulls, shouldn't they be dropping horns soon?

Around there they shed antlers around mid-March.
The timing of shedding antlers seems to vary by latitude, altitude, and it can vary a little from year to year even in the same location.

Bulls with bigger antlers tend to drop them sooner, probably because of sheer weight of bone, but I have seen big 6-points with their antlers not long before Income Tax Day in western Montana.

Last year, here in Utah, about mid April I saw a group of 7 bulls. 2 were still packing rag horns from the year before, 2 were showing about a foot of velvet and the other 3 were bald.
I think its the only time I've ever seen that combo.

Strange those antlers and their drop timing...pretty much all our deer/moose have dropped by now but we've seen them on as late as april here in the great north.
Thanks again for the great pictures, what beautiful animals, I can't wait til October.

Looks like the perfect shot for a 223AI...

Likewise a few years ago I was going fishing in south central Colorado just east of the continental divide and saw some awesome bulls standing by the pavement on private land with antlers which came about half way to their butts in the middle of April.

I'll try to share some documentation and dates from my pics.
Timestamps are good on these.

2009


2011
1st bull has shed but the 2nd one hasn't





2012

2013


love this image




a couple here appear to have a couple weeks of growth already

March 26 2014
looks like one has shed both and one lopsided with only one


stragglers from the same bunch of bulls


2015

fixt.

He meant to post .222 mag, but close enough,

Nice bulls. Many months before we can chase them again.

Awesome bulls big man! Always fun to see them.