Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Cow vs spike

I don't know nuttin about elks, but above posts track well with moose weight ratios. I've weighed several 15 month old spike/forkhorns/ boneless meat. Never a cow tho. Boneless meat from the "yearlings" all fell into a 60 lb range - 270 to 331. The biggest bodied one had 4" stubs, the smallest one had 16 inch spikes. I'd guess most cows from the same area would dress out boneless meat about 100 lbs heavier, plus or minus.

I'd hazard a guess most cervids will show the same general pattern, with, of course variations as to area and individual genetics.

That enormous cow with the last bull I killed here on the Baldwin Peninsula was as big or bigger than most of the 5 years and older bulls I've killed on the Kenai.

I suspect that yearlings are going to be similar sized, the mature animals,however, can vary vastly due to genetics and environment, just like any mammal.

ALL other factors being equal, a bull will always be larger than a cow of the same age.

I've never taken a spike.

The last cow I took yielded 290 lbs of boned, cut, wrapped meat. Don't know what her hanging weight was prior to being boned out.

I killed this ol' gal in 08

She tipped the scales at 345... no head, hide or lower legs