Except for spikes, I'd say that cows are better eating. The bulls might not be big enough to get the breeding done but they still go through the rut and have lost some weight. They tend to be tougher.
Tenderloins are the #1 cut, followed by the loins & rounds. I've found that loin chops cut from the front half seem to be a bit tougher than those from the back half.
Generally all true. The neck end of a loin (backstrap) is indeed tougher. The ribeye section may be tenderest (middle), but the strip steak part between the last rib and the the rump is also good fare. In a worn out old bull aging will help, and if the strip steaks are very flat, you can butterfly them to make a larger steak. By that it means to cut a 2-inch crosscut, then nearly crosscut that all the way through lacking about 1/8 to 1/4 inch, and fold the halves flat, away from each other, giving the look of butterfly wings with the uncut strip in the center.
Tenderloins, from inside the body cavity along the underside of the spine, are the filet mignon. If you try to eat them only a day after the elk was shot, you may find them tough, but all meat will become more tender with age. I have found that sometimes the tenderloins are more strongly flavored than other cuts, not just because of their position inside the body cavity, which may make them more prone to becoming washed in blood or other body fluids.
I generally find rounds to be tougher, and wanting cubing as steaks.
One should not overlook the sirloins (top part of the rump) as good steaks, or as a small roast. These, too, make nice steaks.
