Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Reality of trophy elk

This is in no way meant as a knock on your bull, but a lot of guides are the worst at over exaggerating a bulls score.

Would you rather a client/reference say they killed a 280” or a 320”? Inches sale hunts.

Idaho isn't quite so picky about antler size. A legal bull is one with at least 1 antler over 6 INCHES. With deer it's 3". They just want you to be sure it's a male.

I’m sure there are guides/outfitters that focus on that. I really haven’t run into that and I’ve never been that way myself. I don't even remember who thought this one would be in the low 300’s and it meant nothing to me then and now.

I’ve not measured anything with horn’s or antlers that I’ve taken. Now, weigh the meat? Yes.

Well, I worked as an elk guide for quite a while. Still do as a fill in.
For those who know how many bull elk were in on....I have no idea. I don't remember the easier hunts but remember the tough ones pretty well.
I really recall the good hunts with a good dude hunter when we liked one another. 10 days in a spike camp will make this clear to you.
This isn't a numbers game, it is about making memories. These memories are with you forever.
A good hunting camp makes memories, imo

Here is my best bull.



He was taken after 18 days of hunting in 2015, but over 20 years of pursuing elk with a traditional bows and rifles over 5 different states.

Y'all can guess the score if you want, But he was measured by an ex P&Y scorer. It is not an official score, as I would never enter anything in a "book"

Heres my best ....we actually DID measure him simply because so many people asked...307, and a 5 point at that!

5x6? Beautiful symmetry regardless

CRS
THAT is a trophy

Guys that base their elk hunting on inches of horn don’t know (and probably can never know) anything about what I consider to be real elk hunting…

I agree 100%, I have told many people that any elk is a good elk. Any elk with a bow is a trophy, and done with traditional archery equipment makes it even more special.

I have logged more miles and vertical feet on my boots hunting elk, than any other species.

I would shoot any bull shown on this thread and go home a happy man.


Okie John

All my bulls get measured.....adds to the description of what they are. 6x5, 32" wide, 285" or 7x7, 51" wide, 343". Helps paint a picture. Putting one "in the book", does nothing for me.

I've killed 3 bulls over 300, in 35 years.....biggest being the 343"/7x7 mentioned above. All public land hunts.

When I draw a trophy unit, I trophy hunt (and no, I don't shoot on the 1st day, what I would kill on the last day). I have my minimum set, and am prepared to eat the tag. All though, something close to the minimum, on the last day, will probably be in trouble! I've turned down many more 6x6 bulls, than I've killed, in my life.

OTC tags, first legal bull gets shot.

Cow tag, looking for a medium sized/low stressed cow....like I killed last Sunday.

I typically meat hunt in my home state, and save the trophy hunts for hard to draw/high quality, out of state hunts.

Andy3

PS: Remember 300" is 3/4 of the way to 400"!!!

[ I don't shoot on the 1st day, what I would kill on the last day]

That saying is for the guys who define hunt success by punching a tag.

Thank you, culmination of a lot of years chasing elk.

This^^^

Good post!

I would add, pretty much any elk is a trophy, especially a public land elk.

I love it!……👍

Best bow kill.

Best gun kill

Ugliest bull (gun)

Awesome, congratulations.

My buddy killed this one a few years ago on a high pressure public land unit. It ain't a 290.

Yeah, we can call that one a trophy!!!