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Posted By: Rock Chuck elk meat weight - 05/23/20
I ran across this table that should interest some as the question comes up repeatedly. In another place, they defined 'field dressed' as gutted, lower legs off, head on. They estimated head weight at 35lb (antlered) and hide weight at 30lb.

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]
Posted By: Rock Chuck Re: elk meat weight - 05/23/20
I wonder why they take a 25-30lb jump in weight at 10 years.
Posted By: Judman Re: elk meat weight - 05/23/20
I would think that is fairly close, now they need one for bear and salmon, those 2 are probably the most inflated weights of any.
Posted By: huntinaz Re: elk meat weight - 05/23/20
I agree those weights look pretty good
Posted By: Judman Re: elk meat weight - 05/23/20
I always gotta laugh when I hear about 1200 lb Roosevelt’s, they’re bigger for sure, but nowhere near that...
Posted By: huntinaz Re: elk meat weight - 05/23/20
Yeah me too. We hear about thousand pound bulls in AZ as well. Nope...
Posted By: dennisinaz Re: elk meat weight - 05/23/20
Years ago we were hunting in Arizona unit 27. It was a late fall hunt. There was a biologist who had set up camp and was trying to get hunters to bring their elk by so he could collect statistical data (probably working on a research paper or something). Anyway we had killed two 6x6 bulls. One was considerably bigger in body than the other. Both elk had been loaded into the trucks after only being 'gutted'. Dave's bull weighed just over 900 pounds, the other bull weighed about 500 pounds. Biologist didn't seem too surprised. When queried as to the reason for this, he said ' for the same reason you are 6'4" and I am 5'3".. sounded like a good answer to me.

I have not weighed many bulls but I have weighed the quarters of few spike bulls. Typical weight was 225-240.
Posted By: Rock Chuck Re: elk meat weight - 05/23/20
The biggest increase in the weight of an elk is between the point of kill and the road. I've had some grow as much as 50% in 3 miles.
Posted By: LazyL0228 Re: elk meat weight - 05/23/20
LOL Rock Chuck, Whitetail grow the same way deeper in woods the more weight they put on.
Thanks for that.
Posted By: saddlesore Re: elk meat weight - 05/23/20
I have that same chart on the wall down in the shop where I butcher.

I hunt mostly cows now days and when done processing I always weighed meat which is deboned. All pretty much average 160 as shown.
I have noticed that elk that come out of Alberta etc are usually bigger bodied. I have two 5 x 6's mounted here on my wall.Both were in the same age class. One came from NW Colorado and one from up near Baniff in Alberta. Both are full shoulder mounts and the one from Alberta has bigger head and and from withers to brisket it is much deeper. I'd say by about 6"

In 2018 I killed a big 6x bull north of Gunnison CO. I was 75 and it was a solo hunt. It took me about 15 minutes after first light to kill it and 5 hours to get it into bags. I'd say it was in the 500# class as the charts shows, but it weighed close to 1500 by the time I got it packed out to camp 6 miles. A younger fellow and his son lifted hinds off the sawbuck because I couldn't. I think that was the last bulI will ever shoot. In 2019. I killed a nice 18 moth old cow and it was just about right.
Posted By: Rock Chuck Re: elk meat weight - 05/23/20
We've been hunting cows for a number of years, too. You can get OTC bull tags in north Idaho but here in the south, they're all by draw and hard to get. We can draw cow tags about 3 out of 4 years. In fact, we haven't missed in about 5 years now. Sometimes getting the tag is the hardest part of a hunt. I'd rather hunt a cow than not hunt at all. Besides, cows are usually more tender.
Posted By: smallfry Re: elk meat weight - 05/23/20
Originally Posted by Rock Chuck
I wonder why they take a 25-30lb jump in weight at 10 years.
Because they aren’t sitting on a couch for 10 years.
Posted By: saddlesore Re: elk meat weight - 05/23/20
Originally Posted by Rock Chuck
We've been hunting cows for a number of years, too. You can get OTC bull tags in north Idaho but here in the south, they're all by draw and hard to get. We can draw cow tags about 3 out of 4 years. In fact, we haven't missed in about 5 years now. Sometimes getting the tag is the hardest part of a hunt. I'd rather hunt a cow than not hunt at all. Besides, cows are usually more tender.


Same here, but I have drawn every year for ML cow tag for quite a few years. Hunting OTC units have become so crowded that you are lucky to see legal l bull or any bull and it is pumpkin patch with all the orange
Posted By: WAM Re: elk meat weight - 05/24/20
Good chart. A couple of guys complained about the amount of processed meat returned from the meat plant. I thought the amount was about right as I have never been shorted by them. My answer was to stop shooting smallish cows and not shoot them 3 or 4 times in the shoulders and hams with cup and core bullets. Happy Trails
Posted By: Centennial Re: elk meat weight - 05/24/20
Elk gain weight further from the road they are killed, in bad weather, solo v friends, and most significantly the older you get. The elk im packing today weight a lot more than the elk i was packing 30 years ago.

Whats the source of the chart? I would like to actually see the data in a graph. Im guessing the weight of elk is like people, there is a large variance.
Posted By: Rock Chuck Re: elk meat weight - 05/24/20
Here's one source for the chart. It appears on other websites, too. It's been around a few times. WEIGHT CHART
Posted By: Whttail_in_MT Re: elk meat weight - 05/24/20
Originally Posted by Centennial
Whats the source of the chart? I would like to actually see the data in a graph. Im guessing the weight of elk is like people, there is a large variance.

The chart is in this University of Wyoming publication and cites its source. https://www.wyoextension.org/publications/Search_Details.php?pubid=383&pub=B-594R
Posted By: Judman Re: elk meat weight - 05/24/20
On average I don’t think their weight varies a whole lot, per age class
Posted By: Judman Re: elk meat weight - 05/24/20
Just looked at the chart again, guess it shows that
Posted By: duck911 Re: elk meat weight - 06/04/20
Lightest elk I've ever seen shot was by my daughter.

She was one if a few folks picked to shoot a cow on Arapaho NWR in Jackson County, Co. a few years ago to thin the heard.

She smacked a nice fat yearling, right before dark, in a cold snowstorm,, waayyy out on the valley floor, with no vehicle access allowed. One of the coordinating federal wildlife officers was watching from a high perch via spotting scope.

The nice Federal warden lady arrived just in time to help us finish the gut job. The cow went onto the hood of her truck. She drove us out the couple miles to our truck, and we literally dumped the cow from the hood of her truck, into the back of my Tundra.

We were riding in the wardens truck and we were both laughing, telling her, "this isn't the wY elk hunting really works.." lol
Posted By: Slider1 Re: elk meat weight - 06/11/20
A buddy and I shot two Cow's years ago. Just the four quarters weighed 420 and 405 at The Butcher Shop!!!
Posted By: WAM Re: elk meat weight - 06/12/20
800 lb cows? LOL!
Posted By: LazyV Re: elk meat weight - 06/12/20
Originally Posted by Slider1
A buddy and I shot two Cow's years ago. Just the four quarters weighed 420 and 405 at The Butcher Shop!!!



Were they by any chance charging you by the lb?
Posted By: TheKid Re: elk meat weight - 06/12/20
Threads like this always remind me of some guys from work. One guy and his son killed a pair of 1000lb cows a couple years ago. Strangely from the pictures I saw they looked like regular 350-400lb animals.

Then there was the guy who’s dad shot a 1400lb raghorn 5x5. That they proceeded to drag 1/2 a mile on a blue tarp, load into a 12’ Johnboat with a 5hp motor, and haul the elk plus the three of them back across the lake. Upon picking it up from the locker plant they were delighted to get 900lb of boned meat. The picture I saw of that one sure made it look like a regular old 500-600lb raghorn.

With my tendency to kill elk in steep brush choked hellholes I’m sure glad I never kill any 1200 pounders.
Posted By: Judman Re: elk meat weight - 06/12/20
Originally Posted by WAM
800 lb cows? LOL!


Haha right!!
Posted By: pete53 Re: elk meat weight - 06/12/20
my son shot a huge bull that would score in the 380 b.c. reason i know that my bull scored 374 b.c. his bull the butcher estimated his bull weight at around 800 lbs. and cows are much smaller ,that bull was not that tasty either.
Posted By: beretzs Re: elk meat weight - 06/12/20
Originally Posted by TheKid
Threads like this always remind me of some guys from work. One guy and his son killed a pair of 1000lb cows a couple years ago. Strangely from the pictures I saw they looked like regular 350-400lb animals.

Then there was the guy who’s dad shot a 1400lb raghorn 5x5. That they proceeded to drag 1/2 a mile on a blue tarp, load into a 12’ Johnboat with a 5hp motor, and haul the elk plus the three of them back across the lake. Upon picking it up from the locker plant they were delighted to get 900lb of boned meat. The picture I saw of that one sure made it look like a regular old 500-600lb raghorn.

With my tendency to kill elk in steep brush choked hellholes I’m sure glad I never kill any 1200 pounders.


Amen to that. I’ll stick with the 400lb cows and 600lb bulls.
Posted By: Judman Re: elk meat weight - 06/12/20
Originally Posted by pete53
my son shot a huge bull that would score in the 380 b.c. reason i know that my bull scored 374 b.c. his bull the butcher estimated his bull weight at around 800 lbs. and cows are much smaller ,that bull was not that tasty either.


Any pics of said bulls?
Posted By: TheKid Re: elk meat weight - 06/12/20
Originally Posted by Judman
Originally Posted by pete53
my son shot a huge bull that would score in the 380 b.c. reason i know that my bull scored 374 b.c. his bull the butcher estimated his bull weight at around 800 lbs. and cows are much smaller ,that bull was not that tasty either.


Any pics of said bulls?

No Jud someone would use the pics to find his hunting spot just like they always do when Scenarshooter posts his pics. wink
Posted By: DHN Re: elk meat weight - 06/12/20
My father and I weighed meat from three spikes after they were cut and wrapped, the only bones we packaged were the ribs. They weighed from 205 to 220, the 205 had maybe three pounds of bloodshot meat cut away. I doubt the butcher wrap weighed much over 10-12 pounds, and the non-certified scale was probably off a bit, but it was pretty close when we weighed ourselves. All three were from SW Colorado, do they grow that much bigger there? I haven't weighed any since then.
Posted By: pete53 Re: elk meat weight - 06/12/20
Originally Posted by TheKid
Originally Posted by Judman
Originally Posted by pete53
my son shot a huge bull that would score in the 380 b.c. reason i know that my bull scored 374 b.c. his bull the butcher estimated his bull weight at around 800 lbs. and cows are much smaller ,that bull was not that tasty either.


Any pics of said bulls?

No Jud someone would use the pics to find his hunting spot just like they always do when Scenarshooter posts his pics. wink


thanks for the reminder and your right.
Posted By: specneeds Re: elk meat weight - 06/15/20
My friend Dave is the best field butcher I have ever seen. When he is done with a carcass it looks like the buzzards have already come & gone. Whe I have Dave helping we do a little better than the chart. If it is just me cutting the chart is very close.

I always try to pick a big older cow for both meat & conserving the breeding females but sometimes smaller & tender is good too. The biggest bull I’ve killed had ugly over the hill broken antlers he looked like an angus body though was pushing Estimated 800 lbs.
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