Save $100 on the Leupold VX-3HD

An Elk over the years

Nameless Range

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 6, 2013
Messages
5,788
Location
Western Montana
Antlerradar's post this morning reminded me of something I saw on The Facebook earlier this week.

The Montana RMEF put this up on their FB page a couple days ago.

This is an elk and its antlers over the years, starting in 2006 (the bottom left antler) and ending this year when it was harvested. The antlers are labeled by the year if you look closely.

I'm no expert, but in 2006, I would guess this bull was 3 1/2 years old. Being harvested in 2014, it was probably 11 or so years old at its death - and it sure didn't seem to go downhill.

Taken out of the Elkhorn Mountains.
 

Attachments

  • Elk_RMEF.jpg
    Elk_RMEF.jpg
    61.5 KB · Views: 1,123
That's pretty cool who it kept the abnormal club like point most of it's life.
 
Oh to be able to shed hunt an area where bulls like this winter and have said place all to yourself........sigh.....I wonder what that would be like.....

Kidding aside, that is pretty cool.
 
That bull was hanging in Capital Sports in Helena for a while, I don't know if it's still there.The cool thing about it, that you can't see is the hole up through its hard palate from another bulls antler. I guess that hole was packed full of grass and infection and the poor bugger was still bugling and fighting.

I saw the pics of the hunter and the bull before I saw the bull on the wall. It is an amazing trophy, especially with the story and sheds.

Scored like 397 or something huge. The amazing part was how it was still dwarfed by that Willard(?) bull hanging in there next to it.
 
That's interesting drahthaar, I wondered what it scored. My jaw drops at that Willard Bull every time I am in there.

What is interesting to me is how this bull went from nice to freak at a time I would've assumed is "late" in a bull's life.

How old do you guys think the bull was at the time of the 2006 antlers?

A couple guys I've spoken to guessed 4 or 5. Let's be conservative and say it was 4. At ages 5 through 8 it was a cool bull with double browtines. Then, in 2010 at age 9, blossomed into a freak with a club-like drop tine.

It makes me wonder how many really nice bulls out there are killed before the potential for character in their antlers is seen. Sure, this happens with raghorns all the time, but imagine killing a nice 8 year old bull - most would assume they had shot that 8 year old in the prime of it's life. How many of those 7 or 8 or 9 year old bulls would explode into something as unique as this if given a decade to live?
 
Last edited:
It makes me wonder how many really nice bulls out there are killed before the potential for character in their antlers is seen. Sure, this happens with raghorns all the time, but imagine killing a nice 8 year old bull - most would assume they had shot that 8 year old in the prime of it's life. How many of those 7 or 8 or 9 year old bulls would explode into something as unique as this if given a decade to live?


wouldn't know..... the steak's I don't think are as tender at that age.... :D
Matt

:W:
 
It makes me wonder how many really nice bulls out there are killed before the potential for character in their antlers is seen. Sure, this happens with raghorns all the time, but imagine killing a nice 8 year old bull - most would assume they had shot that 8 year old in the prime of it's life. How many of those 7 or 8 or 9 year old bulls would explode into something as unique as this if given a decade to live?

There is so much irony in our thoughts. We get all excited when we see a huge bull or buck, but our immediate reaction is to want to kill it (before it gets any bigger). It is equivalent to saying "Wow, that bull is awesome! I better shoot it before it gets any more awesome!" We all do it, but I'm glad there are places where they can get truly huge.
 
It is equivalent to saying "Wow, that bull is awesome! I better shoot it before it gets any more awesome!" We all do it, but I'm glad there are places where they can get truly huge.

You're absolutely right RobG. As much as I love that most places are managed for opportunity, I am also really glad a few select places exist where animals can reach ages and have stories that are really unlikely in the 'opportunity' districts.
 
The bull I harvested in 2005 was 10 years old. When I received the results from FWP, it showed 2 - 10 year olds and a 13 year old harvested that year.
 
GOHUNT Insider

Forum statistics

Threads
110,808
Messages
1,935,208
Members
34,887
Latest member
Uncle_Danno
Back
Top