What does a 3 year old elk look like?

[2rocky]

Well I found out this week.

According to the Wyoming Game and fish ear tag in my bull, he was 3 years old.

 

[fishing4sanity]

Congratulations on your bull. I've seen a few tagged/collared elk & deer around, but never at the right time or place.

 

[Big luke1981]

Nothing wrong with that bull, Congrats!!!

 

[npaden]

That's about what I would expect a 3 year old to look like.

1st year = spike; 2nd year = raghorn; 3rd year = medium sized 5 point; 4th year = larger 5 point or maybe a small 6 point; from there it gets harder.

I would have had a hard time deciding whether that bull was 3 or 4 just based on antler size.

My bull didn't have an ear tag but I would guess him at 3 years old.

You can also tell pretty easy up to about 3 years old by looking at their lower jawbone and tooth wear. Again after about 3 years old it is more of an art than a science to get it right though in my opinion.

You can always pull the lower incisors and send them off to a lab to do a cementum annuli aging with an electron microscope if you really want to know. That's the most accurate method other than shooting one with a tag in its ear!

 

[TheTone]

Congrats, always cool to get one with a little bit of story to it. Were you able to get any info about when and where he acquired the ear tag?

2 year old elk are generally pretty easy to tell based upon tooth replacement.

 

[POk3s]

Looks like a three year old to me!

 

[Magicman]

What a nice bonus to have an ear tag. Kinda like a duck leg band.

 

[highmountian]

Congrats 2rocky on a fine bull and the info!

 

[oleefish2]

Looks like good eats to me...

 

[Mikeflies]

Very nice 3yr old, congrats.

 

[wingman1]

So that is what a 3 year old looks like. Good to know. Thanks for sharing. Congrats.

 

[Steelhead]

Had a local taxidermist tell me that my bull was 4 years old...

 

[npaden]

Hard to believe that bull is only 4 years old. Generally they don't hit peak anter mass until 6 or 7 so that guy would have been a MONSTER in another 2 or 3 years.

Anything after 3 years old is hard to guess based on toothwear. If you still have the inscisors send them off to a lab to do the cementum annuli aging on it. It's pretty accurate and only costs about $20.

 

[TheTone]

Had a local taxidermist tell me that my bull was 4 years old...

Really? Did you take a look at his teeth? No way I would have guessed him at 4.

 

[Dinkshooter]

yeah there is no way that thing is only 4 years old.

 

[gman82001]

No no no what he said was its his 4th anniversary of his 4th birthday. Kind of like a women's 5th 29th bday some biologists are that way

 

[elk_hunter]

Wow, sweet bulls guys!