How do you judge a big bull elk?

Elk Field Judging Tips:

1. Try to always be conservative when judging a bull.
2. Tine length is the single most important aspect to a bulls score.
3. Look for any weaknesses such as short points, beams or weak mass.
4. Inline, Non-Typical and/or extra points can dramatically increase the gross score.

How do you judge a bull?

The most important characteristics to note in bulls are feet and legs, shoulders, neck, rump and scrotum, as well as overall muscling and masculinity. The most important characteristics to note in cows are the capacity in the hindquarters, the udder, overall femininity, feet and legs, and overall body capacity.

What is mature bull elk?

Adult male elk, referred to as bulls, attain their largest size at 7 years old. Once fully grown, a bull elk averages 5 feet tall at the shoulders and can weigh between 700 and 1100 pounds. Female elk, known as cows, weigh between 500 and 600 pounds, and stand an average of 4.5 feet at shoulder height.

What does an average bull elk score?

A typical elk, meaning the antlers are symmetrical, needs to score at least 260 inches. Non-typical bull elk have to hit 300 inches. A “green score” is taken not long after you’ve killed the animal and will tell you if you’re at, near, or over the minimum score.

What are good bull elk?

What to look for when judging bulls?

besides the industry goals listed in the box, there are five main criteria to consider when selecting beef cattle: (1) growth and frame or skeletal size, (2) muscling, (3) volume, performance, (4) condition, trimness, and (5) structure, soundness, balance.

How do you pick a good bull?

Buy from a breeder whose integrity is above reproach. Buy from someone who has complete performance records on his cattle, and knows what those records mean. Buy from a place where you know the type of management under which the bulls were produced. Buy bulls from central test stations where all records are available.

What is a 6×6 bull elk called?

An elk with a total of 12 antler points (6×6) is called a ”royal” bull; one with 14 points (7X7) is an “imperial” and one with 16 points (8X8) is a monarch.

What is a 5 by 5 elk?

5×5 5 points on each side of antler rack. 4×5 4 points on one side and 5 points on the other side.

What is considered a good size elk?

Most big mature bulls will have main beams close to 50 inches long. Some are longer and some a bit shorter, but 50 is a good estimate to start from. Big bulls will have an inside spread of very near to 40 inches and also right around 30 inches of mass per side.

What are the characteristics of a good bull?

Here are the important traits to look out for.

• Adaptability. The bull must be adapted to its environment and production system.
• Growth potential. This is a highly heritable trait that reacts quickly to selective breeding.
• Feed conversion.
• Calving ease.
• Frame.
• Reproduction.
• Visual appraisal.
• Experience.

How do you read a bull EPD?

EPDs are measured in units of traits, such as pounds. For example, a bull with a +70 weaning weight (WW) EPD compared to a bull with a +60 WW EPD is expected to produce calves 10 pounds heavier if mated to the same group of cows and managed under the same conditions.

What should I look for in a stud bull?

Buying a stud bull and introducing new genetics to your beef cattle herd is one of the most critical farm management decisions you can make….Six tips for buying the right bull

• Know your goals.
• Analyse your data.
• Explore EBV’s.
• Research the bulls on offer.
• See the bulls in the yards.
• Stick to your breeding plan when bidding.

How do you price a bull?

Driving Factors of Bull Price The value provided depends on: cost factors (i.e., bull maintenance cost and death loss), performance factors (i.e., years of service, the expected cow to bull ratio, expected weaning rate, expected weight of feeders, and proportion of the calf value attributed to the bull), and.

How do you judge a bull elk?

Be careful not to air judge too quickly because once you start saying a bull is 325” and he really is 300” your judging scale gets skewed. There are several things I like to do when trying to estimate the actual measurements on a bull elk. First, I use anatomical references to estimate several of the point lengths.

How much do you know about bull elk scoring?

Those men can tell you within two inches on the hoof the net B&C score of any bull. But they spend thousands of hours year-round documenting big bulls and picking up these bulls’ sheds to score. Most of us can’t devote that much time to studying or scoring bull elk.

How do you judge the length of elk antlers?

The good news is that point length is one of the easiest things to judge because there is a yardstick. On a big American elk, the distance from the burr of the antler to the tip of the nose is about 15-4/8 inches. Let’s start at the bottom of the antlers and work up.

Who is the best field judge for elk hunting?

Field Judging Elk | Elk101.com | Eat. Sleep. HUNT ELK! For this Feature, we’ve tapped the eagle eyes of Steve Chappell, one of the best field judging experts in the elk hunting world, producer of the Extreme Bulls video series and owner of Chappell Guide Service.