Contributors to this thread:
Could you guys post some pictures of bulls you’ve taken with actual scores? I drew a decent tag and I’m not the best at judging elk even though I’m normally within a couple inches on deer. I feel like it will be obvious when I see the bull I decide to shoot, but I’d like to get a little more tuned in before my hunt.
studying pics all summer, now biggest fear is popping a 330 rather than plus 350.
270 gross
Edit: I got my pics mixed up. The top pic is a 270 gross. The bottom two pics are a different 260 gross bull.
Huntcell, I know. Be a shame to accidentally shoot a 330. I always tell newbies, and experienced hunters know, any elk with a bow is a trophy. Enjoy the hunt!
And official P&Y score - minus address, phone number and location of kill ;)
Thanks guys! So far I’ve had some I’ve been really close on and some I was way off. @whocares, I’ve killed a handful of elk with a bow and a lot more with a rifle on Utah OTC tags, but I won’t have this tag again for at least another 15 years. I’m definitely not looking for just “any elk.”
This bull grossed 359 and some change it netted almost 350 by the the P&Y official scorer when it scored.
270 inside of 360 for perspective.
Awesome perspective Mike!
Nice bulls gentlemen! Those scores show a couple things. That a 280 bull is good sized and 300” is big. A lot of people see a 260” bull and call it A 300” It’s amazing how many “300” bulls are running everywhere:^)
Also using grip and grin pics to learn field judging can be tricky. The animal appears much different walking at different angles compared to Laying on the ground with a human behind it. Better to use pics of on the hoof and then later killed and scored, but of course those are harder to find.
Wow, that’s crazy to see the difference Mike! I agree that grip and grins can be tricky. I’ve been on quite a few hunts where I’ve helped people on what I consider big bulls (340+), and always had a a decent idea of what we were going after. I think I’m just nervous because I see grip and grins, guess a score in my head, and am sometimes way off.
Thanks Cheesehead. Great perspective photo. And congrats on both bulls!
That's an awesome pic Mike. Really shows the difference. A 350" and up is something else eh?!
What are some quick "field judging" traits you use to determine a Big Bull/320+? At bow range they all look big.
Most hunters get mesmerized by a bulls frame; their main beams, their width, and the G4's. You need to pay big attention to the G1, G2, & G3. This past year I shot a bull with 51" main beams, 40" inside wide, and 18" G4's and he only grossed 307". That is because his G1 was 14" G2 was 12", G3 was 8". For comparison, my 350" bull had 49" more than him just on his G1 G2 & G3. But I would say those first 3 tines are the most over looked by hunters
Lost Arra, my method certainly isn’t scientific, but I do a quick assessment of the G1’s, 2’s, and 3’s, then the G4’s and whale tales, and finally his width and mass. For me, I don’t try to put a number to the bull, I just place them in categories and let the final score fall where it may…Raghorn, nice bull, really nice bull, and Holy Crap! Until a person sees quite a few bulls, a 280 looks really big until you see a 340+, as Mike’s picture illustrates, Keep in mind, just an inch difference in tine and main beam length, width, and mass can be the difference of 20” or so in score.
Some very nice bulls you guys posted! Good comparison pics Cheesehead. just too bad you're from Wisc) :)
Thanks wyobullshooter! I don't worry about the numbers either but your classes (raghorn, nice bull, really nice bull and Holy Crap!) are more in line with mine. Like the OP I drew a surprise Type 1 tag where I've hunted cows the past 10 years and I've seen some Holy Crap bulls but they were standing next to other bulls so it was an easy comparison.
387 and change net at P&Y panel
Beautiful bulls. Anyone flirt with 400????
Thank you guys for all the pictures! You guys have killed some great bulls!
359 1/8
359 1/8
372” gross
372” gross
Had it officially scored. Was right around 310 gross and 290-something net. But it's also a very narrow bull. Average would be 10-20" wider. Only 30" outside to outside, but the beauty is the mount will fit down the stairs :)
(L to R) 305, 293, 287 (net)......all officially scored and entered.
324 Gross / 316 net....official P&Y.
Not concerned with the scores, but some beautiful animals. Congrats to the shooters.
Some great bulls, guys. Congrats!
Great bulls guys, congrats to everybody!
I agree that it's really hard to judge size in grip and grin photos. Different angles and where the hunter is positioned can really affect the perspective and perception.
In addition to the fronts affecting a bull's score, thirds can really have an impact too. This bull has almost no thirds but I didn't care I was shooting him anyway :-)
350 7/8” Net.
No second guessing about shooting this bull!
Would have helped his score a lot if he hadn’t busted off that one point…
Great bulls guys....This Nevada bull has really short main beams. 46 & 45 inches & his 5th's are pretty short. I call this kind of bull a "Front-End bull. His long tines put him to 362 3/8 gross.
2020 Rosie
2020 Rosie
Body size makes a big difference too.This Oregon Roosevelt from last year had the biggest body I had ever seen on an elk. His head was huge. He was really broke up & still grossed 321 with around 15 inches broke off.
337 7/8 Gross 333 Net
337 7/8 Gross 333 Net
276 7/8 Gross 266 5/8 Net
276 7/8 Gross 266 5/8 Net
298 6/8 Gross 279 7/8 Net. Like Treeline's bull, he'd have scored much higher if his right side G2 wasn't missing.
298 6/8 Gross 279 7/8 Net. Like Treeline's bull, he'd have scored much higher if his right side G2 wasn't missing.
Dang, with all these great bulls everyone's posting...C'mon September!!!
2019 Tule
2019 Tule
Another example of body size. I over estimated this Tule bull by 15 inches. Hard to believe how small he was compared to a Rocky or Roosevelt. He grosses right at 300 & I wasn't disappointed in the bull but my estimate wouldn't have won any "Guess the Score" contest! Next time I draw that Tule elk tag I'll know to figure in body size! LOL
330” and 298” gross. I’d you want to see 260-290” bulls, I have a pile of them. Seem to be my specialty. Still waiting for Mr. Big.
From looking at all these pics I am rutting earlier than usual.
Drnaln what's the story on the albino?!
Great looking bulls guys!!!! Can't wait til Sept!!!
Great looking bulls everybody....and I agree, Sept can't get here fast enough! There is a very quick scoring system I use on whitetails. I got this from a buddy of mine who is a P&Y and WI Buck and Bear scorer. If you add up a bucks weakest side and he has 20" of tine length he will most likely make the minimum 125" score. I've used that simple technique for 20+ yrs and it's always held true. Unless the buck is super spindly or has a broken main beam it works every time. I am wondering if somebody reading this has something similar only for scoring elk on the fly. Anybody?
Here's a 270 gross 5 point.
394 gross 379 net. Non typical
Certainly an amazing collection of big bulls with bows!
Congratulations!
Shows that there is still the opportunity out there in many states to get a bull elk that dreams are made of!
Persistence pays.
348
348
Last years wyoming bull was 348 2/8 green My 2010 san juan bull was 345 5/8 green (22" thirds and dinky 5ths)
Great bunch of bulls! Has me getting fired up again for September.
300 P&Y
300 P&Y