Score these Bulls

[Billy Goat]

Just taking a guess looking at trail cam pictures from different distances and angles. Looking at the last picture of number 4 cant see that bull not being a ways over 300. Thinking its all the same bull and different parts of the horns look bigger and smaller in some of the pics. Thats what made me think 325ish . I can usually guess within 10 inches or so in person. not the best guessing with trail cam pics, or looking through spotter 2 miles away. With trail cam pics or long range glassing I can ussually just tell if its something I would be happy with.

Pictures can be difficult. Hands on I can normally be really close, can be hard to judge without solid references.

I'd be happy with any of them.

Like wrench said a 280 is a nice mature animal in a lot of places.

 

[tstowater]

Best guess is that #1 is the best at something around 310. I would put #2 at 280ish and #3 and #4 in the 265 range without better pictures. You have the makings of some nice elk. Would be great if you could let them live another year or two.

 

[PNW bow hunter]

In a most limited entry quality hunts you don't want to shoot a 280 bull. I called and hunted with my hunting partner in a great draw unit that takes 16-17 years to draw for nearly the whole season last year. He finally killed a great bull for the unit 7 days before the season ended. By the time we got it packed out, cut and wrapped, I had 5 days to hunt the general area we normally go to in a different part of the state. I killed a 260 bull there. Both of were were excited as can be for the bulls we killed in the two different units, but you would't have much excitement over that 260 bull in the unit he had.

None of the bulls have any wow factor to me. If you took out the last pic of bull number 4 my guess would probably go down 15 inches. It seems like once a bull gets over 330 some charicteristic on the rack stands out like tine length, main beam length, big fronts, big backs ect. 350 bull and bigger everything is ussually pretty impressive. hard to judge body size in the trail cam pic. A really young bull with 300 inches of horns will look a lot different than a 8 year old bull with 300 inches of horn. The body size can trick you in pics a little easier than in person.

Definately looking like I might be closer on #1, and Waaaaay off on the other since everyone thinks #1 is the biggest at around 310!

 

[Cahunter805]

I agree with most. Bull #1 seems to be the biggest and about 300ish. All the others seem to be in the 280-290. All those bulls would be in trouble if I had a tag.

 

[trazerr]

If these bulls are in the Big 3 then I would say keep searching. If these bulls are not in the Big 3 then I would be letting an arrow loose at the first one that turns broadside on me! Either way all great bulls for OR.

 

[nphunter]

I guess I should have mentioned that it’s a limited draw unit with only 25 archery tags a year, OR big 3. My goal for the unit is a 350” or larger bull. After looking through about 1000 pics on that one camera those bulls defiantly stood out. There were a lot of smaller 6 point and 5x6 bulls as well.

I also think 2&4 are the same bull, I think that #1 is a big old bull. It’s hard to look at a couple pictures and see how big they are but he is way bigger bodied than the rest and has good fronts and G5’s. We figure he is 320-330ish. 2/4 I would put around 300-310” and #3 i would say 280-290”. Reguardless of what any of these score they don’t make the hit list.

So far this spot has been fun to check but not one of the spots I’ll be hunting when I arrive.

Here are a few more pics of #1

 

[spike camp]

Safe to assume, these are Roosevelt bulls?

Maybe it’s the huge bodies, throwing me off..

But some of those bulls are scoring higher, the more I look at them.

 

[nphunter]

Safe to assume, these are Roosevelt bulls?

Maybe it’s the huge bodies, throwing me off..

But some of those bulls are scoring higher, the more I look at them.

They are Rockies in a very hard to draw unit. There’s a good chance that several of them will die of old age.

 

[trazerr]

I guess I should have mentioned that it’s a limited draw unit with only 25 archery tags a year, OR big 3. My goal for the unit is a 350” or larger bull. After looking through about 1000 pics on that one camera those bulls defiantly stood out. There were a lot of smaller 6 point and 5x6 bulls as well.

I also think 2&4 are the same bull, I think that #1 is a big old bull. It’s hard to look at a couple pictures and see how big they are but he is way bigger bodied than the rest and has good fronts and G5’s. We figure he is 320-330ish. 2/4 I would put around 300-310” and #3 i would say 280-290”. Reguardless of what any of these score they don’t make the hit list.

So far this spot has been fun to check but not one of the spots I’ll be hunting when I arrive.

Here are a few more pics of #1

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Congrats on the coveted tag! I figured this was one of the Big 3. If Ron is correct I should be able to draw either of the two lessor Big three tags in a few years. Keep us posted on how this hunt goes!

 

[Wrench]

having bulls like that in an area open enough to watch will tell a bunch. *IF* those are your true dominant bulls it will show. If they're running around trying to keep a harem, there's probably some studs just waiting to push them out of the way and dump a pump in their girlfriends and go back to bed.

 

[nphunter]

having bulls like that in an area open enough to watch will tell a bunch. *IF* those are your true dominant bulls it will show. If they're running around trying to keep a harem, there's probably some studs just waiting to push them out of the way and dump a pump in their girlfriends and go back to bed.

There aren’t any open areas where we’ll be Nasty thick country, I’m after something a lot bigger than any of those bulls. It’s just fun to see what people’s opinions are of different elk. My hunting partner has the points to draw this unit next year or the following, he’s taking two full weeks off to call for me and I’ll do the same when he draws. We are scheduled to be up there 18 days and I actually scheduled the 3-27th off of work for the hunt.

 

[Laramie]

There aren’t any open areas where we’ll be Nasty thick country, I’m after something a lot bigger than any of those bulls. It’s just fun to see what people’s opinions are of different elk. My hunting partner has the points to draw this unit next year or the following, he’s taking two full weeks off to call for me and I’ll do the same when he draws. We are scheduled to be up there 18 days and I actually scheduled the 3-27th off of work for the hunt.

As hunters we get very few opportunities to have hunts like this. Enjoy every second of the experience and don't let 10" one way or the other be the determining factor of happiness.

 

[Wrench]

There aren’t any open areas where we’ll be Nasty thick country, I’m after something a lot bigger than any of those bulls. It’s just fun to see what people’s opinions are of different elk. My hunting partner has the points to draw this unit next year or the following, he’s taking two full weeks off to call for me and I’ll do the same when he draws. We are scheduled to be up there 18 days and I actually scheduled the 3-27th off of work for the hunt.

What I see is quite open compared to north Idaho!

 

[BeaverHunter]

What I see is quite open compared to north Idaho!

I think the jungles of The Amazon are “quite open” compared to North Idaho.