Do elk antlers develop "junk"?

[iccyman001]

Is it common to see stickers, drop tines, splits or other odd characteristics on elk?

 

[F M]

I have only seen one. This one a guy in camp shot this year.
[attachment=0]<!-- ia0 -->20150922_124242.jpg<!-- ia0 -->[/attachment]

 

[Guest]

I personally have not seen to much for junk on our elk but our whitetails often do.

Trav

 

[iccyman001]

That\'s pretty neat, Francis!

 

[Swede]

[attachment=0]<!-- ia0 -->club.jpg<!-- ia0 -->[/attachment]

Many bulls have deformed antlers. I have read it is usually due to having a damaged testicle. If the damage is to the right, then the left antler will be deformed, and vice versa.

 

[cnelk]

We have taken several bulls with a \'crown\' on one or both antlers, usually its just another point.

And \'devil points\' [small points on top of the brow tines] are common

 

[iccyman001]

We have taken several bulls with a \'crown\' on one or both antlers, usually its just another point.

And \'devil points\' [small points on top of the brow tines] are common

I guess I\'ve heard of those terms before, but never knew what they meant!
Thanks for the education. :upthumb:

[attachment=0]<!-- ia0 -->club.jpg<!-- ia0 -->[/attachment]

Many bulls have deformed antlers. I have read it is usually due to having a damaged testicle. If the damage is to the right, then the left antler will be deformed, and vice versa.

Now THAT would be really cool to see coming into my spot! :upthumb:

 

[Swede]

Dan, I had that bull at that wallow the evening before the season opened. I watched him there for about 10 minutes. He then left with only a few minutes of daylight left. He did not come back for the next two days, while I waited there. Rats!

 

[iccyman001]

Dan, I had that bull at that wallow the evening before the season opened. I watched him there for about 10 minutes. He then left with only a few minutes of daylight left. He did not come back for the next two days, while I waited there. Rats!

I hope you get to see him this upcoming season!
With bow in hand and legal shooting hours. :upthumb:

 

[Jaquomo]

I\'ve killed a couple with \"devil points\" and one with a very weird antler. Most of the skulls I\'ve seen with one strange antler had a damaged pedicle on one side, usually from fighting with other bulls. That\'s a fairly common occurrence in places where the bull-cow ratio is out of whack, like in the NW corner of CO.

As far as honest \"junk\" like with whitetails and older mule deer, I\'ve seen thousands of bulls (really) and can count the number of bulls with stickers, droppers on one hand.

 

[otcWill]

Hard to call this \"junk\" . This is a bull I encountered 4 years ago in a 0pt elk unit while deer hunting. 7x8 with outrageous mass. He\'s still alive but almost never ventures onto public like he did this particular day. I believe he would break the CO archery state record if killed.

 

[skullclnr]

Ill weigh in, I see a lot of deformities but not many with junk, like one or two ever. Lots of drops and clubs though. Here are a couple:

Before:

After:

 

[Ucsdryder]

Good lord Will!!

 

[WW]

The bull in Swede\'s picture with the club antler was most likely caused from a damaged pedicle, not testicle. And you can actually see it in the pic. Maybe he just miss typed his information. Skulclnr\'s pic also shows damaged pecicle.

Devil tines are fairly common. But the ones in the picture that Francis posted are exceptionally big. Good pic.

I have noticed a lot of deformed or crowned antlers on pen raised elk.

 

[bowhunter]

The bull in my avatar is weird on the right side. I first thought it was a spike when I saw the long point sticking up. Then he raised his head and I knew he was legal so I looked no more at the horns. His pedicel is slightly lower on the odd side.

 

[cnelk]

This bull that my son shot didn\'t drop his testicles

 

[Swede]

I agree with WW\'s statement. I read that a damaged testicle will result in a deformity in the opposite side antler. I killed a bull several years ago where the pedicle was not right too. The picture I supplied was only intended to show an example that fit Dan\'s criterion of a bull with odd antlers. I see them fairly frequently. They seem more common in some areas than in others. I don\'t know why.
I really wanted to autopsy the bull but he would not cooperate. I may look for him again this coming September. After this cold winter he may be more willing to go home with me. Anyway here is hoping.

 

[iccyman001]

Hard to call this \"junk\" . This is a bull I encountered 4 years ago in a 0pt elk unit while deer hunting. 7x8 with outrageous mass. He\'s still alive but almost never ventures onto public like he did this particular day. I believe he would break the CO archery state record if killed.

WOW!!!!!!
I hope you catch him messing up again, but in season.

As far as honest \"junk\" like with whitetails and older mule deer, I\'ve seen thousands of bulls (really) and can count the number of bulls with stickers, droppers on one hand.

That is very interesting. It makes me wonder why whitetail and muleys get it, but not bulls.
I also know that if I ever get a bull with something cool like stickers or droppers, then I am one lucky guy!!! :upthumb: