Elk aging

[iccyman001]

Sorry for all these questions and me always trying to relate them to whitetail, but it\'s all I know.


With whitetail, there are certain things we can look at to age the deer and some people will only shoot mature deer based off age, not rack size.

Do people age elk as well?
Do elk have a downfall like whitetails do antler wise?
Do they lose their teeth?


Do old elk taste like rubber :lolno: ?

 

[JohnFitzgerald]

Our ODFW officers can tell the age of an elk by their teeth. I can get a general idea of how old they are, but not as exact as them boys/girls!

 

[iccyman001]

Our ODFW officers can tell the age of an elk by their teeth. I can get a general idea of how old they are, but not as exact as them boys/girls!

Do you or do you know people who base their hunts off of the actual age or does that not really apply that much to elk?
I am going to do some research and see what an average elks life expectancy is.

 

[Swede]

I have never heard of people determining whether or not they want an elk by estimating their age, except for hunters that want a young tender one. Maybe some do, but I have never heard of it. They will go on body size and antler size.
Antler size can help determine age. Thin spindly antlers generally go with younger bulls. Counting points is less reliable. I have killed 1 1/2 year old four point bulls. Younger bulls also have more hollow ivories.
Big bulls do not taste bad, and they are not tough either if the bull is in good condition and is taken care of properly. Elk that are fat and gaining weight are all good eating. I have never had a bad eating elk that I shot. They get taken care of right away. Don\'t worry if it takes you a few hours to get to your bull. If you skin and gut it right away, it should be fine if the meat has not soured. Just never pack it around in the back of your pickup waiting for a more convenient time to dress it.

 

[iccyman001]

I have never heard of people determining whether or not they want an elk by estimating their age, except for hunters that want a young tender one. Maybe some do, but I have never heard of it. They will go on body size and antler size.
Antler size can help determine age. Thin spindly antlers generally go with younger bulls. Counting points is less reliable. I have killed 1 1/2 year old four point bulls. Younger bulls also have more hollow ivories.
Big bulls do not taste bad, and they are not tough either if the bull is in good condition and is taken care of properly. Elk that are fat and gaining weight are all good eating. I have never had a bad eating elk that I shot. They get taken care of right away. Don\'t worry if it takes you a few hours to get to your bull. If you skin and gut it right away, it should be fine if the meat has not soured. Just never pack it around in the back of your pickup waiting for a more convenient time to dress it.

My biggest goal for 2014 was to learn how to butcher/process my own animals and learn their body breakdown. I was successful with doing that this year, so next year, if I am able to shoot one, I will do it all on my own. I plan on taking care of the animals and handling the meat properly.

It\'s good to hear that the big ones don\'t taste that bad either. I do understand that they won\'t be as tender as the younger ones, but I am very glad they won\'t taste like rubber :upthumb:

 

[Swede]

I have some more good news Iccy. Big bulls can be tender as well as tasty. I doubt you can tell the difference with the vast majority of them.

 

[Swede]

I see JF has a bear in MY tree stand now. It looks like the bear I peed on a few years ago Is he waiting there for revenge? I don\'t want to hijack this thread, but this could be important too.

 

[JohnFitzgerald]

I see JF has a bear in MY tree stand now. It looks like the bear I peed on a few years ago Is he waiting there for revenge? I don\'t want to hijack this thread, but this could be important too.

I just finished his training last night and his name is Hootie Jr. He\'s a little bitter about the peeing stunt and would be happy to wrestle you for the tree stand!

Just passing on the good word!