Guy breaks down what to look for the next time you’re glassing up a bull. The antlers on one-year-old elk … You will develop a more effective management plan if you can distinguish a buck’s age … Mature bulls average 800 to 1,100 pounds, stand 5' to 5'6" at the shoulder, and are 7 to 8 years of age… So both the bull and cow must have the right genes for big antlered offspring. For older age classes, however, you can forget it. An elk’s antlers make it much taller. Many adult bull elk reach 6 x 6 status by three-and-a-half years of age if habitat is good but the best sets of antlers are reached at age 9 and a half to 12 and a half. Guy Eastman shares his tips for how to age elk on the hoof. See more ideas about elk antlers, elk, animals wild. Antler removal is for the protection of the animal and owner, as well as for economic benefits. A bull must also reach a mature age in order to reach maximum antler growth. Instead rely on body conformation. But in case you do have elk or deer antlers for sale, we have a good breakdown of prices for you. Of the 34 white-tailed deer biologists surveyed to test this method, 60% failed to correctly age known-age … Keep in mind, many factors play into this creature’s antlers, including their diet and growth rate. Antler removal is very humane and is accomplished under vet care, with no injury to the animal. Okay, now that our terrible pun is out of the way, let’s discuss. Jun 23, 2013 - Explore Annie Stoll's board "Elk / Antlers", followed by 351 people on Pinterest. 100% natural antler chews help clean teeth & last and last! For elk, full growth potential may not be reached until over 10 years of age. A male elk's antlers can grow up to 4 feet (1.2 m) above its head, making it around 9 feet (2.7 m) tall in all. For mule deer and whitetails, that generally means an antler growth peak occurring at 5.5 years of age or older. FENTON, MI - An elk skull with antlers discovered in a lake near Fenton is around 220 years old, a radiocarbon dating lab has determined. Females do not have antlers. How to Determine the Age of an Elk Antler Size — When trying to determine the age of one of these creatures, look at the size and shape of his antlers. However, generally speaking, their antlers become more prominent and wider as they age. As a general rule, though, large antlers come with big bodies and old age. Antler growth can suggest a bull elk’s age. 1. Yearlings normally have a pair of single spikes, while bulls with three or four times on each side of their antlers are typically two years old. Antler size is one of the details we use to help determine age, but only one in a long list of aspects like body size and shape, muscle tone, the appearance of certain features, etc. Some states manage areas/units for a targeted age … Deer can reliably be placed into 3 age classes (fawn, yearling, adult) (Gee at al 2002). 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