Finally some day time pics of the 7x7

[Schum07]

 

[Shootist43]

I'd settle for that!! But shooting him over that corn pile would be a no, no.

 

[Deleted member 40394]

We shoot our deer over corn in SC. Not a big deal. I find it harder to kill a big one here over corn then just naturally.

 

[VertigoBE]

That's a nice one! How old would you wager he is?

And as an additional question, would you let him live a bit more, so he can better spread those genes, or is he ripe for the taking?

 

[Shootist43]

We can hunt over small amounts of bait in Michigan as well, but I never saw anything that looked like "THAT" over one of my bait piles. BTW there are a few Elk in Michigan, but tags are on a lottery system.

 

[TucsonFX4]

That is a gorgeous bull! Looks like a keeper to me.

 

[R.M.C.]

Nice!! Definitely a shooter

 

[Firebird]

Lovely bull-still looks young,it would be fun to watch him a couple more years

 

[sestoppelman]

Yep, lots of points but not massive antlers. Still much bigger than anything I ever saw in the woods!
I remember as a kid the local garage guy had a massive bull they called Big George.
He was a 6x6 but much more massive than the one shown here.
And I wouldnt shoot him over a corn pile either, no matter how big he gets.

 

[Firebird]

Definitely Not the FUN way to hunt elk-but a great way to get them on film. Thanks for sharing the pix

 

[gillettehunter]

Great genetics. If your out hunting in the woods in MT, WY or Idaho on public land and saw a bull like this you'd shoot as soon as in range. You'd pass if you're paying for a guided hunt in in say NM or AZ. I'd guess him as 4 1/2 yrs old. Doesn't have the mass I'd expect of an older bull.
Bruce

 

[BeeMaa]

Virginia is opening a lottery for Elk this upcoming hunting season. Lottery opened today.

Nice Elk you have there. Like to see a picture with his head up to better see the size of his neck.

 

[John Wasmuth]

Nice looking bull. Lots of people won’t shoot it over bait but would gladly plow a leopard on bait at the blink of an eye……

 

[Cam Moon]

Nice bull. Very nice. I tend to agree that he's a little young, as his mass isn't all that, but give him a few years and he'd be a brute! As far as hunting over bait, here in Alberta if you're caught baiting you will get a huge fine AND lose your hunting privileges. Possibly more as well, but those two are guaranteed!

 

[Firebird]

Plenty of baiting goes on in places like Texas and parts of Canada for example especially for whitetail, bear and thanks for mentioning leopard. But that’s not the way to hunt an animal that runs around tearassing the mountain in search of cows, bugling his lungs out and groaning for a fight. No baiting allowed in my state and last year they made salt illegal as well. Still at great way to see what’s around in the off season tho!
I agree that bull is in his fourth year. Just like a whitetail, the fifth year is when they start their trophy status with a pot belly, heavy brisket, sway back and short thick face. And the mass in the antlers if anyone cares about that.
If I was the OP I would watch him as best as possible and you might be the one to collect his shed antlers-and they are already wonderful!

 

[Muskox]

All of the cervus elphus group (elk and red deer) are at their absolute biggest at 8-11 years old. Weather, feed, genetics and predation will influence what kind of head gear they have on at this time. A lean year for moisture, or a year where they spent the entire season getting harassed by wolves, lions, bears or in Russia tigers will influence how much nutrition they get to keep.

We had cattle when I was a kid in a mountain pasture where they were harassed by a grizzly and he killed two cows near Dubois, Wyoming. They were the skinniest cows I had ever seen coming off summer pasture.

 

[Cam Moon]

@Muskox They were just trying to look un-appetizing to that grizzly!

 

[BRICKBURN]

Keep feeding him and fatten him up. Add some mineral licks and you should be in for some incredible pictures. Hope he's allowed to grow.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[F. Vaccaro]

Schum07, thanks for sharing pictures of that Elk with us.

 

[Tanks]

Nice looking bull. Lots of people won’t shoot it over bait but would gladly plow a leopard on bait at the blink of an eye……

If you have hunted leopard over bait you probably know that it takes more than stringing up an impala on a tree. One has to track the leopard to figure out where to place the bait, place the bait in such a way that he has to work for it and keep coming back. Not to mention not all leopards are shootable.

There is a reason many guys make multiple trips to Africa and come back empty handed from their leopard hunt.