#Brow tined bull elk license#

It can be difficult to effectively inspect an elk’s teeth when you’re out in the wild and unable to get too close. Most elks over eight years old will have far smaller, flatter molars behind their protruding front teeth. You should be able to distinguish between trophy bull elk and younger bucks by the wear of their molars. Elk also develop permanent front canine teeth by the time they’re three years old. If you are able to get close enough, identifying teeth size and shape can be one of the most accurate and consistent forms of aging an elk.įor bucks between two and four years old, you should be able to see two large, fully developed incisors at the front of their mouths. guided hunting for elk, it’s useful to try to get relatively close to the animal before taking your shot. Look out for that pronounced curvature of the bottom of the elk’s neck to help you age him. Mature bulls have a pronounced, curved posture from the top of their back to their lower neck, commonly described as a swayback in their lower neck. Once the bull gets older, he can develop between six and seven different tines, or divisions, from his antlers. Spikes are single, straight-edged antlers with no branches or tines coming off the side. Male elks younger than six tend to have spikes rather than branching racks for antlers. But, generally speaking, a bull’s antler rack becomes larger and wider the older he gets. Bear in mind that many factors are in play when it comes to an elk’s antler size and number of tines, including the bull’s diet and personal rate of growth. Antler Size and ShapeĪnother effective way to age a bull while elk hunting is to look at his antlers. The same goes for cows anywhere above 300 to 350 pounds.Īs expert elk-hunter Scott Hatch puts it, “If they look like a big yellow bus,” they’re probably a trophy elk well worth hunting. Any bull upward of 380 or 400 pounds is likely to be in or near his prime.

In 2014 the unlimited permits were changed to first-choice only, and harvest increased with the highest number of bulls harvested since 2006 (Table 1).Quite simply, the bigger a bull or cow is in comparison to the other elk around them, the older they’re likely to be. The unlimited permits were introduced in 2012, and bull harvest in 20 was equal to the average bull harvest during the previous 5 years. These have been ineffective at reducing harvest. We have made attempts to address the low brow-tined bull ratios in 313 since 2012 with unlimited bull permits. The decline in mature bulls in the population is also evident from harvest data: the proportion of 6-point or better bulls in the harvest has declined from 88% to 46% since 2004 (Table 2). The decline in brow-tined bull ratios observed within HD313 has also been observed across the total population, with 9 brow-tined bulls per 100 cows observed on average since 2009, as compared to 31.8 brow-tined bulls per 100 cows observed on average during 1995-2005 (Table 1, Figure 1). This elk population spans the boundary of Montana and Yellowstone National Park (YNP). Since 2009 we have observed on average 2.2 brow-tined bulls per 100 cows, as compared to an average of 19.5 brow-tined bulls per 100 cows observed during 1995-2005 (Table 1, Figure 1) Additional B licenses are being created in order to provide additional opportunity, with a conservative quota in order to minimize biological impact to overall population numbers.īrow-tined bull ratios have been at very low levels in recent years. The objective of this proposed change is to increase the brow-tined bull: cow ratios to within 20% of the long-term average, and to adjust the current youth opportunity to be consistent with the limited draw permit structure. What is the objective of this proposed change? This could be a specific harvest amount or resulting population level or number of game damage complaints, etc.

#Brow tined bull elk license#

Create antlerless B license with a quota of 30, quota range 15-50Ģ. Eliminate youth-only brow-tined bull or antlerless permitĭ. Create youth-only antlerless B license with a quota of 30, quota range 15 – 50Ĭ. The limited draw permits are proposed as first-choice only.ī. Institute limited draw permits for brow-tined bulls during archery and general rifle season with a quota of 75 and a quota range of 50 – 150.

REMEMBER THIS STEP IS TO BE ACCOMPLISHED BY THE INITIAL ENTRY INTO THE DATABASE-SO FOLKS CAN START THIS NARRATIVE WITH #2 BELOW.Ī. Describe the proposed season / quotas changes and provide a summary of prior history (i.e., prior history of permits, season types, etc.). The following is an excerpt from the proposal by FWP Biologist Karen Loveless for unit 313 for the 2015-2016 hunting season:ġ.

Elk numbers and in particular bull numbers have suffered from drought and predation severely enough that the Montana FWP is proposing further restrictions for hunters to try to help keep elk from continuing to plummet.