"Just wondering guys what are average spread measurements for 320-340,340-360 and 360-380 bulls. I'm not really a trophy hunter I just know a big bull when I see one lol. I just hear guys throwing out numbers sometimes and kind would like a basic knowledge i guess. Thanks for any info
Oh and what is a spread measurement that you just tells you monster bull..?"
It seems like maybe you're comparing the "inches" talk from deer to elk and while it seems like a reasonable comparison, it actually isn't. Deer and elk antler "inches" are viewed quite differently by hunters, or it seems so to me.
When deer hunters talk about inches, a 30" width mule deer is somewhat of a holy grail. Why it has become the holy grail is beyond me, but it is, and so.........a mule deer's width is commonly an important number, in lots of peoples minds.
Elk width is not nearly as interesting to elk hunters as deer width seems to be with deer hunters. There is no "holy grail" for elk width, at least not that I've heard of. Other inches on elk seem to be for more interesting than width. Like others have mentioned, main beam length, sword tine (forth point) length, brow tine length and mass measurements, get more attention than width, when it comes to elk.
As with elk, deer width can vary from 22" to 34" and beyond. A mule deer may have 185" and qualify for Boone and Crockett, but if a deer isn't 30" wide, he doesn't seem to be as interesting or considered as big, to some sportsmen.
A sportsmen that is a genuine "trophy hunter" isn't as concerned with the width of either deer or elk, but concerned with total inches of antler and the antlers symmetry or just total inches of antler if he is hunting for a non-typical trophy. Width is just one part of what constitutes a Boone and Crockett grade trophy, in fact, the outside width, which the 30" number for deer usually comes from, is not even a part of the Boone and Crockett total inches calculation. Only the "inside" spread, between the deer's main beam is used to calculate the total inches. The same is true for elk.
http://www.boone-crockett.org/bgRecords/bc_scoring_pdfs.asp?area=bgRecords
A so called 30" buck may have an outside spread of 30" and inside spread of 22", if the main beams curl inward and the back beams, it's g2 or g3, tip outward. So, for conversation, he's a 30" buck, but for actually "trophy score", he's got a 22" spread. If that makes sense.
When sportsmen talk about the "inches" of an elk, they rarely ask about it's width, at least not until they've asked how long his mean beams, sword, brow, and thirds are. If he is unusually wide or unusually narrow, they might say, "how wide is that thing" ?
Every hunter sees things differently but in my mind, when I see 50" wide elk it looks very, very wide, a 43" to 46" looks normal, and a 36" or less looks pretty narrow.
If you do a google image search for "bull elk", you'll see wide, medium and narrow bulls. Not all really wide bulls are "trophy" sized.
For me, antler symmetry is more important than width or total inches. A coues deer with great symmetry is more of a trophy than a huge bull elk that is maybe 50" wide but is short beamed with stubby swords, short thirds and huge brow tines. But that's just my bias.
But to answer your question directly, I don't think elk antler width has the same value as deer antler width has, in the minds of most sportsmen.
DC
