elkhunterUT
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Just got my 2020 tooth age data back from the DWR on my Utah LE bull. I figured he was an old bull, but was surprised by just how old:
Surprisingly very good. No off flavor, nothing is overly tough. Very good wet aged for a couple weeks.How are the steaks from a 13 year old bull? Just curious.
One thing you can always do is to send a tooth to Matson labs on your own for $70. Then you can compare, and if there's a difference I am sure DWR would love to know so they can improve.Those are great bulls congratulations..
But I’m not a fan of the tooth age data I think there is something going on with the DWR I know it can be really accurate if done right
but my buddies brothers bull came back at 12 years and there was no way it was 12 he was a really small bull and the body was the size of a rag horn the ivorys where still pointed not even Worn down he might of been 4 maybe 5 I don’t know if the teeth got mixed up or what.
anyways congratulations those are both outstanding bull.
I do think some of the older bulls do stop rutting, or at least fighting, and just take cows when the opportunity is right. Having said that, my bull had 35+ cows and was chasing other bulls off constantly so he didn’t appear to be slowing down any?Very cool Bulls, and I agree it’s amazing that they can survive that long. I watched a Big Bull on the winter range a couple of years ago, he was killed by wolves, I picked up his head and could not believe how worn down his Ivorys were. Showed the fish and game and they thought between 13 and 15 years old. The amazing thing there was not a chip in the antlers, I wonder at what age these bulls quit breeding. Are they hanging in some thicket getting fat while the rut is going on
Thanks Hawkeye!!Cory, congrats again on an awesome bull! Even better to find out he was 13 years old!
Hawkeye
I don't disagree with what you are saying. The problem is that Utah shouldn't be managing LE elk units by age objective at all. It should be managed by bull to cow ratio or other metrics that would allow for more precise herd management. This unit I killed this bull on is a great example of where age objective is flawed. In 2019, there were 2-3 bulls killed that were under 3 years old. This obviously dropped the average age of bull killed significantly on a unit where there aren't a lot of tags issued to begin with. This resulted in no additional permits being added in 2020 (may have even been a decrease in tags) even though there were plenty of surplus mature bulls to be harvested on the unit. Age objectives are not a great biological way to manage elk - it is nothing more than "special interest" groups (SFW...cough cough) pushing for ultra conservative management to protect their "money maker".I am happy for you on your hunt... Congrats.
That said, managing LE units for age classes where a bull can age to 13 at the expense of opportunity for sportsmen is exactly what I don't like about Utah's 'wildlife management'. I have to believe that if the tag numbers were 50% higher, this bull wouldn't have made it to 13. Probably killed by 6. And maybe he wouldn't have been as impressive, but 50% more sportsmen would have had opportunity to hunt LE elk... I believe this for most LE units, deer and elk.
I 100% agree with this.I don't disagree with what you are saying. The problem is that Utah shouldn't be managing LE elk units by age objective at all. It should be managed by bull to cow ratio or other metrics that would allow for more precise herd management. This unit I killed this bull on is a great example of where age objective is flawed. In 2019, there were 2-3 bulls killed that were under 3 years old. This obviously dropped the average age of bull killed significantly on a unit where there aren't a lot of tags issued to begin with. This resulted in no additional permits being added in 2020 (may have even been a decrease in tags) even though there were plenty of surplus mature bulls to be harvested on the unit. Age objectives are not a great biological way to manage elk - it is nothing more than "special interest" groups (SFW...cough cough) pushing for ultra conservative management to protect their "money maker".
Thank for the info I will let him know.One thing you can always do is to send a tooth to Matson labs on your own for $70. Then you can compare, and if there's a difference I am sure DWR would love to know so they can improve.