Going downhill

Zigga

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LAST EDITED ON Dec-05-06 AT 10:46PM (MST)[p]The pic on the left is from 2006 and the one on the right is from 2005. I think it's the same bull but could be wrong. If it is, he is starting to go downhill especially up top. It's nice to see them die of old age but it sure would be nice to take them during their prime once in a while.


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I'd say you're right that looks like the same bull. regression doesn't seem to be much of a problem here in Oregon, if they live long enough to shed their spikes they're an old timer.
 
He was definitely in his prime last year...but remember..our spring and early summer were fairly wet, then it got super dry...I wonder if the dry weather at the end of the growing season may have anything to do with his backs being shorter???

What a bull!
 
I would bety the change in antlers is more of a function of a good year (2005) versus a drought year (2006).

Although, I don't know if this was the case in your state/part of the state. It definately was here in NE Wyoming.
 
Myself,I don't think these pics are of the same bull.There is to much differance in the length and shape of the points. I live in an area where I get to see the same bulls year after year (If they suvive the hunting season)I video them and get trail cam pictures of them. I also find their sheds and I am able to compare them from year to year.Once they are mature their horn configuration does not change much. They just seem to get heavier. I have four horns off of one bull from four consectutave years. The first set I found weighed about six pounds each .Three years later they weigh 11lbs.each but are still basicly the same shape. Anyway,just my opinion.
 
The reason I think it's the same bull is because in other pictures his brow tines line up perfectly and his 6th point on his left side has a sudden drop in it. I love seeing other's pics of animals in previous years and comparing. These pics were zoomed in and cropped so the quality isn't great and we did have a dry spell towards the end of the growing season in Montana.
 
I also think this is the same bull as last year. My son shot a 332 bull this year that had small tops. When you look at them close, it looks like the horns just stopped growing after they got past the swords. I agree with the theory that it had to do with the spring/summer. Our bull is just to big up to the 4ths to have a top that looks like it just scriveled and stopped growing. Our bull was in the North/eastern corner of Utah.
 

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