Elk /Whitetail Comparison

[TK]

Just curious if you compared the gross B&C score of a whitetail to the score of an elk comparibly speaking. I was considering trading a hunt for a whitetail for a hunt for Elk. I would think a 150 Class WT would be equal to a 300 plus Class Elk. A 160 Class would compare to maybe a 330 plus, 170 to a 375. What do ya think?

 

[elkantler75]

maybe it would be easier to trade a muley hunt for an elk hunt seeing as how elk are in a totally different habitat than deer usually. packing out a deer is a little easier than an elk also so the comparison is not very logical as far as antler size is concerned. just my 2 cents.

 

[TK]

Thr WT I am talking about live in S TX so packing out a deer is not a concern. The comparison is in regards to value and the quality of animal.

 

[DonVathome]

I would agree with your comparison

 

[junior]

Start with the pope and young numbers for both and then bc#......good luck with the trade....its like asking for gold and giving dirt in trade.......whitetail are all over the US!

 

[Phantom Hunter]

Quality whitetails in the numbers found on better managed S.Texas ranches are not "all over the US". Propose your trade and see what the feller with the elk says. Sounds reasonable to me.

Phantom Hunter

 

[upmuley]

Whitetail are all over the US. Just not 170" whitetails. Those are pretty tough to come by. From a numbers perspective there are a lot more 170 bucks killed every year than 375 elk. But then again there are a lot more people chasing them. On a per hunter basis the odds are probably similar but a 375 elk should still command more $$.

 

[elkantler75]

these types of posts are a little strange. anyone who compares 2 species of animals in totally different habitats is not very savy when it comes to understanding game. if i was in the elk hunt trading business, the tradeoff would have to be pretty rewarding. a s. texas whitetail would not do the trick for me. even if it was 170. maybe a moose or caribou or even bear but i can go find a book whitetail way easier than a book elk.

 

[junior]

A guy would almost have to figure tag for tag value....and when you do that, an elk tag is almost 3 times the value of a whitetail. Maybe if you throw something else in with the hunt, fishing, upland, or even a place for a guy to lay his head while he is doing activities common in your area.

 

[muleymaddness]

I don't know how you can say an elk tag is 3 times the value of whitetail! I'm from Texas, and if you want to go hunt trophy bucks (160" or better); you're starting at $5,000 base going up to $12,000. At least on the known South Texas ranches. The upper end ($12,000) would definitely get you an opportunity at a 180" plus.

I've come across the same type situation; trying to compare elk or mule deer with whitetail. Here is the reason why. I hunt on a lease with some hunters that have zero knowledge of elk or mule deer. Let's say for example I tell them I shot a 300" bull. That means nothing to them. All they know is that when they watch Mossback or some other shows, a 300" isn't too big compared to the upper 300" and 400" killed on some shows. So to give them perspective, I would tell them killing a 300" bull would be like shooting a 150" deer. It happens, and happens often, but that is a quality set of horns.

Real example: a friend of mine shot a heavy horned 180" mule deer; and my uncle started degrading it saying that it was small for a mule deer. He has no idea...........

 

[springbear]

There is something else to this thread that bothers me.. Nowhere is it mentioned that this is an opportunity to pursue one of these 300 or 150 inch animals.. Like it is a done deal the buck is already measured and we know which field he is in.. While it might be a little easier to do this with a free range deer on a large ranch. it should be almost impossible to have any kind of guarantee on a free range bull over 300" if it is, something is fishy.

In my opinion a 150 whitetail is a nice buck
A 300 bull is a nice bull.

 

[junior]

LAST EDITED ON May-17-07 AT 11:03AM (MST)[p]<I don't know how you can say an elk tag is 3 times the value of whitetail! I'm from Texas, and if you want to go hunt trophy bucks (160" or better); you're starting at $5,000 base going up to $12,000. At least on the known South Texas ranches. The upper end ($12,000) would definitely get you an opportunity at a 180" plus.>

I guess its all about what a person thinks its worth. To me, I wouldn't pay no one to hunt a whitetail. I have a 180" deer on the wall, and several 170".
Any of you guys ever hunted out of your state? Come on guys! Man their are so many whitetail hunt out there. A guy doesn't have to go to South Texas and pay 10 grand to hunt a 170" deer anymore.

 

[Roy]

Try 50 whitetails for one elk. Whiteys are like vermin. Elk are a precious natural resource. Just ask the RMEF!

All kidding aside, you really can only compare the monteray value of the hunts to make it fair and legal in any kind of arbitration hearing - which is where you will probably be going if you can't make either end of the bargain. Maybe a 180+ whitetail is equivalent to a 340+ bull in terms of regularity and ability to hunt, but other than that it is really like comparing apples to watermelons.

UTROY
Proverbs 21:19 (why I hunt!)

 

[coloradoelkhunter]

I think it depends upon what your personal perspective is. I hear these guys from Texas comparing whitetails to elk. In my opinion there's no comparison. I'd never trade a 300 class elk hunt for 150 class whitetail. But I'm from Colorado and when you talk about someone from Colorado vs. someone from Texas, that pretty much tells you all you need to know.

 

[junior]

Thats what I am trying to say....go ask a landowner in CO,NM,UT,and AZ if they would like to trade a hunt. My guess is, it would be an insult.
P.S. I am done with this one

 

[ck]

For all those who said whitetails are everywhere - I challenge you to march your sweet ass down here to Texas and put a 150" on the ground.

I'm not saying a big bull is easy, but a whitetail isn't easy either. They both have their place and is only a matter of preference among the hunter. You'd have the same insult going to a Texas rancher asking him to exchange his hunt for an elk hunt.

I'll have to agree - there is nothing more majestic than a big ol bull elk with cows. But there is nothing more elusive than a 160" whitetail that makes a showing 5 minutes to sundown on a Texas sendero.

Can't compare these two animals - neither are easy to hunt.

 

[coloradoelkhunter]

Difficulty of hunting whitetail vs. elk - I guess it depends where you're hunting. I just lose my mind when I hear these guys talking about paying $5,000 to $10,000 for a "hunt" and think they're actually hunting. I'd never pay to have someone corral the animals, "scout" the animals for me, and then take me to shoot one. I'd rather just go to the grocery store. It's ridiculous to compare "hunts" by how much they cost. If you have to pay an arm and a leg to do it, it probably isn't really hunting.

 

[elkantler75]

i guess it is pretty hard to sit in a blind and wait by a corn pile for the big one to come in. then again, calling in a rut crazy bull is like shooting fish in a barrel sometimes too.

 

[ck]

That's probably true.

Not all whitetail hunters sit in blinds with corn feeders though - which seems to be the common perception. I've got 5 shoulder mounts hanging here in my office - only 1 of them killed at a corn feeder and that was my second buck. The problem with most whitetail areas though is that the land is broken up in to tons of small ranches and farms. For example, when you have 1,000 acres to hunt on you don't quite have the liberty of sitting on a mountain and doing some glassing. 1 - you don't have the mountain in texas and 2 - you don't have access to the land to be glassing.

Just my 2 cents.

This will be my last post - comparing elk and whitetail hunting is ridiculous they are so different.

 

[1Bigbull]

This post is why I am getting sick of this website. I have never seen a bigger bunch of crybaby fags in my life.In answer to the origonal post ,your values are pretty close. I will say after hunting elk for 5 years and whitetail for 25 that it is MUCH easier to harvest a trophy bull than a trophy whitetail. By trophy I am talking about a mature animal. A bull elk stays with his cows, a whitetail buck is highly nomadic. The nature of the animal dictates the ease of the kill. Period.

 

[Califelkslayer]

There are no guarentees in the huntin I've done but to answer the question, fair market value. Several opinion s were that WT were like locust. I've never taken one. dozen+ elk and couple dozen muley/muley crosses. I'd trade a quality WT hunt for a quality elk hunt anyday but thats me.

 

[elkantler75]

1bigbull should listen to more shock radio if he thinks this site is bad. this is why i read these posts. i love hearing everyone get worked up. it helps fuel the ole lets go hunting fire for me. still think bulls are better than whiteys though, and i love hunting for whitey sheds too.

 

[Roy]

I've hunted both and to tell you the truth, I think the whiteys have the advantage over the hunter. They are some of the spookiest critters I've ever seen. I have hunted them in Central Texas and a 150 buck in this gene pool would be a monster. South Texas may be a different story.

I have hunted elk in Utah and they are illusive too. Where I hunted, a 300 bull would have been huge too, though many have takne much much bigger in the same areas. I have never hunted an LE area, just regular season open bull, so the question is, which would I be happier with a 300 bull or a 150 whitey. The answer - it all depends on the quality of the hunt and how much each one of them means to me after it is all said and done.

I have never killed either but I think it is more likely that I will kill a whitetail before I kill an elk.


UTROY
Proverbs 21:19 (why I hunt!)

 

[bigtines]

Tk -I think you are right in the ball park as far as trading hunts< 150 whitetail would be comparable to a 300 elk,etc. Money shouldnt even be an issue. Both parties should just donate their time to help another hunter get a quality animal that he desires. Leave the money issue out of it-It isnt gonna cost you much but your time and maybe a big smile when the other party gets his trophy. BT

 

[JREDBUCK]

There is much more that goes into finding a mature elk than sitting on a 1000 acre ranch. In my opinion if you sit in one location for a week in South Texas you are going to see a mature deer it may not be the biggest deer on the ranch but you will see a reasonable shooter.
Then there is elk hunting if you sit on a rock for a week in "elk country" you may just do that is sit on a rock. If the elk decide to leave town they may not be back the rest of the year.
When the rut kicks in, for both species it is as exciting as it gets. Weather you are rattling in a buck or calling in a stinky bull it is a rush.
There is no other feeling on God's green earth that compares to an elk bugling at 20 yards out. Hands down this is the thing that will make your blood boil. Even if whitetail are your "thing" this what every hunter has to experience. And at that point it doesn't matter if he's a wall hanger or not, I guarantee this will make the hair on the back of your neck stand up.
I'm sorry for the guy that started this post, however he has to realize that this is a "western" game hunting website and our good 'ole boys do not consider whitetail western game. If you visit the ranch houses in South Texas you will see plenty of 170 whitetails hanging on their walls. However there are not 375 bulls hangin' on very many outfitters walls here.

 

[coloradoelkhunter]

JREDBUCK.....Thank you!!!!!!!! Those are my sentiments exactly.
Texas whitetail hunters have no concept of real western elk hunting.

 

[junior]

ding,ding,ding.......Round Two......lmao

 

[SalVelinus]

Simple comparison of b&c minimums would indicate that a 170 whitetail is equivalent to a 375 elk (at least in their eyes). That doesn't take into account the ratio of entries to the number of each species killed each year, however, and I will not factor that in but it should be considered. Therefore, there is a 45/100 ratio of deer B&C minimum to elk B&C minimum. Simple math would then tell us that a 160 deer is equivalent to a 355.5 inch bull.

But the people who say that whitetails are easier than elk haven't hunted big whitetails enough. They are pretty cagey and not all deer hunting is like what you see done in south texas. I have also seen some monster elk that were pretty dumb. Depends on the circumstances and the individual animal and it can go both ways. In general I'd say a big bull is tougher find and get to but a big whitetail is tougher to hunt. I'm stoked with a 150 inch whitey or a 330 inch elk.

Feel free to disagree, that's what I'm enjoying about his website!

 

[cmiddleton]

I'm from wyoming and get my elk every year.
if this guy is offering a 375 bull I'd trade my trucks, company, house, children, wife and dog wait not the dog.
if these are free ranging nobody could guarantee that.
300 he can if you hunt 10 days in Sept{the last 10}. and 10 days in Oct{the first 10}.
whitetail on a managed ranch you might get as big as offered but i can get a 140" white tail in a weekend in sundance.
I've never hunted 10 days up there just thanksgiving weekend
maybe if i went for a long hunt i might find a 160" buck up there but 170" whitetails are few and far between.
I'd go 300" for a 160". above that its not the outfitter that sets you up its a act of god.
when it comes to getting one out the whitetail you could pack out with one hand try that with 1/4 of a elk.
if he is willing to trade a elk hunt for a big whitetail take the hunt even if you go home empty handed its worth the trade especially if you bow hunt and get to hunt the rut. bugling elk coming to the calls IS the best hunt in the world. hope you don't have a weak heart because you will find out just how hard it can beat.
i found a 280" shed today and saw four bulls one already has four points and long brows.

 

[TK]

Obviously everyone has their own opinion on Elk versus whitetail. I for one get fired up over both. Elk seasons are to short for me so the majority of my time (3 1/2 Months) is spent chasing WT. This will be my 30TH year in a row I have gone West to chase the Wily Wapiti on public ground with stick & string.
So as to Mr Elkantler before you make dumb a_ _ comments about someone you ought to get the facts first. It appears to me that the majority of people on this forum don't seem to care that much about WT which is fine. I guess I will save my deer for friends and family.

 

[elkantler75]

i do know where there are some boone and crockett jackelope i would be willing to trade a texas whitey for.

 

[TK]

Sign me up and should I bring a bag for some nighttime snipe hunting.

 

[elkantler75]

snipe will be extra though. there is also a 3000 dollar trophy fee for any snipe over 35 inches.

 

[WVHUNTER]

I think the 150 Whitetail is comparable to the 300 Elk in trophy quality. But if you are looking for a guided hunt they won't compare in price. There are a lot of places in Canada that have hunts for $4,000 that have a good chance at a 150 Whitetail. Hunts for a 300 elk without having a limited entry tag are going to be $7,000 to $8,000.

 

[bigtines]

Like I said before leave the money issue out of it. For example: You want help getting a 150 whitie -You pay for the licenses and expenses getting here-I do my best helping you get a trophy, in return you do your best helping me get that 300 bull,pretty simple. The hunter pays the costs for tags,licenses,gas,lodging and the hunter host puts his time in to help you be successful. BT

 

[ONHunter]

I look at it this way. What kind of animal really impresses you when you're out hunting? I'll compare a couple of the best states for taking a tropy of each species. I've been lucky enough to hunt AZ twice with a bow for bull elk, and Kansas archery whitetail numerous times for whitetail. A 300" bull in AZ doesn't impress me much, but if it was my first bull it might be different. Now a 150" Whitey in KS, I'm letting the arrow fly, no doubt. Whitey's in the 140's don't seem that hard to get, but to break 150 or even 160 gets pretty darn hard. A taxidermist friend in Minnesota had 60 heads come in last fall and only two were over 160, when you hold them you realize how big they really are. Just my $.02.