>Ya know thats kinda funny cause
>last year there were 2
>bulls killed in az archery
>over 400. Also I have
>been guiding for 20 yrs
>and all I can say
>A drought year does, is
>produce MANY broke bulls. When
>you can say you have
>the experience killing and SCORING
>bulls I will believe your
>scores. If the drought dictated
>wether a bull was a
>small 360 or a huge
>420+ the world record would
>have been broke in Penn.
>10% is made up, show
>me your stats, not just
>pics of what may be
>400 or just unfounded thoughts.
>How long have you made
>your living scoring and killing
>RECORD book elk? If it
>is long, you will reconsider
>your comments! It is these
>unfounded thoughts that lead to
>urban legends.
cannon and craig are right on this topic. Madglasser you are probably refering to bulls that were killed on the eastern side of the state like 23, 3c, or 1. They usually aren't effected by the drought as much as the north western units 7,8,9,10. If you have been guiding for 20 yrs. and have not noticed the affect of drought on horn growth I don't know what to say. We are not complaining, just stating the facts. Do you have 3 or more yrs. worth of pics of the same bull (mature bulls i.e. 350+, on a good yr. i.e. 03,05)? We do, and can notice a big change in overall antler development (total inches boone and crocket or pope and young) from drought yr. to good precip yr.
Yes the bulls break their horns more because the loose horn density as well as length and mass. Not all bulls loose 10 %, some more and others less. But as a general rule 10% is accurate on a bad drought yr. This yr. they might not loose 10% growth but they will not reach full potential in the units North and West of Flag, unless, they are one of the bulls that has found someones barn, yard, or flower bed to feed in all spring long, and there are a fair share of these bulls. This is an interesting topic and I don't think most people care enough to really look into it. However, if you do care or are interested enough to learn a little, pay attention to bulls and their growth and you will see. And yes, it is hard to tell if a bull should be 250 or 225 depending on drought. Much easier 400 to 360.