Spike or Not... Utah

The definition is “at least one antler that has no branching above the ears”. I don’t necessarily agree with the definition, I think it should read “no brow tines” period because I’ve seen broken beam bulls that meet the criteria but they’re obviously not a spike. Now this particular bull falls within the rules because he’s obviously deformed.
 
no. Once again we aren't doing our herd any management favors by removing him. He has a damaged pedicle.
 
Tristate said:
no. Once again we aren't doing our herd any management favors by removing him. He has a damaged pedicle.
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Keep your damn emotions out of this and go off what the definition is. He meets the DEFINITION. Not one person here gives a single phukk about your feelings, emotions or ethics. The OP didn’t ask what you felt about it, he asked if it was legal. Which is it.

yes legal. Swing away
 
People are angered easily today.

Interesting bull for sure.

Not sure I would take advice on the internet about a rule that I couldn't be confident in finding in the rule book if I had a tag in my pocket.

I would pass, even if technically legal.

Good day all.
 
"Once again this one is legal! Dont worry about a texans personal opinion. "


Yeah don't worry whether or not your kids get quality hunting in the future. All that matters is you get yours.


"Not one person here gives a single phukk about your feelings, emotions or ethics. The OP didn’t ask what you felt about it, he asked if it was legal. Which is it. "

Good to know you speak for everyone including the OP. By the way you might want to go back and read. At no point did I give a "feeling" or an "emotion" or ethics. The man posted a simple question and I gave him a simple answer based on science. However we have had plenty of emotion from the kids ever since.

Plus the OP never asked if it was "legal". Calm down and read little fella.
 
"Yeah don't worry whether or not your kids get quality hunting in the future. All that matters is you get yours."


If that bull gets shot or a spike gets shot an animal is still being killed! So wtf are you talking about? I don't care about your science you claim to have tri for all we know that bull has no nuts and can't produce. Go be a douche bag somewhere else please!
 
"If that bull gets shot or a spike gets shot an animal is still being killed! So wtf are you talking about? I don't care about your science you claim to have tri"

Obviously you don't care about science. Just like deerkiller doesn't care about reading comprehension. You just consume and if someone says slow down you throw a little kid fit

"for all we know that bull has no nuts and can't produce. Go be a douche bag somewhere else please!"


Yeah.? thats why he is standing around all those cows. Its amazing how emotional and irrational you get when you are greedy.
 
Hahahahaha ok dil-do im all kinds of emotional right now can you help me?
So your telling me him hanging around cows trying to breed them is 100% guaranteed that he is healthy with good swimmer's?

When you go sterile are you gonna stop chasing your wife?

Kinda like how your threw up your insta xray machine on that bull and can tell he has a busted pedicle 100% guaranteed?
 
That video is hard to tell exactly. I would want a closer look to make sure there are no braches beyond the ear on the left side.

As stated above, however, if no branches above the ear, it meets the legal definition for a spike in Utah. I can't tell from that video either way.
 
"So your telling me him hanging around cows trying to breed them is 100% guaranteed that he is healthy with good swimmer's?"

Nope. I'm telling you he has "nuts". That's what you put up in your post. Nothing about whether he has good "swimmers". Unlike your buddy I know how to read. Unlike you I also remember what I type and say.

"When you go sterile are you gonna stop chasing your wife?"

One has nothing to do with the other. But don't let science and logic get in your way. Maybe you could throw up the hypothetical that this elk is psychotic and prone to murdering hunters, so you have to kill him for the wellbeing of all. After all an elk killed a hunter last month in Oregon. :rolleyes:

"Kinda like how your threw up your insta xray machine on that bull and can tell he has a busted pedicle 100% guaranteed?"

Yes he damaged his pedicle. I've probably seen several thousand cases of it. You don't need an x-ray to diagnose it. DO you know how many cases of sterile wild cervids I have seen in 44 years? The answer is 2. You don't realize how rare it is for a wild deer to go sterile. SO RARE YOU NEVER EVER EVER MAKE A HARVEST DECISION BASED ON THAT PROBABILITY.
 
Quality hunting is ambiguous at best. Mutliple encounters is quality hunting, horn porn can be another.

I have no idea what was meant by the quality hunting experience for kids...
 
tell me where he is and I will go shoot it as a spike, one because you know the odds of drawing bull tags, slim, shoot that thing as a spike
better yet get a youngster to go shoot it. Also genetically even if he was a normal 6 point his genetics suck, look at his 6 point side, nothing special about him.
 
Holy **** go find somewhere else to troll tristate if you couldn't tell everyone is sick of your stupid ass pretend to know it all comments. The OP asked "spike or not...utah" which in Utah means can I shoot this bull with a spike tag which yes 100% legal to shoot that elk in Utah with a spike tag. As for your xray vision on a blurry video of a broken pedicle if that is true his pedicle is going to be screwed up forever and never turn into a normal big bull so you might as well kill him with a spike tag.
 
Pauns he is from Texas and 90% of texans believe they are smarter than the average person. He knows everything about anything because he is s taxidermist just ask him!
 
Legal by definition sure....

I'd leave him though so he could continue to reproduce. Seems to have good genes. He is not the reason for a spike hunt.
 
"Holy **** go find somewhere else to troll tristate if you couldn't tell everyone is sick of your stupid ass pretend to know it all comments. The OP asked "spike or not...utah" which in Utah means can I shoot this bull with a spike tag which yes 100% legal to shoot that elk in Utah with a spike tag."

AMAZING! You can read minds but are too stupid to comprehend a different opinion.?

" As for your xray vision on a blurry video of a broken pedicle if that is true his pedicle is going to be screwed up forever and never turn into a normal big bull so you might as well kill him with a spike tag."


Actually that isn't true. Sometimes cervids repair a damaged pedicle after going through an antler cycle or two . Also there is more to the value of an elk bull than whether he should be shot or not. I know that can be difficult to comprehend.
 
Tristate said:
"Holy **** go find somewhere else to troll tristate if you couldn't tell everyone is sick of your stupid ass pretend to know it all comments. The OP asked "spike or not...utah" which in Utah means can I shoot this bull with a spike tag which yes 100% legal to shoot that elk in Utah with a spike tag."

AMAZING! You can read minds but are too stupid to comprehend a different opinion.?

" As for your xray vision on a blurry video of a broken pedicle if that is true his pedicle is going to be screwed up forever and never turn into a normal big bull so you might as well kill him with a spike tag."


Actually that isn't true. Sometimes cervids repair a damaged pedicle after going through an antler cycle or two . Also there is more to the value of an elk bull than whether he should be shot or not. I know that can be difficult to comprehend.
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Oh ya i forgot you know everything, why don't you keep your dumb ass in the Texas section of this forum. And chances are he's not going to repair that pedicle too the point of it turning into a typical 6x6 or 7x7 bull, he's a dink bull as is.
 
"And chances are he's not going to repair that pedicle too the point of it turning into a typical 6x6 or 7x7 bull, he's a dink bull as is."

I'm pretty sure I have seen at least a dozen threads on these forums where people have posted "freak" type bulls that they killed, or got pics of, and they liked them and other posters on those threads liked them. There are people that cherish those trophies that you look down your nose at.

Inthrut,

You don't want to kill this bull now. Pauns08 has decided he is a dink.


This might be the most childish reaction to a differing opinion I have seen here in quite awhile. Maybe some of the middle schools are still closed.
 
Tristate said:
"I have no idea what was meant by the quality hunting experience for kids... "

I believe you.
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Especially since I wouldn't expect the guy that rode the short school bus as a kid to even know, or understand, what quality hunting for a kid even is...
 
The kids on the short school bus might know Roadrunner. You can't tell the difference. You already admitted that. Take their word for it and quit worrying about who you think you are superior to.
 
Looks like it might be a legal spike. Couldn’t tell if there was a point above the ear when he turned. If you’re going to shoot a bull like that you better be damn sure there isn’t even a little cheater point above the ear.
 
I agree with pookiebar.
Tri yes this bull probably has a damaged pedicle and yes there is bulls that are shot every year that are busted antler bulls that makes them legal on a spike unit but the DWR has that equation figured into the Elk management hunt.
Yes I would shoot it if given a long enough time to make a confident decision.
Last year I was in this situation I had a heavy five point on one side standing broad side but the other side I could not determine clearly finally as the bull turned and walked quartering away into the thick oak he turned his head and it was clear he had no points above his ears his horn grew down towards his nose and had a big split into clubs. Legal bull and I did not pull the trigger.
 
notdonhunting said:
I agree with pookiebar.
Tri yes this bull probably has a damaged pedicle and yes there is bulls that are shot every year that are busted antler bulls that makes them legal on a spike unit but the DWR has that equation figured into the Elk management hunt.
Yes I would shoot it if given a long enough time to make a confident decision.
Last year I was in this situation I had a heavy five point on one side standing broad side but the other side I could not determine clearly finally as the bull turned and walked quartering away into the thick oak he turned his head and it was clear he had no points above his ears his horn grew down towards his nose and had a big split into clubs. Legal bull and I did not pull the trigger.
Click to expand...


Deerkiller, Hornkiller, and Pauns08, read the response above. This is how grown men disagree with each other. I have no problem that Notdonehunting has a different opinion than me. And it sure seems like he is emotionally confident that my opinion differs from his. He presents his opinion and some personal experience and doesn't go into ranting BS meltdown to do it.

Tip of the hat to you Notdonehunting.
 
Vanilla said:
That video is hard to tell exactly. I would want a closer look to make sure there are no braches beyond the ear on the left side.

As stated above, however, if no branches above the ear, it meets the legal definition for a spike in Utah. I can't tell from that video either way.
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So it only has to be on one antler to be legal because it doesn't branch above the ear on one side only? I would like to be a fly on the wall when someone tries to explain that one to a Game Warden
 
legal bull and a very cool looking bull would make an interesting conversation in your house.

Ignore Tri, he turns threats into a swinging contest. get out and go hunt!
 
"legal bull and a very cool looking bull would make an interesting conversation in your house. "

Not according to Pauns08. "He's a dink bull as is."
 
Cool tri-state that has nothing to do with the original question if it is legal or not.

So quit trolling and stir the pot somewhere else
 
Taken from page 23 in the Utah Big Game Field Regulations Guidebook.
A “spike bull” means a bull elk which has at least one antler beam with no branching above the ears. Branched means a projection on an antler longer than one inch, measured from its base to its tip (R657-5- 2(2)(r).

As long as you can determine it has no branches above the ear on one side you are good to go. It looks to be a legal spike by definition of the state. I wouldn't hesitate to shoot that bull for a minute if I was you and could tell. You are the hunter with the tag, no one should influence your decision. Good luck and if/when you harvest it, please post pictures of it up close. That thing is a trophy.
 
Tristate said:
"legal bull and a very cool looking bull would make an interesting conversation in your house. "

Not according to Pauns08. "He's a dink bull as is."
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You dumb ass I meant he's a dink bull as in most limited entry tags he won't get shot on, i would love to have him on my wall with a spike tag.
 
I agree with Tri on this one. I hate the whole concept of spike hunting to begin with and killing broken or damaged pedicle bulls that keeps the branching from going above the ear is lame.

Just my two cents on the subject. You're not the only one who thinks that way Tri regardless of what's 'legal' or not

Cheers,
Pete
 
For those of you unaware of why this rule exists, it is because a fair number of spike elk have small browtines longer than an inch on thier burr. they are tough to see from a distance and it put the game wardens in a tough spot as they technically should ticket a hunter who shot what was clearly a spike but had 1" brow tines or growths on the burr.

These few goofy bulls that exist are cool to see and what many would call a trophy in thier own right but in my experience, the vast majority of LE tag holders wont shoot that bull

To the OP, I say if he is in fact legal shoot him if you want to. I know I would without hesitation
 
Legal....

Screen Shot 2020-10-01 at 5.45.51 PM.png

Screen Shot 2020-10-01 at 5.42.59 PM.png
 
So I am not as sold on this one, the way I have been told they test is if you lay the ear down along the antler all the points need to be under the tip of the ear. That big fork looks like it would be close I would need to see a clearer view.

Some of you seem to be under the impression that because it goes down from the base it would be legal. That is not what I have been told. If the fork is farther out from his head than the ear would reach then it would not be legal even if it goes down away from the pedicle. This is just how it has been explained to me but maybe that is wrong.

As far as it being ethical to shoot these bulls there is nothing wrong with shooting an animal that is legal by definition. This bull fits the type of bull that needs to be killed on these hunts as 95% of LE hunters will not shoot a bull like this. And honestly it isn't hurting anything to take them out of the herd.
 
JakeH said:
So I am not as sold on this one, the way I have been told they test is if you lay the ear down along the antler all the points need to be under the tip of the ear. That big fork looks like it would be close I would need to see a clearer view.

Some of you seem to be under the impression that because it goes down from the base it would be legal. That is not what I have been told. If the fork is farther out from his head than the ear would reach then it would not be legal even if it goes down away from the pedicle. This is just how it has been explained to me but maybe that is wrong.

As far as it being ethical to shoot these bulls there is nothing wrong with shooting an animal that is legal by definition. This bull fits the type of bull that needs to be killed on these hunts as 95% of LE hunters will not shoot a bull like this. And honestly it isn't hurting anything to take them out of the herd.
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Look at post #47 it clearly states higher than the ear. You can pass on the bull when he runs over the ridge I will shoot him.
 
notdonhunting said:
Look at post #47 it clearly states higher than the ear. You can pass on the bull when he runs over the ridge I will shoot him.
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notdonhunting said:
I agree with pookiebar.
Tri yes this bull probably has a damaged pedicle and yes there is bulls that are shot every year that are busted antler bulls that makes them legal on a spike unit but the DWR has that equation figured into the Elk management hunt.
Yes I would shoot it if given a long enough time to make a confident decision.
Last year I was in this situation I had a heavy five point on one side standing broad side but the other side I could not determine clearly finally as the bull turned and walked quartering away into the thick oak he turned his head and it was clear he had no points above his ears his horn grew down towards his nose and had a big split into clubs. Legal bull and I did not pull the trigger.
Click to expand...
Then why didn't you shoot the bull last year?
 
This picture answers all questions as far as: is it ok because one side is branch antlered. Yes it’s ok/ legal.

You can argue whether the brow tine on this bull is above/ below the ear if you want but the real issues some people have with this is the branch antler side.

It also leaves NO doubt as to “intent” of the law

ED8714AC-51B4-424D-96F2-9A61773E90A4.png
 
Last edited:
The thing about it my friend was standing to the side of me with a dead rest on the bull too, he didn't pull the trigger either.
 

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