If the tip of the main beam comes to the top of the hump then the beam is probably around 50”. The distance from that hump down his front leg to his hoof is generally 54 to 58”, depending on the maturity of the bull. When a bull has his head down feeding, I determine whether the main beam is higher or lower than the hump on his back above his shoulder. Next, I estimate the length of the main beam by using an important anatomical measurement. Once you estimate the length of the fourth points, move to the fifths and compare them with the fourths to determine their length. If the point is 10” shorter, then the bull probably has a 20” fourth point. When a bull is broadside, you can compare his fourth point to that measurement. Make sure that you look for curl or lots of curve.Īnother anatomical measurement that can be used when determining point length is the distance from the top of the back to the bottom of belly. Many times, the third points are the source of a bull’s weakness. Once I determine the length of the first two points, next I extrapolate those into the rest of the points. You should look for at least 4” of curl for a 20” tine). Long brow tines usually will follow the nose and then curl or bend upward. Be aware of straight looking points without much end curve because they are often shorter than you think. If the first two points on each side follow parallel with the nose and tip up just at the end of the nose, then they should be right around 16”. On a mature bull, that measurement is usually 15” to 16”. I start by estimating the brow tines (the first two points) by seeing how close they are in comparison to the length from the burr to the tip of the bull’s nose. First, I use anatomical references to estimate several of the point lengths. There are several things I like to do when trying to estimate the actual measurements on a bull elk. Estimate actual measurements method Tines Be careful not to air judge too quickly because once you start saying a bull is 325” and he really is 300” your judging scale gets skewed. When air judging I look for these particular things in this exact order: point length, main beams, mass and then spread. I highly recommend dissecting a bull thoroughly before deciding to harvest that animal. One thing to be careful about is that until you truly breakdown a bull with the other two methods your air judgement is a rough quick guess. Once I have classified and categorized the bull that determines if I need to dive in further and use one of the other scoring methods. Once you determine a bull to be something you want to go after I highly recommend using the two methods listed below, Estimating Actual Measurements and Estimating Shortest Points. You want to look for anything that is sticking out or extraordinary. Usually your first impression of a bull is pretty honest and accurate. First impressions of a bull while air judging is extremely important. Ask yourself if the bull is young or mature, then move on. Next, try to figure out how mature is the bull that you are looking at and keep it simple. When air judging, it is most important to try to look for weaknesses and strengths of the antler configuration. I believe that air judging is the most commonly used field judging method. Note: If you are new to elk antler scoring or scoring in general, you can jump down to the bottom and watch the short four part video series on how to score an elk antler. My guesses have been wrong many times, yet it is amazing how practice lessens the gap between field estimates and the actual measurements. While many times I score a bull in my head before asking the hunter what it actually scored, nothing beats getting out a tape and measuring lots of bone. I love to field judge bulls and then score them on the ground to see how close my field judging was to the real thing. I gain the most consistency and accuracy with my field judging by actually scoring lots of antlers and, with each one, I gain more confidence. The final way to judge is through the Estimating Shortest Points Magic 200 Method. The second method requires you to actually break the elk down and measure him by estimating actual point and beam length, mass and inside spread. While not quite reliable, it has its place at times. The first method is to air judge – also known as “the wing-it approach,” which is based on experience and prior knowledge. There are several ways to field judge elk. The following methods I have used for a long time when picking apart a bulls rack. Hunters looking to break into the B&C minimums or hunters looking to figure out the difference from a 370” bull from a 390” bull all need to dissect a bulls rack long before they decided to pull the trigger. Field judging elk is an art, while measuring dead elk is an exact science.
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