First, it is important to study the anatomy of elk antlers. Know the teeth of the forehead, know the palm trees, know the berries. Moose can be very irregular or asymmetrical and it can be very difficult to judge at a glance. First of all, always know the rules of the place of your hunt! They differ considerably – especially for Alaskan moose, but also for all game species. Know the rules and follow them. Distinguishing a 48-inch bull from a 50-inch bull is as difficult as judging a full-loop Dall`s sheep, except in the case of moose, there is no fixed point to give the green light. It is difficult enough to assess the spread of a bull moose antlers under ideal circumstances. Doing this remotely, in low light, on striped terrain, is an acquired skill that requires many years of practice in the field. The young guy who pointed me out from the side street Nikiski seemed a little agitated. He was standing near an old two-lane vehicle leading to a power line popular with local moose hunters and ran to my truck when it stopped. I had misunderstood.
The guy said, “My buddy spotted a moose,” not shot. Consider the four differences between a dead bull moose with 50-inch antlers and one with 48-inch antlers. What I thought he said next gave me food for thought. “My boyfriend shot a moose, and we need to know if it`s legal.” “Uh, okay,” I replied, pointing the way. A few last things to remember are that antlers that are naturally tied should be unpacked last or with the last load of meat. If you have determined that you have caught an illegal moose, report it immediately and store the meat. Honesty is the best policy and is more likely to be rewarded with leniency. Always know the regulations of the area where you are going to hunt. Driving away reminded me of a similar situation.
A hunter friend was on another side road and had spotted a moose he thought was legal, but he also had doubts. Then a soldier from the state of Alaska came and stopped to look at the bull. They watched the bull feed, and finally my friend asked the soldier if he thought the bull was legal. The soldier told him it seemed legal to him. Deviation: The total width, measured between the widest points on each side, perpendicular to the midline of the skull. Large adult bull antlers from Alaska to Yukon can exceed 75 inches. * The hunter takes a risk and brings the bull home, then has to live with a capture of an illegal animal. Using the width of the head at the widest point (above the eyes) as a 10-inch guide is useful for assessing the spread of antlers. Another method commonly used by moose hunting guides is to visualize the ears horizontally on the sides of the head and then use this “visualized” distance between the ends of the ears as a 28- to 30-inch guide.
Imagine adding a foot from the tip of each flattened ear for a 50-inch safe guide or doubling the 30 for a 60-inch moose. The approximate ear length of an adult bull moose is 10 inches, the width of the head of a moose is also about 10 inches. In order to effectively evaluate a bull, you need to examine it well. A soft growl or cow call just loud enough to be heard will make him watch and listen, which provides the ideal perspective. The moose world record scored 261 5/8 and was included in the Alaska Game Management Unit (GMU) 20. Know the regulations for young bulls. In Alaska, young bulls are judged on one side only. Depending on the area, bulls can be taken as spikes and spikes/forks.
A third point 1″ long makes it a 3-pointer and not legal to shoot. Be sure to ice the bulls well. I don`t know? Don`t shoot. By 2011, the bull-to-cow ratio on the Kenai Peninsula had fallen to a very low level. For the 2011 and 2012 moose season, only bulls with 50-inch antlers or four frontal claws on at least one side were accepted. The moose harvest increased from over 300 per year in Unit 15 to 37 in 2011 and 40 in 2012. Since then, the regulation allows the removal of a bull moose with a single spike on at least one side or a gap of 50 inches or four front teeth on at least one side. Since then, the known harvest has been about 200 per year. Practice the practice. Start looking at every moose you see, alive, mounted, on pictures, postcards, paintings, anywhere, and test your skills as a field judge.
It is important to be confident in your ability to judge accurately in the field. Always look from multiple angles to get the most accurate view of your moose. If you`re not sure, don`t shoot! Selective harvesting is a conservation practice aimed at maintaining healthy herd sizes. Find out about the regulations for legal bulls in the area where you will be hunting, whether for young or mature bulls. We stayed about 10 days in moose season, and the morning had gotten cold. A little fog on the ground shrouded the tall grass along the power line the young man was looking at. The moose in question was still very much alive. This guide focuses primarily on moose assessment for Alaska regulations, but it is still useful for learning how to assess moose in each region. In order to estimate the spread as accurately as possible, it is important to know the anatomy of the head. In mature moose, the distance between the eyes is about 9 to 10 inches. If each side of the base of the antlers at the widest point perpendicular to the center of the skull is about twice the width of the head, the bull should be nearly 50″ wide.
In addition, large bulls often have larger and wider main bars, but this does not guarantee a 50-inch gap. When I look at the regulations of other moose producing states and some Canadian provinces, British Columbia is the only other place where wood dispersal is used as a factor, where they also use front claws and notches. Antler deer such as elk and deer, when regulated by antler size, are performed by point counting. Elk hunting tips to identify legal bulls and trophy moose. In the 45 years I have lived in Kenai, there have never been so many bull moose. Between genetics, which somewhat affects the size of the antlers, and grazing conditions, which seriously affect the development of the antlers, there are many bulls that fall into the category of those that the young man had discovered. Many mature bulls might measure one or two inches on each side of 50 inches — but with only two frontal teeth. Adult bull moose like this one seem huge to the uninitiated. This bull would attempt a lot, but probably doesn`t measure 50 inches or ten points on one side.
He was seen in the Chugach Mountains in September 2016. (Photo by Steve Meyer) Know how to distinguish between the main palm tree and the frontal palm, the large bay separates them. Mid Bay teeth are not frontal teeth! The forehead teeth are what make bulls legal, not the main palm teeth. On the Boone and Crockett website, you`ll find diagrams where you can take measurements and a handy moose pointing calculator. Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game made a 40-minute video on selective harvesting and identification of legal moose under the 50-inch Spike-Fork settlement titled It Seems Adding a Simple Score — say 10 points to at least one page — works. Thus, a legal bull could be a bull with a 50-inch antler or three or four frontal teeth on at least one side or 10 points on at least one side. Or whatever the score, the number must be the one that meets the goal of maturity and reproduction. The points are tangible, and while it`s not always easy to count, it seems to be better to have this option as another way to identify a legal bull than to hope and pray for the ribbon to say 50 inches when a hunter comes to claim his moose. Elk legal bull: A bull whose antlers extend for at least 50 inches or have at least four frontal teeth on one side. Trophy moose usually have antlers spread out 55 to 70 inches or more. In other words, a piece of.
I have always been amazed that there are regulations that require such extraordinary skills in judgment on the ground. Between the fish, waterfowl and highland birds and the occasional caribou we catch, we really can`t eat moose in a reasonable amount of time, so we don`t catch a lot of it and don`t really have a fighting dog. But the young man`s plight sparked the thought that there might be a better way. Similarly, you know the regulations for mature bulls. In Alaska, mature bulls are usually judged first by the number of frontal hams. Different areas require or limit 2, 3 or 4 eyebrow teeth on one or both sides. I don`t know? Don`t shoot. [A few simple commandments ensure safe handling of weapons] Main palm: The largest upper area of the palm of the woods. The main palms are sometimes called “paddles”.
Steve Meyer of Soldotna is a longtime Alaskan and avid shooter. He will write about guns and hunting in Alaska every two weeks. Contact Steve at oldduckhunter@outlook.com Although wood dispersal is the most common size measure, there are many other factors to consider. Other considerations may be: palmation, mass, point distribution, beams, bases, symmetry, and overall aesthetics of the rack. For many hunters, choosing a bull to harvest means more than the size of the antlers; For them, the role of a particular animal in hunting can also be taken into account. Perhaps the animal was the most elusive or aggressive. Each hunt is unique, there are countless factors that can contribute to the development of a personal bond between a hunter and the game he pursues. We stood there for a few moments and looked at him, while the young hunter with the rifle glanced at me sideways expectantly. In order not to spoil the moment, I waited a few more minutes before shaking my head and saying, “No, I`m sorry, he`s just not going to make it.” The big bull was perhaps 48 inches tall with two front teeth on either side and telling the truth to this hopeful hunter was heartbreaking.