How much elk weigh

Scientists believe ivories are remnants of saber-like tusks that ancestral species of elk used in combat. Along with the antlers, successful hunters often save ivories part of their trophy.

All elk herds are controlled not by a mature bull, but by an old, experienced cow that tells them where to move, eat and bed down for the day. Prior to European settlement, more than 10 million elk roamed nearly all of the United States and parts of Canada. By Bob Robb July 19, Categories Elk. Tags Top 10 Tuesday. Sign Me Up! Join other outdoor enthusiasts who already get great content delivered right to their inbox. Well, it is because a heavier game means more meat.

With a good weight estimation, you can invest in the right sized game carrier to help you get your animal out of rough terrains and closer to your truck. Elk meat is considered a valuable type of meat because it is far richer in nutrients than any other meat such as chicken, pork, or beef. The meat also has a unique taste and scent. Many hunters hunt elk for this reason and therefore want to know how much a bull elk will weigh once cleaned and deboned or in other words, how much meat they can get from it.

Many parts of the elk like its antlers, head, skin, organs, and bones cannot be consumed. This is the weight of the animal after partially butchered to remove the internal organs, the head, and other undesirable portions such as the feet, legs, head, and tail.

Internal organs are collectively called the viscera and are composed of almost all organs found in the abdomen such as the heart, lungs, and intestines. Think of the dressed chickens you always find at your local grocery store. This is essentially the same thing, but this time applied to wild animals. To give you an idea of how an elk is hunted, field dressed, and quartered, check out this video. So, its average field-dressed weight can go down to around pounds while that of a smaller calf the average field-dressed weight could be about pounds.

When you subtract this loss of weight from the original weight, you get a better idea of what the actual weight of the meat you take home will be. Elks have a massive bone structure. When deboned, the weight of an elk nosedives even farther. The average weight of the boneless meat from a whole elk can only be around pounds for an adult bull and at least 90 pounds for an adult cow.

Aside from that, this information is very helpful in choosing a way to transport or pack out this large animal, especially today when horses are no longer used to haul dead prey. In this study, around 25, elks were observed in different life stages, and information from 60, hunters was used.

Therefore, they provide a pretty accurate representation of the general elk population. There are many other links available, but I find these charts the most helpful.

If you want to know the weight of an elk depending on its age, check out the first chart. The second chart, on the other hand, shows you how much different meat cuts and quartered portions will weigh. Just imagine a boneless T-bone steak for a moment, or consider what boneless ribs would look like.

In most cases, the kill is field-dressed and divided into quarters so the meat can be stored in cooling facilities or transported with ease. If your quarters were to be deboned, they would weigh significantly less. A large cow will weigh about with one or two a year around A large bull 6X6 will weigh around , the biggest we have ever processed was a little over lbs. Most average bull elk will yield to pounds of boneless meat, while an average cow produces about pounds of meat.

They move around widely and most often spend night times feeding in varying areas that hold the most bang-for-the-buck grazing opportunities. The nighttime priority order may be food, water and then, nearby cover. We prefer alfalfa hay, which has 2x the protein, 5x the calcium and 5x the Vitamin A of grass hay.

If you decide to pasture your livestock on fescue grass, please contact us regarding the possible endophyte problems. Elk are not naturally accustomed to grain. You can buy a few elk and board them on an existing, well-run farm. That way you can significantly minimize your risks, reduce your workload, and still enjoy your animals while taking time to learn how to look after them.