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NAV

antlerless vs Cow

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So as I'm approach my COW hunt on 11/11/22, I'm wondering if anyone can help with tips to ID a COW ELK at 200-400 yards as opposed to a antlerless ELK... I'm just worried about mistaking a COW with an male ELK with nubs...don't want to make that mistake... 

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My son killed a 7 or 8 month old bull with no nubs. I think by the next antler cycle he would have been a spike.

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35 minutes ago, NAV said:

So as I'm approach my COW hunt on 11/11/22, I'm wondering if anyone can help with tips to ID a COW ELK at 200-400 yards as opposed to a antlerless ELK... I'm just worried about mistaking a COW with an male ELK with nubs...don't want to make that mistake... 

From the regulations:  "Legal Animal Definition Bull elk means an antlered elk.  Antlered means having an antler fully erupted through the skin and capable of being shed.  Antlerless means any elk, any age, without antlers."

I don't think 'nubs' shed.  Either way, I can't imagine a G&F officer would issue a citation for killing one with nubs. (Plus, the likelihood of running into a G&F officer to even get checked is VERY low, IMO....)   Kill one with nubs and walk with a clear conscience! 

S.

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I've seen several hunters shoot yearling bulls on an antlerless hunt. Therefore the reasoning of an antlerless hunt vs a cow hunt. If it were a "cow" hunt there would be a lot of illegal kills every year. Nubs can't be shed, therefore they are antlerless.

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Good morning and thanks for the replies, the reason I'm worried about it is because hearing camp stories...one of my hunting buddies told me that in one of his elk hunts "they" shot a "cow" at about 200 yards and by the time they got to it "she" had like an inch nubs or I guess spikes...supposably they called G&F and they were not fined(cut them a break I guess for the accidental/mistake kill), but were "given the option" to donate the meat to food bank in flagstaff...nice break, but their hunt was ruined...and I'm just trying to be as careful as I can, not expecting/planning to shoot past 250 yards, but just worried about the "nubs".  

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16 hours ago, stanley said:

From the regulations:  "Legal Animal Definition Bull elk means an antlered elk.  Antlered means having an antler fully erupted through the skin and capable of being shed.  Antlerless means any elk, any age, without antlers."

I don't think 'nubs' shed.  Either way, I can't imagine a G&F officer would issue a citation for killing one with nubs. (Plus, the likelihood of running into a G&F officer to even get checked is VERY low, IMO....)   Kill one with nubs and walk with a clear conscience! 

S.

Got you... not a COW hunt, it is an antlerless hunt...

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At 200-400 you should be able to see if it's a spike through your binos.  Just look close you will be fine.  

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It’s antlerless.  If for some reason a bull would shed his antlers during a hunt and you shot him it would be legal because he didn’t have antlers.  The tag is not for a specific sex, it’s for antlers or no shedable antlers.  

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