I see some outfitters selling elk hunts and advertising a 300 B&C elk as 'trophy'.

Do you consider a 300 elk a 'trophy'?

a trophy is what it is in your eyes. size alone doesn't dictate a trophy

I'm proud of the 300 bull I took 30 years ago in the Selway-Bitteroot. We rode in 24 miles, hunted tough terrain and I made a difficult shot.

On public land 300" is definitely a trophy!

A 300", 6 X 6 bull elk is a very good represenative of the species for sure and in most hunters eyes a trophy to be proud of. In todays World and on Public Land this size of bull is in the upper half of bull elk taken each year I would wager.

For the discriminate hunter who has taken a lot of elk, the 350" and up class bull would be more a a mark of achievment. But, as mentioned before, a trophy is in the eys of the successful hunter and the tape measure shouldn't be the All Mighty measurement in determining a Trophy.

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

I've spent about $10k on two trips and have yet to see a bull close enough to shoot.
So yes, a 300 class bull would be a trophy to me.
GWB

First bull, yes, heck any legal bull(to me) would be trophy. Enjoy the fruits of the hunt and the memories.

I get the eye of the beholder thing and I'm not trying to be snobbish.
I've just always thought most 6x6 elk would hit roughly 300.

a mature 6pt.(ie 300") free range,wild bull?
you bet its a trophy.
sure there are bigger, but theres alot smaller hanging in a trophy room near you.
too much attention put on numbers,
used to determine if the hunt was a success.
killed alot of bull elk over the years, but would be happy to kill a 300" bull every year, the rest of my elk hunting career.
ain't gonna happen thou

It would be to me.

BigB

I would say it is a darn good 'representitive of the species'! For perspective, Boone & Crockett put the minimum for an Elk at 360.

Folks can say what they want, but those folks knew what they were doing, a B&C critter is a darn whopper. A 300 bull is about 18% shy of that score, for the all time record book. If I compared it to a whitetail for example, the all time minimum score is 170, so take about 18% from that and you are talking about a 140 class buck, and heck yeah, that is a darn trophy buck IMO.

Maybe just another way of looking at it, I do like to have a benchmark myself when hunting for a specific critter, but I definitely agree with those that say a lot more goes into making it a trophy or not, I have shot a lot of whitetail does that were trophies in their own right!

To even draw a tag in Nevada is a trophy in itself. If you are fortunate enough to draw a tag and are successful in harvesting a bull you get to wait 10 years before you can apply for another bull tag. If you are unsuccessful in harvesting a bull you have to wait 5 years. So If I was able to draw a tag and saw a 300 class bull you better believe I would be shooting.

I am real proud of my 300 inch Elk, we worked our butts off down in the Gilas for it, Would I like a 360 class bull, Yes I would but they are few and far between for most of us.

I would not hesitate on my first couple times out for elk on a 300 in. bull.

Any legal bull elk, taken fairly is a trophy. Too many people get wrapped up in a few inches of bone and lose track of what the hunt actually represents.

quote:

Any legal bull elk, taken fairly is a trophy. Too many people get wrapped up in a few inches of bone and lose track of what the hunt actually represents.

+1

As long as you dont collect it with the front bumper of your truck it is.

SSR

In most western states on public land, 300 bulls are great trophies. You are talking well under 5% of the harvest in states like ID, MT, CO, WA, OR, etc.

Now in those special, limited entry areas of AZ, UT, NV, NM or CO it would be on the low end. Here, a 350 bull is pretty much the starting point for trophy bulls. But we are talking the real cream of the crop of hunting units, not the norm across elk country. Set your sights accordingly.

Bill

Any 300 class bull taken fair chase, outside a game fence is a trophy to me.

quote:

Any legal elk, taken fairly on Public Land is a trophy.

That is my only dispute with your statement Flags, at least in my opinion.

I have killed exactly 1 bull elk and have never had it measured.

I got it on BLM Land south east of Rangeley.

After I killed that one, I went to killing late season cow elk on Private Land.

Taste better, easier hunt, and still exciting.

IMO, too many folks have fallen into the competetiveness the Numbers Game inspires.

As long as it is not part of an animal husbandry hunting experience.

I have shot exactly three 6x6 bull elk. My biggest is roughly 318. I will probably never shoot a bigger one, and don't really care.

It was a DIY hunt on a mix of public/private land, I hunted hard for 25 days over three months. Is he a trophy?

Now, I would just as soon shoot a cow, much better table fare.

20 years ago getting a 300 class bull ANYWHERE in Idaho was a very reasonable. Many of the units I hunted you could find a 300 class bull in a matter of a few hours. I am not saying a guy could kill one in a few hours but I could find one in a spotting scope.
That is not the case now. Since the gray scourge of the earth is on us, it is something just to see elk in many of the once great units.
We still have a few units that are public land hunts that 300 is a minimum for a shooter bull. In those units 350 would be a better place to start.
I hope we get a handle on the wolves some day. Ron

quote:

Originally posted by Crazyhorseconsulting:

quote:

Any legal elk, taken fairly on Public Land is a trophy.

That is my only dispute with your statement Flags, at least in my opinion.

I have killed exactly 1 bull elk and have never had it measured.

I got it on BLM Land south east of Rangeley.

After I killed that one, I went to killing late season cow elk on Private Land.

Taste better, easier hunt, and still exciting.

IMO, too many folks have fallen into the competetiveness the Numbers Game inspires.

On this I am in complete agreement with you CHC. The only reason I kept my comment to bulls is because the originator mentioned a trophy score which a cow does not have.

Personally, all I have hunted for years are cows. Since I grew up in Colorado in the middle of some of the best elk country on the continent, I've had the chance to take many bulls. I've killed some good bulls and I've killed a lot of meat bulls. But now I hunt cows. Can't beat them on the table. None of my bulls have ever had a tape laid on them and they never will.

I do want to try to take one more really good bull. I've spent years stockpiling preference points while hunting cows as a second choice. I'm about 2 or 3 years from pulling the tag I want. I've got 17 points in Colorado and with point creep I figure it will take 19 to get the tag I want.

When I do get that tag, I'll be looking for a good 6x6. But, like all my game, he will never be measured if I take him. I will hunt him fairly on public ground. We will do the timeless dance in the broken cedar ridges of northwest Colorado. I may win the contest or he may win the contest. But he will be the last bull I ever hunt. Cows work for me.

Cheers

It would be 300" bigger than the two elk I have killed.....both cows


Yes, it is a trophy

I'm wondering if I'll live long enough to just draw a tag. Like too many wanna-be elk hunters, I've been applying since I was a kid and have nothing to show for it.

For a guy who's been fortunate enough to go on lots of quality elk hunts in a good area, I guess 300" wouldn't rank up there very high. But if I ever draw a tag in any of the states I apply for I'll happily close out that chapter by starring at a mounted 300" bull and believing it's a trophy.

I would not take a Pass on a 300 " Bull!!!

A 300 bull is close to the impossible dream for me. Someday maybe.

quote:

Originally posted by lde:
I see some outfitters selling elk hunts and advertising a 300 B&C elk as 'trophy'.

Do you consider a 300 elk a 'trophy'?

In this household, any freelanced elk is a trophy...

I'll never forget a comment I received from the husband of a lady client I guided. He was extremely happy with her 175" bull elk and stated that "This is great. Wonderful. This is the 5th hunt I've paid for, 3 in CO & 1 in WY. On 3 of the hunts, we never saw a bull and on the 4th one, we saw one but the guide wouldn't let her shoot, said it was too far." So yes, depending upon the area, a 300" elk is very good. In my area, we try not to shoot anything under 330 and have excellent success on 330 or better bulls. But, the client has to be able to shoot when we point them out. Client's that have problems with their shooting skill sometimes end up with smaller bulls. Or, like a client I had this year, an empty ammo box and an unfilled tag.

Oh, just to see a legal bull, let alone a 300. I've been on 2 elk hunts and have only seen spikes, forks and cows. I should have shot a cow.

Mike

I've never had my one and only elk scored, but he's a trophy to me. His left antler was busted so he wound up a 5x6 instead of a 6x6. Any guesses what this guy might score or what he might have scored if he wasn't broken?

opus72
right there around 300", give or take.
nice bullet wad under the skin on that shoulder too.

I think most places a 300' 6x6 is a trophy. If you draw a tag in Unit 1 or 9 in AZ, or are hunting a great ranch in UT or a premium unit, or you have a unit 34,36, 15, 16 NM tag, etc. you will sell yourself short by taking a 300. Those areas are managed for bigger trophy bulls and have the genetics.

My opinion is that a solid 300" bull looks good on the wall and is generally a mature animal, so heck yes, he is a trophy. I have taken a bunch of 295-330 bulls, but I have never hunted a place that produces many really big bulls. Hopefully that changes this fall in NM, but either way, I am happy with the bulls I have taken in the past. Elk hunting to me is about the hunt (especially during the bugle), and taking a 325 vs a 305 doesn't make much difference to me as far as hunt quality. I would like to kill a 360+ though !

I have a 300 hanging on my wall that I killed in BC and he is a true trophy. He's such a trophy, i'll be back this fall looking for another one just like him.

On a much easier hunt last year, in NZ, I killed a 464. He looks great, but he wasn't anywhere near as hard to get as that 300. That NZ hunt produced a 577 Stag also.

Every elk taken on public land is a trophy. Even a Cow.

A 300 is a trophy. Yes.

quote:

Originally posted by Antelope Sniper:
Every elk taken on public land is a trophy. Even a Cow.

+1

It's only on the internet that a 300" bull is small.

I've lived and hunted Colorado for the past 31 years. I always hunt public land. In all those season's, I've only seen about 3-4 bull's that might go 300" or better.

I for one am very pleased to see the resounding responses about "any Elk is a trophy" I highly support this position. They are just to hard to come by to think any other way.
I did not always feel this way until I shot my one +300 bull with a bow in the CMR a few years back. I had it mounted and then P&Y measured it. When they were done they declared it a record book animal and I felt so no joy. I thought what have I done but compared my Elk to the rest of the other Elk who gave their lives. He didn't deserve this. I do not want to sound sentimental or like that but I felt I had belittled the animal by measuring it.
I do not suggest others should feel like me I am only sharing what I felt and my opinion.

For me it's all about the hunt. Some of my best "trophies" are not that big, but they have some great memories attached to them. My best trophy bull is the very first one I killed, and he's just a small 5x5. I killed him on my first elk hunt and I still remember every detail. I had just moved to Colorado a few months before the season and had no idea where to begin. I packed a small camp on my back two miles into a likely looking canyon and hunted alone. I saw a dozen bighorns, lots of mule deer, 13 elk and 0 hunters. I killed my bull on the second morning at 30 yards and nearly expired getting him packed out. I've killed quite a few bigger elk since then but I wouldn't trade that little 5x5 rack for anything.

Any elk that is hunted ethically and killed cleanly is a trophy.