Do all elk have ivory Cow and Bull?

Mike

Legistine actu quod scripsi?

Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.

What I have learned on AR, since 2001:
1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken.
2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps.
3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges.
4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down.
5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine.
6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle.
7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions.
8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA.
9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not.
10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact.
11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores.
12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence.
13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances.

02 December 2008, 20:25

swheeler

I took a picture for you, you will recognize them as they don't look like their other teeth-these have all been clean and bleached-some polished-you can see the some dark brown tartar still remaining but it comes off easily. Also you cannot tell the size of the elk by the size of their whistlers, older elk usually have worn down ivories, they discolor in various stages, and you can see "growth rings" in them as they wear. They are bought and sold for making jewelry, I sold 18 in Idaho for 200.00 so they don't bring much, but the jewelry can be expensive and quite beautiful.

Left to right-decent 6x6 bull 42"spread and good mass, 5x5 young bull, old/huge tough cow-notice how worn down- young tender cow. I pop them out with the tip of my knife when I gut, notice a couple have broken roots, doesn't matter to most jewelers though as the crown is what they want.

02 December 2008, 20:34

MAC

Every mature elk I've killed or seen taken, which numbers well over 100 has had ivories. Yearling calves usually don't, but that is just because they haven't developed yet.

I've got a whole jar full of them. Some are really white and pristine, but if they come from an old animal they almost look like agates.

I've got a set from a really old 5x6 that are worn flat and have 6 or seven different shades of brown, tan and red. They really look sharp. I'm thinking of having a set of earrings made for the wife out of them if I never get a better set.

Mac