On Monday I took a nice cow elk at Vermejo Park Ranch in New Mexico. VPR is doing some sort of study or research project and wanted an incisor tooth along with other things from the gut pile. When the elk's mouth was pried open I was surpised to see that her front teeth were worn down to the gumline.

The guide said that my cow elk was probably at least 20 years old and wasn't likely to make it through the winter. On the other hand, the guy who runs the processing plant said that he's seen lots of younger elk with badly worn teeth. He went on to tell me that the meat was tender and easy to cut so there was no way that this elk was 20+ years old.

The dressed weight of my cow elk was 294 lbs. so her live weight was probably right around 400 lbs. The hanging carcass weight was 222 lbs. She was exactly what a meat hunter (like myself) would want - not too small and not too big. (In the past I've taken cows with hanging carcass weights up to 263 lbs.) She was pregnant.

What do you think, was my prize an ancient relic of the past century, already an old maid when the Y2K scare was making the headlines? Or were her barely existing teeth the unfortunate result of bad genes or her diet?

Well, if she was pregnant, she wasn't THAT old.

Maybe, if they are taking elk for a study there is some nutritional reason for advanced tooth wear.

My experience is more with humans, but there are similarities...hopefully one of the vets who posts here could add more definitive information...

Here's what you do.... be there when the calf is born, write down the date, and for every year that goes by after that add one year of life for that elk... later, when you finaly kill it, you can go back in your note book and you will KNOW how old the cow is.... glad to help... Les

Bigasanelk,

I killed a cow off of Vermejo two years ago that Cummings charged me 322 lbs carcass weight for here ivories are flat!!!!!

The cow I killed of the T-O this year had great teeth and the carcass weight was 256 lbs.

I cant age elk but the one I killed two years ago was very big and tough compared to the one I am eating today.


Glad to see you had another great trip....it was on your suggestion years ago that got me going to Raton!!!!

Thank You.
Ted

They can cut the teeth and count the rings to get an age. 20 seems very high to me, just by looking at the teeth in the field. Body size is a big indicator. I never understood the mindset of "I shot the biggest cow".

Here are two sets of ivory off two cows from the Raton NM area. Look at the wear on the outer pair...just flat!!!



The set in the middle are from the cow I killed this past year, as ravenr said probably 2 1/2 years old. This is her below.





The other set (flat ones)are from a very old and big gal from Turners place. This is her below. I have no idea how old she was.

quote:

Originally posted by MC:
I never understood the mindset of "I shot the biggest cow".

You don't have a freezer or what???

Have a good one!!!

I'd just rather eat a calf or better yet a yearling still sucking the cow...

Easy question
Here is the chart:
If you can cut the steaks with a fork she is less than 2 years
If it takes a butter knife to cut the steaks she is less than 4 year.
If you have to use a regular steak knife she is from 4 to 10 years old.
If it takes a chainsaw to cut the gray you should have picked a younger one!