Newb Question on Elk age

[navet]

If there a way, or does it matter, to age a cow elk on the hoof. I have cow tag for this season(my first) and was wondering if you age them before shooting or do you just shoot the biggest one? or the first one?
If I run into some while hunting and can choose to shoot one or the other do you choose by size or age?
Thanks

[Swede]

Any elk that is fat and gaining weight will be great eating if properly taken care of. Shoot the biggest in the bunch if you can. Size and color is how I determine relative age of cows. The lighter the color the older the elk. An elk, the color of a bleached out gunny sack is pretty old.

[Harmy]

My very first elk I shot ended up being a 15 year old cow because I made the mistake of shooting the tallest one. While she was the tallest elk in the herd of cows she was far from the heaviest and like Swede indicated was lighter colored than others in the herd. She tasted fine it was like chewing rubber. Even the straps had to be ground up. Now I look more closely at their bodies and select ones that show girth but are not necessarily the biggest. In fact, the last 3 cows I have taken have all been in the lower third in terms of size of the groups they were in. I find the smaller ones are more tender.

[ferris bugler]

Shoot what you can but if you have the chance shoot a second year or first year cow. You'll be able to tell if they are in groups. They won't be as big as the lead cows.

[Swede]

I have shot more than a few elk over the years. I have passed over some that looked thin, but of all of the ones I have killed, there has never been one that was at all bad to eat or chew. Size of the cow is not the issue. The question is a matter of whether or not the cow is fat and slick looking? After the shot a hunter needs to use care and get the guts out and hide off fairly soon so the meat cools properly. If the pack out is not too far, I prefer to quarter up an elk and pack it out that way, as opposed to using the gutless method.

[txhunter58]

Any cow that looks fat and is bigger than a calf should have plenty of great meat! So I shoot the first cow I see in range and have not been disappointed.

Swede said: " If the pack out is not too far, I prefer to quarter up an elk and pack it out that way, as opposed to using the gutless method."

I always use the gutless method and always quarter the elk for packing any distance. Quartering the elk is part of the gutless method, so I am unsure what you mean by that. One does not preclude the other. The distance does determine if I bone out the meat or not though.

[Swede]

If I quarter an elk, it gutted first. If the gutless method is used, then the back-straps come off the back. The hams and shoulders are removed. The neck and brisket meat, and flanks are removed as well as the tenderloins, etc. The only bones going out are in the legs, and even that is optional. I have seen quite a variety of ways of taking apart an elk in the field. They all seem to have their proponents. My way of preparing an elk comes more from habit than thought.

[cnelk]

If you get the opportunity to see a few cow elk together up close, you will notice that old lead cows have a really long nose and big head.
As the younger females have shorter snouts and smaller head and calf heads are pretty stubby
I have noticed these same features in Whitetail deer.

As far as gutting or gutless, it really doesnt matter.
I have used the gutless method only to go back in the cavity and get the liver or heart for a buddy who wanted them.

[JimKirk]

which cow would you take. i think i would go the upper left one. looks younger than the one behind it. can't remember when I took this but she actually looks pregnant.

[JimKirk]

a few cow pictures. this one looks young

[JimKirk]

the first cow looks like a pretty mature nanny. the 2nd one a little younger but still full grown. she is pretty light colored like swede mentioned.

[CrazyElkHunter]

I've never shot a mature cow that did not taste good. If you see a group of cows together, you can judge the maturity just by comparing them. A calf and yearling are obvious. So any 2 year old or older will receive the arrow. One thing I do strongly urge is, a group of cows usually have calves in the group. They are not always next to there mother when browsing. Study the group and figure out which cow has a calf and which ones do not. I never shoot cows with calves. If she has her yearling still with her, the yearling will survive with the group if you decide to take her.

[cnelk]

Here is a pic of a older cow, and 3 calves that are different ages.
Here is a good indication how calves may or may not make it if the cow is harvested

[navet]

wow ya'll are awesome. Great pics. Elk aging is similiar to whitetails. Great pics, they help alot. I plan on gutless method if I am lucky enough to shoot one.
Nathan

[Swede]

Good points Bill and Brad. I try to take a dry cow whenever possible. Sometimes wet (lactating) cows are alone for awhile and I have made a couple of mistakes on this. As Bill indicated, you can usually figure it our if you have cows and calves together.

[Swamp Buck]

They all look yummy to me, but it would be my first elk, so I won't be able to tell the difference.

I plan to go gutless just to give it a try... Then may gut to get the inside loins as this looks like an aquired skill to do gutless.