If you think that the yearlings are the only ones taken, think again and take a walk in the wolds and let me know what you think after you start finding carcasses. After the rut the yearlings are no longer the weak ones. In fact, they are stronger than your older bucks/bulls at this point. They took the time to eat in late fall. Here in Idaho a big percentage of the kills in late fall and early winter are bigger bulls. They have been running their buts of chasing cows and are the last to leave when the snows hit, making them VERY vulnerable. A BIG percentage of the elk found dead here are bulls after the snow melts.