RE: field judging elk
I have a knack for eyeballing elk, I think just looking at alot of them and knowing their score helps.
But their 4th point, their sword point....is easy to identify, then 5th, 6th etc...so using that method you can quickly determine whether a bull is a 5x5, 6x6 etc....
mass, width, main beam length.
You may want to know what you're holding out for, ie 300" + or 350+ etc....and knowing that base score, and not shooting anyting below that....so anything that looks bigger, take, and be pleaslantly surprised.