Originally Posted by
Colorado Luckydog
Sorry, I just have to ask. How much smaller is a mature cow than a young bull? Or any bull??
Just how much more "undisturbed" will the cows be than the bulls??
My experience is a bit limited on elk. I have killed something over 25 bulls and a similar number of cows, and have never actually weighed one. I have shot bulls that were much heavier (and tougher) than any cow, but a spike is near the size of a large cow.
When I am cow hunting I will only shoot if the cow has not been running ragged with her tounge hanging out, since the purpose is to get good meat. Usually there are more oportunities to find an undisturbed cow than a big old bull, and with bull hunting sometimes you have to take a less than ideal shot.