After reading a few posts I thought I'd add my .02 cents. I live in 3 pt. or better units. This will be our 4th or 5th year in 3 pt. or better (it got change several years back) and there are a lot more bulls and big bulls than before. The only problem keeping the herd somewhat slim is the Indians helicoptering in and stealing them and the cow permits which run from December-March. I'll give an example of how the bulls are doing. My dad has hunted the valley, which we still hunt, his whole life. This one farmer's field there is garrunteed(sp) to be elk in every year. Everyone goes to look at the elk before season and watches the bulls. Well, last year before Modern Elk, we watch 18 branch antlered bulls walk out into that field. He said there hasn't been that many bulls in that field ever. And yet, this year there was 24 branch bulls in that field. Number of bigger bulls seems to be rising don't you think?.....People in this 3 pt. areas kill trophys every year. My classmate killed a huge bull last year, as did two of my cousins. I live in 3 pt. areas and know how much better the hunting is.....kirkl, you say you think that there would be a shootout for a couple years then all the big bulls would be gone? Well, not quite, it's like a shootout every year but the next year always brings more big bulls.

Plus, the big bulls are harder to hunt. They are wiser and know not to run into the middle of a clear cut in elk season like those stupid spikes. Back in the day of spike hunting, my dad's party would kill 5 or 6 spikes the first day every year.

Also, what does it matter which bulls do the breeding? The cows are bred aren't they? They have calfs and the calfs grow up to be adult elk and the herd remains the same size if not bigger. What's the beef?