Velvet Dreams

[dana]

I enjoy your photos. How close are you getting or what size of zoom lens are you using.( I don’t know the proper camera terms)
It’s more enjoyable looking at these threads compared to the political ones.

My zoom is big! I currently shoot a Nikon Coolpix P900 with 83x optical zoom which is equivant to 24-2000mm. Just this past week Nikon released the P1000. It has 120x optical zoom. It is amazing how big these bridge cameras are getting!

[LBM]

My zoom is big! I currently shoot a Nikon Coolpix P900 with 83x optical zoom which is equivant to 24-2000mm. Just this past week Nikon released the P1000. It has 120x optical zoom. It is amazing how big these bridge cameras are getting!

The new nikon P1000 is 125 power zoom

[dana]

The new nikon P1000 is 125 power zoom

My bad! Hahaha! All I know is I wants one!!! They should come down in price in a couple of years when they release the next generation. How I treat my equipment, I'll be looking for an upgrade by then.

[325]

This is why the term 'hard horned' is used. In velvet, antlers are rather soft. This muley buck I photographed last week learned this the hard way.

I shot a muley buck in Alberta years ago who's rear forks had been cleanly sliced off on both sides, save a couple of inches. My guess was that he sliced them off going under a wire fence while soft in velvet.

[Kootenaykid85]

My take.....
4 to 5 year old bull with all the hallmarks to be a champion.
Healthy bull.

And you got to help a brother out by not calling animals that have antlers by stating horns.
Just sayin.

your take is a little wrong... close but a couple years off


bull is for sure 7 and a year or two from his prime. front end length is good, weight and width are gunna stunt this bull from ever growing more then 350 inches of bone.

[dana]

your take is a little wrong... close but a couple years off


bull is for sure 7 and a year or two from his prime. front end length is good, weight and width are gunna stunt this bull from ever growing more then 350 inches of bone.

Pretty sure Ourea is bang on. He probably is 5 as he was a damn nice 6x6 last year and I would not expect him to as good as he was at only 3. Given the area, bulls seldom live past 8, as they like to kill each other there. If you were correct at 7 then he is doomed from ever reaching his potential. Hopefully I can follow him for the next few years and see him develop.

As for score, much more to life than a freakin tape measure. Big is Big! In my opinion, he has reached the Monster status already. Just hasn't broken into the Giant status yet. Given the genetics of the area, he could easily become a Giant in the next year or two. There is a strong 7, 8 and 9 point genetic. Will be interesting to see if he adds more points as he ages.

[LBM]

My bad! Hahaha! All I know is I wants one!!! They should come down in price in a couple of years when they release the next generation. How I treat my equipment, I'll be looking for an upgrade by then.

Ya there all a little pricey when first come out, I was looking at it but went with another panasonic for now. Hopefully one of them will come out with a bigger sensor along with the higher zoom in the next few years.

[ncurrie]

Awesome thanks for sharing!

[Ourea]

Not to get into an aging or scoring debate and take away from the great photos.......

At first blush, when I looked at this handsome bull, his pedestal circumference is indicating a bit of age.

The indicators I see that lean towards a healthy younger bull are .....
Eyes
Coloration under his eyes
Snout
No scarring on his ears, snout, cape or sides.
Pretty tough to be 7 or 8 as a prime breeding bull and show no wear and tear.
Lack of mass ( if, like Dana says, this bull 'grew' a fair amount from last year ) bulls in the 7 to 8 year class will add mass and less in tine and beam length. He's still a grower which, in my opinion, shows a younger bull.
No saddle back to him.

He will be taking on the boss bulls soon and hopefully kicking some ass.

Great photos of a very handsome up and comer!

[gcreek]

Great photos Dana, thanks for sharing and thanks to others for their input. Never been around elk but never too old to learn.