Counting 6 Points

[SavageShooter]

Well it is that time again, getting ready to head out and search for the elusive 6 point elk in the EK.:razz:

Just thought I would poll the group on how everyone quickly determines a 6 point. Some of the fellows I know look for a kicker on the end, some only count from the sword (4th point) back and of course many take the time to count each side again and again.:-(

Does anybody else have hard and fast rules when counting points. Always tough when they are moving through heavy timber or won't give you that profile look.

SS

[wildman 22]

count every point ,dont count on elk having 2 brow points.had a friend pull the trigger on what he thought was a 6x5.luckily his safety was on because i said dont shoot a tad to late, on the 6 point side he was missing a brow guard.i saw it through my video camera and i got it all on video.lets say it was a very lucky lesson.

[Big7]

X2...I've watched elk go that my hunting partner and I were SURE he was a 6 point but couln't see ALL 6 points...

Start at one and pull the trigger on 6. Doing anything but that is just assuming and we all know what assuming does!!!!

Found an elk shed once that was a "6 point" except he had broken both eye guards off at the base - couldn't have been counted as a "legal point"

[jml11]

I've hunted elk in 7-50 and those elk are quite often missing one of the brow tines on both anlters, just a genetic thing up there and very common, frustrates the guides who normally just look for the split behind the 4th point. Makes for a lot of big mature 5 points that that can never be touched during the 6 point season!

[guest]

Take all these guys advise, I too have seen a number with only 1 brow pt.
You must count six on at least one side, be sure too.
There are no guarantee's seeing the 4th with a split after it, those that say go ahead and shoot on that will eventually be in the conservation office.
C/T

[J_T]

If I rifle hunted, I don't think I could pull the trigger for fear of being wrong. At least with the bow, I can tell an "Any Elk" from anything else, and I can quickly tell a bull from an antlerless elk. Up close and personal.

In the area we hunted during the bow only season we encountered close to 20 bulls, and not one was a 6pt. Mostly 5's and misfit 1x4, 3x5's.

[BCRiverBoater]

I look for the 4th and the split above when I can see the top of the antlers. This confirms he has the tops as a 6 point and then I check to ensure he has 2 brow tines. So basically I count all 6 but if I do not see the 4th and top split....I do not waste me time and I get out the camera if I can and play a little more.

I to have seen some bulls around the Muskwa/Tuchodi that only have one brow tine. If you went on the 4th and top splits, you would be shooting some 5 points.

[elkdom]

1 2 3 4 5 6........ BANG!! real simple, just hard to do sometimes!

[hunter1947]

SS I count for 6 on ether one side or the other and when I do see 6 on one side I count them 2 times again just to make sure.

My last 6x6 I got in the EK I watched it for 10 min before I was sure it had at least 6 points on one side ,I find that the elk that do have 6 on one side that are small in length its hard to see them till you go over and over and over them looking at them at all different angles to determin it has 6 points on the one side.

Its nice when you can do this in an open slash where you got some time to do so.

In closed timber it is even harder to see if the bull has 6 points when most of the time he is behind a tree or other.

If a bull has good long tangs on his antlers and is a 6 point makes it real easy to see them.

I saw over 12 5x5 last year and some might have been a 6 point on ether side but for me I am not pulling no trigger unless I am dam sure I can see 6 on the one side.

This year we will be taking a spotting scope it will really help when you can put it on an elk and see the antlers if it has 6 on the one side ,the spotting scope will really help in open cut blocks..

[model88]

Been there, done that!:oops: Always count 1,2,3,4,5 and 6!!!

88

[sawmill]

Ain`t no hard and fast rules about 6 points.Count and if you can`t tell for sure,let him walk.I have let several legal bulls go cause I was not sure until the last (and too late ) second:frown:

[Little Hawk]

Howdy,

Amen boys!

Hey 1947, that's funny. We too, are finally taking a spotting-scope with us for the first time this year. Hope the hell it helps. My eyes' ain't what they used to be. Got me a Pentax from London Drugs for a good deal; well, we'll see how much of a good deal soon enough. We leave for the EK (South of Fainmont Hotsprings) in less than two weeks.

Though I've yet to shoot my first Elk (this will be my sixth year trying) I too have felt the pain of having to let an animal walk because my hands were shaking so bad (and my heart was ready to explode) that I couldn't hold the bino's still enough to count him, as he posed this way and that (literally, he'd show me one side, then turned to let me see the other side) in a wide-open field sixty-five yards in front of me - FOR OVER FIVE-MINUTES!

I'll never forget the feelings of inadequacy I had before he finally turned away. He looked at me with an expression of disgust, as if to say: "Well buddy, ain't much more I can do for ya, cept' maybe pull the fuc*ing-trigger!"

Watching him walk slowly away was one of the hardest things I ever endured.

God I love this huntin' stuff!

Best of Luck to you!

Cheers,
Terry

[bckev]

The frustration of counting points drives me nuts. Have had to let to many bulls go because I couldn't be sure if there was 6 or not and they didn't give me enough time to double check. Gotta count each point and make sure that there is at least 11.

[SavageShooter]

Don't get me wrong guys, I come from the school of thought that it is better to be safe than sorry, to that end I try and count both sides, each point. Damn tough to do, with shaking hands though.:???:

As BCRiverBoater said, this year I am going to look for the split after 4 and then get serious about calming the shakes and counting.

1,2,3,4,5,6 boom, it sounds so easy doesn't it.:roll:

[The Hermit]

I am damed sure but not 100% sure that one of the bulls I had at 40 yards this year was a 6 point but with the recurve in hand he could have been a 7 point and it wouldn't have made any difference. :-)

[elkdom]

The frustration of counting points drives me nuts. Have had to let to many bulls go because I couldn't be sure if there was 6 or not and they didn't give me enough time to double check. Gotta count each point and make sure that there is at least 11.

why do you need to count 11 points, several years ago I shot a very large 6x2 Bull elk, he was hurding about 6/7 cows, his one side measured 49 inches base to last tip,other side was 2 brow tines, then broken off right at second brow tine ,all 4 brow tines measured around 21,22 inches in length, in the 6 point only season,you only need 6 points on one side, points being minimum of 2.5 centimeters or 1 inch! so its, 1 2 3 4 5 6,,,,Bang! unless your waiting for a perfect rack??

[hunter1947]

Howdy,

Amen boys!

Hey 1947, that's funny. We too, are finally taking a spotting-scope with us for the first time this year. Hope the hell it helps. My eyes' ain't what they used to be. Got me a Pentax from London Drugs for a good deal; well, we'll see how much of a good deal soon enough. We leave for the EK (South of Fainmont Hotsprings) in less than two weeks.

Though I've yet to shoot my first Elk (this will be my sixth year trying) I too have felt the pain of having to let an animal walk because my hands were shaking so bad (and my heart was ready to explode) that I couldn't hold the bino's still enough to count him, as he posed this way and that (literally, he'd show me one side, then turned to let me see the other side) in a wide-open field sixty-five yards in front of me - FOR OVER FIVE-MINUTES!

I'll never forget the feelings of inadequacy I had before he finally turned away. He looked at me with an expression of disgust, as if to say: "Well buddy, ain't much more I can do for ya, cept' maybe pull the fuc*ing-trigger!"

Watching him walk slowly away was one of the hardest things I ever endured.

God I love this huntin' stuff!

Best of Luck to you!

Cheers,
Terry

My eyes aren't like they used to be ether ,They water in the cool mornings and in the evenings they do the same ,I got drops to put in them from the drug store for this occasion.

[hunter1947]

The frustration of counting points drives me nuts. Have had to let to many bulls go because I couldn't be sure if there was 6 or not and they didn't give me enough time to double check. Gotta count each point and make sure that there is at least 11.

I understand the 11 point count .you are counting both sides of the antlers to see if one or the other have 6 on the one side ,I know how frustrating it can be ,been there many times ,to many time for this dude http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/images/icons/icon9.gif.

[hunter1947]

Don't get me wrong guys, I come from the school of thought that it is better to be safe than sorry, to that end I try and count both sides, each point. Damn tough to do, with shaking hands though.:???:

As BCRiverBoater said, this year I am going to look for the split after 4 and then get serious about calming the shakes and counting.

1,2,3,4,5,6 boom, it sounds so easy doesn't it.:roll:

Its not all the time that after counting the two behind the sword or dagger that it will be a 6x.

I have seen them with antlers like this to follow down to the next one being the third one up from the bottom to find that there was no third point on ether side making it a 5x5 ,so be Clausius with the count after you do see two behind the dagger.

[BCRiverBoater]

Its not all the time that after counting the two behind the sword or dagger that it will be a 6x.

I have seen them with antlers like this to follow down to the next one being the third one up from the bottom to find that there was no third point on ether side making it a 5x5 ,so be Clausius with the count after you do see two behind the dagger.

You need to read my whole post and the other post before mine. We both said do not count on it being a 6 if they have the split after the 4th. We both said we have seen 5 points that were missing a brow tine.

My whole post said I first look for the split after the 4th. If there is no split then he is NOT a 6 for sure. If you see the split then I know he MAY be a 6 point so then I take the time to get closer or get a better look and count all 6 points. I was saying do a quick look at top splits after the 4th. If they are not there...do not waste your time and move on. If the splits are there....take the time to count the other 3 points to make 6.

[brotherjack]

There are no hard and fast rules, other than you have to count all 6 points. Sometimes (as already mentioned), you get one with missing brow tines (or broken off points), and on the other side of the coin, a buddy of mine got a 6 point last year that was basically a 4x3 that had a pair of kicker-points growing off of one of his brow tines that were long enough to make him a legal 6 points.

[Orangethunder]

I use my left hand first and then just the thumb on the right:grin:.

[hunter1947]

You need to read my whole post and the other post before mine. We both said do not count on it being a 6 if they have the split after the 4th. We both said we have seen 5 points that were missing a brow tine.

My whole post said I first look for the split after the 4th. If there is no split then he is NOT a 6 for sure. If you see the split then I know he MAY be a 6 point so then I take the time to get closer or get a better look and count all 6 points. I was saying do a quick look at top splits after the 4th. If they are not there...do not waste your time and move on. If the splits are there....take the time to count the other 3 points to make 6.

OK I see what you mean ,didn't quit read it right http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/images/icons/icon11.gif,that is very true what you said.

[mark4]

The first thing I look for is does the bull have two low brow tines on each side. Once you determine that- look for four points above the ear. Make sure to check both antlers if you can because there are a lot of 5x6 bulls out there. Seeing stickers at the top of the antler is a good sign but not enough to pull the trigger. You will undoubtedly have to let some legal bulls walk since you can't always be 100 % in every situation- but sooner or later you will get into a situation where it will be fairly easy to tell that it is DEFINITELY a six point- paydirt- don't get discouraged if you are seeing lot's of five pointers- it means you are doing something right and sooner or later you WILL get your six point-keep hunting and keep counting-it's a matter of time !!!!

[325]

I used to just count the four above the ear, but a couple of years ago I shot a bull that had only one brow tineon each side. Yikes...I got away from him in a hurry! Some bear or coyote was happy I guess.

[325]

Just Kidding!!

I have yet to take my first elk. This is my third season of hunting elk, and I have yet to see a 6 point during hunting season. I have seen quite a few bulls, though, and my counting technique is similar to the "Count" from Sesame Street. Unfortunately all the laughing, thunder and lightning after I'm finished counting tends to scare the elk away.