Boned out weight??

[Big O]

Ok, so I'm been listening to all the elk kills from friends and others and hearing lots of different stories on how much a boned out elk weighs. I shot a 5pt last year that I want to say boned out around 210, I think he was about 3yrs old, my spike this year was 175. A co-worker claims his dads 6pt gave up 400. I know it's going to vary due to age and feed, just curious about some of your guys opinions on this.

 

[Drake4]

Your numbers are accurate. A decent bull should go high 100's to 250 pounds. Depending on trimming care, etc..
We've weighed a lot of horse panniers, to balance weight, and they are usually 75-125 pounds per side. Depending on bull vs. cow.

I'd like to see that 400 pound meat bull on the hoof.

 

[Horn Seeker]

I've asked this several times on several forums... I have boned out and weighed about 7 elk myself now, throw in another 15 of close friends and relatives... and we have all been in the 175-250# range. The bull I killed this year looks to be coming in on the LOWER end of that range! Unreal... he's a fricken 370 bull with a little reindeer body!!! (ok, not really, but he certainly doesn't have the muscle mass of the smaller, younger 6 points I have killed elsewhere...

I have also heard stories of guys putting 400-600 pounds of meat in the freezer, with the 600 pound claim not even having any pork or beef added to the mix!!! NOW THAT is a bull I would have liked to See!!!!

I'd think 300-400 of boned, clean meat would be one BIG bull elk...

 

[wingman1]

I would say about the 250 lbs average without the neck for me. Four trips on the pack out including cape and horns. Two trips for a cow that weighs 175 lbs. 400 lbs? Wow.

 

[Lawnboy]

Mine came in at 275 all boned out this year. I would say that his body was a bit bigger than most. This includes neck and rib meat. Didn't lose too much to broadhead damage
I think 400 is a bit outrageous

 

[Big O]

That's kinds what I thought about the 400 but didn't want to call BS just cause I haven't see one that big. Picturing my 200 after I got done with it, and then doubling that... thought it was a little much.

 

[The Hedgehog]

In the low 200s usually on a good sized bull. I suppose if you picked every last piece of trim available from the neck, hocks, and ribs, threw in the organs, and counted the hide and antlers, you might get to 400 on a large, fat and happy eastern MT elk.

I weighed a giant bull, whole, field dressed. It was taken in September, during the rut, and had a 370 rack... 610lbs. That's just gutted. The guys standing around who had seen lots and lots of big bulls on that scale, thought that was a damn heavy bull.

 

[Horn Seeker]

To be fair, the 400+ #'s I have heard were from Washington elk, mostly Rosies or the Cascade elk. Incredible feed and easy winters... Still though. I read some report somewhere about the elk on Afognak Island...they weighed a cow that was over 1K and a bull that went 1300... live weight.... That would be amazing to walk up to on the ground.

 

[MattK]

This is from the MT FWP website...these are the record weights...I know this isn't boned out weights but it gives some idea of the largest animals. Not sure the amount of waste on a big game animal but I'm sure it's quite a bit.

Greatest Weights (in pounds) for Montana Big Game
Species Whole Dressed
Bear, Black 505
Bear, Grizzly 1,102
Lion, Mountain 176
American Elk 1,010 810
Deer, Mule 453 340
Deer, Whitetailed 375 275
Shiras "Wyoming" Moose 1,117 840
Pronghorn 160 121
Bison 1,555
Rocky Mountain Goat 310 212
Sheep, Bighorn 302 222

 

[The Hedgehog]

I was going to say those Roosevelt elk are a lot bigger, and some of the eastern MT elk get really big also. Here's some real data..
http://ces.uwyo.edu/PUBS/B594R.pdf

 

[Oak]

Can you imagine what a 450 pound mule deer looks like?

 

[The Hedgehog]

Ernie, there's 1000 pounder walking around in eastern MT no doubt about it. The 610 dressed is from a bull closing in on 900 alive.

 

[belly-deep]

Can you imagine what a 450 pound mule deer looks like?

A gray steer with forked horns?

 

[The Hedgehog]

Can't vouch for weight, but I'm sure I've rolled around a few mule deer that were heavier than some of the bulls I've seen on the ground. I've no doubt there's 400lb (live) deer walking around in MT. Sounds silly I know.

 

[Lawnboy]

Randy's elk from last year (Eastern Mt). had a massive body. I can vouch for the eastern ones being considerably heavier than say a western Mt. bull that's been running for it's life. Wolves,lions, hunters, ect.....

 

[Goldtip]

Can't vouch for weight, but I'm sure I've rolled around a few mule deer that were heavier than some of the bulls I've seen on the ground. I've no doubt there's 400lb (live) deer walking around in MT. Sounds silly I know.

Doesn't sound silly at all to me, we've weighed a NW MT Mulie at 318, just meat and bones, no head, hide or guts.

 

[Horn Seeker]

I know some guys that kill alot of Breaks bulls and they were talking with an avid backpack hunter from the Gallatin country. He talked about packing bulls out in two loads. They said, WTF?? Evidently he was with them recently on a breaks bull and they got a rear and a front on his pack and maybe a little random neck meat...and lifted the pack on hiim and sent him on his way... he made it just a few paces I guess....

My buddy killed a beautiful older Sun River 320 bull this year thats body dwarves my bull from this year...

 

[The Hedgehog]

318 lbs of deer meat alone? That would be an 800-900lb deer. You sure that wasn't an Ilama?

 

[Horn Seeker]

Id like to see pics of that deer Goldtip....geeeezussss.... wow. Thats one of them, "have to see to believe deals"... PICS!

 

[tjones]

Sounds silly to me, I want that scale.

This was a 6 1/2 year old bull and weighted 366, skinned. Neck to the base of the head attached.

48 pounds difference?