Easter Bull

[walt]

So I spent Sunday up in the woods in the NE corner looking for sheds, shrooms, scouting for turkey and for my buddy's spring bear tag. Mostly just wandering around in the woods, bushwhacking in to new areas to see what I could find. I didn't find any sheds this trip, no shrooms yet, and no bear.  I did decide on where I will be hunting turkeys opening day.  I also saw a couple moose and found a great elk area.  While making my way back to the truck I stumbled onto bones, big leg bones, I was thinking moose until I found more a little ways away, then I found the skull hanging upside down in a root ball in the bottom of the draw.  I drug it up into the open and took a few pics with the phone (I really need to get a new camera) and left it by the tree.  His right antler grew out awkwardly and he had a fracture in his scull at the base of it.  It looks like he had an accident a while back.  His right side was chewed up a bit but he was a nice 6x6 before he died.  

[jackelope]

wow...looks like a nice heavy bull.

great find.

[colockumelk]

You said you left it.  Why did you leave it there.  That is an awsome find.  I'd have kept it.

[walt]

I don't think you can take them out if the antlers are still naturally attached to the skull.  If I'm wrong I know where it is and will go back in for it.  I don't think many people wander that area very often.  

[jackelope]

that is correct but you may be able to contact the WDFW and have them get you the authorization to take it.

[Ranger91298]

My dad and I found a dead 4x6 Bull Elk in Idaho this past hunting season. We had a Fish and Game Officer look at the animal to see about keeping the antlers. He said that if he found out that it was a wounded animal and died of anything other than natural causes we could not keep the antlers. He ended up determining that it was a Wolf kill (Natural Cause) so we were able to keep them. By the sounds of it I don't think you would be able to "Legally" keep the antlers because you will not be able to prove that it died of natural causes since it is nothing more than a pile of bones...none the less...great find. Scott

[bowhunterforever]

wow...looks like a nice heavy bull.

great find.

[carpsniperg2]

what a nice find very cool i have seen some bulls like that maily wy that have a genetic that makes them grow like that. my friend down the road shot one last year but his came forward

[whacker1]

nice one - now get back out there and find me a bear..... Elk is not what I am paying you for....Oh yeah, I don't pay you....ok, just get back out there and find more stuff....


in all seriousness, that is a sweet find.  I am very jealous.

[colockumelk]

ooh.  Didn't know you couldn't do that.  I'll get blasted for this but    Have you ever heard the term "Night Recon" before?  I'll leave it at that. 

[funkster]

Just contact the department and most likely they will let you keep it! Great find

[PacificNWhunter]

Awesome find! That's a nice bull.

[andrew_12gauge]

My dad and I found a dead 4x6 Bull Elk in Idaho this past hunting season. We had a Fish and Game Officer look at the animal to see about keeping the antlers. He said that if he found out that it was a wounded animal and died of anything other than natural causes we could not keep the antlers. He ended up determining that it was a Wolf kill (Natural Cause) so we were able to keep them. By the sounds of it I don't think you would be able to "Legally" keep the antlers because you will not be able to prove that it died of natural causes since it is nothing more than a pile of bones...none the less...great find. Scott

here in idaho you can take them if they die of natural causes in washington its a no no

[boonerboy]

just go get it and take it home. That is too cool of a find to leave out there to rot. Or you could tell me where it is and I'll go get it.

[MuleySniper]

Cool find! I'm surprised the nose piece is still in that good of shape let alone still attached.