Hunting Washington Forum
Big Game Hunting => Elk Hunting => Topic started by: Pete112288 on November 24, 2013, 04:21:41 PM
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I am thinking west side. I was reading the "2013 cow pics" thread and everyone was posting hanging weights at the butcher and I was just curious at how the couple cows I have shot in the last few years rate. They were both the lead cows of small 6-8 animal groups. My first was 350 at the butcher, the second was 376. Legs cut at the "knee" joint, no hide, head or guts. What would be the point where you would start calling it a "big" cow?
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Not sure how they stack up with other Rosie's but a big rocky cow is 350 :twocents:
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I would say yours were big cows, my Idaho bull this year was 245 and that was just 4 legs and deboned body. My dads cow this year whole was 224 and she was prob 4 years old.
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Ya my cows were the largest two cows I saw in the herds and they weighed in at 300 and 315.
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350 and 376 are big cows. The average weight of cows taken out of my camp over the last 20 years would be around 300 lbs + or -
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I didnt think they were that much bigger than average but they are the only cows I have had on the ground in front of me so I have no comparison. And I dug up the butcher invoices just now to make sure with myself and my numbers are right. These are the best pictures I have of the two cows.
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The biggest rocky cow I've shot was 330 hanging. I think mid to upper 200's is probably the norm for east side cows.
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If you break 400# mark on a Westside cow, you are on the bigger side of things.
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T.N.T Meats in Stanwood weighed m Master Hunter 2012 cow at 400 lbs. Shot in Birdsveiw cow pasture.
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Years back my Grandpa shot a cow on the east side not sure of hanging weight but they got 330lbs of wrapped meat from the butcher. She had hardly any teeth left and the game warden figured she was close to 20 years old.
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Mine went 608# hanging, I grained her for seven months! :chuckle:
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My cow was just over 200#s for the quarters alone. The rest I took home and packaged myself; I'm guessing 20 pounds of backstrap, etc...
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My question is, why are you guys shooting the big old nasty lead cows? Smaller younger ones taste better!
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My question is, why are you guys shooting the big old nasty lead cows? Smaller younger ones taste better!
Most elk hunters aren't all that smart! :chuckle:
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Because if you're going to shoot a cow to help keep ratios in check it is best to shoot one that is no longer breeding and taking from one of those younger ones that can have another 10-15 offspring. Besides I've yet to found a cow (Old or young) that didn't taste great.
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I shot the ones that yielded me a shot opportunity. Just so happens they were the biggest ones. Told my dad to shoot the smallest one in the herd we saw this year. He had a shot opportunity and it was the biggest one there. :bash: 21 hours later of hauling I was convinced I would never go again. And then a couple weeks later I was in the mood to go tag along in the woods with family for elk. Funny how it works.
