# Once in a lifetime bull elk



## ridgetop (Sep 13, 2007)

Look what I found on my trail cam last week.
I doubt I'll see another piebald bull like this in my lifetime. I did some research and they only come around in 1:100,000+.
If you had the sportsman tag, would you shoot this bull or let it walk because it's too ugly and you want a normal looking bull?


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## silentstalker (Feb 19, 2008)

That is pretty cool looking! On a high end LE tag it would be tough. You don't wait 20+ yeRs to shoot a sub par bull, but he would be tempting! He has a tank of a body!


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## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

Honestly, he looks like a pretty good bull anyway. Then throw in the piebald and I can't imagine passing him up even if I had a San Juan early rifle tag


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## hazmat (Apr 23, 2009)

If the date is correct on the camera he still had a lot of growing to do. Making him plenty big to shoot on l.e tag the pie bald just makes him that much cooler


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## Vanilla (Dec 11, 2009)

Cool stuff! 

Tough call. You'd have one of the most unique elk that anyone will ever shoot. 

Is a once in a lifetime bull worthy of what in practice is a once in a lifetime tag?


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## KineKilla (Jan 28, 2011)

I'd shoot him. He's a decent bull regardless of the piebald.


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## ridgetop (Sep 13, 2007)

I rephrased the O.P.
Would you still shoot it?
I really like it but it would be a tough choice with the sportsman tag.


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## Packout (Nov 20, 2007)

It would be interesting to see what he looks like in his fall coat. I have had a few bulls come into my shop that had white markings on their faces/head and some splotchy lighter color in their manes. 

He is a solid bull all around.


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## ridgetop (Sep 13, 2007)

Packout said:


> It would be interesting to see what he looks like in his fall coat. I have had a few bulls come into my shop that had white markings on their faces/head and some splotchy lighter color in their manes.
> 
> He is a solid bull all around.


I hope I can see him in person around Oct. 7th, you might just have another one in your shop.


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## AF CYN (Mar 19, 2009)

I'd shoot him on a general or traditional LE hunt. I don't know about the Sportsman's tag. I guess it would depend on the circumstances. Very cool bull. I hope you get him. That would be awesome!


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## backcountry (May 19, 2016)

Sportsmans Tag makes the decision hard. All depends on what you want from the hunt. Having a unique bull like that is definitely worth the consideration if traditional measurements aren't a priority.

The dilemmas of the lucky


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## Vanilla (Dec 11, 2009)

With the re-phrased question regarding the Sportsmans tag, my answer is definitely no. If I had that tag I would be looking for a true giant. While this bull is a decent bull, he's not huge, let alone a giant.


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## CROC (Sep 12, 2007)

I like him for LE maybe not so much the Sportsman tag.


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## deljoshua (Jul 29, 2013)

I can not even imagine having the sportsmans tag, but, general archery elk tag...definitely!


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## KineKilla (Jan 28, 2011)

So, how about that bull in pic #2 on the right with his head down? Looks like he's got a bit more to offer as far as antlers go...no?


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## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

Honestly, I'd absolutely smoke him on a sportsman's tag. A 350-360" piebald/albino/melanistic/leucistic bull elk to me is about the same as a +400" bull as far as wow factor goes.


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## CPAjeff (Dec 20, 2014)

WOW! Thanks for sharing, that is an amazing looking animal - I'd shoot him regardless of the unit or the tag!


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## ridgetop (Sep 13, 2007)

johnnycake said:


> Honestly, I'd absolutely smoke him on a sportsman's tag. A 350-360" piebald/albino/melanistic/leucistic bull elk to me is about the same as a +400" bull as far as wow factor goes.


I was thinking he might make it to the 320" range if he grows another 2 or 3" on top.


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## Vanilla (Dec 11, 2009)

Johnny, I just don't see that bull getting to 360. Maybe I'm way underestimating his growth he had left, but I was thinking more 330-ish. 330 is a solid bull, just not what I'd be looking for with a long season and the whole state to hunt. The head gear would be much more important to me with that tag than the hide. Again, maybe I've grossly underestimated him. But his rack doesn't do it for me. 

Now, any LE archery tag, and almost every LE muzzy and rifle tag, this elk would be dead no question. A few early rifle units, if have to think hard about it.


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## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

I very well could be grossly overstating his size, but looking at his body next to the other elk in the pics I think he's a tank. His front end is a +350" style bull all day long if the back end finished up to match it. He had another 2 weeks of solid growth to go when those pics were taken so depending on if he just quit or kept growing full speed he would end up anywhere from the 330s to the 360s. I bet the bull at the time of the pics scored into the mid 320s. His 4ths, 5ths and beams all still look very bulbous making me think he's going to put another 2-3" on the 4ths, +5" on the 5ths and 7-10" on the beams. I think he's a gorgeous bull, and a very tricky one to judge on that horse body


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

So Ridge, which one you going to take?


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## elkfromabove (Apr 20, 2008)

Yes! ANY tag (except muzzy), but with a bow. Pope & Young is 260" min and he'll make that quite easily.


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## ridgetop (Sep 13, 2007)

LostLouisianian said:


> So Ridge, which one you going to take?


You haven't even seen contestant #3 yet. I'll let you decide after seeing him.:shock:


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

ridgetop said:


> LostLouisianian said:
> 
> 
> > So Ridge, which one you going to take?
> ...


Well roll him out bubba


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## 3arabians (Dec 9, 2014)

LostLouisianian said:


> Well roll him out bubba


Ya bring him on Ridgetop!! This is awesome.

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## ridgetop (Sep 13, 2007)

Well look who showed up a little over two weeks ago. This camera was about 2 miles from the other that I caught him on back in June.
His piebald doesn't show nearly as well now that his hair has grown out and he's been rolling in the mud.


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## Baron83 (May 24, 2016)

I'd take him any day! Also i saw a piebald cow down on the manti was pretty cool.


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## 3arabians (Dec 9, 2014)

Wow. I think Johnnycake is right. He is bigger than we are giving him credit for. Hope you get him on Saturday!!

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## Pzn801 (Mar 15, 2016)

Such a cool animal, hope you get to pack him out.


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## OriginalOscar (Sep 5, 2016)

ridgetop said:


> Well look who showed up a little over two weeks ago. This camera was about 2 miles from the other that I caught him on back in June.
> His piebald doesn't show nearly as well now that his hair has grown out and he's been rolling in the mud.


Great bull. Last fall the taxidermist in Riverton had a client who got a blue bull on Manti. His buddy cut the cape midneck. Heartbroken was how he described him!


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## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

3arabians said:


> Wow. I think Johnnycake is right. He is bigger than we are giving him credit for. Hope you get him on Saturday!!
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk


I was just about to gloat a bit. That bull is every bit of 350". Great mass, good width very long main beams, good fronts. Plus, these pics show the size that bull's body a bit better I think. That is a CHUNKY bull. Throw in the pie, and I would shot that bull opening light on any unit with any tag every single time.

Good job on finding him again... Good luck on finding him again, again!


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## ridgetop (Sep 13, 2007)

I'm not getting my hopes up too much on seeing him during the hunt but I can dream about it a little.


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## Vanilla (Dec 11, 2009)

johnnycake said:


> I was just about to gloat a bit. That bull is every bit of 350". Great mass, good width very long main beams, good fronts. Plus, these pics show the size that bull's body a bit better I think. That is a CHUNKY bull. Throw in the pie, and I would shot that bull opening light on any unit with any tag every single time.
> 
> Good job on finding him again... Good luck on finding him again, again!


You called that one Wasatch bull 290-300, then upped to 320, yet dig in your heel that this bull is over 350? You hitting the crack pipe up north, or what?

Ridge, would you just kill this stinking bull so I can come see it in person, please? He's a cool one, regardless of what his 'number' is.


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

ridgetop said:


> Well look who showed up a little over two weeks ago. This camera was about 2 miles from the other that I caught him on back in June.
> His piebald doesn't show nearly as well now that his hair has grown out and he's been rolling in the mud.


I expect a call when you tag him out so I can come see him. He's going to look very awesome next to your deer on the wall!!!!!


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## ridgetop (Sep 13, 2007)

This is going to be one long week at work, especially with all you guys egging me on!


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## Longgun (Sep 7, 2007)

Tick tock- ;-)

GOOD Luck, I hope you find him.


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## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

Vanilla said:


> You called that one Wasatch bull 290-300, then upped to 320, yet dig in your heel that this bull is over 350? You hitting the crack pipe up north, or what?
> 
> Ridge, would you just kill this stinking bull so I can come see it in person, please? He's a cool one, regardless of what his 'number' is.


Yep, that one Wasatch bull, at first thought and glance thought was the same bull in all the pics. Didn't put much looking at him before posting. Then, after seeing I was wrong, and there were two separate bulls in it, I still thought the small bull was 290-300" and that the bigger one was around 320".

This piebald bull has a huge body, and he ended up finishing very nicely on his tops. Much better fronts, main beams, and width than the Wasatch bull. I will concede that the curves of the Wasatch bull could surprise me on the main beams, but I think piebald has beams comfortably North of 50".


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## 3rd times a charm (Aug 27, 2017)

That's a nice bull. I think he will be in the 345-350 range, possibly slightly larger hard to tell from the pictures angle.

None the less. I would shoot him with almost any permit.


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## hazmat (Apr 23, 2009)

I am calling it 354" when you get him on the ground at put tape on him ridge top good luck


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## Igottabigone (Oct 4, 2007)

That's a great bull and I'd take him for how unique he is. However, in terms of the inch game, I don't think he goes more than a mid 330s type bull. He's got a good frame and decent beams, but the time length just isn't there to get him to 350+. JMO. Shoot him so we can all know.


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## Muleyboy22 (Aug 25, 2016)

Sweet bull!

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