Anyone here an expert judge of bison?

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ktg

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This is the biggest guy we've found so far:

 
What hunt for you have? Not too many except maybe the Utah hunts you can pass a bull like that. That being said, that looks like a 5-6 yr old bull to me. But I’m not an expert by any means.
 
Not an expert, my immediately thought was around 5 years, he just doesn't carry the mass out that you would see in an 8+ year old bull.

That being said depending on the area, not sure I would pass.
 
Thanks for the input. My wife has an archery tag in the Book Cliffs.
He's the biggest one out of about 70 animals we've seen so far.
We will continue scouting.
 
Never really concentrated on scoring them, but see them all the time here in Yellowstone and Teton Parks, and outside the parks when they migrate. Like others mentioned, big old bulls look huge, compared to the rest of the herd. Their winter coats are slower growing than others, their hips and flanks show lots of scarring, and it appears that those huge heads are 25% of their body. Good luck to the missus!!
 
Good luck! The old bulls should be with the cows right now I would sure think. You have one of the few hunts where you can pass a bull like that! Keep us posted ln how you guys do.
 
They are hard to judge as it’s all about Mass, mass and mass. Horn length and 4 mass measurements. They are similar to a Rocky Mt. Goat scoring which are similarly difficult to judge. If they don’t have superior mass they will never score well. It’s a OIL hunt so don’t get hung up on score just go out an enjoy the experience. Scouting and time afield with family and friends is far important than a paper score.
 
I’ve hunted bison quite a few times and have been around 4 that either I or family members have shot. For me, it’s you know a big one when you see one. We usually judge them based on body size more so than their horns.
 
I've been in on a few Buff hunts/harvest including my Wyo Cow and my Wyo Bull.


I'll toss ya a PM


Here is the P&Y Score sheet that might give you some more intel


Robb
 

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  • PYSF_2020_Bison_IA.pdf
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I love big bison. That bull looks like it would make Pope and Young's minimum of 100 pts. Here is how I score it,
L=14"
M1 13"
M2 11'
M3 8'
M4 5"
Total 51
X2 = 102
I think that is a 100-105 class bull
 
My understanding is that this is or was at one time the state record--just for comparison
123' UT Bison.jpg
 
I looked at one in Cal Ranch and its head is FAAAT! I can see how the one in the video is average.
 
He's not a monster, yet. Looks like he's 5-6yrs old. First tell is that body size. Hard to see when he's with just calves, but you can tell he's not much bigger than the average cow. A bull that is over 9yrs is going to dwarf any cows or younger bulls. To make book a bull usually needs to be at least 9 with good genetics or he needs to have crazy genetics to make it at a younger age.

My 17.5yr old Alaska bull stood at least 6" taller than the 6-8yr old bulls that were with him and more than a foot taller than any cow. Mass is tricky to judge, but after you spend enough time looking at them (get your hands on summer skulls off you can) when you see it, you just know. Also, a bull that has reached peak maturity will have a really broad forehead, closer to an equilateral triangle from horn bases to nose. Younger bulls and cows will have a much shorter distance between their horns than the distance from horn to nose.

Here's a pic of my euros: 4.5yr old Henry's cow on the left, 17.5yr old Alaska bull center (unofficial B&C 123 7/8"), and an ancient +13yr old huge cow bison pickup from Alaska on the right. It shows the greater distance in bone on the forehead for a mature bull pretty good.

20210629_234739.jpg
 
That's fantastic..!! I just started reading from the top and almost skipped to the bottom to say "If you see and get close to ANY bull, you better take it with a bow!"

And, well, there you have it. Well done!
 
I've got some video I'll edit and post, but beware, my videography skills are as bad as, or worse than my photography skills.
 

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