MT_Sourdough Report post Posted April 26, 2015 Oh' I am just so dang excited to hunt elk with antlers this year. First time since I left Montana several years ago. With my excitement, I was hoping for some rain to continue vegetative growth and therefor antler growth. It seems, to me, this weekend's rain was quite timely to maintain healthy antler production through these dry months. Am I wrong and what are your opinions about the status of antler production at this point? 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
muledeer#1 Report post Posted April 26, 2015 unit 10 Saturday 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bonecollector777 Report post Posted April 26, 2015 It's a fantastic time for it to hit. Last year it was dry all the way til beginning of July. It had just started getting dry up here near Heber from our last storm beginning of March. This should keep tanks full and some good grass growing till end of may. Hope for another storm end of may and it's gonna be one of the best years for growth in a long time! 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
naturebob Report post Posted April 26, 2015 Maybee 19 Years was worth wating for that 10 tag i drew. I am stoked when i saw thweather last nite............BOB! 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
murfys69law Report post Posted April 26, 2015 My friend Dusty who held the New Mexico state record P&Y for a while has told me that if we have a wet season a good way to tell is by looking at the 4th and 5th antlers. If they are getting good moisture during the last part of their growth the 5ths will be bigger. If not you have a big 4th and smaller 5th and 6th. Makes sense to me. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SwampMafia Report post Posted April 26, 2015 Let me tell ya, I was up there yesterday and there is plenty of green feed and moisture 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rackhunter Report post Posted April 27, 2015 Bonecollector nailed it, it was just starting to get dried up and if we can get more in may or so then that will get us by till monsoon season.might be a banner year.I'm happy to have a elk tag in my pocket 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skinnes Report post Posted April 27, 2015 already growing water will help more then we know Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
6ANut Report post Posted April 27, 2015 Anyone have any thoughts on how this will help the antelope horn growth ? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alpinebullwinkle Report post Posted April 27, 2015 "a good way to tell is by looking at their 4th and 5th antlers. If they are getting good moisture during the last part of their growth then the 5th's will be bigger". I can't say that I agree with that statement. We normally have good rains and monsoons late July/early August which is the late part of their horn growth. Seems to me it is more critical to get "adequate rains" prior to the annual monsoon season when horns are just getting started. In other words if their horns are somewhat stunted from a dry spring and they get a late or slower start....... they never recover...... because they are very routine in early August when they start rubbing their horns. I usually find my first rubs somewhere between August 7-9 and I don't think that changes much due to weather circumstances. Having said all this I am excited about the recent rains/snows the last two days. We are setting up this year for a good to maybe even above average horn growth IMHO. Even though we had a mild winter, we already had some timely rains/snow when the horns started dropping this year in late February and early March. Last year we had a very good monsoon season at the end of the horn growing period (late July/early August). We had an extremely dry spring (March/April/May). Horn quality last year in units #27&1 was the worst I had seen in 40 years! This year from the very timely (but not a lot) moisture we have seen I am optimistic we will have worst case an average horn growth year and hopefully with more timely rains an above average year considering the left over nutrients from the Wallow Fire. Would be good to finish off this interesting thread after the archery hunt to verify these philosophies. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
5guyshunting Report post Posted April 27, 2015 I think the timely moisture is a good thing for everyone . Early and late hunts. Let it rain!!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
murfys69law Report post Posted April 27, 2015 Well Alpine, I am no expert about their antler growth. I will however say that when a man with a record book elk that has shot many others with a bow gives me a tip on this I tend to pay a little more attention to him. I assume the food sources they eat would have something to do with this as well. I found that some desert mullies in the southern part of unit 21 have some impressive growth and the water there is very scarce at times. I have always seen bigger than usual antler growth. Minerals in the ground in that area however are extremely high. This an article I read about "ANTLER GROWTH". I guess the one part of this article that baffles me the most is "Some of the best animals were taken during one of the worst drought years ever" http://www.muleymadness.com/articles/antler-growth-101/ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alpinebullwinkle Report post Posted April 27, 2015 I'm no expert either Murfy. All I can do is comment about what I have observed from +40 years in the area. An interesting thing I forgot to mention about last years horn growth for deer......while bulls had the poorest I had seen, the deer did much better and were average or better horn growth. The deer shedding and horn growth cycle is 1-2 months delayed from elk. Timing of the moisture is everything..... maybe more so than quantity! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
murfys69law Report post Posted April 27, 2015 I'm no expert either Murfy. All I can do is comment about what I have observed from +40 years in the area. An interesting thing I forgot to mention about last years horn growth for deer......while bulls had the poorest I had seen, the deer did much better and were average or better horn growth. The deer shedding and horn growth cycle is 1-2 months delayed from elk. Timing of the moisture is everything..... maybe more so than quantity! So do you think the moisture is the key factor? I am not trying to argue with you. I am as much confused about their horn growth & what it takes to get a great 200 plus deer or 400 plus bull as a lot of folks. Genetics like it said in the article I KNOW plays a key role in the growth. The big muley in my avatar has sons running around in the unit I took him in cuz I have seen them for years. Low desert and very dry area. I would think it has to be a combination of a lot of things. This huge 2 point was taken 2 years after my big one within a couple miles from each other. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
.270 Report post Posted April 27, 2015 a big old bull with good genes is usually gonna grow big antlers. a lot of water can sure help tho it seems. some years back there were several years in the white mountains with poor rain and there were a lotta bulls with weak 5th and 6th points. but i think a good wet winter and an abundance of good feed have a lot more to do with exceptional antler growth than any thing else, other than genes. an inferior bull ain't ever grow much for horns. one with good genes in a good year can get really massive. that's what we're seeing right now in the wallow fire area. all the wheat and barley they planted has seemed to really help the antlers excell. but in my opinion, this little bit of rain isn't gonna make or break this year. the past few years and what it has done to the genes of the elk has more to do with big antlers than one good rain in april. and there ain't ever a bad time for rain in Az and there ain't ever been a year i would turn down an elk tag in Az either. Lark 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
