ANTLERS

The major use of antlers is to set up dominance hierarchies and in battles with other bulls during the rut. They are also used to impress cows that tend to select mates with the most substantial antlers. Each antler consists of a main beam with long, sharp-pointed points. The main beam sweeps upward, outward and backward and the points point forward. Bulls grow spikes in their second year that are about 8-15 inches long. In their third year they will usually grow a 4x4 or 5x5, that means the number of points on both sides of the antlers, which is a light set of antlers and is called a raghorn due to their spindly nature. Fourth year antlers are heavier but generally still have the same number of points. During the fifth year and after the bulls will begin growing more mass and more points. A typical bull will have a medium size 6x6 rack. Elk achieve their best antlers in their eleventh and twelfth years. After this the antlers begin to decline in size because of the lack of nutrition, due to the age of the bull (RMEF 1999).