Help me count...

[Ben Long]

So what is the cow/calf ratio in this sample?

 

[mdeerjunkie]

If you could get closer next time it might help a little......

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

Of the 20 that are completely in frame, I would guess 8 were born in 2019.

I say 8 also.

 

[LuketheDog]

15:8

 

[golfer]

I'd guess that of all the whole elk in the photo 8 are calves 12 are cows.

 

[SAJ-99]

15:8

You include the legs in your count? You are good.
everyone is better than me. I got 4 definite calves. After that, many I would need to taste them first before making a guess.

 

[Gerald Martin]

Without reading other's replies, I am calling it 15 cows : 8 calves.

 

[Gerald Martin]

The two partially obscurred elk at top left and top right, I'd call cows. I could be persuaded the half elk on the bottom right is a calf.

 

[LuketheDog]

See? @Gerald Martin is a smart man too...

You include the legs in your count? You are good.
everyone is better than me. I got 4 definite calves. After that, many I would need to taste them first before making a guess.

 

[Blackcats06]

I get 4.... what time of year was this pic taken?

 

[Sytes]

I see a bunch of Miss September's, Centerfold Eicher's, and of course the Bull RMEF'ers who's dropped their horns and scoping out their rut picks for the upcoming season...

Not going to claim I hold the skilled eye to place a select count on cow/calf ratio.

I would imagine height... (tough in pics), a darker rump would be younger? A thin neck? Maybe less mass all around would be the features I'd view for calves? Will be interesting to learn how those sage elk hunters pull their #'s...

 

[Dsnow9]

I’m gonna blow everyone’s mind here, and they I’m interested to hear the feedback because I feel like I am missing something with everyone else’s post. 23 cows/1 calf

 

[undercover]

I see 23 leads cows but what do I know

 

[Ben Long]

I get 4.... what time of year was this pic taken?

This week on my dad's farm in the Idaho panhandle. Around March 25.

 

[Ben Long]

I think that 15 cows/8 calves is in the ballpark. That's a pretty good post-winter ratio for growing an elk herd. IF I recall my biology correctly (and correct me if I don't) One calf per 3 cows is a growing elk herd. This is almost 1 per 2. But I suck at math. Mostly this gives me respect for the biologists who split cows from calves in real time in the seat of a small airplane or helicopter. Hard to count and hold a blue bag at the same time IME.

 

[Ben Long]

 

[tjones]

15/8 maybe 16/7

That means 3 or 4 big dry cows this fall weighing 300 pounds boned out and the rest will be real heavy spikes.

Internet weights of course.

 

[Irrelevant]

2nd photo 6 calves.

 

[SAJ-99]

I got 6 too. I’m sure it is too low.

 

[idelkslayer]

7:16

Works out to 43:100