Irish Elk, anybody shot one recently?

Munty_Hunter

Well-Known Member
Treated myself to a full english this morning and while thumbing through a well known tabloid noticed a small article refering to the now extinct Irish Elk. All I could think was what a bloody shame looked like an amazing Deer!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Elk

I think you'd need more than a quad to get one out of the woods :D.
 
A relative of mine shot one with a bow around 10000 years ago he never kept the head what a shame!
 
He was braking the law then depending on whereabouts he was, in most places the spear was the only legal calibre. Apparently it was the dog boy who erradicated them in the end :rolleyes:.
 
If the reds I used to shoot near Dublin were anything to go by the Elk must really have been woppers (pun intended)
The reds were almost twice the size of the ones I see now in the Highlands. I think they may have had some elk/wapity in them!
The lush green lowland ground provides year round easy feeding & it shows in size of beasts. - Both red & sika.

Ian
 
I used to clean two Giant Irish Elk with Jack Creswden the taxidermist in G K Whiteheads museum near Chorley Lancashire as we did with all the other mounts on a regular basis one of the heads was sold for over £250,000.00 when he died don’t know who sold it ( it was not me !!)Durham University got all his stuff don’t know if they still have it or who sold the frontal But yes they are impressive I have a photo of myself stood in front of the full skeleton will post it on the directory later for you to get a angel on the size of the things I am over six foot tall and it towered over me
 
There is a full skeleton in the Royal Alberta museum and its beyond impressive one seriously huge beast
 
I looked it up a whole ago on Wikipedia a truly amazing beast you would have a hell of a taxidermy bill though :)
 
The two G K Whitehead heads that I know of were sold by Sothebys on June 8 2005 and made £60,000 and £72,000. There may have been more in his collection though. I don't think either of these was from the full skeleton mount. I would have loved to have visited his collection before he died and it was subsequently sold.
 
I think the irish elk 's nearest living relation is supposed to be the fallow, so some DNA and embrology work and we could be good to go. can we start fund raising on the forum?
The other species we could go for is the schomburgk's, antlers like you drew them as a kid.
 
The two G K Whitehead heads that I know of were sold by Sothebys on June 8 2005 and made £60,000 and £72,000. There may have been more in his collection though. I don't think either of these was from the full skeleton mount. I would have loved to have visited his collection before he died and it was subsequently sold.

Many years ago I arranged for G.Kenneth Whitehead to purchase the head of an Irish Elk [Megalocerous giganteus.]
from the late Andy Morrison of Bray, Co.Wicklow. Eire.
This huge head previously was on the wall of Andys conservatory and had been acquired from the Powercourt Estate.

I had admired it on the numerous occasions I stayed with him there at`Ardbrae`.

Another fine specimen adorned the wall above the fireplace of Franz Waldburgs trophy room at Tallacht.
Franz had a remarkable collection of freak Sika heads and Sika/Red hybrids which he had personally shot.

HWH.
 
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Treated myself to a full english this morning and while thumbing through a well known tabloid noticed a small article refering to the now extinct Irish Elk. All I could think was what a bloody shame looked like an amazing Deer!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Elk

I think you'd need more than a quad to get one out of the woods :D.


Think I took the last Pricket from Yorkshire:thumb:

I`m 5` 10" It must have been some beast when it was alive and kicking



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Bob
 
I think the irish elk 's nearest living relation is supposed to be the fallow, so some DNA and embrology work and we could be good to go.

Good plan, much more worthwhile than cloning sheep and mice.

There are some great heads & skeletons in Dublin Natural History Museum, and a very nice head in Kendal Museum.
 
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