Wick said he had guided a client to a nice Wenaha-Tucannon bull that he and one of his assistant guides estimated would gross about 390 Boone and Crockett points.

"We twice worked the client into range of the bull, the last time about 200 yards," said Wick. "But before the client was ready to take the shot, the bull winded us and blew out of there. We never saw that bull again during the season."

But the client ended up taking a very nice 350-plus B&C bull a couple of days later and went home happy.

The next spring, Wick picked up the first bull's sheds; He would have scored very close to 400.

"I'm glad the client didn't try a shot he wasn't confident in," said the guide. "But had he spent more time at the target range, he well might have taken a 400-point bull."

JUDGING SIZE
Trophy-elk hunters in the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness may find their most difficult task accurately judging the size of bulls they encounter. Inexperienced hunters are very likely to shoot a 270-B&C bull, thinking it's going to score 350 points.

Walla Walla hunter Corey Reynard has taken trophy bull elk with bow, muzzleloader, and centerfire rifle. He is also one of the most prolific gatherers of shed antlers in the Blue Mountains.

During the past 11 years, Corey has retrieved more than 800 elk antlers and has become adept at judging the size of trophy bull elk racks. He offers six quick steps that beginners can use to estimate the gross B&C score of a bull elk's rack.

1. Count the points on each beam. Trophies generally will be 6x6 or larger.

2. Brow tines that curl upward and extend as far out as the bull's nose are about 18 inches long. Estimate the length of the brow tines and use that as a reference to estimate the length of all the other points on the bull's rack. Total up the length of all the points on the rack in inches.

3. The main beam of most mature bulls, from the antler base to the bottom of the fourth point, is about 30 inches long. Using that for reference, estimate the length of the remaining antler beyond the fourth point, and add the two together to get a total beam length. Most trophy bulls will have main beams over 50 inches in length. Total the estimated length of both beams in inches.

4. Add 40 inches for spread, deducting 5 inches for a narrow rack and adding 5 inches for an exceptionally wide rack.

5. Add 25 inches for mass for each beam. Add 5 additional inches per beam for an exceptionally heavy rack.

6. Total the estimated length of all points, the length of each beam, the width of the rack and the mass for each beam. This gives you an estimated gross B&C score.

According to Reynard, bull elk across the Blue Mountains have a lot of "trash," or kicker points, on their racks. These extra points make for distinctive trophies, but also create deductions that might keep a bull out of the record book.

HELP FROM FRIENDS
Hunters drawing a branch-antlered tag for the Wenaha-Tucannon need to recruit sufficient help so that their time is spent hunting, not dealing with the logistics associated with hunting. Basically this boils down to hiring an outfitter, or persuading a network of friends and family to help. Both methods work.

Three outfitters -- two in Washington and one working in both states -- are licensed to operate in the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness.