# @outdoor_life on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DP7chrNk-XW
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/35765177-outdoor-life-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/7f5de2afac.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-10-17T23:30:17.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Outdoor Life (@outdoor_life) — https://gondola.cc/outdoor_life

## Caption

Not many elk hunters have seen a "cactus bull," like this one from Idaho.⁠
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In a recent Facebook post in the North Idaho Elk Hunting group, Tonya Kiele shared a photo of her son with his first-ever elk, an extremely rare and gnarly looking “cactus bull.” The antlers are short but thick and heavy, with layers of velvet still attached. They look a lot like the arms coming off a saguaro cactus — thus the common name for such a unique animal. “Once in a lifetime” is how Kiele described the bull, which her son killed Oct. 11 in Idaho’s Unit 12. Although she doesn’t share her son’s name in the post, she said in a comment that he killed the elk with a rifle chambered in 7mm-08. While still rare and unique, cactus bucks are more common in the whitetail world, with some taken by hunters most years. This is undoubtedly because there are far more whitetail deer than there are elk in North America. However, the cause for this kind of rack deformity is the same for both species. In most cases, it’s either due to an injury to the animal’s testicles, or a hormonal disruption that prevents one or both testicles from descending normally.⁠
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Tap the link in profile for the full story 🔗⁠
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#elk #elkhunting #bullelk #elkseason #hunting #huntingseason #conservation #outdoors #nature #outdoorlife⁠
📷: Tonya Kiele⁠
Story by: Bob McNally

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 1,192
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 11

## Tags

hunting, elk, outdoorlife, elkseason, conservation, outdoors, nature, bullelk, huntingseason, elkhunting

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