It’s the job of wildlife management to set the limits on male or female hunting of elk. If the numbers are too low then they only allow males to be taken. if the numbers are high then they allow females to be taken also.

Females provide better tasting, more tender flesh but males provide a nicer mount for the wall!

Trophy hunters want the male antlers.

There’s also the fact that you can slaughter the males with much less devastating effect on overall populations than comparable killing of nursing and foal bearing females.

In some places at some times, you can hunt does. Generally the males are bigger and, as @KNOWITALL mentioned, they make a better trophy. But does do have a good amount of meat and are generally a little younger than the buck…more tender.

@seawulf My husband got a four year old male in Colorado, tasted fine AND a nice rack lol

I know I have never turned down elk meat when it has been offered. I didn’t care what sex the elk was.