I agree TJ, you shouldn't have to do a show clip on this guy to figure out if he is any good or not. It is becoming an almost lost art, that is, being able to look at cattle in their natural state and be able to appreciate them.
The only thing I find that can be very deceiving in photos is an animals overall size. Seeing he has some Lowline and Sonny in his make- up I am "assuming his frame is very moderate. The pictures show a calf that has some masculinity, some natural thickness and natural capacity and a bull that is structurally sound. His legs appear to be situated under him, on his corners where they are supposed to be, and he has some width through his chest floor. These are all traits any animal needs to be a low maintenance animal. He has a good hair coat. His quarter is carried down very deep and I am thinking if he was fitted ( ie: fat) he would have a much more prominent rear quarter. For an animal in good everyday working condition, I think this guy has a good quarter. Some may say he needs to cleaned up in his front end some, however, I would say it is very hard to have bull that shows masculinity at this age and have him also very clean through his front.... and it should only be excessive waste in the front end that concerns us. Having some brisket and some depth through the neck, only indicates that the animal has some do-ability ( another of the goofy show ring characteristics that needs to be looked at again. Again, don't jump on me yet, as I said " some" not " a lot" of front.
This is an interesting calf. I think he could do a lot of people a lot of good. Keep us posted with how he develops.
I already am very confident that he'll look a ton better clipped, I have absolutely little to no doubt about that, but I want feedback about his "unclipped looks". I'm the type that if a bull doesn't impress, as is, I'd rather go a different route. Almost any 1/2 way decent bull can be made to look pretty good with a feed bucket & good clip/fit job, but not too many can impress, as is. If this one isn't an "as is" bull, then I don't want to waste my time... too many other Shorty Pluses look good all dolled up. Several who have seen him in person, really like him & maybe I'd been better off posting a video, rather than a couple of pics that I didn't spend much effort in taking. With that said, I've got my own opinion about him, and Steer Planet isn't going to be the ultimate final deciding factor either way, but I'm always anxious to hear what others have to say, because there is a lot of good cattle knowledge on this board. Thanks again! (thumbsup) 
