Utah Elk

[slick]

Anyone else thinking about the non-resident OTC archery elk tag in Utah on June 12. I'm still trying to sort out my plans, but this is a fun hunt. I'm originally from Utah and have hunted the general season archery hunt in the Unitas quite a few times. Last time out we camped on the north slope and hunted up into the wilderness area and down along the Wyo line. Great camping: water, restrooms, firepits and right next to wilderness. I'm no set on the north slope and they say this year the south slope has more animals, it's just the area I know best. If I end up buying the tag it would be fun to hunt with a couple other stick bows.

[beachbowhunter]

Slick, can you pass along any futher info on this hunt? Link to the section of their website?  I'm going to NM this year, but next year is a possibility...

Thanks!

[Chuck Mullaley]

Hey Slick, you have mail @ your 'comcast' email address.

[Jerry Jeffer]

It is just a one day hunt?

[Jeff Holchin]

Hey Slick, we have some things in common.  I used to live in Mt. Pleasant, SC and I've bowhunted the Uintas in Utah, but down south towards Strawberry.  Killed my first elk there.

I'm headed to CO for elk this fall, but the PBS is holding their youth hunt in that general area you're talking about, so my son and I (plus several other Tradganger father/son teams) are headed to the Uintas in Utah in 2009.  Beautiful country!

[Duckbutt]

I live in Charleston.
I'm planning on NM for my first elk hunt this year.
I have about 3 points for elk in UT.
Never looked into the general archery tags for UT.
Sounds interesting.

[Rick McGowan]

I'll never waste another penny on my money in UT since they started ripping off nonresidents this year!

[snag]

I have 8pts this year in Utah. Hopefully will draw next year. If I didn't have so many pts. I would quite because of the increased fees. I do have a Utah license though...? I don't know anything about the area you are talking about. Is there good numbers of elk? What is the bull to cow ratio?

[Firstarrow]

The PBS youth leadership hunt will be a blast. It will not take place in the Uintas but in the northern Utah area. Watch out for information

For those that are asking about the herds in Utah - over all they are booming. Utah has essentially three types of hunting:
1) LE units which are essentially once in a life time hunts. Bulls can be up to 400 class. Are there 400 class bulls behind every tree NO but they are there. My opinion is - any elk is a good elk!
2) Some of the LE units allow over the counter archery tags but limit harvests to spikes and cows. This allows people to get to know the areas and prepare for the day IF they ever draw their LE tag.
3) General areas these are over the counter archery tags but allow harvest of any elk.

The seasons are general 23 days +/-.

[Firstarrow]

Let me say that I agree with ric mic that utah could definitely improve on it's treatment of non residents.

It also has a long way to go to improve their inclusion of bowhunters in the managment of wildlife. We have resources that go WAY under utilized.

[slick]

In response to all these responses:

BeachBow:
Check out  http://wildlife.utah.gov/hunting/  for detailed information. Nonresident license are $65, elk permits are $388 for a total of $453. Permits go on sale June 12, can be bought on-line and are unlimited in number. This tag is good for either sex in this area.

Chuck: Got your email. I'm in the process of changing jobs, with a chance I might be relocating. If I'm still in Charleston sharing expenses and company on a road trip is the only way to go. I should know by the end of next week.

Jerry: Season is August 16 - Sept 12. I like the last week best, cooler weather (snow last year) and the boys are in full song.

Jeff: My son drew the special non-resident youth tag 2 years ago. We hunted the same area I bowhunt on the north slope. Killed a nice 5x5 on opening day. What a blast....

Duck: Buying a general tag doesn't hurt your points for the limited areas, besides as of this year you've already got the license. The general areas get hunted pretty hard by the gun hunters but during archery you've got it pretty much to your self. Lot's of country. These are educated elk, not your video or OLN hunts. Drop me a line if you want more details, better yet come on down to the RMEF meeting , June 9, 6:30 at Vickerys on Shem Creek. Just follow the sound of cow calls and bugles to the table of guys drinking beer and shooting the bull.

Rick: Not sure what crawled under your saddle but take it some where else.

Like I stated in my original post, this is not a TV hunt. These are educated elk spread over a large area, but they will answer a call when the conditions are right. The fishing is out of this world and if you've never seen the Uintas you're in for a real treat.

[Rick McGowan]

Rich, thanks for not trashing me! Over on the the other site, I was bad mouthed up and down for pointing out that Utah had decided to take the low road and ripoff nr's, I was just pointing out the facts. I have applied there for many years and planned a hunt in UT, I hated to lose all those points, but all those residents who made personal attacks and told me to just shut up and go away, while not even trying to deny that what I was saying was true sorta soured me on the whole state.

[Duckbutt]

Slick,
Thanks for the invite.  I'll try to make it to Vickeries on the 9th.  Maybe Rick's disease will spread and I want have to wait much longer for an LE Utah tag!  

[Steve O]

Rick,

I am not trashing you here, but aren't Colorado elk tags $500?  The good units out there are draw as well and need double digit points...

All you guys looking at this, just remember unlimited tags means lots of people...probably NOT the elk hunt you are dreaming about.  Lots of "residents" are putting in for those limited entry units out there and they are going to hunt elk one way or the other.

I've got 9 points right now for Utah elk and am really starting to look seriously into it...I should draw in the next year or two  

[mikecc]

Good to see you go Rick, less competition. I was born and raised here but have never hunted the high Uintas. Me and a friend got some details on a decent area and are planning on hunting up there this year. From talking to other bowhunters the open bull OTC units are mostly a joke. Most guys that are successful up there spent 4-5 seasons figuring it out. I know that some areas are pounded pretty hard. On the downside the area is also very popular with boy scouts and backpackers at the same time of year as the bow hunt and this year I believe the hunt got moved forward one week, so now it's entirely out of the rut. I plan on taking my fishing gear along and if the hunting is slow I'll fish. I've hunted the spike and cow units for the last 4 years and am tired of that so I'm up for a change even if it doesn't pan out.

[Firstarrow]

IMO where Utah has the most to make up is in the non-resident youth hunting rates and in their wait for the LE hunts. In Idaho for example, an adult can buy their tags for the over the counter non-resident price, and their kids can buy their tags for the same price as a resident youth.

Utah could take a major step in that direction!

I won't even try to tackle the wait for LE hunts on this thread!

[San Juan Slim]

Originally posted by Steve O:
Rick,

I am not trashing you here, but aren't Colorado elk tags $500?  The good units out there are draw as well and need double digit points...

I don't know what Rick is referring to with Utah, but where else can you hunt elk as a non-resident for much less than $500, including all the tags and licenses and stamps required?  How much is a N/R whitetail license and all the required stamps and licenses in Georgia?

Mike

[Rick McGowan]

I don't mind paying for tags and lots of other hunt expenses. I will do that in other states, the ones that didn't sit down and work out a plan on how to best scam more money from nr's.

[Rick McGowan]

Mike, Utah raised the application fees for nr's 1500% this year by forcing them to buy a licence BEFORE applying that most will never get to use.
A nonresident can buy an over the counter hunting license for whitetail in Georgia for  $135, that includes TWELVE deer, ONE bear, THREE turkeys and UNLIMITED hogs, you can also apply for an alligator tag for FREE and if drawn a nr pays exactly the same $50 as a resident. We actually like are fellow Americans here in GA and we don't tell them to send their dollars, but don't come here.

[slick]

Some good points made but my experience has always be positive. The Unitas are a huge area with most of it designated wilderness, this can really cut down on the crowds. Areas and roads leading up to the wilderness line get a fair amount of traffic but once you get into the wilderness and off the main trails you have the woods to your self, especially during the later part of the archery season. I've hunted both the wilderness and the foothills 7-8 times total and seen bulls every time. On the wilderness hunts, (3-5 miles in) I see an average of 5-10 people the whole week and these are all on the main trails never where I'm hunting. Two years ago we scouted the last week of archery in preparation for the youth hunt and had the trail head pretty much to our selves. Thanks to an early storm we cut tracks on an area below the wilderness with good roads and killed a nice 5x5 on the opener of the youth hunt. This was 5 miles below the trailhead a couple days after the end of archery. For those that can't hike the steep, there are areas with good access. The elk can be scattered from 6000 to 10,000 they are were you find them.

Again don't get me wrong, this is not a TV hunt. You have to work hard to MAYBE get that one shot. I'd rather chase mature bulls with the option of killing a cow than spike hunt. This hunt is acutally a great test of persistance and skills, especially with a stick.

I'll be happy to pass along any of my knowledge just drop me a line.