Wake up and smell the DUTTON coffee

H

Hooner

Guest
I usually don't post but I can't believe how excited you all are about the Dutton. I know that Mountain better than most and you guys. You are all in for a real treat. All I read on the threads is how excited everyone is about hunting the Dutton this year. Do you realize that the quality is down considerably?
If you check the tag allotment you will realize they have nearly doubled the tags from two years ago. You muzzleloader hunters will have 50+ tag holders on the mountain. Plus all the help that they bring. Good luck to you archery hunters. Not only did they move the hunt up 5 days so it will be even warmer and the elk will be moving less they increased your tags. Also have fun with 70+ archery tag holders on the mountain. Rifle hunters all I can say is good luck. You think you have it made talk with some of the hunters from last year. There were some guys that hunted hard and came home with a 310 inch bull. The bowhunters and there friends will have things so scrambled up by the time your hunt starts.
Oh yea I forgot to mention the spike hunters that will be on the mountain during all of your hunts. That should be a lot of fun. They will be stalking in on the same heard that your 350 bull of a life time is in. Better get in good shape so you can win the foot race. You don't want to waste the 9+ points it took to draw the unit.
As always you can count on the sheepherder to really screw some of you up. Nothing like having a 1000 head of sheep being moved into the canyon you spent two weekends scouting.
Sorry to be so bitter I just hate what is happening to the elk units. You wait 10 years for a back country hunt of a lifetime you deserve a little better than what is available on the Dutton right now. It is to bad that one of the funnest units in the state isn't being managed better.If I had a tag I definitely would not be afraid to turn it back in before the hunt starts. Good Luck to everyone.
 
A couple of clarifications for you hooner.
1)They are issuing 44 LE archery tags plus ONE conservation tag on Dutton in 2009, not even close to the "70+" you assert.
2)I moved the opener of the archery elk hunt, but it had NO effect on when it ends. It just allows those with LE tags to hunt the last 5 days w/o spike hunters being out chasing the elk around.

Other than that, please keep telling people how horrible the Dutton is. I agree, it is barely better than Diamond Mountain.

PRO

www.oddiction.com
 
What is wrong with working your butt off for a 310" bull - an opportunity several people will never have in thier life. If the hunters that worked so hard for a scrawny little 6 point aren't happy with it they shouldn't have pulled the trigger.

I've been with friends that have killed everything from rags to a 390 bull, I'm glad all of us are under achievers & can be happy with the experience.
 
Hang on boys, let me get my popcorn!!!!!! ;-)









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ok, now that I've picked myself up off the floor from laughing I think im ready to reply. let me restate what I always say. I've hunted elk in nm for the last umpteen years. I never and let me repeat NEVER hunt a unit the size of the Dutton with less than 400 hunters on the same hunt. Cow allotments are way higher than anything in Utah. despite all this I find and pass multiple 330 n 340 bulls diy public land nearly every year. for me 56 duttons is nothing. I will send u a pic when Im done. then I will gladly drive up there n teach u how to hunt. seriously, I know several guys in my local mountains that swear my local unit has hardly any 350 bulls. It appears u r another of these uncoordinated bafoons! want an elk lesson or 2? rofl!



He who stomps the greatest stinky wins!
 
The one thing for sure is that if Stinky walks off of the mountain with anything less than a 400" bull we're all gonna be a bit bummed and shocked.

If anyone can do it, team Stinky can.

I have a feeling it's going to be a loooonnnngggg summer. Especially for the lucky tag holders. The anticipation is already killing me. September can't get here fast enough!

Lots of guys have the bar set pretty high this year and we'll just have to see how it all shakes out...

Good luck to everyone with tags.
 
Hey Hooner,
Is the sky really falling?

If you go into any hunt with your attitude, what is the point of even going?

Best of luck making any hunt a success.
 
Glad to see that there are some guys out there that will take shots at me from there computers without even having a clue as to who they are talking about. At the end of the day it is your hunt and if you are coming from MN you either are really lucky, spent some cash or you used a lot of points to draw the tag. I could sit here and compare credentials and I can guarantee that you will need to be on top of your game to keep up.
Unfortunately no mater what you say the point is still the same. The Dutton was an insane unit from 01-07 but as of late everything has been down hill. May want to look into those years. I believe that the DWR implemented the late season tag around the time the Dutton started to slide.
I am from Utah and the Dutton is my favorite unit. However that is not where I put in for this year due to the quality. If you want to shoot a 310 bull and hunt your butt off go to Colorado you can buy the tag over the counter, you don't have to use any points. You can hunt the mountain by yourself and it is affordable. As for me I don't see wasting my points, time, and resources on a 310 Utah bull. Just how I see it.
393, 397, 375, 372. These are the scores of Bulls that I have been a part of the last three years. These are all DIY bulls with friends and family. So obviously it can be done. However, I am really looking forward to the end of September when I can see our post. Hopefully you are not singing a different tune and you are still excited. Of course that is what I saw happen on this forum last year so I don't know why things would change. But, hey you could always post I had a good time with friends even though I didn't kill.
In the end I am all for the challenge and I actually live for it. No matter what you say or do you Dutton tag holders have the chips stacked against you so you better start bucking.
 
Prism: whoa there little buddy! Let me just clarify something here. What I paid for the dutton tag is a small fortune, for me anyways. I won't even go into detail the things I sold to get the money. Lets just say my gun collection is a little shabby, and I no longer have a quad. That being said, I want a hunt experience. I know how hard it is to find a 400 bull and hope i might get one. However, my expectations are very real. I know I may very well come home with nothing! I've set my sights on a true monarch and am quite ready to go 400 or bust! Will I pass a 380 if I see it? Oh yeah, i bought the farm with this tag and its a double or nothin bet. Let me just say one final thought. I've talked with tons of outfitters, all of which say a 400 is not too unreal, but PRO just seemed different. I think he knows his dutton like I know my gila! Time will tell! Now come on September!





He who stomps the greatest stinky wins!
 
As I sit back and read this post, why the hard feelings? I am jealous that I don't have the money to buy the permit. Once again an unsuccessful for me but it is not the end of the world. I hope everyone that drew this year has a great hunt. Are the odds getting harder to kill a 400+ bull, I believe they are but I am not going to argue about whether a unit is good or bad or if you are a good or bad hunter. I could care less about anyones credentials. I hunt with the same group of guys and I am sure you do as well. Enjoy the hunt. Hooner, you don't want that unit, then fine. Go where you want to go. I don't send in for that unit either but would love to have the tag. Good luck to all and hopefully some of us that did not draw in Utah will draw elsewhere.
 
I just sold my dutton voucher for $10 maybe theres a bull in arizona. Here's to next year!





He who stomps the greatest stinky wins!
 
Stinky,

I'm sure you'll have the hunt of several lifetimes.

Our expectations are high for you.

If I had the money to buy a tag I'd be right there on the same mountain, but during a different season.

Only four short months to go. Best of luck!
 
One thing that has always peaked my interest as I applied for tags was the fact that Utah's "best" unit changed almost yearly. It was Pahvant, then San Juan, then Beaver, then Pahvant, then Dutton, then Boulder or something like that. I would not worry that 310 was a top end bull in 08 stinky. I would worry about what a top end bull looks like in 09.

You will have to hunt and get a little lucky to kill a 400. Isnt that the way it should be?
 
Well said Ty.

Garfield County is hard to beat when it comes to big bull genetics.

Most of the state seemed to peak around 2006, including (and especially) Dutton.

I spent around 30 days on Dutton last year and never saw a 400" bull. I saw a small handful of legit 350-380 bulls.

I think the Beaver and Boulder are both more likely to punch out a few 400inchers in '09. There's always the hope that one of them will end up on Dutton at some point.

The Wasatch may be the sleeper in '09 ;-)
 
>Only four short months to go.
>Best of luck!


four [font size="22"]SHORT[/font] months?

what have you been smokin prism?










He who stomps the greatest stinky wins!
 
four LLLLLOOOOONNNNNGGGGG!!!!! months? Is that better stinky?;)

I will do my best to help time pass?;)
 
btw Prism, I hate to make you blush, but your bull was in the top two I saw dead last year and it was no slouch by a long shot. It was a helluva a lot closer to 400 than 310!
 
One more thing, regardless whether someone buys a tag or draws a tag, I hope they have a good hunt on Dutton. The one problem I see with this unit is people get a bit surprised when they start hunting it due to the rough terrain and lack of access. People think I am discouraging them when I say it, but I am just being honest. Have a horse/mule or be in great shape. Otherwise this hunt wont be fun. JMO.
 
I'd be happy with any decent bull as I've never shot anything close to what I'll hopefully be seeing in Utah! And I am coming from Minnesota! :)) I'm not hunting Dutton but good luck to all of those who are hunting it as I'm sure it will be a treat.

I've got a tough tag in the Archery Wasatch but I've been on cloud 9 ever since I saw that CC hit. My preparation started in March and I've been working out and climbing hills ever since. I'm going to enjoy every sweat filled workout this summer and countless hours shooting 3d and targets along with gathering information, scouring my topo software and marking waypoints, and creating the maps that I'll take along. Then when I jump in my truck to head west, I'll enjoy every mile along the way as well as the people I meet, the anticipation of seeing those mountains off in the distance, and in all of the wildlife that I see in my journey thru the mountains. After doing all of that and giving it all that I have in me, I certainly won't be disappointed in any bull I can harvest with my bow for that will be the bonus.

No offense meant towards anyone on this post. Just giving it my own perspective...
 
WELL!!!

I'VE SEEN A FEW 400" (DAMN FEW BUT A FEW!!!))) BULLS IN MY DAY ON LE UNITS!!!

IT'S A TOUGH CALL!!!

BUT I'M AFFRAID IF A 380" BULL GAVE ME THE CHANCE HE MIGHT BE IN TROUBLE!!!

IT'S KIND OF A DAMNED IF YOU DON'T & DAMNED IF YOU DO TYPE A DEAL!!!

THESE FUTURE PISSCUTTER HUNTS IN LE UNITS HAVE GOT ME WORRIED!!!

I'LL QUIT DREAMING NOW!!!

GOOD LUCK TO ALL!!!







"I'M NOT COMPLAINING,I'M TELLING IT THE WAY IT IS,SOME OF YOU MAY NOT LIKE IT,THATS O.K.,SOMETIMES THE TRUTH HURTS & YOU HAVE TO ACCEPT IT,OR YOU FIND OUT WHAT THE FACTS ARE,STAND UP & VOICE YOUR OWN OPINION,THIS IS STILL AMERICA THE LAST TIME I CHECKED"!!!

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REMEMBER!!!

THERE'S ONLY ONE bobcat!!!
 
Well one things for damn sure.......
If the Dutton wasn't in the spotlight before, it sure as hell is now!









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Bess,

Your day will come, and I hope it comes sooner than later!

I think passing up a 380 bull would be CRAZY on any unit in Utah in '09 unless a guy KNEW for sure that there was a bigger bull out there and he was pretty sure he could kill him.

Utah definitely has the capability of producing the number of BIG bulls it did a few years ago (we could reach another peak), but with the current permit numbers it isn't likely to happen.

It's a combination of permit increases and the late hunts. The late hunts are a lot harder on the upper-end bulls than some people realize.

JMO
 
Hey stinky, if your the authority on elk, and hunting hard...Why you hiring a guide??? Shouldn't you be able to hike to the highest point on Dutton and set up your cannon and pick off the biggest baddest bull on the hill?
 
Prism, slammy said my post seemed a little harsh earlier so let me try to restate. What I meant was that its ok for me to talk about killing 400 bulls but when I hear someone else say I'm gonna kill a 400 bull it gives me a queezey stomache which is why I said I'm planin on killin nothin which is the truth. However if I talk a big talk when I'm near my lucky charm items good things happen. It's kinda like giving a blood hound scent to follow, and my lucky charm has a lot of 400 bull charm thrown at it. I have a camo shirt that says you cant see me on it and I've had it for 8 years now. It has the blood of every bull I've killed on it as well as several sheep deer, and the sweat i gave up at the gym on days I made personal bests on the bench press and squats. Suffice it to say it has a lot of good luck in it! combine that with my mountain dew boxers and I can say whatever i want and not worry about a jinx




He who stomps the greatest stinky wins!
 
Anyone makes you a promise of a 400 point bull is full of BS.Unless you take the team and have a guide on every point. In that case it is a manhunt not an elk hunt.
 
I've never been promised a 400 bull by anyone. EVER! I hired the best people for the area. Why did I hire a guide? I have no doubts I could diy a 370+ bull but I coulda bought a nm uw tag and did that here for 80% less, which I have done b4. I believe if I want any shot at a 400 I need to go to a unit where they live and have people that can find them. why pro? cuz gooch's mossback n several others have return clients. what if I was hunting with someone that was gonna bring in the higher payin rich guy to shoot the bull my guides found? Lets just say the big guys told me 410+ bulls always go to the skoronskis n such first cuz they r the ones footing most of the bill. I just wanna know Im hunting a 400 bull and may have a chance at one. I honestly don't feel as if I even have a chance at them in nm anymore. I feel pro is my best shot. I don't know the area well enough to diy a 400 and I would be dumb to expect that type of bull walking blindly into a unit. Prism, could u send kyc a pic of ur bull so he can email it to me?




He who stomps the greatest stinky wins!
 
Stinky,

I can almost smell your lucky charm through the monitor! No wonder they call you Stinkystomper!:) I'm sure a bull you'd find worthy of taking back to New Mexico will call Dutton home at some point this year. With a little luck and a lot of stink your paths may cross come September.

I'm signing off any Dutton posts for awhile. That dang mountain casts a spell on all who tread on her and it's time for me to give her a break.

Good luck Dutton hunters-you're in for a wild ride!
 
Let me clarify something.....I have washed "said shirt" and it doesnt stink. :)




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HEY CUTEY PIE???

HOW RANK WAS THE STANK???

I'M GUARANTEEING YOU ONE THING!!!

THE SMELL IT WILL COME BACK WITH OFF THE DUTTON AIN'T GONNA BE WORTH A SECOND WIFF,ONE SNIFF FROM 500 YARDS AWAY IS GONNA BE A SMELL I'M NOT SURE ANYBODY CAN TAKE,LOL!!!

MAKE SURE & SEND THE BOY BAND SHIRT FOR A SPARE,LMAO!!!





"I'M NOT COMPLAINING,I'M TELLING IT THE WAY IT IS,SOME OF YOU MAY NOT LIKE IT,THATS O.K.,SOMETIMES THE TRUTH HURTS & YOU HAVE TO ACCEPT IT,OR YOU FIND OUT WHAT THE FACTS ARE,STAND UP & VOICE YOUR OWN OPINION,THIS IS STILL AMERICA THE LAST TIME I CHECKED"!!!

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REMEMBER!!!

THERE'S ONLY ONE bobcat!!!
 
I've been biting my tongue not to get involved in this post but can't stand it any longer! If what I saw last year is any reflection of what is to come on the Dutton...it aint looking pretty! There may be a couple whopper bulls still left, but a fraction of upper tier bulls that were available 2+ years ago. It was a zoo last year and I can't imagine having more hunters...spotters, and spike hunters on that hill! Believe me, it is one unit in Utah that can't handle that kind of pressure!
 
I agree this year is going to be tough on Dutton to score on a 380"+ bull. If you believe all the hype you would think there is a 350" bull around every tree. My observation is that Dutton is in decline for those lunker bulls. I had the AR301 Tag when it was offered a few years ago and had an awesome hunt(once you got away from the other 300 archers on the mountain) We saw no less than 40 mature bulls every day and a number would break the 350" mark I got phemonia and damn near died on the mountain because I wouldn't leave. I Drew in 2006 for the late hunt and had a great hunt but worked hard to find a quality bull. We horse backed in and saw very little pressure from other hunters. We saw no shortage of bulls but very few that even came close to the 350" mark let alone the 400" mark. Most bulls were broken up as well. We saw two bulls that aproached the 360" to 370" range havested both with guides. Last year a good friend drew archery and we spent countless days scouting and the entire hunt on the mountain and it sucked! He had opportuntiy to havest lesser bulls but I think he unrealistic expectations and ended up skunked (Ouch!)The bulls were nocturnal and the weather was hot. In all that time we saw one bull that would be a legit 390" bull. and a majority that we glassed maybe in the 330" range. The hunt quailty I experienced on the AR301 compared to last year are night and day different. Anyway Dutton is one of the most difficult mountains in Utah to Hunt limited access steep and rugged and given the chance I would hunt there again tomorrow.... and why someone that works is but off will find one of those 400" bulls in one of those god forsaken holes thy hide in.. Good Luck you lucky dogs with tags.. You will either leave loving that mountain or swear you will never hunt it again...
 
See, you said you saw one 390 bull. Thats all stinky needs. rofl!

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I think that the real question is what age class are true elk hunters going to accept. Of course the DWR is going to keep increasing the tags because we as sportsman let them change the age class of all the units in Utah. Elk hunters in utah will keep losing quailty until this is changed back or we will have to settle for littler bulls. Do you know what a 4 to 5 year bull elk is?????? I went to my local rack showed the numbers and showed according to the odds that most elk hunters want a quality mature bull! But it didn't make a difference, we need a stonger voice! In my opinion let the Bulls Grow UP Mature to what they are capable of and havest. Respect the animal.

I think that is the moral of this thread like it or not.
 
Elk Hunter 386: Is there any way that i could get you to send me those numbers. I would like to have them. I don't really know how to use the PM message capability but maybe you could get them to me that way. Thanks agree with you a hundred percent.
 
LAST EDITED ON May-07-09 AT 04:51PM (MST)[p]386, one problem with your stance, every LE unit is at/over age objectives for harvested animals. Some are way over. Another problem is this only tells us what is killed on a given unit, not what is alive on the unit. I live right in the middle of the Oquirrh unit which has the SAME harvest age average as the Dutton, there is not a hunter on the planet that thinks the bulls are of the same caliber on the two units. Harvest age averages mean very little, and we sure do NOT need higher harvest age objectives. You want quality to be maintained, get the STUPID spike hunts done away with, move the rifle hunt to mid October, and close down half the atv trails on every unit. Bull:cow ratios are already way above 'normal', an increase in harvest age objectives will make the herds extremely unbalanced and begging for a disaster to happen.

PRO

www.oddiction.com
 
Thats exactly what needs to happen. Arizona manages for bull to cow ratios, nothing to do with age class. And look at some of the bulls they kill. And they issue a helluva lot more tags per unit that UT.
 
Ok your argument is Bull to cow ratio, which I totaly agree. In fact the unit I hunted last year had too many bulls, and not nearly enough cows. First how many units are under objective in elk numbers? I still think that the objective is still do harvest a bull in his prime. I personally think that you can do both, and killing the spikes each year will limit how many bulls each year make it, thus setting a better cow to bull ratio. If we use big bull tags to limit bull to cow ratios, bulls wont grow up becase all hunters will shoot the biggest bull possible. Now your back to less than 5% of mature bulls on a unit.

It is nice that some elk units are so thick that they will always hold big bulls. Thank God for nature.

As far as Arizona, what was is the average bull taken? It is like the Manti Unit, yes it has a lot of bulls on the Unit and maybe 5% of the tag holder will kill mature bulls but what does that leave the 95%? 4 years ago the average heard bull was 320, now you have 280 and under bulls taking the heard.

You will also always hear like the Monroe, look at the bull they killed last year. But what did the majority of hunters take or even have an opporunity to take? You are taking 14,15 years to draw It should result in an oppurinity to kill a mature bull, if you want to shoot a 4 year old put in for a unit you can draw in 5 years.

Elk hunter that have been in the system, has seen Utah grow to one of the best if not the best states to hunt elk. Also those that have hunted since the start has to agree that Utah is on the slide.

If you want I will find the numbers that I took to the rack and email them to you. Also just so you know in that very meeting Jim stated that he didn't care if spikes bread the cows as long as they are getting bread. I would hope that all the money, time, and support he gets from sportsman would mean more than that!
 
You maintain age class by limiting what weapons you can use during the most vulnerable time to hunt elk. Which is the rut. Utah early rifle hunts run 95 percent success in under 3 days of hunting. Thats your problem for maintaining age. Move the rifle out of the rut. Increase archery and muzz tags. Put rifle in mid October. And WHAM you have more opportunity and still maintain quality.

If the average bull is 320, then you and I both know that there are going to be more mature bulls, even 400 inch bulls. You just have to realize your not going to have your 95 percent success rate. If you are looking for a hunt that you can maintain a 95 percent success rate and smoke a 380 bull for everyone that draws, then you have what we have now. Thousands of people waiting to draw a tag. We cant have our pie and eat it to.

I say rotate 2-3 units each year that you allow people to hunt with a rifle in the rut. Let those that want to put in for that forever fight over those tags. And issue only archery and muzz tags for hunts during the rut. You will maintain the age class and increase opportunity. IMO
 
Pro and Coyote_chaser are right on the money.
The problem is the Rack and the state of Utah always seem to favor the rifle hunters, people will always complain that us archery guys get a run of the state with so much time to kill an animal, but the fact of the matter is, if the archery LE Bull hunters dates went from where they are now to Sept15th-23rd thats pretty much all the time the LE Archery guys need to have a FUN time hunting with bows, the DWR gets rid of the Spike hunt and sticks the LE Rifle hunt where the Spike hunt is now, the rifle hunters will still tag out in 3days cause most of the cows have hit there second cycle and the bulls are going nuts again!
This half baked age class idea from the DWR, if left alone will be the begining to the end of the Hay Days of Elk hunting we are in right now! (Other than no one can draw a tag BTW)

On a side note: If everyone seems to want to hunt spikes in Utah so bad, Why not move it into November? Possibly around where the Late LE hunt is now? Just a thought
 
IMO is to give more archery tags than muzzy todays muzzy gun are very good out to 150 yards youre going to run more guys through the drawing process faster, and are you really going to see you're objective met. its pretty tough were the dates are set right now on archery to have a high harvest rate.
 
I think that there is a comprimise. The fact of the matter is everyone want to hunt during the rut. That is what elk hunting is all about getting in close and experiencing the chiling feeling of a rutting bull elk.

Archery hunters are screwed, they only get 1 weeek of early rut.
I don't know the perfect allocation of rut days, but depending on your favorite weapon will probably be your argument. We should give a few more day to archery.

I still think this thread is about what will that archery, muzzleloader, or rifle hunter have an chance to harvest a 4 to 5 year old dink or a mature bull of a lifetime.

I dont have all the answers by any means, but I wish we as hunters would start to stand up for our elk instead of treating them like a unlimited resource. Still the fact of the matter is elk numbers in gerneral are under objective, and the quality of the bulls our going down.

I still belive if you don't care how big a bull is why not put in for a unit that you will draw in 5 years instead of the units that you need max points. The numbers don't lie, hunters put in for those units so they can shoot a big bull, and now instead of keeping our standards on those units the trend is to bring all units down in age and issue more opportunity. We are cutting our own throat, in 5 years how long will it take us to rebuild it to where it was a year ago?
 
Another problem with managing for age class objectives is an 8 year old bull killed on Fishlake could have a 340 class rack whilst a 6 year old bull killed on the pavahant has a 370 rack. Bottom line; many hunters who stand in line for 10-15 years are hunting for a big high scoring rack not a certain age class bull.
 
I believe most units are at/over population objectives year in and year out, that is why cow tags are issued. I also believe 'quality' is just fine, and that we have a warped sense of what it could/should be from 1-2 amazing years. Expecting/demanding a dozen plus 400 inch bulls to be harvested every year is not realistic. Quality/quantity will always ebb and flow, it is NATURAL. But, when bull:cow ratios get way out of whack both quality/quantity are at major risk of crashing. I also see nothing wrong with 'only' 5% of the hunters killing the upper crust bulls, a higher percentage would mean the challenge isn't getting a monster bull, but in getting a tag for a prime LE unit. I want it to remain a HUNT. I drew a GREAT LE tag in 2008, and I hunted my butt off and came home with tag soup and not one complaint about the quality/quantity I saw during my archery hunt. I was able to HUNT monster bulls, how can one complain to loudly about that?

PRO

www.oddiction.com
 
Part of the problem is almost everyones solutions are at least partially framed by their own situation. If you have max or near max pts you have invested a lot of time in the system and feel you deserve a great hunt for your wait. If you have very few pts the chance to hunt and have any possibility at a good bull is appealing versus waiting another 15 years. If you are good hunter in good shape closing roads, taking the hunts out of peak rut, etc are appealing because you will still have a good chance to maximize your hunt do to superior conditioning, skills, etc. The entire question boils down to opportunity versus quality. I would like to see shorter seasons, rifle hunts out of the rut, muzzleloader hunts just barely touching the rut on either side, more ATV restrictions etc, but that is because that would benefit me! I just want the chance to hunt and I will take my chances on getting a crack at a big bull! However the State makes a lot of money on all the additional tags they sell to the highest bidders and the tougher you make those seasons the less money they sell for! Guys are not paying the big bucks for a chance even though they talk that talk. They have guides telling them you could have a chance at a 400 but you will see several 360 a few 380 etc. That is not the same as saying you have slight chance at a 400 but you might not even see a 350. The tag prices other than the governor tag would fall even more than they already have and in the current economy money rules. Budget shortfalls are everywhere so I think whatever decisions are made will reflect that.
 
LAST EDITED ON May-08-09 AT 12:40PM (MST)[p]lololololololol wow what a post! I just want all of you to know I have been a part of hunts killing bulls scoring 400,399,398,397,396,395,394,393,392,391,390,389,388,387,386,385,384,383,382,381,380 and about a million 370 bulls. Having said that they were all killed on the dutton so i know for a fact that there are no more bulls over 299 on there!! WHO THE HELL DOES THIS GUY THINK HE IS? lolololol wow
p.s BY the way pal last year was a horrible hunting year state wide not just the dutton. Full moon and hot weather kept everything in the timber. so dont go telling everyone there are no big bulls left.
 
Great new ideas. This is thinking outside the box.

What have we learned?
1. Dutton sucks
2. The rifle hunt in September sucks
3. 380-400 bulls suck
4. Rifle hunters suck
5. Utah sucks

Did I miss anything?;-)
 
I hate to tell you but they are not at objective, I asked why they keep giving so many cow tags and all they would tell me is so they didn't go over. That is odd since they haven't in the last 5 years been at objective.

Now that may not be the case in EVERY unit but the majority!
 
LAST EDITED ON May-08-09 AT 05:09PM (MST)[p]>6. Guides suck
>7. Pisscutters suck
>8. Guys who hunt on horses
>suck :p
>
>PRO
>
>www.oddiction.com

Hey Ty-
When you done over on the west side chasing those bearded little white goats, you can bring them ponies over to get stinkies bull out, pro can pack his share of it out on his back ;-)
ROFL!!
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I will come and get you and stinky to ride out and drink beer while we watch pro carry it out?

Hunt smarter not harder, ride a horse.
 
>9. Bows suck
>
>Hunt smarter, not harder, shoot a
>rifle and hunt the rut.;-)
>

I'm getting popcorn out for this one....
Signed,
Not one of the smarter ones who does EVERYTHING the hard way.
 
LCE,

Oh, you wont need any popcorn. These guys around here know I like trading jabs with the stick flippers. They whine and I give 'em chit!;-) (you may need popcorn for that comment?);-)
 
Just don't get no chit in my corn. Kinda buggers up the taste. And us stick guys just like to whine a bit, get you to underestimate us, and then go out and make you rocketlauncher types look like posers once all the chits have been laid for the season. But ANY of it beats wearing a chicken suit for PETA....:D
 
All you cry babies that are complaining about the DWR ruining a unit like the Dutton....."too many tags"......."too many hunters"...."spike hunters suck"....... ALL I have to say is welcom to my world. The Wasatch has been dealing with this chit since the damn draws started. The unit is definately not what it used to be as far as size is concerned. The numbers are there but the size has gone down 20-30 inches on the average. I hunted the Dutton years ago and you boys can have that blood suckin, sweat sucking piece of dirt you call a mountain!!!}>;-)


It's always an adventure!!!
www.awholelottabull.com
 
Blood Sucking, sweat sucking peice of mountain? Hey man I have hunted deer on you the unit you hunt that would qualify for that, but at least on your unit you can get away from the Death hikes, unlike the Dutton....LOL
 
Ya should be interesting this year, feed looks good so far, I think this spring/later winter storms helped alot on new grasses.
Best of Luck to you guys too... Got to love our Utah Elk Hunting!
 
>I believe most units are at/over
>population objectives year in and
>year out, that is why
>cow tags are issued. I
>also believe 'quality' is just
>fine, and that we have
>a warped sense of what
>it could/should be from 1-2
>amazing years. Expecting/demanding a dozen
>plus 400 inch bulls to
>be harvested every year is
>not realistic. Quality/quantity will always
>ebb and flow, it is
>NATURAL.

>PRO

Pro,
I don't think that enyone is demanding a 400 inch bull. But we all want a chance at a 400 inch bull. I have not talked to a single perosn that has said i want to put in for the Boulder/San Juan/ Dutton/ Beaver,etc so that I can kill a 320-340 bull. It is the allure of the 380-400 inch bulls that people wait long periods of time to put in for such a unit.
I will agree that it may be the expectation. That is because Utah has the ability to grow such caliber of bulls and has been doing so for the last 10+ years. I think that Utah has the perfect habitat recipe for large bulls and that the people that have waited for 10+ years should not get shorted now. I fell like saying that we should not hope for large bulls in Utah is like saying a guy should not hope for a 200 inch deer in Colorado.
Also, per my postd above. I think that some of you have the wrong idea of what I am talking about. I am just saying that if I waited as long as some people have to draw the Dutton LE tag and the DWR threw a curve at me the year that I drew I would be pissed. I am not saying that there are not big bulls on the unit. I am saying that the hunt just became a lot more difficult this year. I am not saying that if you have a tag that you should turn it back in but if I did have a tag the thought of turning the tag back in would be in the back of my mind.
I do hope that I am wrong and that everyone has a great hunt and kills a dream bull. But only time will tell.
 

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