East Canyon question

huntFX4 · Jul 13, 2012

I see that DWR has decided that they want as many cow elk killed in East Canyon as possible last year and this year. What is the deal with that? I've not been up there in 3 years. Are the populations that hight?

I ask because i hunted cow elk up there a few years ago and the hunt was not easy due to sparsity of the herds.

My 14 y/o drew the Davis N. SLC cow tag this year. Anyone that can tell me what the populations are like this year?
thanks
HUNTFX4

BUL_KRZY · Jul 14, 2012

LAST EDITED ON Jul-14-12 AT 03:11PM (MST)[p]Pretty sure the tags on that unit are likely based on success rate relative to harvest objective vs. anything else. That unit is not the easiest to kill a cow in for most hunters. You can see em every day if it snows good, but you can't kill em everyday.

VTelkchaser · Jul 14, 2012

LAST EDITED ON Jul-14-12 AT 04:52PM (MST)[p]We talked to one of the game wardens up there last year. Asked him why in the world would they give out so many tags? His response was a little disturbing. He said the richie, riches over in Emigration canyon are sick of all the elk in their back yards eating their vegetation. Therefore they are trying to, and I quote, "decimate" the elk herd in that area! It honestly made me sick to my stomach. The warden was a nice enough guy and wasn't in any way trying to be a d!ck. He was just telling it like it was. How screwed up is that? Anyone who has hunted East Canyon prior to last year and then witnessed the hoards of people running around up their last year has to be extremely disappointed. It went from being a close place for a tough hunt with very few people to a three ring circus. The elk were harassed non stop. Every time an elk would peak its head over from the private there would be a mob of orange chasing it.

The Emigration folks cried and moaned and finally got hunting shut down in the canyon and now are upset that the elk have moved into their back yard! What the hell did they think was going to happen? Any given day you could glass a couple hundred elk in Emigration where they new they wouldn't be harassed. Once the idiots figure out that it doesn't matter how many tags they give for what little public land there is up there to hunt the elk will still thrive in their back yards, they will then partition the DWR to relocate or poison them! watch!

Foxskinner · Jul 14, 2012

I agree with what has been said. I think that the residents have had a big say in what goes on. I have hunted that unit the last two years with a late season cow tag. The first year I got a cow relatively easy with the snow. I saw many cows and waited to get one near a road. I also think a lot of others killed too cause last year was super tough just to see cows. We had to quarter the cow out cause it was so far in. I think the elk have been super harassed the last two years and it is by no means is an easy hunt now. You can still get one though if you want it bad enough. Just my two cents.

huntFX4 · Jul 14, 2012

Thanks for the info. I was thinking along the lines that the DWR might be trying to wipe them out. I killed a cow up there the one year that I drew in 2008. Not an easy hunt, but I was successful by going in away from everyone.

Anyone have any ideas of the private land owners allowing people in on their land if the elk are there and they are asked?

Finn · Jul 15, 2012

LAST EDITED ON Jul-15-12 AT 08:48AM (MST)[p]Mrs. Gallegos and the Emigration Homeowners deserve a fair shake, here. Mrs. Gallegos approached the Central RAC with a very simple, reasonable request: Inform hunters that they are shooting over homes and even hitting homes, (saw the bullet holes myself) and make them aware of development in the area. They never asked for any hunting ban. Since I'm pretty sure that people's right to be safe in their own homes trumps our hunting privileges, it pissed me off when the RAC stonewalled her with "That really isn't our responsibility."

Mrs. Gallegos then took her case to the Wildlife Board and without a thought, they banned hunting from the freeway to City Creek. Then they thought about it, some other voices weighed in, the WB figured out it wasn't as simple as that and the closed area was consequently reduced to it's current boundaries which really does little more than affirm the proximity law.

Just because somebody works for the DWR doesn't mean they're any kind of authority on wildlife management. I can't refute what a "game warden" reportedly said, but I know for a fact that there's no conspiracy afoot to decimate elk. Cow permits were issued to bring the population down to objective. (Yes, landowners have a voice in setting unit objectives, but nobody that I know of has ever called for an objective of "0".) Lack of snow made last year's harvest much lower than needed, so this year's harvest has to be even higher to catch up on the surplus. It's that simple.

dmoney801 · Jul 15, 2012

My group killed three cows up there last year. But u got to get away from all the other hunters up there. We killed are like 3 miles in an had to pack them out .

VTelkchaser · Jul 15, 2012

Finn,

Thank you for the well written response. While I completely agree that shooting over or into someone's house is completely wrong and those who do so should be punished to the full extent of the law. It seems we are punishing the mass's for a few bad eggs. Further more, chances are great that the stray round did not come from within the No hunting zone. I should probably be careful saying that as we will surely be losing more hunting land once the richie riches figure out the maximum range of a high powered rifle.

Now I have searched for this "proximity" law you referred to? The only thing I could find as law is the following:

http://le.utah.gov/~code/TITLE76/htm/76_10_050800.htm

this LAW states you can not discharge a weapon within 600 feet of a dwelling. There is a TON of public property in the "NO HUNTING" zone that is well outside of 600 feet from a dwelling. I would guess more than 3/4 of the land in the No hunting zone is not within 600 feet of a dwelling.

I know it will never happen but it sure would be nice if some law maker would have the common sense to say if your are going to build your 1/2 million dollar home in prime, public hunting land then expect hunters to be in the area!

While I would agree that the lack of snow last year made it a tougher hunt than usual. It has nothing to do with the fact there were 5 times as many hunters afield in a very small unit. Anyone who spent time up there last winter could not help but be saddened by the shear mass of hunters trying to occupy a very limited area. I in no way shape or form blame the hunters, they all had tags!

I have no reason to make up a story about what the game warden said. There were three of us standing there with the man so I have two others that will confirm his comments. So weather its the DWR or a group of people pushing the DWR I truly believe they are trying to decimate the East Canyon herd. The amount of tags being issued for this area should be proof enough of their intent.

I have hunted this unit for the past 8 years and hunted over 20 days last year. We hunt in areas where we typically see very few if any other hunters, that all changed last year. I did take a cow in the last day of the hunt so this isn't me just bo@bing cause I didn't get an elk.

One good snow year with the amount of tags issued this year and that herd will be in BIG trouble. Anyone who has spent any time up there will agree with that.