Utah OTC Any Bull Tag

Hey all I am not looking for any honey holes or anything like that. My friend is wanting to hunt any bull elk this year and I was volunteered about a day ago to help him, apparently our other friend mentioned to me how on the skyline last year I put him, and a few others on elk in multiple spots and they filled their tags. I usually this close to a season opening up would tell someone NO because I like to do most of my own scouting and such because lets be honest that is where the real fun is, but he hasn't killed any big game animal yet so I figured whats a couple weekends and week days to help him. Anyways back on topic, I generally hunt the spike hunts and my advice was to buy a spike tag and I would put him on elk on the skyline like I did for our friend last year, but he already got his tag in hand and he thinks he is going to kill at least a branch antlered bull. In talking with him I am sure I now know why he has not killed anything he wanted to go to Pine Valley, or the Henry Mtn's. I think the entire herd is estimated on both of those ranges at like a few hundred if that. I am thinking have him hunt a few areas in East Canyon, Chalk Creek, or Kamas up to the North Slope, as he is located in Utah County and I think if we could find elk in any of these areas on public we would have a shot at getting him his first harvest. My gut tells me to go the Kamas-North Slope Route onto Mirror Lake and hunt around Soap Stone Basin. Let me know if this is a good place to start?

?If men were angels, no government would be
necessary.? John Adams

I am not one to give out information on hunting spots because I work so hard to find them on my own. I am attracted to a certain type of country for hunting mule deer and a certain type of country for hunting elk. Once I find this terrain, I invest time, time and more time to understand where the animals like to live, how they move, and what time they are moving. I record all my hunting experiences in a journal and read through the entries before each season begins to remind me of the things I may have forgotten such as time it got light, time it got dark, temperature, where I saw the most animals and why I think I saw them in the areas they were in, where the water sources are, etc. I do not just hunt the species I have tags for. I study them.

In the past 13 years of hunting elk in my spot up on Notellem Ridge, My dad and I have pulled 12 bulls out of there. It would be 13 for 13 had I not missed a nice 6 point....(buck fever). There is something like a 22% kill success rate among elk hunters in this state and somehow, dad and I have managed to blow those odds out of the park. It is not to say it comes easy for us because it certainly does not! I work harder on my elk hunt and deer hunt than I do at my regular job and that is saying a lot because I work hard to provide for my stay at home wife and three kids.

This being said, I hunt for meat when it comes to elk. So I am always more than willing to pull the trigger on the first legal bull elk I see. My family loves elk meat. So one secret to success is to not pass up an opportunity.

I have a wall full of memories in my garage.....

I could tell you detail upon detail about any one of those racks on my wall. No, they are not trophies in comparison to todays exploited view of antlers and inches, but they each carry meaning and a memory that I will always cherish.

Last years general season bull....

Good luck on your quest. If it means anything to you and your buddy, you will both go with your instinct and let the quest to find what you are both looking for a journey toward great memories and consistent success.

>I am not one to give
>out information on hunting spots
>because I work so hard
>to find them on my
>own. I am attracted to
>a certain type of country
>for hunting mule deer and
>a certain type of country
>for hunting elk. Once I
>find this terrain, I invest
>time, time and more time
>to understand where the animals
>like to live, how they
>move, and what time they
>are moving. I record all
>my hunting experiences in a
>journal and read through the
>entries before each season begins
>to remind me of the
>things I may have forgotten
>such as time it got
>light, time it got dark,
>temperature, where I saw the
>most animals and why I
>think I saw them in
>the areas they were in,
>where the water sources are,
>etc. I do not just
>hunt the species I have
>tags for. I study them.
>
>
>In the past 13 years of
>hunting elk in my spot
>up on Notellem Ridge, My
>dad and I have pulled
>12 bulls out of there.
>It would be 13 for
>13 had I not missed
>a nice 6 point....(buck fever).
>There is something like a
>22% kill success rate among
>elk hunters in this state
>and somehow, dad and I
>have managed to blow those
>odds out of the park.
>It is not to say
>it comes easy for us
>because it certainly does not!
>I work harder on my
>elk hunt and deer hunt
>than I do at my
>regular job and that is
>saying a lot because I
>work hard to provide for
>my stay at home wife
>and three kids.
>
>This being said, I hunt for
>meat when it comes to
>elk. So I am always
>more than willing to pull
>the trigger on the first
>legal bull elk I see.
>My family loves elk meat.
>So one secret to success
>is to not pass up
>an opportunity.
>
>I have a wall full of
>memories in my garage.....
>
>I could tell you detail upon
>detail about any one of
>those racks on my wall.
>No, they are not trophies
>in comparison to todays exploited
>view of antlers and inches,
>but they each carry meaning
>and a memory that I
>will always cherish.
>
>Last years general season bull....
>
>Good luck on your quest. If
>it means anything to you
>and your buddy, you will
>both go with your instinct
>and let the quest to
>find what you are both
>looking for a journey toward
>great memories and consistent success.
>

Hey man trophies are whats on that wall... Score is over rated .... Memories are a little higher on the totam pole.

My biggest trophy is my 1x2 I shot with my son so I would say all of those are trophies. Ironically after posting this post my buddy called and said that he was considering seeing if the DWR will trade his any bull tag for a spike tag. I hope he does but because while I know places where I have found cows in the Uintas and could probably get us on elk, I have spent so much more time on the manti, and wasatch to the point I can find the game in my sleep because I have done a lot of what you have done which is study where they are, why I think they are there and so on. On general season tags for deer I went 5 for 5 a couple of years back and the only reason I haven't gotten a deer the last two years was due to me passing on spikes because I wanted to say I tried for a decent buck, which is kinda strange to me because like you I have been the one to put the hammer down on the first legal buck I could find for the meat.

?If men were angels, no government would be
necessary.? John Adams

my OTC bull this year archery. Southern Utah which is much harder to find elk on public land than northern. A lot of scouting close to home for my first archery hunt. Have 5 bulls in a heard and 1 was much bigger than this one but could not pass him up at 30 yards.