Utah Hunt Changes for 2017

Weatherby · Dec 28, 2016

Interesting changes coming to fruition:

http://www.ksl.com/?sid=42707602&ni...es-new-big-game-hunts-changes-for-2017-season

PSEbackcountry · Dec 28, 2016

How many point's you guys thinking it's gonna take to pull these tags??

And what kind of tag #'s you think there gonna give? Being archery only for bison and Mtn goat... I can only see 1-3.

The Henrys all i know is a world class unit and not sure what the herd is like. From the article is doing exceptionally well.

340Wby · Dec 28, 2016

Sad day when the board gave permits to a special interest group, I guess "any legal weapon" isn't easy enough to understand. It is only a meter of time until the next special interest group-muzzloaders get tags as well.

What is missing is that the tags for this archery hunt have to come from somewhere. Where do you think they'll come from........oh the "any legal weapon" pool. Pardon my cynicism but this is a very slippery slope......and this is just the beginning.

Zeke · Dec 29, 2016

>Sad day when the board gave
>permits to a special interest
>group, I guess "any legal
>weapon" isn't easy enough to
>understand. It is only a
>meter of time until the
>next special interest group-muzzloaders get
>tags as well.
>
>What is missing is that the
>tags for this archery hunt
>have to come from somewhere.
>Where do you think they'll
>come from........oh the "any legal
>weapon" pool. Pardon my
> cynicism but this is
>a very slippery slope......and this
>is just the beginning.

This^^^^ is exactly correct!
It's unbelievable that archery only tags would be issued,especially for goat, when it's so easy to hunt with a bow during the ANY WEAPON SEASON and get away from other hunters.
"Sad day, special interest, slippery slope" is right!
Zeke

PS: I don't care FOR ME either way since I've already drawn goat and will never apply for bison but for those who will, you just took it in the shorts!

Deerlove · Dec 29, 2016

Zeke does any one even know how many tatoka have been killed with bow? I imagine not many.

Zeke · Dec 29, 2016

I know of a handful that have been taken with a bow but I'm sure I don't know about them all. I agree with you that there probably isn't anyone who knows about them all.

The success will be relatively high (whatever that means) when there's a bow-only season since only the very dedicated will bother to apply....if that's what you're eluding to. I guess time will tell what success rates will be once it's charted for a few years. Up until then we can only guess.

Those tags need to come from someplace, right?

Zeke

Deerlove · Dec 29, 2016

I hear of lots of hunters struggling with a rifle a tough chore with archery gear.

Zeke · Dec 29, 2016

I've been on a couple bison hunts down there and I hunted deer there every single year until it was closed so I know the bison can be a challenge to find but no more difficult to get into bow-range than anything else. The early October dates will be primo since the critters will be easier to find up on the mountain and less pressured than later in the year.

It should be a really good hunt with excellent success rates for the archer willing to commit to the special "weapon".

While we're at it: "weapon" is about the most stupid thing our F&G ever named a sporting arm or sporting archery tackle. Some anti in the Division must have been responsible for that name. How we sit still for this is beyond me.

Zeke

ElkManDan · Dec 29, 2016

I'm guessing it will take about half the points that an any weapon tag takes to draw and success rates will be about a third of what it is with a rifle. Therefore they can issue about 3 archery tags and have it be the equivalent to one any weapon tag. This is actually a good deal for the rifle guys because it will move some guys out of the pool faster and once you're out you are out whether you harvest or not.

Zeke · Dec 30, 2016

>I'm guessing it will take about
>half the points that an
>any weapon tag takes to
>draw and success rates will
>be about a third of
>what it is with a
>rifle. Therefore they can
>issue about 3 archery tags
>and have it be the
>equivalent to one any weapon
>tag. This is actually
>a good deal for the
>rifle guys because it will
>move some guys out of
>the pool faster and once
>you're out you are
>out whether you harvest or
>not.

Well Dan,
That's the "bigger picture" and you could very well be spot-on.

If I had to venture a guess, I'd say the harvest success will be north of 50% since it's an earlier hunt and no competition with too many other groups. That really means something on that hill.

It really should be an awesome hunt for the guys who bow hunt.

I like the way Wyoming does it: draw a tag and you can bow hunt early (usually) but still rifle hunt later if you want. It worked out well on my moose but I finished before the rifle season started. This eliminates the competition with rifle hunters but avoids the confusion with tag numbers distributed among the special interest groups. No bickering among the groups up there that I've seen.

Zeke

ElkManDan · Dec 30, 2016

I'd rather have a system like that for sure but for whatever reason Utah has chosen to make us pick our weapon. Like you said though, with so few tags issued on the OIL, one should be able to get away and be able to hunt safely with a bow. I think I would rather draw the any weapon tag and hunt with my bow up until the last few days and then switch over to rifle if I haven't tagged out yet. I guess I'll see what the success rates are and if they are high enough then I would consider the archery only tag. I've been up around the goats on Timp but never been up around the ones in the Uintas. On Timp it would be very easy to get a goat with a bow but those goats see people all day every day in the summer up there and are very accustomed to people getting close to them. I suspect the ones up in the Uintas are a bit more wary of humans.

Zeke · Dec 30, 2016

Ya, the goats are a bit more wary out there.

I've spent a ton of time on Timp over the years and my wife and I have both hunted goats in the Uinta's and they're still very stalk-able but they won't eat out of your hand. I wanted to bow hunt mine but my daughter drew a desert sheep tag that year so my emphasis was on sheep. I rifled a fine billy early on the hunt and then went sheep hunting.

The special archery bison tags make much more sense than they do for goats IMHO. It's just way easy to get away from other hunters and into the goats for a great bow hunt and no special season is really needed. Oh well, it's done so I won't cry about spilt milk.

Zeke