Unit 1 elk

COtransplant

Active Member
Messages
173
According to preference points and assuming no major swings... I should be getting a unit 1 early rifle tag this year. My wife has the same points as me, so hopefully we both draw it.
I'm a resident, but have never set foot in that unit. Looking for any advice from those that know the area.
I live on the eastern plains and would be happy to trade deer info for elk.
I'm not looking for a gps pinpoint. Elevations, vegetation, terrain features, private/public land issues, etc.
If drawn, I will be up there for at least a week of prescouting. Any honest input?
 
I really like unit 1 and have spent a lot of time in the unit. Most of the guys are going to be hunting the river bottom waiting for the elk to come off the private hay fields in the bottom. Every year there is a big bull or two that comes off those hay meadows. I have some more information I will PM you with. Either way you should have a lot of fun on that hunt!

One word of advice is to make sure you have a GPS with a chip and during your scouting week I would make sure you know exactly where the monument boundaries are.
 
You might want to think about staggering the years that both you and your Wife draw this hunt. Having two hunters trying to fill might detract from one of you filling a good tag. Think of it this way, you could get to hunt unit 1 two years in a row, once as hunter and once as support. And, one of you will have the benefit of a years hunting experience in that unit.
 
Rugged and very remote country. Bring plenty of extra fuel as a trip to the nearest town will take at least half a day.

"Courage is being scared to death but
saddling up anyway."
 
Sorry to be a downer here but I don't agree with the advice you've been getting...well I do agree that you and your wife absolutely should not try to draw this hunt in the same year.

If you are expecting a hunt similar to neighboring units 2, 10 and 201 you are in for a rude surprise. This unit is not a "sleeper", there are reasons it takes fewer points than 2, 10, 61, 76, 201.

Moffat county abandoned the one public road on top so now its private and closed. The swinging bridge is out so getting to the hay meadow side of the Green River involves a long drive through Utah. The hay meadow is just that, meadow (1) not meadows. One half pivot alfalfa field that draws in elk and hunters alike. If you wait on the property line for a bull to step into unit 1 you will likely have lots of competition from the ten other tag holders.

Call me selfish but I would let my wife draw the tag and then use her hunt as a scouting trip before I spent my own points. Yeah, I know, that's a jerk move but what can I say...points are points!
 
I would have to disagree with you on unit 1 not being of high quality. I will agree it is not on the same level as 2, 10 or 201 but honestly for the genetics those units have they are not worth 23 pts. I have personally hunted unit 2 and can honestly say I know you could kill just as big of a bull in unit 1 as you can in unit 2. You won't have the same experience but if you work hard there are giants to be killed in 1. I would take a unit 1 early rifle tag over a tag in 76 or 61(well maybe not the new early tag in 61).
 
You guys are awesome! Great point about hunting the wife first year...hadn't considered it. Guess we see who draws first. Her luck is better, that's why she has the biggest deer in the house!
After drawing time, I will be getting back with you guys.
Thanks again
 
After the MM counseling session, I filed to change my draw choice to a PP. Hope she draws and I can benefit from it. Thanks fellas
 
Wow...wife got a call 2 days ago offering her this tag as one had been turned in!
Of course I told her to take it!
Sooo, now that I have 1 month to prep for this, would you kind gentlemen that offered further help still be willing?
I've been spending all my extra time on an upcoming mountain goat tag, and really did not expect this. We are traveling there tomorrow to look the area over since we've never been there. Will spend 4 days, 2 of them traveling.
Only 11 bull tags in this unit, and some great potential. But I don't want to go sit a fence line waiting for bulls to come unless there's no other option.
 
Check the bigger draws on the northeast corner of the unit. Best to go in from Utah right now. Pretty remote area.

"Courage is being scared to death but
saddling up anyway."
 
Wife got a call couple days ago...someone returned their tag and she was next in line. So now we will try hunting it...
Any of you guys that had info to offer if she drew it, it happened! Short notice leaves me scrambling for info 3 weeks before a hunt.
We went up over the weekend and explored. Only 2 real access points, and neither of em convenient. All good, we will fight access problems to get a tag like that! I'd love to hear from someone who has hunted the rough stuff on the west rather than sitting on the river/alfalfa pivot.
Supposedly plans are in the works to get the swinging bridge repaired, and it Could even happen during season, shutting the bridge down entirely. I am intending to take a canoe along to avoid being forced to drive clear around every morning.
Cool part is she's as excited about the possibilities of this tag as I am!
 
Sorry for the double post...logged on and looked at the thread to see no post from before our scouting trip...crap, I thought I left a post before I went. So I composed another and when it posted, the original(and replies) showed up. Sorry guys dunno how, but I have a way when it comes to computers...
 
Shouldnt need to cross the river at all, as that is the unit boundary. I would be hunting the south side if it was my tag.


Jake H. BIG BONE HUNTING Page on Facebook.
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I just got done hunting deer on this unit. I would be on the draws coming out of the river if it was me. There is a huge bull in there. Good luck.
 
So she accepted the tag. Did a mad dash to wrap up my mountain goat hunt(thrilled to kill a 7.5" nanny) and get packed for this elk hunt.
We made a whirlwind trip over there to check it out before she accepted the tag. 450 miles each way, lotsa dust, and one ATV trailer dent in my pickup later, we came home and started planning.
Hunted 10 days of 11 possible. Borrowed a buddy's camper and had to return it in time for his elk hunt. The camper was a lifesaver, as the first 3 days were miserable. Windy wet and nasty. I think the wife would have quit if we were tent camping it.
This was my first long trip hunting for the wife only. Usually I have at least a doe tag.What a learning curve! Had to let her make her own schedule of hunting times and such. Just knew I wanted to keep her in the game as long as possible. So the mornings she didn't want to get up due to cold or wind, we stayed. When she got cold, we went to warmth. Just kept telling her it was her hunt, and her call.
She did have an opportunity to shoot a big bull. I'm guessing 360 or even 370. We were in the right spot one particular morning. We parked a long ways back up the river and walked in with no light or headlamps. As we got along the edge of the field, we could hear cows talking, and some bugling. We could see in our binos that there was a herd on the field, but they were working away from us. About this time, here come headlights up the trail road. Somebody's gonna drive in here and push these elk out before we get a chance! My cousin was hunting with us...he saw the lights and took off(in a draw) at a run to try to intercept them. Fortunately he was successful, and the other hunters were polite enough to stay back and let us have a try. We dropped back from the field edge and hotfooted along parallel to the herd, trying to get in front of them without giving our wind direction advantage up. Bright bright moonlight had the cows watching us walk through the sage 300 yards off! We went toward our chosen spot anyhow. Before we could get all the way to our little copse of trees, the herd decided to leave the private field, and came our way!
The lead cow had been watching us earlier, and she eyeballed us all the way by, stretching her neck out and pointing her noise at us like a bird dog. Making sure everybody in the herd knew something was over there. Wife and I were huddled together at the base of a power pole with nearly no cover. But we were on the ground, in one silhouette, and still. And we had the wind.
I had watched some of these cows as they came to the edge of the field, and hadn't seen a bull in the group. The lead cow was now clear by us on our right. Back over our right shoulder, still playing bird dog. But the rest of the cows all went by us maybe 25 yards apart. They were 150-175 yards out and the sage was tall. So we could just see their heads floating above the brush as they worked by us. I was counting along the cows with my binos just for fun, but when I got to the tail of the herd...Holy...the biggest bull I've seen in person was staring at us! I hit panic button...instant freak Out! Get up, shoot um!
I should take a moment to explain another facet of this gem. Wife shoots a 7mm.08. Accurate, but underpowered for a bull elk in my opinion. So I leaned...leaned heavily...on her to shoot my 300win. She gave in and said she would do it.
So this bulls quartering toward us, nose up, staring at us. She's standing, on the trigger stick, 175 yardsish. No shot. I'm thinking must be a cow behind him or something. He moves around to our right maybe 100 yards, circling us. No farther away. She got him standing still, she's on a rest, but still no shot. I'm starting to panic...hurry up lady! He moved out to about 300 yards. Standing separate from all the cows, 100 yards from nonhuntable monument boundary. Probably 15 seconds he stood there. No shot. The herd jumps the fence and trots over the hill.
She turns to me with tears in her eyes and says" I was afraid to pull the trigger, because I'm scared it will kick!" Boy Did I feel like an ass!
That was her only chance at a big bull too. Couple smaller ones went by, but she was determined. Go big or go home! Had another great bull stand and look at us, but he was a mile into Utah, and knew it.
Thought I would leave a story for those interested folks. Some of you gave us some great info. And for that, we thank you.
Any MM member that would like info on this unit in the future, feel free to contact me. I will share what I learned.
In the meantime, I should be able to draw this tag in a couple years. Here's a guarantee...won't be any recoil apprehension keep me from killing a good one!
 
Thanks for the recap!

I can tell you after spending 17 days archery hunting up there this year you were very fortunate to see a bull of that caliber.

The mountains, not the hills.
 

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