Wasatch LE Early Elk Hunt

Live4Hunting

Live4Hunting

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I drew the early Wasatch elk rifle this year and hunted hard on horses and on foot across multiple areas within the unit and talked to a lot of guys hunting the same unit and all I can say is that there is no other explanation for there being no elk left other than there was Significant winter kill on the elk in that unit that nobody from the division gave the public information on. They should have completely shut this unit down this year. I wasted 16 points on a tag where I should have had multiple opportunities for a decent bull, and saw almost nothing in areas where you always see tons of decent bull elk. Wasn’t seeing any or hearing any or seeing any fresh sign- which means they simply aren’t there. I’m pissed because the division gets paid partially from hunting licenses and As such has an obligation to at least give the sportsmen a heads up about severe impacts if they still plan on taking our money for tags that aren’t with crap. I would love to hear about anyone else with this same tag and what you did or didn’t see on your Wasatch early rifle elk hunt- maybe it was just me, but from what I’ve heard so far- it was the same for everyone on that unit. I haven’t talked to one person with the same tag that found anything decent and a prominent taxidermist in salt lake has taken in zero bulls from the Wasatch LE hunt this year. Tells me we lost a ton of elk and should have never even issued tags for that unit this year, or they should have put a disclaimer out there that basically said- we know there was severe winter kill on this elk unit and you will likely struggle to find a decent bull to hunt- knowing this do you still want to apply?
 
What was the best bull that you had the opportunity to shot during your hunt? I will be there is October as well helping my daughter with her LE elk tag.
 
I'm sorry your hunt didn't go well. Personally, I saw more elk on the Wasatch this year than I have the past two years during archery seasons combined. And, almost ever cow that I saw had a calf. I didn't see very many younger bulls and the biggest bull that I encountered would have been just shy of 340. They were not in their normal places. I found them in places that I usually only see deer. Winter was much harder on the deer than it was on the elk. Then again, I didn't ever find them on the any bull unit this year.

As someone with 22 points, the Wasatch is not even on my radar anymore.
 
Im with Hoyt I just got back last night and saw a lot of bulls but not in the usual spots. In the canyons I always see a lot of elk I saw zero but in canyons I maybe see 1 bull I saw mult. Did see 3-4 330-340 type bulls and a lot of rags. It did seem like the rut started late and was off and on depending on the canyon
 
I'm not sure what else you deserve?

It wasn't a secret there was a ton of snow. Wasn't a secret when they shut shed season. Wasn't a secret by the time you put in we had lost animals. You had all summer to scout. You could turn your tag back.

When is the sportsman's responsibility to take accountability?
 
The reason I tagged berrysblaster to chime in is because if this sentiment shared here by the OP was the actual state of the unit, berry would know better than anyone.

I'm not sure if he'll look in, he's probably busy helping people kill bulls on the same unit.
 
Seemed like certain areas were rutting all day long during the archery hunt and other zones were dead. Not very many big bulls, but I saw a handful in the 300-320 range. I know of a few killed on the early rifle. The biggest being around 350.
 
I have buddies that just wrapped up a hunt on the Wasatch. They’ve hunted the Wasatch many times and elected to not shoot a bull this year. They saw a ton of elk, but nothing over 340”.
 
We must have been in one of those "dead areas". Saw one 280-300ish bull Tuesday before the hunt opened, heard a handful of bugles after dark and before light, other than that nada. Saw a lone cow on 2 mornings, some deer and bull moose. Only heard 2 shots in the area we hunted.
 
Sister had a tag this year. Saw one 330 type bull opening morning with a couple rags running around the herd. Not much rut activity in that group.

Wednesday evening from about 4pm to dark had 2 bulls in the 310-315 range rutting hard and screaming all afternoon. Sister ended up shooting one of those bulls right before dark. Solid bull for her first big game animal. Great mass, solid tine length, but short beams is all. Seemed like a lot of the mid-aged bulls I saw this year while scouting had shorter beams than usual.

I saw about the normal amount of elk I’ve typically seen over the years. Bigger and older bulls were a little more scarce than usual.

Overall had a great time out in the mountains with family.
 
hunter03 said:
Sister had a tag this year. Saw one 330 type bull opening morning with a couple rags running around the herd. Not much rut activity in that group.

Wednesday evening from about 4pm to dark had 2 bulls in the 310-315 range rutting hard and screaming all afternoon. Sister ended up shooting one of those bulls right before dark. Solid bull for her first big game animal. Great mass, solid tine length, but short beams is all. Seemed like a lot of the mid-aged bulls I saw this year while scouting had shorter beams than usual.

I saw about the normal amount of elk I’ve typically seen over the years. Bigger and older bulls were a little more scarce than usual.

Overall had a great time out in the mountains with family.
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Imo.... on the Wasatch you shoot the first 330 bull you see.... after a day or two i would shoot the first 300 inch bull i saw...
 
lundellhunting7 said:
Imo.... on the Wasatch you shoot the first 330 bull you see.... after a day or two i would shoot the first 300 inch bull i saw...
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elkhunterUT said:
Truth-if you are passing up 330ish bulls on the Wasatch you better have a bigger bull lined out or tied up somewhere.
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Trust me, we didn’t pass the 330 bull. Had we gotten an opportunity for a shot she would have taken it. We just couldn’t quite catch up to the herd before they went into the thick timber.
 
I guess the DWR doesn't owe all hunters an apology letter after all.

I don't want to poo poo anyone's experience, and it sucks the OP didn't love his own experience on a long awaited hunt, but I do think it's important to remind everyone that this is hunting. Drawing a LE tag doesn't guarantee you anything other than the permit in your hand. No experience or size of animal is guaranteed as part of the process. This is a hugely problematic result of Utah's draw system, but it isn't the system's fault. It is us hunters fault. As they say...we have met the enemy and he is us.

I do feel bad when expectations get high and do not get met in the hunting world. I know I've struggled with that at times, and I know others that have really struggled with it. I do try to keep it in perspective, however. It is called hunting, and sometimes things don't go our way in hunting.
 
The Units I've Been On This Year Does Lead To A Later RUT!

But The Famous Wasatch!

They've Been POUNDING It For Many Years Now!

COWS!

SPIKES!

LITTLE BULLS!

BIG BULLS!

No Doubt There's Still Some Big Bulls On The Unit!

But Nothing Like As In Past Years!

We All Know What The Unit Once Was/Can Be!

Like I've Said A Million F'N Times!

Utah Will Grow Big Bucks & Bulls Anywhere In The State When Managed Properly!!

Yes!

Last Winter Was Tough On Deer & Elk!

But That Is Not The Only Factor!
 
Check Your PM Niller!


Vanilla said:
I guess the DWR doesn't owe all hunters an apology letter after all.

I don't want to poo poo anyone's experience, and it sucks the OP didn't love his own experience on a long awaited hunt, but I do think it's important to remind everyone that this is hunting. Drawing a LE tag doesn't guarantee you anything other than the permit in your hand. No experience or size of animal is guaranteed as part of the process. This is a hugely problematic result of Utah's draw system, but it isn't the system's fault. It is us hunters fault. As they say...we have met the enemy and he is us.

I do feel bad when expectations get high and do not get met in the hunting world. I know I've struggled with that at times, and I know others that have really struggled with it. I do try to keep it in perspective, however. It is called hunting, and sometimes things don't go our way in hunting.
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Here is my minuscule tidbit for what it’s worth.
I hunt a tree stand over a wallow near some private property I own near parleys canyon. Every year for the last fifteen or so, that wallow has been torn up and used by the first day or two in September. This year, nothing as of the 22nd.

Late rut? Cleared out underbrush nearby last year by the forest service? More water and wallows around? I don’t know. Not saying the numbers are down but quite perplexing. Any theories?

I think it’s all of the above plus a higher winter kill here due to little to no winter habitat on the wasatch front and sadly nothing can be done about it.
 
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I hunted Water in the spot in northern Utah where every second or third bull is a good Bull I had 12 small bullls come in the first few days of the archery hunt nothing bigger. Did we lose the upper class?
 
Not many 330 plus bulls it sounds like the overall feedback. Berry probably has a good picture of things. Later rut.
On the Cache units quality was down significantly this year. Also not enough cows. Fewer cows in estrus, less bugling, making harder to find the bulls that are left. I know one 370 type bull last year is a 335 type bull this year. Overall harder year.
 
I haven’t seen as much elk/rut activity. I did bust a group of 24 rag horns on Sept 16th. No spikes. No cows. No big bulls.

I hear DBG3285 killed a couple studs on the early rifle so who knows??
 
I mean no disrespect to the OP.

But there are blaring issues with this post. It sounds like you did little to no homework, assuming that when you drew the tag, you would just find elk where you have before. This is an assumption, but with you saying you hunted multiple areas that usually hold lots of decent bulls, it means you had not spent much time prescouting.

There are plenty of elk on the Wasatch, though I will say, it seems the distribution is different from years past. I do not know if this is because of the heavy winter, the massive amounts of feed/water or what.

Simple fact is, your dissatisfaction with the hunt rests solely on your shoulders.
 
I spent a fair amount of time helping a friend on the Wasatch archery hunt. In the area we were hunting, we saw a normal number of elk, including bulls, cows and calves, but definitely did not see as many big bulls. We saw several groups of cows where the herd bull was a 5 point or a small 6 point. I don't think we lost a ton of elk on the unit last winter, but I believe the difficult winter affected horn growth and resulted in smaller racks.

The deer herds, on the other hand, are in the tank. We saw very few deer and no mature bucks in the area we hunted.

Hawkeye
 
My bro in law and his friend are hunting on the Wasatch Mnts. Muzzleloader tag. Both of them are disabled military veterans that fought overseas in the Gulf and Iraq Wars. They are really good guys and they’re always helping out other people. The tag holder drew the tag with 11 points. They have scouted 10-12 times. They’ve seen lots of domestic sheep. They haven’t been able to find any elk in the past few days. They have only seen 1 cow with her calf. Please PM me, if you can recommend any good hunt locations, I’ve always helped people on the forums with hunt advice, thanks.
 
The change in the elk plan really changed the dynamic on that hunt. I would strongly caution people wanting an early rifle tag to consider that as they are applying.

I know there are a lot of people that say "5 days is plenty to kill a big bull in the rut." In many cases, yes...that is true. Heck, 10 minutes could be long enough in many cases. But if people say that just in general, it tells me they really don't understand what they are talking about.

Only having 5 days to hunt is a big deal if you've waited most of your life to make it happen, especially since the early rifle isn't even peak rut time. Never really has been, despite what people claim on the interwebs.
 
Vanilla said:
The change in the elk plan really changed the dynamic on that hunt. I would strongly caution people wanting an early rifle tag to consider that as they are applying.

I know there are a lot of people that say "5 days is plenty to kill a big bull in the rut." In many cases, yes...that is true. Heck, 10 minutes could be long enough in many cases. But if people say that just in general, it tells me they really don't understand what they are talking about.

Only having 5 days to hunt is a big deal if you've waited most of your life to make it happen, especially since the early rifle isn't even peak rut time. Never really has been, despite what people claim on the interwebs.
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While you make some very valid points (I.e. it changed the dynamic) everyone applied for those hunts with ample warning of the amount of days they were going to have to try and make it happen.

These excuses:

1. I only had 5 days!
2. Elk were not where they have been in the past.
3. Live stock were where I normally would have hunted.

And I am sure there are more.

They all have 1 thing in common. Lack of preparation. And it all stems from the tag holder. Not the state, or the rancher, but the person that should have know the regs, and done the on the mountain homework.
 
DBG3285 said:
While you make some very valid points (I.e. it changed the dynamic) everyone applied for those hunts with ample warning of the amount of days they were going to have to try and make it happen.

These excuses:

1. I only had 5 days!
2. Elk were not where they have been in the past.
3. Live stock were where I normally would have hunted.

And I am sure there are more.

They all have 1 thing in common. Lack of preparation. And it all stems from the tag holder. Not the state, or the rancher, but the person that should have know the regs, and done the on the mountain homework.
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100%
If you have invested that many years and points for a hunt and the season is only 5 days, you probably should be busting arse to find your bull before the hunt starts and kill him opening morning. I realize that is best case, but if you haven’t at least tried to make that happen, the result is likely to be a mountain of excuses and blame for others.
 
elkassassin said:
What'd ya See Or Not See dpb?
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I saw a good chunk of the herd get smashed on highway 40 most the winter. So far on the hunts we are 1 out of 3 but still time To go.
We have come across some bulls but a lot of young bulls. We do have our eye on the one though. The depressed and desperate hunters asking around at the local areas is in high demand. Good luck to everyone.
 
No doubt, DBG3285. You’re spot on. I’m just reiterating that people need to consider the current realities, not prior history.

As for the winter, I think most people (myself included) figured the massive water year would be a benefit for antler growth like it has been down south. That has not been the case on the northern units. Oh well. These are all things you can’t control. That is hunting.
 
You can probably attribute the inconsistency of elk in areas that previously held elk to the past winter/winter kill. Probably some of the dominant cows and bulls were killed off, therefore causing new blood to establish dominance, thus promoting new feeding patters and rutting patterns.

I hunted a bull for many years in one of my elk spots. He did the same routine every year, bugling and pushing his harem from the dark timber below me into the edge of a clearing right at last shooting light. I could never get a legal shot at him until one year he slipped up and entered the clearing 30 minutes earlier than usual. After I killed him, the following year, the elk did not use that area. In fact, it took a few years before I seen activity in there enough to hunt it again.

Patterns change. Always be open to try new areas. Like was mentioned earlier, it’s hunting. We don’t do it every day. Therefore, be a critical thinker during that short time in the hills. Utilize all knowledge gained from before the hunt started to make decisions in the field. The homework done before your hunt combined with your experience will only increase your odds of finding these animals.
 
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I spent the last 7 days on the Wasatch with a muzzleloader tag in my pocket. Definitely tough sledding compared to previous years for me at least, I've hunted the unit every year (spikes, cows, deer, other guys' bull tags) for close to 20 years now. That makes me feel old! Haha! First couple days were ok, had some limited rut activity but enough to chase, passed some small bulls, couple 6x6's but nothing even 300." The last 5 were very quiet/tough. Some areas that always have elk still have them, sign is there, just no rutting activity at least in daylight. Some areas that always have elk have none based on lack of sign, etc. Obviously just my experience, it can vary canyon to canyon. Definitely don't blame the division at all, it's a healthy elk herd (again IMO) and is being managed as an opportunity unit in terms of bull age class. Hoping to get a chance to sneak back up there for the last few days of the season later this week. I drew a bonus tag, 11 points, would like to kill a bull but it's hunting, LE tag or not, just as it should be!
 
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Founder said:
My wife and I will be there in mid-October. We’ll have to see for ourselves. I’ll be bummed if we can’t find anything.
That sucks that your hunt didn’t go well, but that’s hunting.
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You'll find plenty of bulls.
I've been up there for the past 1.5 months and have seen some great bulls, including the biggest bull I've ever seen on that unit.
I am extremely excited for my hunt next weekend!
 
slamdunk said:
You'll find plenty of bulls.
I've been up there for the past 1.5 months and have seen some great bulls, including the biggest bull I've ever seen on that unit.
I am extremely excited for my hunt next weekend!
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My wife and I are excited as well. We'll get after it hard and hopefully turn up a good one for her.
 
backinthegame said:
Tell me where that one is!! lol, kidding, kidding
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I'm actually not going to hunt him, he's not likely to stay in that particular spot that he's been in, not to mention there are a few others who knows about him.
I'm hunting my #2 bull, he's in a deep ugly roadless hole and not likely to be bumped before I get in after him.

Or......I'll settle for a pisscutter in the last few days if the stars aren't aligned for me ?
 
My 14 year old boy has the mid Wasatch tag as well - hoping we can find him a good one, but this will be his first chance at a mature bull so I think he will have an itchy trigger finger the minute we see our first raghorn :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO:
 
slamdunk said:
I'm actually not going to hunt him, he's not likely to stay in that particular spot that he's been in, not to mention there are a few others who knows about him.
I'm hunting my #2 bull, he's in a deep ugly roadless hole and not likely to be bumped before I get in after him.

Or......I'll settle for a pisscutter in the last few days if the stars aren't aligned for me ?
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Good luck! Love those nasty spots up there to be honest, so much of the unit has so much traffic, not just hunters but all the campers, etc too. Obviously not telling anyone new info here, haha, just saying I love the chance to get away from all that! Hope you kill him and post the pics!
 
elkhunterUT said:
My 14 year old boy has the mid Wasatch tag as well - hoping we can find him a good one, but this will be his first chance at a mature bull so I think he will have an itchy trigger finger the minute we see our first raghorn :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO:
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Haha well hey man, mine was getting pretty itchy towards the end of the week too and I’m definitely not 14! Hope you guys have a great hunt. That mid season tag might be the best one this year! Good luck!
 
backinthegame said:
Haha well hey man, mine was getting pretty itchy towards the end of the week too and I’m definitely not 14! Hope you guys have a great hunt. That mid season tag might be the best one this year! Good luck!
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Thanks man! It will be fun no matter what happens. My boy is so excited for this hunt and I can’t wait to spend a long week with him, my brother and friends just enjoying the experience. A bull will be icing on the cake!
 
The rut was late this year ! We saw some on the archery hunt but very quiet just half hour before light and after dark is when they were vocal
 
I do think the mid season is looking to be money this year. I've killed plenty of spikes by chasing bugles in October over the years even on "normal" rut years, with whatever his happening this year they could be really going next week. I'm headed back tomorrow for the last three days of muzzleloader, we'll see how she goes!
 
backinthegame said:
I do think the mid season is looking to be money this year. I've killed plenty of spikes by chasing bugles in October over the years even on "normal" rut years, with whatever his happening this year they could be really going next week. I'm headed back tomorrow for the last three days of muzzleloader, we'll see how she goes!
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Good luck - hope you get a monster!
 
Here’s some really $itty pics two good snatch bulls I watched in the last 48 hours. I’d put them both in that 345-350 range. ?‍♂️ Tick-Tock muzzy hunters. Only 1 more day!!!! They were a long ways off and the heat waves were super bad.

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BLooDTRaCKeR said:
You can probably attribute the inconsistency of elk in areas that previously held elk to the past winter/winter kill. Probably some of the dominant cows and bulls were killed off, therefore causing new blood to establish dominance, thus promoting new feeding patters and rutting patterns.

I hunted a bull for many years in one of my elk spots. He did the same routine every year, bugling and pushing his harem from the dark timber below me into the edge of a clearing right at last shooting light. I could never get a legal shot at him until one year he slipped up and entered the clearing 30 minutes earlier than usual. After I killed him, the following year, the elk did not use that area. In fact, it took a few years before I seen activity in there enough to hunt it again.

Patterns change. Always be open to try new areas. Like was mentioned earlier, it’s hunting. We don’t do it every day. Therefore, be a critical thinker during that short time in the hills. Utilize all knowledge gained from before the hunt started to make decisions in the field. The homework done before your hunt combined with your experience will only increase your odds of finding these animals.
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Great post. That's something I hadn't considered but makes perfect sense, especially with the cows
 
I ended up able to hunt 10 of the 12 days of the muzzleloader season, didn't fill the tag. I could have shot a handful (though way fewer of those "chances" than I expected going in) of small bulls, only laid eyes on a couple the whole time that I felt like would break 300", though that is somewhat to be expected due to the way the age class is managed. The unit holds some truly big bulls but they aren't always easy to find obviously. Even still, definitely a tougher year based on my experience on the unit. My hypothesis is that with all the water the elk are spread out all over, bulls don't have to be right on top of each other where the cows are congregated, and they aren't making much noise because of that. In the 10 days I didn't have a single instance of the rut frenzy stuff we all love with multiple bulls bugling, running around, acting silly. Total guess, I'm no biologist, but have hunted the unit a ton as I mentioned above and it was a tough year. Honestly the thought of not filling the tag never crossed my mind over all the years waiting and months leading up to the hunt, definitely hoped for a fun hunt with lots of rutting activity and figured I'd pop a standard Wasatch 6x6 during it all at some point without too much trouble. Wrong! lol! No complaints, no guarantees out there!

Good luck to all you mid-season guys!
 
That is for sure! Just like when I had a goat tag, for years the plan was to shoot one with a bow, "these things are dumb, shouldn't be too hard." Couple days into the hunt..."give me that rifle!" haha
 
I'm genuinely sorry for the lack of rut activity and sightings that all you guys with the archery, early rifle, and muzzleloader tags experienced. In most cases, many years of points were burned. That's a hard pill to swallow. Tags aren't guaranteed to be punched, but I can imagine the disappointment.
 

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