Utah Hunt Info

[BBB]

Has anybody else scanned through the utahhuntinfo website and cried afterwards? I had a friend look at his odds last night. He has three bonus points for elk. His dream hunt will take him well over 100 years to draw!!! He decided it was time to start putting in elsewhere. My mom, who is a resident, won't ever have the chance to hunt rutting elk above her house in her lifetime. I was a Utah resident for 26 years and enjoyed hunting my favorite deer and elk haunts throughout the state, but after looking at the chances of drawing a tag, especially the section called "amount of years to draw tag" I feel bad for those in the state that are looking to kill a decent buck or bull on a limited entry hunt! Many hunts will take over 120 years to draw!!! LOL. I drew my once-in-a-lifetime elk hunt a few years back fortunately. Personally, I would rather have the experiences out hunting and killing 5 or 6 nice 6 point bulls (around 300") than hunt once where I might have a chance at a 350+ bull.
I'm not bagging on Utah wildlife management and I'm not stirring the pot, but I do feel bad for Utah hunters that cant afford to go out-of-state that want a decent chance at some good elk hunting regularly. I know there are general season over-the-counter tags and I've hunted a lot of them with some luck, I mean a more decent hunt.
I am glad to live in a state where I have more hunting oppurtunity now, but it is still hard to see these sort of odds in a place I hold dear to my heart.
I'm sure I'll hear how some of you are happy that I don't live there anymore and keep my non-resident opinion to myself, just my .02 cents.

 

[Deerlove]

No rich guy is going to pay 70k for wealth tag to shoot a 300 inch bull.

 

[MuskegMan]

Can't win if you don't play the game. You always have a shot as half the tags go into a random draw w/o respect to BP's.

I don't particularly like the 90:10 res:non-res tag ratio, but no one said life is fair and no one if forcing me to apply. Here in Alaska, non-residents are not descriminated against in drawing of LE tags. You do need a license to apply though - a whopping $85.

May the force be with me!!!!


MM

 

[BBB]

I understand you can't draw if you don't play the game, I play the game but with odds that are less than 1% it can be depressing. To me, I am not worried about non-res/res tag ratio, a resident already has a hard enough time drawing a decent tag. I would like to see more people just getting the chance to hunt decent animals in Utah's beautiful country. I guess we're beating a dead horse but when guys are trying to get into hunting or are already avid hunters and have to wait 30-200 years......hmmmm.

 

[Daxter]

I couldn't agree more with BBB when it comes to elk management in Utah. Yeah, we shoot some huge bulls. But how much of the resource that could be enjoyed is being left on the table? The division has come a long way in their elk management, and I think we now have the tools and experience we need to manage for a more liberal harvest without totally depleting the resource. I would bet a majority of elk hunters (and potential elk hunters) in Utah would much rather get a shot at a high 300" 6 point every 5 years, then wait 15-20 years for a shot at a 350+. I drew an elk tag in SE Idaho this last year and had an awesome hunt, saw lots of elk, lots of young bulls, and even missed a shot at a 300 bull that would have been a great trophy to me. The Unit I hunted offers more than 650 bull tags and is probably about the same size (area and population wise) as some of our Southern Utah LE units that offer so few tags. They also occasionally harvest a 380 bull off the unit too, so there are still monsters out there for those that really spend the time, or get lucky. I guess there isn't a "right" or "wrong" answer to how to manage elk, it is just a social, politcal, and economic issue. What do you think is the major factor influencing elk management in Utah?



Dax

 

[windnface]

Maybe I am wrong in thinking this but if I had a pocket full of luck I think I would rather hunt every season and spend it after 30 years of acually hunting rather than hoping for 30 years that this may be the year that I get to hunting.

 

[Coyote_chaser]

their info is not that correct, my buddy has 13 points and he put in for MT dutton and he did not draw. And that site says he should of been guaranteed a tag. I would probably recommend putting away the rifle and get good at shooting a bow.

 

[jims]

You must be looking at the draw odds for the early rifle tags in some of the best limited elk units in Utah? Obviously if you choose to apply for those tags it may take 2 lifetimes to draw but there are lots of other units and options available that are fairly easy to draw.

I live and hunt Colo elk every few years and we are about opposite here. You can hunt elk every year in unlimited units. Most of the bulls in those units never reach more than 2 to 4 years of age and there are only a handful of units in Colo with the potential for 360+ bulls. Colo basically manages for quantity rather than quality.

I really don't like hunting crowded conditions for raghorn bulls so opt not to hunt the years I don't draw a decent limited unit. There are a lot of guys that enjoy hunting raghorns and it is nice they can draw tags on a regular basis. I just wish Colo had more quality elk units available but I guess no state is perfect and it is impossible to please everyone! If you want to hunt raghorn bulls every year you might as well come to Colo! Utah is currently re-writing the B&C record books and I hate to see the end of a great thing!