how was it done in the 70's and 80's

ToddT

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Just curious, after some thought. I was born in 1971 and have hunted since I can remember. However, I just began hunting the west on a regular basis around 1999. Also, many tag systems that have point systems in place began around 1990 as top point pools for Colorado are around 23 or 24. So, with that said, how were hunts conducted before that? Was it that you simply decided to hunt something, somewhere, and went and bought a tag and went hunting? Or, was there a draw system, just without points?

Animals like sheep and goats, could you just go hunt these animals?

It is very interesting how time has changed things, and the whole point creep/leap, etc, is what caused me to wonder about the earlier years.

Also, out of simply curiosity and entertainment, anything you could add to describe those early years would most likely be interesting, so if you want to add something, please do.

With the systems as they are, most hunters will only get to hunt one area - that is considered a top unit - only once in their life. And this seems to be getting worse. Please, this isn't a debate of how the systems are now, or how they should be, rather, just what did it used to be like. I however, must wonder what hunting will be like in 20, 50, or even 100 years from now. Obviously hunting has changed tremendously in the past 30 years, so one can only wonder.

Good luck everyone.
 
Sheep and goats were always limited, since seasons were established. Cow and doe tags had to be drawn in most areas. There were no huntable moose populations. I started hunting in the 70's in CO, this is what I recall. Don't know about 201, 44, etc. There was no ranching for wildlife then.
 
There was no 4 wheelers/utv's, less people owned 4 wheel drive and a long shot was up to 300 yds. As a result this limited harvest vs a quota or draw
 
LAST EDITED ON Feb-04-15 AT 07:40PM (MST)[p]

I am not sure that there are more hunters today than in the 70s overall, but for the most part our parents were "workers" who wouldn't think about spending the time or money to hunt out of state. Some did, but most didn't. Now it is the norm. So big increases in NR hunters. And as stated, the states themselves have grown with more people moving in so the resident numbers have gone up too.

So one big difference: the 70s had smaller game departments. Funny how with the huge increases in revenue compared to the 70s, the game departments are now strapped for cash....

txhunter58

venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)
 
Todd,
If you were born in 71 you should have seen hunting well before points!
There were still plenty of drawing but they were not as organized, centralized and widespread as they are now.
There were always over-the-counter tags to be had but even back then the "best" tag were drawn.
Well before the 70's, sheep tags were part of the combo license in Idaho! That would be weird today since we're so mobile and willing to spend all kinds of money on hunting. The poor sheep would be wiped out in one year nowadays.
There's much more than what I've described but that will do for now.
Zeke
 
Speaking from a non-res at the time about Utah. Once you got into town in 1970 you would go the the Hardware store or nearest license dealer an buy your tag. In 1970 a nonresident license was $50.00. There were no ATV's but many Jeeps. Two track roads were there and used. No cell phones, GPS, radios, just hunted and froze to death with the clothes and boots available. I hunted with a man who started hunting the Blanding area in 1955. Even Todd Black knew of our camp. Never saw an elk on Elk Ridge and no Limited Entry.
 
I started hunting in Colorado in 1965. I think a resident deer license cost $3.75. If you filled your tag, some places you could go to town and buy another. There was Deer season, and there was Elk season, but they weren't combined, So in either season, there were a lot of hunters afield at the same time. It was actually more exciting then because the elk would move around because of the pressure. Hardly any 4WD trucks, but little Jeeps were popular. There were no "Wilderness" areas like we now have, no Landowner tags, no Brokers, no ATV's and only a few areas where a bull tag had to be gotten thru a drawing. All cow tags were by drawing, I think. A spike elk was a "bull", and was considered the best eating. Sometime in the seventies Archery and Muzzleloader became popular, and the rifle seasons were combined and then seperated into early and late, then 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and so forth. Hell, now you need an attorney to translate the regulations into layman's terms, and a trust fund to hunt from out of state!
 
In 1965, we would buy a deer license for $3.75 if I recall. If you filled your tag, some places you could go back to the store and buy another tag cheaper than the first! There were seperate deer and elk seasons, not combined, and way more hunters in the field at the same time. So lots of excitement with elk running around. There were very few 4WD trucks (little jeeps were popular), no "Wilderness" areas, no landowners tags, no brokers, no ATV's, hell we only had AM radio and listened to the "Buckskin Network" to find out if we had to drive into town and call home on the pay phone. But gas was 23 cents a gallon so we drove into town a lot.
 
In 1965, we would buy a deer license for $3.75 if I recall. If you filled your tag, some places you could go back to the store and buy another tag cheaper than the first! There were seperate deer and elk seasons, not combined, and way more hunters in the field at the same time. So lots of excitement with elk running around. There were very few 4WD trucks (little jeeps were popular), no "Wilderness" areas, no landowners tags, no brokers, no ATV's, hell we only had AM radio and listened to the "Buckskin Network" to find out if we had to drive into town and call home on the pay phone. But gas was 23 cents a gallon so we drove into town a lot.
 
In Colorado in 1965, a resident deer tag was about $3.75. Some places you could go back for a second after you filled the first one. The Deer and Elk seasons were seperate until the seventies when they became combined; early and late. Very few archers, hardly any muzzleloaders, no wilderness areas, no landowner tags, no brokers, damn few 4WD trucks (but lots of Jeeps), and a lot more hunters in the field at one time, which was exciting.
 
In Colorado in 1965, a resident deer tag was about $3.75. Some places you could go back for a second after you filled the first one. The Deer and Elk seasons were seperate until the seventies when they became combined; early and late. Very few archers, hardly any muzzleloaders, no wilderness areas, no landowner tags, no brokers, damn few 4WD trucks (but lots of Jeeps), and a lot more hunters in the field at one time, which was exciting.
 
"I am not sure that there are more hunters today than in the 70s overall, but for the most part our parents were "workers" who wouldn't think about spending the time or money to hunt out of state. Some did, but most didn't. Now it is the norm. So big increases in NR hunters. And as stated, the states themselves have grown with more people moving in so the resident numbers have gone up too.

So one big difference: the 70s had smaller game departments. Funny how with the huge increases in revenue compared to the 70s, the game departments are now strapped for cash...."

txhunter58


I would have to agree with this statement above.

I started hunting Arizona in fall 1978 and never met a NR hunter until I met a guy from Utah. This was around 1993 or 94. Once Arizona went to the point system and people started emphasizing inches of horn the NR thing has gone crazy. Getting drawn has become exponentially more difficult for decent hunting experiences. Remember when people would describe elk as a 6X6 or a 4X4? Now it is 360 this or rag horn that.

Another thing to remember human populations have sky rocketed over last 30 years or so out west. They had to do something to regulate a limited supply but fast growing demand.
 
As mentioned, I understand the why of what has taken place, I was just curious as to the how it actually took place. Also, almost like a stroll down memory lane.

Personally, I do remember being able to buy an OTC deer tag in Colorado. I also remember as a young man, my dad told me I needed to build points in Colorado. But being financially, a notch above destitute, I couldn't do it. A few years afterward, I did start doing just that. Actually in about 1998, with three elk points I applied for and drew a muzzleloader tag. I regret that choice to this day. Had I just waited, I would have probably been able to cash out several years ago for somewhere like unit 61. Otherwise, I would at least have 20 points, which again, would get me into unit 61. I have considered moving to Colorado at least long enough to use my points as a resident. But then, I have been moving to Colorado, or most any state in the west for about 20 years, so I am not so sure I will ever make the move.

Also, as mentioned by a couple guys, I don't so much feel that the reason for limiting tags isn't so much that the population has gone up - though I am certain that fact does impact this situation - but rather, more guys are more than willing to make a trip or three each year for an out of state hunt. Actually even in my immediate area, lots of guys go to Ohio, and even Colorado and Kansas, but I would guess that for every hunter that goes out of state, there are 10 more that say, they wouldn't have a clue as to how to go about hunting out of state. This fact is actually a bit amusing as I make two or three trips each year to some destination out of state for hunting, so it is just an amplified version of packing up and going to our farm we hunt locally.

Someone mentioned that Todd Black knew of their camp. Who was Todd Black?
 
Without offending Todd if I get this wrong, he is a local Biologist, overseer of many CWMU's and he and his brothers have a very successful outfitting business on the San Juan / Elk Ridge LE unit.......Black Timber Outfitters. He is from the Blanding area.
 
Todd Black is a Local from Blanding area who family has lived in that area for ever and ever. Knows a lot about the history of the place, Back in the early 70's and late 60's a lot of huge bucks was take in the area. Phil Acton, Max Johnson was a couple of guys who shot some impressive deer.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
>[Font][Font color = "green"]Life member of
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For the most part pre-1985 there was no huntable populations of goats, moose, sheep in most of the western U.S. Prior to 1968 I don't believe elk could be hunted in Utah w/o a special tag. There are more elk and opportunities to hunt elk today that there ever has been. And deer units would be completely shut down if they were struggling and then re-opened as limited entry units. As meat hunt became less of a need and trophy hunting became more popular the wildlife agencies adapted to the will of the people.

And despite what you read there are less hunters today. What has changed is access to private property, habitat, predators, more roads/trails on public ground, more efficient weaponry. And probably the biggest change is the commercial hunting operations via lobbyists. Hunting was a lifestyle 40 years ago. Basically family reunions without potato salad and green jello. Don't fantasize about "glory days" of years past. I lived them and the hunting was not as good as most remember. It was more about the family atmosphere than it was about the harvest. Think about it, people always remember the good years and forget about the bad ones.

There is still a ton of opportunity out there to be had for those who chose to work for it. Feel fortunate to be living in the western US where we are still blessed to have these opportunities.
 
LAST EDITED ON Feb-08-15 AT 09:09PM (MST)[p]In 1971 the deer season was closed in minnesota due to low numbers! A couple years ago u could shoot 5 where I grew up!
 
LAST EDITED ON Feb-08-15 AT 09:56PM (MST)[p]1976 & 1979 hunted out of Craig, CO just went to the local sporting good store and bought the tags I needed and went hunting.
In 1978 I had my younger brother with me and we bought our Deer & Elk tags in Grand Junction late one night, day before season started. We went a number on units back then or maybe it was just the area I wanted to travel to,don't remember. I got a 5X3 Muley up above Rifle, CO and then we left and drove to Craig and then to the WY border and to my brother's wife's uncles place along the Little Snake River there along the border. We got access later to go hunt on a ranch there and my Bro got his 3x3 Buck.
In 1988 I took a week off and with just some maps I had ordered by writing a letter to USFS got maps and took off for the opener of 3rd season on the Uncomp. Met two fellas also from CA and have been friends since.
I was moving slow that fall do to surgery early that summer BUT had to get away from work. ONLY bought a deer tag since I did not want to re-injury my self.
Went back again in 1990 and had my son-in-law and we bought our Deer & Elk tags again in G.J. and headed to the Uncomp.
Then the following year in 1991 I went with a co-worker and hunted Deer in unit 61 above Uravan with an otc deer tag. My friend got the shot off faster than me and dropped a nice heavy 3x3 but that was it.I was down in a deep draw and found the largest set of Muley antlers ever all white and very old. I would hold them up and visalize the width about 30-32" so just left the pair there.
Then in 1994 my present hunting buddy (met in 1988) and I went to Craig and bought our Deer & Elk tags OTC and hunted out of Maybell BUT that year the DEER SEASON WAS ONLY 3 DAYS. Bob missed a hugh NT on the 2nd day and the next day we were back up there again and I only got an off-hand shot at this same back running below me across the snow shout into the JP's and loss his tracks once he was into the rocks.
Next day we went somewhere looking for Elk till I came down with Pneumonia so I just sat in PU with heater running to stay warm.
The points system must have started that following year in 1995 I would guess.
So for the long winded rant BUT at least I still have a good memmory...LOL

Brian
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I was born in 80 so have far less memory of how good things used to be. With that said, I have heard many stories from my Dad and Grandfather who have hunted every season in Utah with out miss.

I also come from a pedigree of hunters and my routes go all the way back to my Great-great Grandfather who was the first non-native settler of Cedar City who smoked the peace pipe with Walkara and had John Wesley Powell (first to float the Green River) as a guest in his home for almost 6 months.

They speak absolutely nothing of the elk. I have no-idea when the elk where all shot out. I do know now that the elk hunting is far better than both my Dad and Grandfather have ever remembered it.

There where thousands of deer and thousands of deer hunters. Predators were virtually non-existant. It wasn't until the 80's that my Dad consistently would hear and see coyotes while out deer hunting.

My family grew up hunting little Cottonwood Canyon on the front. Despite the close proximity to SLC, they would often have the whole thing to themselves on opening day. That is because no-one had to hike to the top of the mountain to find bucks and everyone with private allowed you to hunt. It was alot easier. Shooting a big buck was also alot easier and everyone filled their tag on the opener. If you didn't you were a bad shot.

I still hunt the front and see only a small fraction (about 1/10) of deer that they were used to seeing in the same places. What is changing now in my lifetime is the number of Cougar sign that I see up there. I see fresh cougar tracks everytime I am up and about on the front now.
 
Beanman........you said a mouthful there. A couple of seasons ago my cousins and I hunted deep into the Wyoming wilderness and the bulls answered and came to calls almost 100% of the time. Most of the time in Colorado a hunter bugling simply gives his position away. Cow calls work if done carefully!
J_T_B
 
LAST EDITED ON Feb-10-15 AT 05:01PM (MST)[p]Regarding big game history in South Central Utah, Sanpete, Sevier, Puite, Garfield and Iron Counties.

There are petroglyphs of elk, deer, buffalo, and mostly big horn sheep etched into our rock walls, so apparently there were some of those species in the area or at least the indigenous people had seen enough of them to correctly carve their images in their rock murals.

However, when Jedediah Smith (who historians say lead the first group of American's through these counties) came through in 1826 and again in 1827, he nearly starved to death. Traveling with as many as 19 seasoned hunters/trappers he could hardly find a desert jack rabbit to eat, from Utah Lake to the Colorado River. His diary claims they were eating their horses by the time they found the Mohave villages in AZ or Nevada. He reported indigenous people living off insects and rodents due to the lack of large game.

I haven't researched the big game populations in the area during the pioneer period of the 1860 through the early 1900. However, by 1946, a hundred years later, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources made a concerted attempt to count the number of mule deer on the Oak Creek Mountains east of Oak City. They reported over 20,000 deer. Current scientists, studying the Monroe mule deer herds, believe there may have been as many as 27,000 in the early 1950's. Today the number of deer on the combined Oak Creek and Pahvant units is less than 7,000 and the number of deer on the Monroe is between 7000 and 8000.

When I moved to South Central Utah in 1975, the local folks would tell me about the time their grandfather saw a cougar or a black bear. They had never seen one themselves. Now, everyone is seeing cougars, they show up right here on peoples back pouches, on occasion, and the bear population is literally exploding in our mountains, in all directions.

In the 1970's and early 1980's you could find a few elk on the Fish Lake and Manti mountain ranges, never on the Monroe, Beaver or the Pahvant. Now these units have elk and all these units are producing huge bulls and surplus cows.

Never heard of a turkey in Utah when I first moved here. Saw the first one back in the early 1990s on the Boulder Mountain. Now you can see hundreds, north and south, east and west.

We have Mt. Goats on the Beaver Mountains, and now a new herd on the La Sal Mts.

These animals are here because sportsmen and their representative State Agency (UDWR) put and keep them here. And it wasn't as long ago as some folks would like to think that we had nothing here.

There's lots of successful stories but ample failures to go with the successes. But......we can have what we want, if we make the effort to have it. Our Grandpas and Dads did it, we need to make sure we grow the future too.

No need to go back to the Jedediah Smith era.

DC
 
My Dad told me that here in Cali you could buy a tag and go hunt anywhere in the state. Statewide tags for everyone? That was in his early hunting days....probably 60's and 70's

Cancer doesn't discriminate...don't take your good health for granted because it can be gone in a heartbeat. Please go back and read the last line. This time really understand what it says.
 
Wisz....That is correct as I was doing that very same thing in the early 70's after I came back home from Overseas work. Bought a Deer tag went up close to Eureka and then headed to Hyampom and then left there and went to Downieville then down to Alleghany...found my Uncle and cousins down there and hunted the last 2 days with them.

Brian
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I remember my 1st hunting in CO in late 70's and we backpacked in before season using trashcans strapped to our backpacks. We just couldn't bring our gear for a week in the backpacks as there was no such thing as lightweight gear! We packed in a Coleman canvas tent and had about 6 guys in it and it partially collapsed from snow one nite. We all just rolled into the middle of the tent since nobody wanted to get up in the middle of the snowstorm to fix it! Good times!
 
Started archery hunting in Kali in 1972, 12 years old. OTC and only saw one guy, the same guy, every seson until about 1976. Then 4 wheel compound bows became popular. Within 3 years it was "crowded." Compound allowed everyone to be able to shoot accurately without having to practice all year and extended range.

1977 I graduated from HS and my graduation present was an archery elk hunt in Colorado. I took a deer in California (archery) that year and 2 bucks and a cow elk in Colorado(archery). The tags were OTC, $90.00 deer, $140.00 elk for NR. A ton of money in the day but only saw 2 other hunters in 9 days.

We went back in 1978 and 1980, rifle. Skunked each year. Froze too, equipment is sooooo much better these days.

Went to Nevada (pre-PPs) in 1984 or 85. Saw the most huge bucks I ever saw in my life in a unit that is average at best. I believe that is about when the mule deer herds started to tank.

By 1986 I was archery hunting elk in montana every other year.

Nevada started PPs in 1990 but I didn't know how to properly use my PPs. In 1995 and again in 2000 I drew my 5th choice just because I wanted to hunt and hunted average units/hunts.

I had a great Arizona deer hunt on one of the early Kiabab hunts in 1992, pre-PPs.

Got into the PP game in Colorado late and ended up hunting Unit 61 archery elk in about 2008 with 13 PPs, hunted 3rd season deer there the previous year.

Drew a great Nv elk tag in 2010.

Drew some other pretty good tags the last few years.

I believe the elk herds have expanded unbelivable in my lifetime but the deer herds most places have suffered and it doesn't seem to be getting any better.

I rambled but I have seen significant changes in my time.
 
Born in California I got my first hunting license in 1964.Been hunting ever since. My dad had was a farmer and had access to some of the best hunting in the state.He also hunted in Utah and Nevada. We ate alot of venison and gamebirds. I started archery and muzzleloader hunting around 1975. Heres the main differnces I have seen around here compared to 1964. Then- lots of deer even on public land. Now- way less deer especially on public. Then- No pig tags required but very few pigs. Now- Pig tags required, lots of pigs. Then- about six tule elk left in the world. Now- thousands of tule elk, got lucky and drew an archery tag. Then- Rarely saw a wild turkey and there was no season. Now- turkeys everywhere. Then- the state was split into two zones for deer. Now-Lots of differnt zones and hunts. Then- no special seasons for archery of muzzleloaders. Now- lots of both.In the mid 70s my buddies would buy an over-the-counter tag and hunt the strip, they killed huge bucks.Then- cost $10 to have a deer cut and wrapped which included adding beef to grind. Now- don't know because I do it myself but I think its around $90. Yup things have definitely changed, some better, some not so much.
 
oh ya thought of a couple more. Then- Killed a lion and you got a cattlemans associations bounty of around $100. Now- kill a lion and you go to jail, cant even bring one back from another state that was legally killed. Then- used dogs to run bear and bobcat. Now- Illegal to use dogs on bear or bobcat. Then- didn't know what a liberal was. Now- they run the state. Like I said some changes for the better, some not so much.
 
This has been a cool thread to read through. It's fun to take a stroll down memory lane. I was born in '81 but my dad started taking me out at about 5 years old. I remember there being more deer, bigger bucks, and less hunters in Utah in those days. But the only one of those figures that is 100% verifiable is the hunter numbers, and the hunter numbers back then blow today's out of the water. There were double the hunters in the good old days than there are now. So the rest of my memory probably can't be trusted either.
 
I hunted deer in Utah in 1960. If I remember we were allowed two deer,either sex. A large share of the hunter were from California,bumper to bumper. If there were any elk in Utah then it was very few if any.my hunting was south of Provo to Manti. The deer were like jack rabbits.
 
My first deer hunt was in 1965. DWR records document that there were many more deer then than now, but animal numbers surged in the 40s while every able bodied man was out fighting a war. There were also twice as many hunters. The opening morning of deer season sounded like a war, with thousands of shots ringing across the mountain tops for the first few hours. By the time I started to hunt, deer numbers were slowly declining and within 10 years it got pretty hard to find a 2 point.

My rifle for that first hunt was a lever action 32 special with open sights. If you were a real serious hunter you had a scoped army 06. We shot at every buck we saw and I remember, even then only about a third of us ever took one home. Most of us were just meat hunting, and it was common for camps to "party hunt". You could shoot a doe if you wanted to but most hunters were after a buck. As has been mentioned, deer were king in those days and there were few elk to be had. In most states you had to draw an elk tag, if you wanted an elk and tags were hard to draw.

Today we are much more efficient predators and the animals we hunt are at a much greater disadvantage. Because of that general hunts have fewer big animals, but LE hunts are as good as trophy quality has ever been.

There are many more Moose, Goats, and Sheep than there has ever been and overall I'd say now is the "Good ol Days".
 
I grew up in Idaho, and was in my early teens in the mid 70s.
We hunted Mule Deer almost exclusively, because there were DANG FEW elk.
They first few years of hunting we could shoot 2 deer.
They hunter numbers seemed to be higher back then. Opening day was like a war!
We could hunt deer on the General season into early December, man that was fun!
By the early 90s the elk had exploded! Now I have a hard time not running into Elk, and a hard time finding deer.
We NEVER saw turkeys, and now they are thicker than flies.

Things have certainly changed.
 
Born and raised in Utah. My great grandfather was the first wildlife conservation officer in the south east/central part of Utah. He had some great stories that he told us but all prior to the 70's. However "in his day" he says there were no elk. He talked about the transplants they did that brought in elk and buffalo from Yellowstone. Do not know when this happened.

He said that there were many more deer on the deserts than in the mountains. He told stories about hiring professional houndsmen to kill lions and bear and about one of the named Greene who would just crawl in bear holes and shoot them during hibernation.

I regret not recording his memories. They were amazing stories.
 
LAST EDITED ON Apr-13-15 AT 02:27PM (MST)[p]In AZ pre-68 deer tags were a buck and you would stop off at the Yellow Front store on your way out of town and buy your tag for a dollar. Everyone would say "A buck for a Buck". The tag had a metal clip band and a legal buck was at least a fork horn where when clipped, the tag would not come off the antler. Could hunt anywhere in the state you liked including north of the Canyon, but most didn't as it was too far to drive for just a deer. Imagine that!!

Elk was always a draw and if you were lucky enough to draw a tag, you could not apply again for the next three years regardless if you tagged an elk or not. Elk were brought into AZ by train car in the late 20's, due to an over population in Yellowstone at the time I believe. They were brought into Flagstaff and held in pens for a while to acclimate them to the area and the rest is history. I don't think the first elk hunt occured in AZ until the 40's if my history lessons are correct.

I believe it was in 68 (the same year the Phx Suns received a franchise)that the GF went to a draw for deer, but anyone who applied got a tag. I think they did it at first so you would have to stay in one unit during the three weekend hunting season. Within five years or so, the pink slip "Not Drawn" started to show up in your mail box instead of your tag. There was some Bit...n when that started happening. I remember all of this from my dad's hunting experiences as I really did not become serious about hunting until the past ten years or so.

If you check out the number of deer tags issued in AZ through the years, you will see that there has been a very consistent downward slope due to the long term drought AZ has been in for too many years.

Elk hunting is much better now than in the 70's - 90's as the limited draw has allowed the herds to increase. Not sure when they did away with the three year waiting period, but probably in the late 70's or 80's. I agree that NR hunting is significanly more popular now than it was in the 70's - 90's and G&F departments have caught onto the cash cow NR tags provide.

Antelope has always been a hard draw due to the limited supply, high quality and high success rate. I think a resident needs 18 - 20 points to even think about getting a tag right now, but with AZ's system anything can happen.

I also remember in the 80's that a CO deer tag was OTC even for a NR as I often thought about making the trip, but never did. As I said, I did not get seriously into hunting until the past ten years or so.

No one mentioned AZ so I thought I would take a walk down memory lane.
 

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