Utah general bull tag

LongRanger · Apr 15, 2004

Hi Guys, I have been watching this forum for some time now and decided to ask a question. We generally hunt NM and Colorado, and this year if we dont get drawn in NM we were going to go to Idaho, but now maybe I am thinking Utah. We live in Okla, so it will be quite a drive. Hunted elk for several years with 99% success. Have horses and lots of gear. Anyway, we dont know squat about Utah except that it is a long way off. I understand there are general bull tags for sale, are those already sold out? and what would you guys from Utah suggest in some unit that is in the southern part of the state. What class of bulls are in these general season units? We take the kids to Colorado for a good hunt. Kids get NR bull tags for $103, which is great. My son has shot 3 bulls in 3 years, this will be his last year for the cheap tags. But, we are tired of shooting junkheads, although I did connect with a 7x7 a few years ago, but as in typical Colorado public land, he scored around 280. Any help would be appreciated.

ELKOHOLIC · Apr 16, 2004

I shot a 6 point on the Zion unit back in '98. I think the success rate for shooting a bull on that unit runs about 3%. It is a really tough hunt. I don't think this is your best bet for shooting a big bull, althouh I am sure there are a few taken every year.

antlerrick · Apr 16, 2004

The biggest share of Southern Utah, other than a couple of hunting units, is Spike Only. Like Elkaholic stated, there are a few decent bulls on the "Any Bull" units, but with a 3-5% success rate on "all" bulls, you can see that it is not much of a chance to harvest a bull, let alone a respectable bull. Yea, there are a few who slip in each year and seem to always get a nice one, but they have spent their time scouting and learing where they need to be. The best chance is to join the lottery with everyone else, and then your odds will go "down!"...
Good luck, and save your bucks! Even with the cost of CO going up, you would probably still have a lot better chance...
a*r

elk_horn · Apr 16, 2004

You would better off for open bull to hunt Idaho..the quility hunts in Utah are all draw .. or spike only.

DUVY · Apr 16, 2004

In the any Bull units,It's rough just to find a Bull let alone a good one 300 or better. It takes alot of scouting just for some rag horns.If your lucky enough to find some herds with some O.K bulls,the Fish and game well cherry bomb them any way.
So unless you have some time to look before the hunt your odds are pretty scarce.

LongRanger · Apr 16, 2004

Looks like unless you draw your chances of even finding a bull are slim to none. Guess Idaho is where we will go if we dont draw in NM. Thanks for the info.

LongRanger · Apr 17, 2004

LAST EDITED ON Apr-17-04 AT 06:03AM (MST)[p]Nother question, I know there are a few outfitters in SW Colorado that hunt private land that borders Utah. I guess they get the bulls in the canyons that come off that big mountain in the Indian Reservation (sorry dont know the name of the mountain). I believe it is the Navajo reservation, I am assuming they offer hunts on their land, but has anybody heard of any price? If it is like any other reservation, it is waaaaaaaaay over my head.

LittleSpike · Apr 18, 2004

What's cherry bomb mean??

DUVY · Apr 18, 2004

It is how the F&G scatter herds they use shell crackers,Its a M80 shot out of a 12 gauge.

LittleSpike · Apr 19, 2004

I have heard of them doing that in agricultural areas.

Jake_Sorensen · Apr 19, 2004

Well I agree with everything that has been said, I hunt one of the few decent any bull areas left in Utah, in my opinion all of the any bull areas would be a tuff hunt for several reasons the first: hunting pressure I'm sure most the people that don't draw that want to take their chances at possibly more than a spike will most likly hunt these areas. So you get alot of hunting pressure, the second problem we experienced this year which is the first year we really had it in the area were we hunt, I know it happens in other areas but 4 wheelers everywere we would hike to get away from them and take our horses to get away from them but it seemed like they would find their way anyway whether if it was an old logging/mining road or making their own the second problem we had was, people started shooting at 5 in the morning I probably heard 4 or 5 shots before legal shooting hours most being while for the most part dark out side, why do A-holes do this? One of the other problems private land the best bet for most people is catching the elk crossing over from private land into public or the elk heading over to the private land when pressure get high, I know there are several 320+ bulls on the private land that is in the area I hunt and I think I've heard the guy charges $3500 to hunt on his land. And like it has been said alot of raghorns seem to be in these areas I got a nice 6x6 bull this year that wasen't a raghorn that scored around 280 with one broken tine, but it seemed like most hunters in the area that had gotten their elk had 3-5 point raghorns. Starting next year I'm going to start trying to draw. I know a guy that hunts in the area that I think you are talking about, if it is I think he pays around $7,000 to hunt there but I'm not sure I'm thinking of the same area.

Jake

Hondoarcher · Apr 28, 2004

The biggest problem that I see is that the any bull areas just plain get overhunted. When you can shoot any bull on the mountain not many survive go get any size to them. I love hunting elk and want the chance each year while I try to draw on one of the limited entry areas but would like my experience to be better. Utah has wonderfull trophy areas. It also gives people opportunities to hunt spikes in the spike only areas. But the bulls in the any bull areas are few and far between. I have hunted in Colorado in their 4 point or better areas and opportunites are much better because the bulls get a chance to get some size to them. I wish that Utah would chang the any bull areas to 4 point or better. This would give us a wider range of opportunities. You could go to the spike only areas for spikes. The any bull areas for better bulls and then to the draw only areas for trophy bulls. This would also insure that proper breading would occure in the any bull areas because 4 point bulls are old enough to breed.

What do you guys think?