Uinta Elk opener

[rutnbuck]

Wow what an odd off the wall Elk opener for 2004. We hunted Near Flaming Gorge. Any bull units. Well we found elk. But where we found them was in no mans land. It was the same story every where. Most hunters hadn't even seen a elk. The story of the Checking station north of Vernal. Of 300 units checked only 5 elk. What usually sounds like a shooting gallery. But 1 or 2 shots fired. Oh the elk are there but where. To much presure is my guess. WE found elk where most man won't walk. And to thick to get a shot. Same story north slope. We talked to a lot of hunters. Most hadnt seen elk or knew of any getting killed. NO camps had elk hanging. What do u think. Where is the elk. Oh the elk are there. At least 3 weeks ago.
Rut

 

[deadI]

Same on the south slope. The freshest sign i was able to find the hole weekend was at least a week old. We saw a cow and a calf the hole weekend. And we only saw them for a split second. Tobad the hunt wasn't the same week as last year, we probably would have gotten in to them.

Jared
aka: DeadI

 

[Jake_Sorensen]

LAST EDITED ON Oct-12-04 AT 09:47AM (MST)[p]I hunted the north slope, I saw 1 small five point that some guy had shot and then two partially decayed elk carcasses with their head missing my guess is someone poached a couple of bulls from a bachelor group cause they were right next to each other, but we only heard a couple shots the whole morning nothing compared to last year, in my opinion to much pressure and to many dumb a$$e$ people were riding their four wheelers in and out, making new trails for them selves and a couple of idiot camped since Tuesday night right down in the middle of where we were going to be hunting four days later how they got their truck in there is beyond me but you can't expect to find elk were a couple of drunks have been partying an cooking all week long, I ran into one of the guys and I just wanted to pull out my 45 and pistol whip him a couple times. This years opener was rediculous I have hunted this area for 12 years and never seen what I saw this year. Now I just need to figure out were to go this weekend.

Jake

 

[predator]

Jake, is is just me or does it seem that everyone bought open bull tags this year? Soapstone was a parking lot with camps, yet cross the road to Wolf Creek, and there's hardly anyone there.

I hope that's not a sign for the muzzy season, we bought any bull tags.

 

[Jake_Sorensen]

I hunted up past Soapstone a ways but drove past and I couldn't believe it, that exactly how it was were I went up by bear river station the funny thing was when I was driving home some guy was walking along the highway squeezing his cow call, I don't know what they need to do but something needs to change with the anybull areas I don't know if they need to open more up or what, Its just getting rediculous my brother in law saw the samething were he went(not sure were exactly)but he said It was like a city were he went. And he had hunted there for 7 or 8 years. I don't know what I'm going to start doing after this year but I don't think I will be able to have a decent hunt up there anymore I hiked my butt off Saturday morning just to have some moron weaving his way past me through the pines on his fourwheelers its just rediculous, Its just becoming a race to see who can get to the bulls the fastest, but what these idiots don't relize is they are scaring everything away while they are doing it. All I know is I don't want to shoot a spike.

Jake

 

[huntercameron]

LAST EDITED ON Oct-12-04 AT 12:13PM (MST)[p] My cousin and his dad had success on the any bull up on the north slope. I guess you have to be a hard hunter. Well my cousin harvested a 5x5 and his dad harvested a 6x6. He dad said it must of been the herd bull in the area cause its the biggest elk he has seen up there. Both on the opener morning packed them out and left that night. Well his dad hasn't got a elk in 7 years up there. But his son is a hard working hunter Well last year he had a chance at a 4x4 but to thick to shoot. Year before in the same spot he got a 5x5 . The year before that one nothin. All in the same spot. Well he is purely dedicated to be have a 50 percent success up there and where they hunt theres not many bulls he said. He says you shoot any bull you see cause theres not many around. They are not road hunters either they hike there asses off just to let you know . While he was up there somebody else near got a 5x5 but that was it. Ill try to get some pics of these bulls and post well enjoy!!!!!

laters , hunter cameron

 

[muzz]

I was up in the Flaming Gorge area my self and what a joke!! Had bulls located the night b4 and every hunter from Vernal was there in the morning. We were 6 miles in and didnt expect to see many people but when we went in there was a group camped right in the middle of where the elk are living. I was pretty pissed and put alot of miles on this weekend for nothing. Public ground is getting worse and worse and something needs to be done. The checking station we went thru had checked over 200 people with only 10 bulls being checked thru. I was pretty dissapointed. Another reason Utah is so great.

 

[Packout]

I didn't make the hunt this year because of my LTD tag, but the remaining 3 guys in our group went out and took 1 6x6, 1 5x6, and a spike. Lots of elk, lots of people, you just have to know how to hunt them. oh yeah, location is the Uintas. I do love Utah, it has treated me great.

Pred- I wouldn't worry too much about the muzz hunt, the weather will keep a lot of FairWeather fans home or close to the truck.

 

[huntercameron]

In my opinion the gorge area gets hit to hard . From my experience the bests spots are where very few hunters are and really thick stuff . For example theres some good spots on the north slopes . Plus you have to hike lots. Theres more hunters then bulls so the first thing you see in any bull area with horns you drop.

laters , hunter cameron my opinion oh and be very quiet

 

[WIDOW_MAKER]

I hunted the any bull unit and found elk. Hunted the areas from Kamas to Hana. Saw elk every day and at least one bull a day. A guy that I was hunting with had a chance to shoot a 6x6, but he took too long to shoot and some other people started shooting at them. Saw about 4 bulls. The bulls that I saw were all too far away. One 4x4 my dad called in on Monday just right after I split up with my dad. (my dad wasn't hunting). That really sucks! Saw 2 bears and some moose. Can't wait to go this weekend. I hope to see at least a good rag horn. I now of 6 bulls taken the first two days of the hunt and they were all shot within 3 square miles of each other. This is the best any bull unit hunt I ever had.

WIDOW_MAKER

 

[rutnbuck]

RE: Uinta Elk opener/disrespect

Amen guys and gals
Ya know it is not the elk missing or the # of hunters.I have been hunting elk in Utah for 30+ years and have killed plenty of elk all on public land. Ya know what? If ya averaged out the Uintas it is about 15000 acers per hunter Or 2100 sq miles total. That is a lot of elk country and a lot of bulls. My thoughts it is disrespect for the elk. Ya know if u are a good elk hunter Elk just hate 4 wheelers. Just watch a heard of elk then wait for a 4 wheeler to start up. Guys just try to get to close to elk in the off season. Lets see what they do with a cow call bad call guys. A elk will be loyal to his nature till u train him of the cow call. Elk won't tolerate it. Not to mention archery deer hunters, archery elk hunters, muzz deer hunters, scouters, close a few roads by the gov so everyone goes to the same acess. What did the anti huntes do. My choice is work a little harder. Respect the other hunters and what we all have to work with. I like 4 wheelers but Elk deserve the respect. Give em space when u can. Don't get as close as u can. Or I Promise you will loose the right. After all the elk is so many dreams to be filled. We all live for the elk. I dream of my next elk hunt not my next elk kill. I am sorry the elk has been pressured so much they have to resort to the thickist of thickets and the darkest of canyons. One blessing there will be more elk next year and bigger ones. If mother nature is kind and the elk handle all the extra pressure.
Dose one know that all of elks actions ie: migration,rutting,
feeding,wallowing ect. Are all in fact triggered by their nervious system,except the rut. Where as the rut is triggered by the amount of light that hit the retna of the eye not cold weather like one hears so much about. Even though cold weather usually comes with darker days. The elk can not I repeat can not handle pressure. Give em a brake guys and gals. Go kill a big one with respect. They need all the space we can give. Mind u a elk only needs a twig to snap at the right time to send him to winter range or start his migration in the spring.
Rut

 

[HornyMan]

RE: Uinta Elk opener/disrespect

Its been the opposite for me. I've seen more and biger bulls in the Uintas this year. I've been watching several for a couple months. Last night I located 4 more decent bulls and one big one that is pushing 350-360. I know that isn't terribly big but for public land its quite nice. I have been finding them in unconventional places and very low. A couple I found last you probably wouldn't need a horse to get. Its all about getting in far. Can't wait for the muzzleloader.

 

[SNYPER]

the wapitis are in the unitahs!!!!!!!!! hell ya they are
i've been archery hunting them for the last 3 yrs along the north slope. (hunting them the last 15yrs rifle)
it kills me to hear everybody say there's no elk in them thar moutains. guys you need to get off your atvs, out of the trucks
and walk !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i've seen more bigger bulls the last couple of years than all the years past. (not just size but quantity also!)
actually i don't care if you don't see the elk or not, that means more elk for us that do the hard work to find them year in & year out.
if you don't find elk in your normal spots maybe just maybe it's time to change your strategies.

it just piss's me off to hear all the bad talk about the uintahs.
i know it's not like southern utah, but it's managed differently also. don't expect to kill a 400" bull up there, if that's what you want, don't go up their. but there are some bulls that will reach 350" plus, i've seen em. and been apart of a couple of kills.

snyper >>>>>>>>>>--------------------------->

 

[3DaughterMan]

It's interesting how many complaints there are about soooo many people yet all the latest talk is how we as hunters are losing numbers (of future hunters). To me, less hunters would mean less hunters in the field, yet we are told to recuit young people so there will be more hunters. I am confused. Maybe we don't need more hunters to fight our Washington D.C. battles, we just need to fight smarter. Now, how to do that, I don't know. I have a spike tag and finding elk is not hard, but finding a single horned is.

 

[cabinfever]

Packed back in about ten miles. scouted with several other guys two days before the hunt, and found nothing but week and half old sign. moved to about 9000 feet and seen a few elk but very little at that.

cabinfever

p.s. the area we were in was full of elk the previous year. I think the early snow or the bow hunters pushed them out of this area.

 

[unitaman]

I got a question? with all of your experience up their in the uintas, are there more elk on the kamas to oakly side or more elk on the Mirror late highway Eastside facing soapstone to Hanna? it seems like there'd be a better chance at finding a decent bull ON the Kamas uint any bull area than the soapstone side? the Kamas side seems to be wilder country due to less ATV trails. Your thoughts and experiences would be appreciated. also have any of you guys hunted ELK up by the Smith and Morehouse reservoir on the north side OF this unit?

 

[muzz]

shut up

 

[muzz]

Its all about the money!! They want more younger people hunting so they can get more money.

 

[whs]

LAST EDITED ON Oct-15-04 AT 09:36PM (MST)[p]We hunted the Uintas with a rifle and switched to the bow hunt two years ago due to the amout of people in the area we hunt. Which is being packed in and on horses. Went to that same area last year on the bow hunt it was my two hunting partners and myself and two other guys, went up there this year and it was packed full of bow hunters. Unreal, we have done good up there and always gotten into the elk not this year so many people up there keeping the elk hidden. We got into them but not like the pasy couple of years. I think those that know the area need to keep it to them selves before all the spike hunters run us over.

 

[DUVY]

I was in the flaming gorge area, and the elk where no where to be found. this area sucked! I talked with the fish and game and they had scene 4 elk come by the checking station on sunday.
That was out of the red cloud loop port. They told me the elk were high. the most we scene were low in the duchesne area.