Packout,
Opinions like yours seem to be the problem. In your eyes it is either or. I will never understand why there cannot be some give and take. While some areas may need increases to manage others may not. Utah says increases are needed from Wendover to Vernal, and from St. George to Randolph. I see posts on the various internet chat boards claiming units "appear" to be 1:1 ratios. How elk are "dying of old age." People just need to "hunt harder." "What was the size when the points were started?" So on and so forth. What they should be saying is "I want a tag and I want it now at any cost."
I am all but sure I am out this year. Done. I will never have to worry about it again. However, I feel obligated to fight this to the bitter end to protect what we have, not what we hope to have. I would bet my bottom dollar that opinions are totally based on the amount of bonus points people have. Tell me with a straight face you would recommend these increases with 10 or more points. People say I am selfish for wanting to hunt areas that have 400 bulls. I say people are selfish wanting to decrease quality in an effort to secure their own tag some time soon. When they lower age classes you will still wait 35 years. You will just shoot a 300 bull when you do draw.
If you guys are so conservation minded, tell me why these increases are being recommended WITHOUT tooth data from every elk killed? Why are tooth samples not MANDATORY on every animal? Why are these recommendations on the table WITHOUT November hunts complete? If I were concerned about conservation I would never jeopardize the herd without complete, accurate, and honest data.
I am all for sound management. I am also in hopes that we all can hunt what, when, and where we want. My concerns are that the trophy units will STILL be very hard to draw. Can anyone here tell me they applied for Diamond Mountain? This is the unit with the best draw odds, but you just have to be ready to settle for a 280 bull. Maybe one could "hunt harder" on Diamond and get a 430 bull? It makes me wonder, with all of the opportunity cries, why this unit is the easiest to draw with the greatest chance for opportunity.
I will never understand why people believe that when you draw a Utah elk tag you will "kill a 380 bull because they are around every bush." We are seeing the best of the best in movies, magazines, and the internet. A 380 bull is not easy to get and it certainly is not a guarantee. I tried it last year and my eyes were opened. As it stands a 350 bull is a reasonable goal. With some luck and persistance a 380 bull is possible. Odds are that any one hunter will not get one. The results we see now are representative of a herd that holds a few bulls in the 400 class. I know the Cache had a 400 bull killed and it is "managed" for 4 year old bulls. The tags issued were not targeted to bring the age class down so that argument does not fly.
The draw odds can improve with some adjustments to the application system. I think wiping the big bulls out to lower draw odds should be a last resort. 59% increase in 2 years is TOO much! After a 25% increase last year wouldn't it be wise to see the trend first?
Like I said, I am not against people getting a chance, but this is not the way to handle it. Some of you can keep working the chat boards, I have 3 meetings scheduled, maybe 4. I will do everything I can to slow this down. If I cannot, then all I can say is I am glad I have drawn (I hope), and I tried my best. I cannot believe how many hunters I have talked to who are scrambling to draw any tag they can with any weapon that improves their chances to draw "before it gets ruined."
I want a 200" mulie. Maybe everyone that hunts deer can go on the Henrys and get one. Well, I would like to draw it every 5 years so I will settle for 180.
