New Mid-Season Dates vs Rut Activity

Togwotee

Long Time Member
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Looks like Utah's new elk plan is intended to put quantity over quality so I'm weighing my options .

The new mid-season hunts are October 7-19th or something like that. in a normal year in central/southern UT how much rut activity is there going to be? here in eastern OR it's still on but I wouldn't call it a rut hunt. wondering if it's better or worse that far south.

The early hunt looks slightly later but I assume it's still great .
 
There should still be quite a bit of rut activity, but you have to deal with all the spike hunters at the same time. The peak of the rut has been late Sept- early Oct the last few years from what I’ve seen.
 
Just great, then early hunt it is. it'll be a wonder if this plan hasn't doomed trophy elk hunting in Utah.

We have some good bull tags with spike hunters at the same time. it sucks bad.
 
It Has Been This Way For Several years!

There's gonna Be Some Changes this year But I Don't Know What All Yet?

The Once TROPHY BULL LE UNITS Are Not Near What They Once Were!





Just great, then early hunt it is. it'll be a wonder if this plan hasn't doomed trophy elk hunting in Utah.

We have some good bull tags with spike hunters at the same time. it sucks bad.
 
Just great, then early hunt it is. it'll be a wonder if this plan hasn't doomed trophy elk hunting in Utah.

We have some good bull tags with spike hunters at the same time. it sucks bad.
Depends on what you consider a trophy... for too long, on many units, they've been shooting for 400" bulls, on others 360" bulls... On lesser units, 300" bulls were more common.

I hope the plan reigns in the idea of having 9 year old bulls with 400" of bone on their heads... you have to restrict hunting so much just to try and grow bulls like that. Age objectives should be 5-6 year old bulls... and whatever the head gear, so be it... increase opportunity...

I don't like spike hunts during LE hunts though. I'd be upset about that if I had any skin in the LE elk game...
 
Depends on what you consider a trophy... for too long, on many units, they've been shooting for 400" bulls, on others 360" bulls... On lesser units, 300" bulls were more common.

I hope the plan reigns in the idea of having 9 year old bulls with 400" of bone on their heads... you have to restrict hunting so much just to try and grow bulls like that. Age objectives should be 5-6 year old bulls... and whatever the head gear, so be it... increase opportunity...

I don't like spike hunts during LE hunts though. I'd be upset about that if I had any skin in the LE elk game...
I've hunted the mid season on the Wasatch during the spike hunts and those guys haven't bugged me in the least.
 
Depends on what you consider a trophy... for too long, on many units, they've been shooting for 400" bulls, on others 360" bulls... On lesser units, 300" bulls were more common.

I hope the plan reigns in the idea of having 9 year old bulls with 400" of bone on their heads... you have to restrict hunting so much just to try and grow bulls like that. Age objectives should be 5-6 year old bulls... and whatever the head gear, so be it... increase opportunity...

I don't like spike hunts during LE hunts though. I'd be upset about that if I had any skin in the LE elk game...
You have 3 other hunts with no spike hunters involved, so it it's that big a deal to them they can put in for one of those.
 
No they don't.

But the majority of those that survive are carried until the 6-7 year old range. Very few draw hunters are shooting the small ones.

My guess is the draw odds will go up dramatically for those that think they need a rifle to kill a "decent" bull during the rut.

The ALW hunters have been the few who had the supposed "mountain" to them selves during the rut.

The only other I can think of is the late ALW.
 
What's the point in trophy elk units if you don't hunt trophy elk ?

Spike hunting will bring both the quantity and quality of bulls down you don't have to be an Einstein to understand that.
 
Togwotee, I've got 25 points, and switching to archery, hoping to draw this year. If not, there's always next year. I'm just hoping for some good action compared to general elk in MT. I don't expect to see a ton of great big elk, but would expect decent ones in the better units.
 
What's the point in trophy elk units if you don't hunt trophy elk ?

Spike hunting will bring both the quantity and quality of bulls down you don't have to be an Einstein to understand that.
Einstein would stand corrected because The three largest LE/spike units in the state prove otherwise. You’d be lucky to kill a rag horn 4 before spike units were a thing and all three have produced multiple record book bulls since.
 
Yes, and I'll hopefully draw an early tag so they won't be in my way anyway.

But more hunters have never been an advantage for me.
 
It's nice to think you will have the mountain to yourself for that hunt but reality says you won't. Plenty of bird hunters and others recreating at that time too. But I hope you can enjoy yourself when you draw.
 
I wonder how much the LE midseason hunts will mess up the spike hunts? It seems like most LE hunters have 10 helpers, so that puts a lot more boots on the ground. Maybe the helpers want to have a spike while they are out in the field, does that increase competition for spike tags? Can you have a LE tag and a spike tag?
 
It's nice to think you will have the mountain to yourself for that hunt but reality says you won't. Plenty of bird hunters and others recreating at that time too. But I hope you can enjoy yourself when you draw.
Don’t forget bear hunters, atv riders, hikers, campers and hippies ? Depending on the unit in Utah you might even have an atv “jamboree” during your early rifle hunt and now with 5 days to get it done.

Pick your poison but you will not have the mountain to yourself no matter what you choose. Best to know that now so you aren’t disappointed. Just get off the roads a bit and you will be fine even on the mid hunt.
 
I find it hilarious that there are still people that claim spike hunting is destroying trophy quality in Utah. This has been proven time and time again, yet people still insist of spitting that 100% false narrative.

You will likely still see at least a little rut activity for a portion of the mid-season hunts. But “rut activity” isn’t always what people think it is.
 
Wow I can learn something here, if I sell all but a couple of my bull caves right off cow it won't make any difference in the quality or quantity of my bulls when the bull sale comes around.
 
Tons of spikes make it through spike season and half of a bulls genetics come from mama. You can’t tell the genetics of a spike in its first year through observation. One might be 400” at year 5 and one may never break 320”.

As for rut activity on the mid hunt; those hunt dates rotate from beginning 10/2 to 10/8. That is a big difference, just like the archery dates, shoot your shot in the year where you believe your best dates will land
 
I’ve never killed a spike. Not a single one. I just am willing to listen when a biologist that knows what they’re talking about is speaking.

And it turns out, they are right!
 
I'm not sure where this 17,000 spike hunter number came from but I don't believe it is correct. I think the correct number is 15,000. It also has a success rate of less than 10%.

The any bull units got the increase in tags.

That being said I don't know many ranchers who could carry every bull born on their ranch for 5 or 6 years before they sell. It seems that is what some people want to happen for the elk herds.
 
They Are Not Always Right!

You're Still Not Listening Niller!

Let Them Spikes Grow Up!

Issue More Big Bull Tags!

And Move More Hunters Through The Points/Draw System!

Oh And One More Thing!

QUIT KILLIN SPIKES AKA FUTURE BIG BULLS IN LE UNITS!!!

GFHC!



I’ve never killed a spike. Not a single one. I just am willing to listen when a biologist that knows what they’re talking about is speaking.

And it turns out, they are right!
 

It shows. :ROFLMAO:


I’m more concerned about a quality herd than some mythical “fix point creep” bogus stuff that won’t ever happen. You’ve changed your tune from “give us the trophies” to “let move more people through the point pool!” You’re a Wiley ole cat, but still not correct.

I prefer giving 15,000 hunters tags over 50 more LE tags. (Especially when it means better things for the elk herds.) But I also like hunting, and like other people to be able to hunt too. We are different in those ways.
 
They Are Not Always Right!

Oh, I know that. And they know that. But in this one, they’re right. It’s plain as day. You can ignore objective facts to form your opinion if you choose, but you’re choosing to be wrong. God bless America and people’s right to be wrong!
 
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