124 Elk

MDQ

Active Member
Messages
118
Hello all,

My boy drew the elk tag in 124. Didn't really even have a hope for the tag at under 6% odds for Nonres with max points.

We know the west half of the unit a bit because we have hunted 101 for deer. That was several years ago though, and we paid no attention to the elk. We'll scout it hard this summer. Plan to bow hunt it & will hunt throughout the full season if necessary. We have realistic expectations - a 320 bull may be the best we can come up with, but we'll hold out looking for a 350 type bull.

It's a big, deserty unit. Is water a key priority? Is the north half of the unit impossible / worth hunting with the checkerboard ownership? Is September our best chance at a big bull? Do bulls really move in from CO late in the hunt? Will the rut still be going when the rifle hunt starts Oct 15?

We appreciate any insights you are willing to share.

Happy to reciprocate with info about Utah, CO, WY & ID.

Feel free to reach me on this thread or with PM.

email - [email protected]

text or call - 801-899-5471

Thanks!

Guy
 
Your best chance at the biggest bulls is archery during the rut unless you have access to some of the large private ranches. I wouldn't pass up a 330 bull with a bow or rifle. Its a weird hunt in a way as some guys wind up with a small 5 or 6 point on there hunt. The scouting only helps for archery as the elk move after the deer opener and don't occupy the same areas you've scouted in the summer.
 
I’m not going to get too specific as that is the unit I am hoping to hunt. But it would benefit you to try to get a permission slip on the Tipton HMA.
 
Thanks for the info so far guys. I saw the Tipton HMA & wondered about it. They only give 5 permits, so it's another long shot to get that permission, but we'll apply when it opens. We definitely won't bank on it. I'm getting pumped to get up there soon!
 
I drew this unit several years ago (right at about 7yrs now). I'd be happy to PM you the details I have from that hunt. I also have some details from guys that I shared info with from a year or two thereafter.
 
Congrats to your son! Should be an incredible father-son hunt!

There are usually around 50 either sex and 150 cow tags. It's a big unit with around a 1 1/2 month rifle season running Oct 15 to Nov 30 so you have that in your favor.

The general deer season runs Oct 1 -6. In 2019 there were approximately 400 deer hunters in unit 100. I've heard the same thing about the elk moving around as mentioned in several of the posts above. Get to them early if you can! I'll leave it up to you to decide if all the deer hunters will spook elk around since I got hammered by saying something similar in another post.

Have a great time! Your son drew a fantastic tag!
 
Thanks guys. I was up there last weekend and can see we should have a great hunt. Huuuuuge unit and seems like we'll find elk with no trouble. Hopefully we can find a good bull or two to focus on. Picking that 1 spot to hunt seems likely to be the hardest part!
 
We had a great hunt & my boy took a 330ish bull on the 3rd day of the rifle season. The 2 best bulls we chased during archery were both broken on the opener of the rifle. I wouldn't think of this as a trophy unit (compared to the trophy units in Utah for example), but this ranks near the best hunts I've had. Absolutely worth the max points.
 
We had a great hunt & my boy took a 330ish bull on the 3rd day of the rifle season. The 2 best bulls we chased during archery were both broken on the opener of the rifle. I wouldn't think of this as a trophy unit (compared to the trophy units in Utah for example), but this ranks near the best hunts I've had. Absolutely worth the max points.
Post a picture!
 

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