Disappointed in Panguitch Lake Unit! Where should I put in?

[Jmeek]

LAST EDITED ON Jan-26-10 AT 11:13PM (MST)[p]This year I had a friend draw out for the panguitch lake elk unit.We were pretty excited about the opportunity to hunt big bulls. We know this area pretty well and thought that we could run into a few 360-370 class bulls. We scouted very hard all the way up to the hunt. We had seen a lot of elk but nothing real big. We figured the biggest bull we saw would score between 350-370. The Elk were buggling really heavy three days before the rifle hunt started. We were really excited because we thought that we would see some bulls that we didn't see during our scouting trips. But the opposite happened! The elk shut up after the first day and never really buggled the rest of the hunt. We never saw any big bulls that we could go after! He ended up not filling his tag. 14 years of putting in went down the drain! We didn't see the bulls or the amount of elk to make me ever want to put in there. I heard basically the same story from other rifle tag holders and late rifle tag holders that hunted this unit. I am wondering if any of you heard the same thing about the panguitch lake unit or if we just were in all the wrong places! And I want to know where you would put in if you had 13 elk points like I do.

 

[manny16]

you guys were not alone.................
had an MM friend with the panguitch tag & seen similar things......
he ended up taking a nice bull but just not what he was wanting......
don't know much about panguitch,but i surely wouldn't blow 13 points there.................
i guess the manti is the hot spot for 2010!

soon the love in his heart will be the rage in his fist

Jesus is coming and boy is he pissed

 

[crimedog]

Don't put in for the Manti there is nothing here worth taking. I would go Boulder, or Fishlake.

 

[WORKNMAN]

One of the maintence guys that works on my test equipement here at Hill AFB, had a brother draw the early rifle Panguitch elk tag. They hunted every day of the season. He didnt even fill his tag. Two other family members had this tag a few years before and loved the hunt. They said they would never apply for this hunt again.

 

[huntinfanatic]

jmeenk if u dont mind me asking what side of the unit were u hunting? i was up there the last 3 days of the muzzy hunt and the elk were bugling like crazy. during a stalk on a buck we spotted a 340-350 class bull running two raghorns away from his cows. over the years up there ive noticed most elk hunters concentrate on getting into the thick pines and aspens and ignore the sage and juniper areas which is where ive seen the bigger bulls.

 

[Trix4me]

I guess that is why we call it "hunting". I had a Panguitch Lake tag several years ago, ate tagsoup, loved it. I knew going in that if I was lucky I just might shoot a monster, didn't happen. My brother has a 355 bull on his wall from Panguitch. This past season we bought spike tags (because we could)for a family reunion get together. Didn't pull the trigger but saw 5 and 6 point bulls everyday. I personally saw 2 that were 350+. I wouldn't hesitate to "hunt" Panguitch. If you want to put in somewhere else fine by me.

 

[Jmeek]

LAST EDITED ON Jan-27-10 AT 09:54PM (MST)[p]Don't mind at all. We spent most of our time around Sandy Peak and along I-20. We did spend a little time up by horse valley. Most of the elk we saw were in between sandy peak and I-20. The biggest bull we ran into was about a 340-350 bull. But that was on the second day so we didn't put a stalk on it. We hunted every day of the hunt. It was a good time, but for a premium area it wasn't anything that we expected.

 

[Jmeek]

I have heard a lot of good things about boulder so I am leaning that way a little. We used to hunt spike elk down there a lot.

 

[wildarrow]

That's too bad they weren't screaming all day long, and didn't come crashing in on you every time you called at them. If you think Panguitch was tough, the Boulders can kick your azz! I'm not very sympathetic towards rifle hunters that complain about the lack of rutting activity. Good luck.

 

[REDDOG]

dont know where you got it in your head that the pang is a premium hunt, but if a 350 isn't a shooter to you, its your own fault for putting in there..it just don't produce the states top end bulls.

 

[Jmeek]

Wild arrow, My complaint wasn't about the elk not buggling the whole time and crashing into us. It was about the lack of elk we saw. I think that the area has really gone down hill. I have talked to over 15 hunters that didn't fill their tags on the early or late rifle hunt. And I have heard of a lot more than that! Most of them didn't even have a chance to shoot a mature bull because they didn't see any! And these weren't people that had never been on the unit before.
I myself love bow hunting more than anything and I think that its a rip off that the rifle is during the middle of the rut. But on a premium unit like the panguitch was... there should be a higher quanitity and quality of elk. I know boulder is extremely tough. But every time that I have been there we have seen some big bulls everytime.

 

[Jmeek]

REDDOG, 3-4 years ago panguitch had produced some big big bulls. but they have raised the number of tags for both the cows and mature bulls. And thats why I think there has been such a huge decline in the quality and quantity of elk. ITs Definitely not the unit it once was and probably will never be.

 

[isayNUNYA]

Get used to it. Utah's elk glory days are over. This will be the case in EVERY unit in the state for the future. 280-310 bulls will be the norm and 350 bulls will again be giants.
Also if your complaining about bulls not being active and bugling or not seeing elk I would stay clear of the Boulder. It will chew you up, spit you and your elk tag out.
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"I needed a cheesy signature saying like everyone else"

 

[wildarrow]

I'm having a hard time believing you know or have talked to over 15 people that didn't kill a bull. That's some pitiful odds. If they didn't see any elk, and they know the area, I doubt they hunted very hard. I bow hunt the Uintahs every year, and I have opportunity every year. The Uintahs are a hell of a lot harder to hunt than Panguitch. Use your points for an archery tag, with the season dates next year it should be great, and with your points you could draw a handful of good units.

 

[carterj16]

Utah, if your complaining about elk numbers now, wait till the wolves get in that state heavy. if you have points i would burn them next yr on a for sure tag because in 3 yrs you will be like idaho.

 

[destroyer350]

So what are the hunt dates for archery in 2011? Are they going to take guns out of the rut?

 

[huntinfanatic]

aug.21-sept.17 are the archery dates. all the l.e. elk dates got pushed back about a week from last years dates.

 

[oilcan]

huntinfanatic those are the dates for this year.I think he was asking about next year 2011.Are the dates the same next year also?

 

[SuperSlam]

All this talk about tag soup makes me just question everyones expectations on Utah LE units. Would you rather eat it or have a 330-340 bull on your wall? I know everyone has personal hunting goals but IMO people get all amped up over drawing one of these tags thinking it is OIL hunt and hold out for the 400 class bull like they see Mossback killing every year. Most every unit in the State of Utah has great potential for world class animals but many bulls of that mid 300 class (which is a great/excellent representation of a trophy bull elk) get looked at as "not that big".

IMO Elk and Deer herds go through cycles and trophy potential goes up and down with in these cycles, so it appears Utah is kind of on the lower end quality wise then it was say in 2003-2007 and anyone expecting a 400 inch bull to be running around like rats are just going in to their hunt looking to be real disappointed.

I scratch my head every time I hear people eating their tags after waiting a life time!

 

[dwalton]

Put a 330-340 bull in front of me, and I'd be punching my tag instead of eating it.

 

[treedagain]

+1 dwalton.....

 

[antlerless]

So in 2007 when the #3 non-typical bull in the state was killed off of the Panguitch unit doesn't qualify as top end?
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"you can't fix stupid"

 

[notags2]

I believe there will still be some great bulls being harvetsed in Utah. But I don't think there will be the numbers of them anymore or for a very long time. The late rifle hunt has had an impact on the numbers of big bulls in these limited units. The more tags that are issued the fewer huge bulls will be living there.

 

[Silentstalker]

No offense Jmeek but anyone who turns his nose up at a 340-350 class bull should not be disappointed in the unit. On any of the units that is a heck of a bull.
While it is true you don't kill big ones shooting small ones, but really people need to get out and scout before the hunt and see what the unit is capable of producing the year they have the tags. All to often I see people with huge expectations only to be disappointed in what they see.
If you scouted before and they were there, then the elk won the battle. If you did not see them before and did not find them on the hunt then your expectations were way to high.
There is nothing wrong with eating a tag if your holding out for a top end bull. As a matter of fact, I admire that quality in a hunter. Good luck in the future!

Chad

 

[Gator]

I have talked to a couple of local guys who said the Bulls was alot lower on the mountain this year and that was a huge reason hunters wasn't finding them up on top.They said they saw bulls in Archery and Rifle season. But hey it hard hunting those bulls without some bugling to help find them.


"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".

 

[Livetahunt]

I had a late tag in 09.Hunted with an outfitter that has lived his hole life in that unit( Panguitch). He told me long before the hunt it was going to be a tuff hunt for bull better than 330 to 340 and it was.He said if i would have had a three years early thing would have been a hole lot BETTER.We did see a lot of bulls,my bull was 330

 

[huntinfanatic]

have u posted pic of your bull on here? would love to see.

 

[muley206]

I have hunted the Boulder ever year for the past 15 years for deer and have seen big bulls every year! Having said that, I had a Boulder elk tag this year and it was one of the toughest hunts I've been on! I did kill a bull and saw a few more hit the ground but I also know that a bunch of guys ate tag soup, and not because they were picky, IT IS ONE TOUGH HUNT but can be very rewarding. I would put in for the Boulder Muzzy. PM me if you want more info on that hunt.

 

[tnuge23]

typical utah elk hunt... depends on the year, depends on the unit. weather plays a big part also. do your homework and dont blow it!

 

[dillon]

I bow hunt deer on the Panguitch lake almost every year, and very seldom do I hunt the "prime" elk habitat. Mostly the big bulls are out in the meadows all summer, and show up with the cows for the winter. My brothers and dad saw about 15 bulls during their cow hunt on the PL, before they ever saw a cow. They both easily filled their cow tags, but they were shocked at how many big bulls they bumped into. Sorry you had a rough hunt, but there are still big bulls up there. Personally I don't want to burn my 8 points on a PL bull tag so I understand.

Dillon

 

[Jmeek]

Dillion, yeah I wish we would have had the same luck your dad and brothers had. I agree that there are still some good bulls up there. Maybe our expectations were too high, but about two to three years ago we saw a lot of good bulls and a lot of elk. But we felt like this year and the last that number of elk have dropped dramatically and also the overall size of the big bulls has gone down. I know this is why they call it (hunting) and not (killing), but for this area to go in the direction that it has is not a good thing.
I have 13 points and will probably put in for the Pahvant,Fishlake, or boulder. I know that I am a few points away from the max,but I hope I can get lucky!