Elk hunting in southern utah

[beaston]

Hi guys, sadly, this year I didn't get drawn for my mule deer hunt, which means my only chance to hunt will be for elk. Last year, my grandpa and I went out for elk, but we didn't see anything. To be honest, I didn't do much research and just went with the flow. However, this year, I want to put in more effort to locate the elk and actually have a chance to take a shot. I'm a bit confused about whether I should go for a spike/cow unit or a bull unit this year. Many people have told me that the bull unit is extremely challenging and my chances are better with cows. However, I believe that with the time I have, I'll be able to locate and find the animals to have a shot at success. As a bow hunter, my season is from August 19th to the 20th. If any of you could provide me with some guidance on which units I should consider or any other general knowledge, I would greatly appreciate it. Feel free to send me a private message if you'd like. Thanks so much!

 

[gundog2]

I believe that you can legally harvest a cow, calf, or bull on the general season archery hunt, but you should obviously verify that yourself. I am not a big fan of this allowance to let archers kill cows and calves because I think it is limiting elk populations and hunt quality in some units, but it is a a good opportunity hunt and the tags are UNLIMITED it allows you to hunt on Any Bull units or Spike Bull units. The general season elk rifle hunts do not allow hunters to take cows or calves, and the permits are more restrictive. You can potentially buy a general season elk tag and an antlerless tag in the same year, but the better antlerless hunts are somewhat hard to draw. I would advise you to apply for antlerless hunts every year and buy the the General Season Archeray Elk tag every year if you like bow hunting. If grandpa doesn’t bow hunt, you should offer to take him out on a general season deer or elk rifle hunt if he can get a permit.

 

[beaston]

I believe that you can legally harvest a cow, calf, or bull on the general season archery hunt, but you should obviously verify that yourself. I am not a big fan of this allowance to let archers kill cows and calves because I think it is limiting elk populations and hunt quality in some units, but it is a a good opportunity hunt and the tags are UNLIMITED it allows you to hunt on Any Bull units or Spike Bull units. The general season elk rifle hunts do not allow hunters to take cows or calves, and the permits are more restrictive. You can potentially buy a general season elk tag and an antlerless tag in the same year, but the better antlerless hunts are somewhat hard to draw. I would advise you to apply for antlerless hunts every year and buy the the General Season Archeray Elk tag every year if you like bow hunting. If grandpa doesn’t bow hunt, you should offer to take him out on a general season deer or elk rifle hunt if he can get a permit.

Thanks so much for advising me. My grandpa and I always go on a mule deer hunt each year. Unfortunately, I didn't draw a tag for this year's hunt. So, my grandpa has suggested going for an elk hunt instead. I'm currently doing my research on everything related to elk hunting, so your help is greatly appreciated

 

[Camper_A1]

If you’re going to buy an over the counter tag for general spike or Bull area you need to know the date they go on sale. They will sell out in less than a day. Find a place you can walk in and buy a tag versus one online. If you’re going archery hunting buy the tag and scout the area you know best or is closest to you. Good luck to you and your grandpa.