338magblaster
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- 65
?Oh, I can see a bull,? my father whispered. On that frosty September morning a lifelong dream played out as if it were a Hollywood melodrama. Sun, stars and moon aligned, fate intervened, karma, fortune, or whatever you want to call it, luck shined on me that morning among the aspens of southern Utah.
The first of my serendipitous encounters with fortune began the previous off season when the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources offered new opportunities for Elk. The Utah limited-entry premium elk tag and a late any-weapon elk season were new for 2005. I had been applying for a Utah limited-entry elk permit for many years and wondered if these new opportunities would divert interest away from the traditional limited entry-Any Weapon-tag, which euphemistically meant rifle-tag and increase the chance for a successful draw, or would it condense the applications to the coveted September magic.
Certainly with the introduction of the late-rifle elk season, hunters would have to weigh where the best chance for drawing a tag would be and then which season would get them the best chance at the animal they were looking for. With this in mind, I completed the application for the ?Premium? tag which allowed those who drew the opportunity to hunt all of the limited-entry seasons--Archery, Rifle, Black Powder and Late Rifle. Meaning if you obtained the permit and were in the field until the last possible opportunity, you could hunt for most of the time between mid-August and mid-November.
I anticipated the results of the draw like everyone who knows the haunting addiction of the elk-woods in the fall. When the rumors started to circulated that the credit cards were starting to show charges from Bucks and Bulls, I decided to check. When I saw my account being hit, I was puzzled. I put in for other hunts and didn't immediately recognize what the amount meant. I called my hunting partner and my brother to try to figure out what had happened. It took only a few minutes and a visit to the proclamation, to realize that I had hit the elk jackpot. I had drawn the Premium Limited Entry tag for a unit in southern Utah. My plans for summer vacations and extended weekend excursions were tossed out the window.
As I contemplated how to best approach the hunt, I realized that my archery skills, if I had any, were in serious need of improvement. It didn't take long for me to be practicing daily. I lacked proficiency gained over many years but 4 months of dedicated practice had me shooting four-inch groups at 35 yards. Good enough? It would need to be. I told myself that if I didn't get an absolute stud bull within 30 yards, I would pass. Turns out, I did get one close enough, but never got a shot with the bow.
In addition to the archery practice, I began scouting in May. Early morning adventures to the unit turned into struggles to overcome washed-out roads and lingering snow drifts. My summer scouting yielded fat results. I located elk in their summer herds and learned the layout of the unit that only time on the ground can teach. Aside from my scouting, I had the great benefit of having participated two hunts in the same unit in the previous three years. My hunting partner had drawn the rifle tag in 2002 and my brother had the same tag in 2003. The experience of helping both of them take magnificent trophies gave me the confidence and the experience to do my hunt myself.
More to come...
The first of my serendipitous encounters with fortune began the previous off season when the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources offered new opportunities for Elk. The Utah limited-entry premium elk tag and a late any-weapon elk season were new for 2005. I had been applying for a Utah limited-entry elk permit for many years and wondered if these new opportunities would divert interest away from the traditional limited entry-Any Weapon-tag, which euphemistically meant rifle-tag and increase the chance for a successful draw, or would it condense the applications to the coveted September magic.
Certainly with the introduction of the late-rifle elk season, hunters would have to weigh where the best chance for drawing a tag would be and then which season would get them the best chance at the animal they were looking for. With this in mind, I completed the application for the ?Premium? tag which allowed those who drew the opportunity to hunt all of the limited-entry seasons--Archery, Rifle, Black Powder and Late Rifle. Meaning if you obtained the permit and were in the field until the last possible opportunity, you could hunt for most of the time between mid-August and mid-November.
I anticipated the results of the draw like everyone who knows the haunting addiction of the elk-woods in the fall. When the rumors started to circulated that the credit cards were starting to show charges from Bucks and Bulls, I decided to check. When I saw my account being hit, I was puzzled. I put in for other hunts and didn't immediately recognize what the amount meant. I called my hunting partner and my brother to try to figure out what had happened. It took only a few minutes and a visit to the proclamation, to realize that I had hit the elk jackpot. I had drawn the Premium Limited Entry tag for a unit in southern Utah. My plans for summer vacations and extended weekend excursions were tossed out the window.
As I contemplated how to best approach the hunt, I realized that my archery skills, if I had any, were in serious need of improvement. It didn't take long for me to be practicing daily. I lacked proficiency gained over many years but 4 months of dedicated practice had me shooting four-inch groups at 35 yards. Good enough? It would need to be. I told myself that if I didn't get an absolute stud bull within 30 yards, I would pass. Turns out, I did get one close enough, but never got a shot with the bow.
In addition to the archery practice, I began scouting in May. Early morning adventures to the unit turned into struggles to overcome washed-out roads and lingering snow drifts. My summer scouting yielded fat results. I located elk in their summer herds and learned the layout of the unit that only time on the ground can teach. Aside from my scouting, I had the great benefit of having participated two hunts in the same unit in the previous three years. My hunting partner had drawn the rifle tag in 2002 and my brother had the same tag in 2003. The experience of helping both of them take magnificent trophies gave me the confidence and the experience to do my hunt myself.
More to come...