Thanks Utah

Mooretitan · Aug 3, 2020

Had a great 8 days scouting in Utah. What a diverse landscape that Utah has. We spent time in high sage to 12,000 feet above the tree line. Quick recap we saw over 20 bucks but only 1 being a solid 4 point, 37 bulls with 5 being solid 6 point 300 plus type guys, 2 bull moose. Not sure what the next 6 weeks is going to bring as far as moving game around and then the bow season and the pressure that it will bring. But none the less it was a great time with my son and a buddy that agreed to come along. We averaged 10-15 miles a day hiking and checking out the area. After a long drive back home we have settled on 2 areas for my sons Utah Youth elk tag.

Spot one had the least amount of elk but the biggest bulls of the trip. There is some slight private property issues but I am pretty sure we can get on them if we stay focused and patient. we have decided to give this area a few days to get on elk and get a good one on the the ground. If we spot one is a bust for some reason we will head to the high country and backpack in for the rest of the season. We found 10 bulls in this area with around 50 cows and I am sure there are more elk in the area. We will be a few miles in so if he gets one its going to be a fun pack out.

The 3rd area had 15 small rag horns and over a 100 cows but the roads crossed everywhere and I am sure it is going to get hit really hard during bow season. Plus there is a pretty big piece of private property that I am sure they are going to run into

The best part of the trip was how friendly people in Utah were. We stumbled into our second choice area from a conversation with a lady at the store. We told her what type of country we wanted to hunt and she pointed us in the right direction. We met a group of Utah hunters checking trail cams in the area and they gave us a ton of information and confirmed that we should not have to worry about any bow hunters in the area. They are pretty much the only people that are in the area.

We have six weeks left before we are back on the road and between shooting and double checking gear it will go by pretty fast. Hopefully everything works out and we can get a bull on the ground. We have done the work and just need some luck to fall into place

Thanks Utah

rmanwill · Aug 3, 2020

Enjoy. The youth elk hunt has been a couple of my funniest and most memorable hunts.

deerkiller · Aug 3, 2020

Glad you found some elk to keep you excited. Just keep in mind that the next 6 weeks are reallllllllllly gonna change things up for the animals as far as their locations, movement patterns and behavior. Between humans trying to kill them and the rut, it’s anyone’s guess where they will end up. I know you’ve got high hopes for a big bull, but try to keep in mind this is an opportunity hunt for youth. Don’t try to be a hero in this and hold out of horn. Make it about the memories. If you kill a bull, great. But me personally, being a utah resident and understanding what’s gonna happen on the archery hunt, if my kid ever gets the tag, the first cow we see is getting shot. Have fun, be safe, make it about the kid, teach them lots and kill the elk when the opportunity presents itself.

Mooretitan · Aug 3, 2020

We have already talked about how archery is going to mix everything up and that we have to be willing to adjust depending on what we see. Both spots that we have planned out hopefully will not see to much pressure. They guys we met on the mountain have archery hunted it the last 5 years and are always on animals and are pretty sure there won’t be to much pressure in there. But every year is different.
The 1st spot has been hunted by a friend and they have put good bulls down both on the youth and archery hunt. I did not see the number of elk that I wanted but we did see some great bulls. The good thing about the spot is we should know pretty quickly if the elk are in there. Now getting on them will be a different story.
Lastly it’s not my tag and I am not treating it like it is. He is 13 and I have already learned not to try and talk him into things. He will decide what animal if any that he wants to try and shoot. I personally don’t care what we shoots. I would just like a winter with elk meat. But knowing him unless we are absolutely not seeing anything he will hold out for something he wants. I tried to talk him into a forkie for his 1st buck and he passed a few of them looking for a solid 4 point. He ended up getting a 3 point towards the end of the season. After that I decided to just let him hunt and enjoy the time with him. He will put in the effort and has learned to just enjoy the mountains which is the best part.
We learned a lot about the areas we plan on hunting which was the main reason we went.

hornkiller · Aug 3, 2020

Glad you had a great trip!
But its sad you was only able to see 20+ bucks in 8 days.
Thats very poor management!

elkassassin · Aug 3, 2020

Poor Deer Management in TARDville?

That'd Be a F'N Understatement!

hornkiller said:
Glad you had a great trip!
But its sad you was only able to see 20+ bucks in 8 days.
Thats very poor management!

BIGJOHNT · Aug 3, 2020

So I guess your scouting in northern Utah ?

DJ1 · Aug 3, 2020

I couldn’t agree more with how friendly everyone was on my scouting trip. I was out there for 5 days and met some great people. They could tell I did my research and were more than happy to expand my knowledge. Can’t wait to get boots on the ground with a bow in hand.

DJ

npaden · Aug 17, 2020

My son and I just got back from our scouting trip for his youth any bull tag. We didn't see any bulls but I think we were in a decent area.

Your son must be a stud of a hiker! My son is also 13 and we were only averaging 6 to 7 miles and for only a couple days. I wasn't trying to beat him up too bad on the scouting trip so we weren't where we needed to be to see elk at first or last light.

Spending time in the mountains with your kid is a great thing no matter what.

Topdogjr2002 · Aug 17, 2020

That sounds like a blast! Good luck on your hunt. I'll be hunting the Nebo during the muzzy season this year. Let me know if that's your unit, and I'd be happy to give you a scouting report when I leave. It doesn't sounds like you need it, but it wouldn't hurt either. There's nothing like hunting with the kids...or in my case, my nephews!

Mooretitan · Aug 17, 2020

Thanks topdog. Any info is helpful. It might be a lot different once we get there but we will put the effort in. Few more weeks and it’s go time

He is pretty tough but it’s also what his life revolves around. He has been going with me for as long as I can remember and really hasn’t slowed me down. Now he is pretty small so he is usually only carry a few pounds on him. His younger brother can hike with the best of them also.
Hopefully everyone has a successful season