Unit 17 Drought

[Skeet]

Was wondering how bad the drought is in 17? Has anybody been scouting, curious how the bulls are finishing up.

 

[me_rob2011]

I just heard that it was really dry down there. They saw a couple of bulls but nothing exciting.

http://www.outfitterfocus.com

 

[baerman]

Wow, just looked at monthly weather and historically the average amount of rain for July in Monticello is 2.7 inches, this year only 0.32 inches so far. That's bone dry. The north part of the unit was not quite as bad but still bad. Might be a good year to just sit on a water hole if you can find one.

 

[Blackfoot]

I also drew this unit, scouted this passed weekend and things did not look good. Antler growth is horrible, watched ten cows hit a tank late one afternoon from 800yrd away i could count each rib on everyone of them, very sad. Skeet, are you a NR?

 

[nmelktrout]

It's NOT pretty...and as Blackfoot stated, many of the animals look awful and I have not seen a big bull yet. Tanks that I've never seen dry are bone dry and have been for months now.

A lot could change between now and then in terms of water but this is not looking like a good antler growth year for my hunting spots...

www.streamflies.com

 

[WoolyMammothCaller]

Unfortunatley this is not one of the areas that are getting rain but hopfully things will change. Skeet, are you from Hesperia?

 

[nmelkandmuleys]

i live in socorro! it is freaking dry every where!


"Better to dwell in the wilderness, Then with a contentious and angry women Proverbs 21:19)

 

[SDBugler]

Is there a good website out there that shows past rainfall by region? I have a 16D license and just wondering how the moisture is in that area as well.

 

[Gator]

Now would be a good time to put in a watertank and start stocking it with water,Find a good spot with thick pinons with a few trails coming and going not close to any roads and such. By hunting season You would have a great place to setup a blind and kill a Bull/Cow BECAUSE they will come to water in that dry unit.They will be able to smell water for a long ways.Dry unit and start of rut good time to hunt water.I would start with 3-4 55gal barrels,They should be a good start on filling the water tank, Now if you have a few bud's that are going to hunt the same unit just take turns in keep water in the tank. Good Luck

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

 

[hank4elk]

I use NOAA National Weather Service,get realtime radar.They have some good links.Check the Forest Service Stations for rain gauges.It's been raining out by me in Quemado,Yeah!!

 

[fishfurlife]

>Now would be a good time
>to put in a watertank
>and start stocking it with
>water,Find a good spot with
>thick pinons with a few
>trails coming and going not
>close to any roads and
>such. By hunting season You
>would have a great place
>to setup a blind and
>kill a Bull/Cow BECAUSE they
>will come to water in
>that dry unit.They will be
>able to smell water for
>a long ways.Dry unit and
>start of rut good time
>to hunt water.I would start
>with 3-4 55gal barrels,They should
>be a good start on
>filling the water tank, Now
>if you have a few
>bud's that are going to
>hunt the same unit just
>take turns in keep water
>in the tank. Good Luck
>
>
>"I have found if you go
>the extra mile it's Never
>crowded".

You realize that a 6 foot tank will hold roughly 420 gallons of water and that once you have critters started on the tank, it won't last long until a few elk drink it dry. The thought and concept are great, just not real practical if you don't have a reliable water source. Just like hauling water for cattle, it would get old in a hurry

 

[Gator]

LAST EDITED ON Jul-29-11 AT 07:28PM (MST)[p]Think small on tank size, We have used small plastic blue kid wading pools to short stopped elk a 1/4 mile away from a tank(had a circle of treestands around it) that was full of water and they still came off that trail to those small hidden pools of water So I know it works, it worked for my nephews, they ended up killing two bulls at the little plastic tank out of tree stands two mornings in a row.Now that water was carried in with 5 gal jugs was just 1/4 mile down the trail and about 50 yards off the trail, Now I realize that it was AZ so It might not work for you guys to the east.

Now if you want to put in a stock tank and fill it up you best get a water truck to fill it about once every 2 days or a put in the bed of a truck those 250 gal totes.


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