I've been hunting the Manti and Wasatch units for many years now and I must say I'm disappointed in the decreasing numbers of elk. The decrease seams to have been increasing since 2003. That year I had a L.E. bull tag on the Wasatch and a good friend had a tag on the Manti. I must say the overall herd numbers were incredible back then. Ever since we've see fewer and fewer animals not just bulls but cows.
I just got back from a week of hard hunting on the Manti and I must say I've never before struggled to find cows. We did find a number of bulls but the cows were far and few between. Places that in years past have held elk didn't.
Is the F&G issuing too many cow tags? I know the bull tags have dramatically increase since 2002 for both units, have the cow tags increased significantly as well?
Does the F&G figure since there harvesting more bulls that more cows should be harvested as well?
The F&G says there's an overabundance of mature bulls so more tags can be issued providing more opportunity for hunters, O.K. fine. Now a few years go bye and suddenly that overabundance of bulls begins to declined, however, the number of tags continues to be maintained at a high number or increased. At the same time since more bulls are being harvest the F&G figures more cows need to be harvested right, I say wrong answer. Now I'm no biologist but if a high number of bulls are going to be annually harvested then the number of cows needs to remain at a high level in order to repopulated the bulls being harvested each year. If the number of cows is significantly decreased then you are no longer going to be able to maintain a high number of bulls and the overall herd decreases in size. Which to me and many other hunters I've talked to, seems where we are at now.
I understand there's a balance to be maintained for the health of the herd but I believe the Utah F&G is doing a poor job at managing the herd numbers for these 2 particular units. I can't speak for other units because I haven't spend enough time on them.
What do you think?
I just got back from a week of hard hunting on the Manti and I must say I've never before struggled to find cows. We did find a number of bulls but the cows were far and few between. Places that in years past have held elk didn't.
Is the F&G issuing too many cow tags? I know the bull tags have dramatically increase since 2002 for both units, have the cow tags increased significantly as well?
Does the F&G figure since there harvesting more bulls that more cows should be harvested as well?
The F&G says there's an overabundance of mature bulls so more tags can be issued providing more opportunity for hunters, O.K. fine. Now a few years go bye and suddenly that overabundance of bulls begins to declined, however, the number of tags continues to be maintained at a high number or increased. At the same time since more bulls are being harvest the F&G figures more cows need to be harvested right, I say wrong answer. Now I'm no biologist but if a high number of bulls are going to be annually harvested then the number of cows needs to remain at a high level in order to repopulated the bulls being harvested each year. If the number of cows is significantly decreased then you are no longer going to be able to maintain a high number of bulls and the overall herd decreases in size. Which to me and many other hunters I've talked to, seems where we are at now.
I understand there's a balance to be maintained for the health of the herd but I believe the Utah F&G is doing a poor job at managing the herd numbers for these 2 particular units. I can't speak for other units because I haven't spend enough time on them.
What do you think?