maximusbs
Member
- Messages
- 11
Let me start by saying my son and I made some memories in the 7 days of scouting and 8 days of hunting through our shared hardships, grueling challenges, and unrewarded optimism.
I asked for some help here a few months ago, but basically got an offer from a professional guide. So it was just he and I and the ?Utah hunt planner? website. No private land or ranch access. We chose Kamas and South Slope (Yellowstone subunit) We had a little advice from a local resident, but it was a DIY PUBLIC land hunt.
As we began opening weekend, we started hearing stories from the Limited Entry unit just across the highway that guys had arrowed massive bulls and that they were out there screaming through the night. We heard nothing in our side.
My son will probably never elk hunt again unless he chooses a lucrative career, because he learned real fast that: ?You gotta pay to win, Dad.?
We pushed on, trying new locations, going places where nobody dared go- except cattle. That's the real problem. We learned that every time we thought we had a pristine, remote location with feed, timber, and water; the cattle had turned the water holes toxic with their waste and eaten all the good feed! Our public land! Then the ranchers have the nerve to refuse access on a forest service road because their ranch sits on 1 mile of it!
We hit all the locations given by DWR biologists and went even further. With every new ridge, drainage and elevation we expected to hear a bugle or a mew or get a response...nothing! Lots of old sign. Never any new sign. On day 5 we went to a place not just void of roads, nut no marked trails either. It was brutal. We got in two hours after first light, but managed to watch a small, lone raghorn go to bed in dark timber. No bugling was heard on the way in or anytime after. Surely, we missed the main herd just like the raghorn was probably a satellite bull and had to keep his distance? We stayed all day, in great wind position, and never saw or heard anything.
I'm sad that Utah has let these general units be overrun by the cattle cartel. The elk have no choice but to run to reservations and farms. I'm hearing that the cattle cartel is having more influence on the Limited Entry units as well.
I guess I believed that my son had won something really special. To hunt elk, during the rut, with a rifle, and can shoot any elk you want. It's disappointing when the elk are not there.
I'm curious if anyone was able to make this hunt work by pure DIY public hunting. Out of state. No friends or family with a ranch. No guides. No special access. There should only be 49 (450 residents, 50 nonresident tags) other kids out there with this tag, so we'll see if anyone knows any nonresidents who did this hunt the DIY public land way.
I asked for some help here a few months ago, but basically got an offer from a professional guide. So it was just he and I and the ?Utah hunt planner? website. No private land or ranch access. We chose Kamas and South Slope (Yellowstone subunit) We had a little advice from a local resident, but it was a DIY PUBLIC land hunt.
As we began opening weekend, we started hearing stories from the Limited Entry unit just across the highway that guys had arrowed massive bulls and that they were out there screaming through the night. We heard nothing in our side.
My son will probably never elk hunt again unless he chooses a lucrative career, because he learned real fast that: ?You gotta pay to win, Dad.?
We pushed on, trying new locations, going places where nobody dared go- except cattle. That's the real problem. We learned that every time we thought we had a pristine, remote location with feed, timber, and water; the cattle had turned the water holes toxic with their waste and eaten all the good feed! Our public land! Then the ranchers have the nerve to refuse access on a forest service road because their ranch sits on 1 mile of it!
We hit all the locations given by DWR biologists and went even further. With every new ridge, drainage and elevation we expected to hear a bugle or a mew or get a response...nothing! Lots of old sign. Never any new sign. On day 5 we went to a place not just void of roads, nut no marked trails either. It was brutal. We got in two hours after first light, but managed to watch a small, lone raghorn go to bed in dark timber. No bugling was heard on the way in or anytime after. Surely, we missed the main herd just like the raghorn was probably a satellite bull and had to keep his distance? We stayed all day, in great wind position, and never saw or heard anything.
I'm sad that Utah has let these general units be overrun by the cattle cartel. The elk have no choice but to run to reservations and farms. I'm hearing that the cattle cartel is having more influence on the Limited Entry units as well.
I guess I believed that my son had won something really special. To hunt elk, during the rut, with a rifle, and can shoot any elk you want. It's disappointing when the elk are not there.
I'm curious if anyone was able to make this hunt work by pure DIY public hunting. Out of state. No friends or family with a ranch. No guides. No special access. There should only be 49 (450 residents, 50 nonresident tags) other kids out there with this tag, so we'll see if anyone knows any nonresidents who did this hunt the DIY public land way.