26 year wait - Utah elk hunt

[beaston]

Congratulations on the tag hows the scouting been?

 

[Deleted member 52098]

I came here fully expecting I missed a ton of updates... Hopefully @Beaver Hunter is in the field now.

 

[TheTone]

Saw someone on IG just get the same tag as a turn in/return

 

[The Hedgehog]

Saw someone on IG just get the same tag as a turn in/return

My guess is the large fire and USFS closures maybe had something to do with that, or maybe they also have a mountain of work, rotator cuff issues, and had to replace a bowstring a few days ago too?

Not turning mine in and will stab an elk lefthanded on the highway before that happens.

 

[TheTone]

My guess is the large fire and USFS closures maybe had something to do with that, or maybe they also have a mountain of work, rotator cuff issues, and had to replace a bowstring a few days ago too?

Not turning mine in and will stab an elk lefthanded on the highway before that happens.

Hopefully it all works out. I’m looking forward to this thread continuing with some great story telling and a dead bull

 

[kiwi hunter]

Good luck. Can lend you my left hand too.

 

[Southern Elk]

My guess is the large fire and USFS closures maybe had something to do with that, or maybe they also have a mountain of work, rotator cuff issues, and had to replace a bowstring a few days ago too?

Not turning mine in and will stab an elk lefthanded on the highway before that happens.

Crossbow?

 

[Gellar]

Not turning mine in and will stab an elk lefthanded on the highway before that happens.

#keephammerin

 

[Gellar]

I disguise the ATV as a birdwatcher’s vehicle. That Honda is 31 years old. Hopefully I’ll be strapping a large bull onto it for the first time.
View attachment 283716

Be better if it was a big red 3 wheeler, but still pretty cool!

 

[The Hedgehog]

Crossbow?

An owee isn’t going to make me bite pillows.

 

[Dinkshooter]

Not turning mine in and will stab an elk lefthanded on the highway before that happens.

Get her done!!!

 

[The Hedgehog]

There’s some frustrating and pathetic things about premium Utah elk hunts. You’ve probably already heard..

1) Armies of full-camo dressed “spotters” with tripod-mounted optics, flat brim hats & 2-way radios willing to sit daylight til dark, glassing for a client or pal.
2) 2-way radios for guiding a hunter into a critter and letting them know where critters are and what they should do.
3) Hunters who are happy to have an army of “spotters” with 2-way radios, to circumvent the process of actually hunting elk.
4) Dirty rotten tricks on the way into a hunting place the day before season or moments before daylight when others may be in a great position to hunt a “high dollar” kind of bull elk.
5) Did I mention 2-way radios?
6) Litter. The Tushar Mountains in UT are beautiful. WTF is it with people leaving a “Pepsi” can behind every tree? I’ve noticed some low grade beer cans around, but they are usually miles in and hidden well.


I didn’t have a chainsaw but I built a rock bridge on the day before season - I’d been out that trail a few hours earlier.


4 flat brimmed pillow biters, hard core all day long. I hope they got sun burned.

 

[The Hedgehog]

That said there are some good things about a premium Utah bull elk hunt. Very good things.

 

[antlerradar]

I hope before this thread ends there is a picture of you packing out a monster bull as a bunch of flat brimmers with long faces watch.

 

[The Hedgehog]

Beaver Taco. Wow. We’ve got some decent Mexican in Bozeman but beaver taco is superb ..

 

[The Hedgehog]

Back to the elk. Crazy stuff. In 13 days of looking I’ve seen roughly 150 bull elk. Only one day have I seen cows. It was one herd & had a good number of calves. I know it’s a big area and I don’t know much about it, but from what I can tell there are WAY more bulls than cows on this unit. Game and fish said it was a 1:1 ratio due to recent over harvest of cows. I worry many of the bulls will leave the unit to find love and have no idea how the rut will pan out but I bet it’s crazy.

Avg bull seems to be a 320 6x6, meaning half of what I’ve seen are over that. Saw maybe 2 in the 390-400+ range, couple more in the 360-380 range, and gobs in the 330-360 range. I only went after one bull, on the opener- the best I saw. Im excited for a crazy rut hunt. Not gonna be about getting the big one, but more about enjoying lots of action and being fussy for a nice one in the right circumstances.

 

[The Hedgehog]

 

[The Hedgehog]

Petroglyphs above shown to me by local and good friend @Big Sky Troy.

 

[The Hedgehog]

Only bull I made a play on was this one, opening day. Camped below and across from him evening before and was in perfect wind position at daylight when other hunters and guides moved in from downwind and above before shooting light and started a stampede. I kinda hope he busts all his points off and the high rollers have to pick a different one. He was not “by the road” but was visible from afar in a popular glassing spot.

Never thought I’d ever pass a shot at a 350 range bull, or not try to approach/stalk 350+ bulls but it seemed to be the right decision on the first hunt.

 

[The Hedgehog]

Few other bulls