My 2024 limited entry Utah rifle elk hunt
- Thread starter Deez Nutz
- Start date
November 7th, day 6. I was up early and I figured I’d take the wheeler back into the same area I was in the previous day to see if I could find some of the other elk that I saw but did not pursue. I glassed around, looking over a lot of ground, and did not see a single elk or deer anywhere so I bailed on that plan and decided to hike into one of the spots I hiked into over the summer and spend the night in there.
I was optimistic about this spot because it is a PITA to get into and there’s a nice big isolated drainage to glass once you get in there. I left the pickup around noon and hiked my way in and set up camp on a ridge top.
I hiked around a bit and set up on a great glassing point for the afternoon/evening glassing sesh.
View attachment 1731695743045.jpeg
If I shot something in there I was going to have to figure out some other way to get him out because I sure as heck wouldn't be able to hike an elk back out the same way I hiked in. I ended up glassing 1 crab claw 6 and 2 rag 5’s as well as 3 mule deer does being chased around by a somewhat decent looking mule deer buck.
Should have entered this guy in the big fork thread
Not much, but at least something. Crazy awesome sunsets and sunrises each and every day left me speechless.
I was even more optimistic about the drainage I was planning to hike into tomorrow. Only 4.2 miles today.
I was optimistic about this spot because it is a PITA to get into and there’s a nice big isolated drainage to glass once you get in there. I left the pickup around noon and hiked my way in and set up camp on a ridge top.
I hiked around a bit and set up on a great glassing point for the afternoon/evening glassing sesh.
View attachment 1731695743045.jpeg
If I shot something in there I was going to have to figure out some other way to get him out because I sure as heck wouldn't be able to hike an elk back out the same way I hiked in. I ended up glassing 1 crab claw 6 and 2 rag 5’s as well as 3 mule deer does being chased around by a somewhat decent looking mule deer buck.
Should have entered this guy in the big fork thread
Not much, but at least something. Crazy awesome sunsets and sunrises each and every day left me speechless.
I was even more optimistic about the drainage I was planning to hike into tomorrow. Only 4.2 miles today.
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November 8th, day 7. I was up well before daylight and planned to hike 3+ miles in the dark and set up to glass a further drainage as the sun came up, so I did.
Sketchy navigating some of that crap in the dark.
Ended up being 3.8 miles to the glassing point by daylight.
Looked like awesome country and I could see what you would think would be a premium late season elk haven, but I saw 1 single lone cow elk. Huh. I hiked around and glassed everywhere I could see and saw 1 more mule deer doe. What a let down. I cruised around getting different views and peeking into ravines. Late morning rolled around so I headed back towards my tent. Turns out a lion walked the same route I had walked earlier that morning since I was there.
At the tent, I packed up, and headed for the pickup.
I got to the pickup around noon and figured I’d go check out another spot somewhat nearby that was on my list. Not far enough to warrant an overnight but definitely somewhere I wanted to spend some time. I parked and hiked in about a mile and a half or so to the top of a bluff that overlooked another great big premium looking drainage.
Had to leave my mark.
“Oh yeah this is gonna be it” I told myself as I crested the top and took in the sights from there.
Well, it wasn’t “it” and I didn’t glass up a single animal, so that sucks. Stayed there until dark and then wandered back to my truck empty handed once again. It’s ok, I was getting use to it.
Also, on my way back I almost fell off a 30’ cliff thanks to that greasy slimy muddy crap.
A friend of mine that happens to be my neighbor came to the unit today to deer hunt and he had some other guys meeting him the next day so he came and camped by me which was nice to have someone to talk to after a week.
I call it PB&J, on naan.
15.2 miles today.
On a side note, any of you active hunters that don’t have a pair of zip off long john bottoms, get a pair and thank me later.
Sketchy navigating some of that crap in the dark.
Ended up being 3.8 miles to the glassing point by daylight.
Looked like awesome country and I could see what you would think would be a premium late season elk haven, but I saw 1 single lone cow elk. Huh. I hiked around and glassed everywhere I could see and saw 1 more mule deer doe. What a let down. I cruised around getting different views and peeking into ravines. Late morning rolled around so I headed back towards my tent. Turns out a lion walked the same route I had walked earlier that morning since I was there.
At the tent, I packed up, and headed for the pickup.
I got to the pickup around noon and figured I’d go check out another spot somewhat nearby that was on my list. Not far enough to warrant an overnight but definitely somewhere I wanted to spend some time. I parked and hiked in about a mile and a half or so to the top of a bluff that overlooked another great big premium looking drainage.
Had to leave my mark.
“Oh yeah this is gonna be it” I told myself as I crested the top and took in the sights from there.
Well, it wasn’t “it” and I didn’t glass up a single animal, so that sucks. Stayed there until dark and then wandered back to my truck empty handed once again. It’s ok, I was getting use to it.
Also, on my way back I almost fell off a 30’ cliff thanks to that greasy slimy muddy crap.
A friend of mine that happens to be my neighbor came to the unit today to deer hunt and he had some other guys meeting him the next day so he came and camped by me which was nice to have someone to talk to after a week.
I call it PB&J, on naan.
15.2 miles today.
On a side note, any of you active hunters that don’t have a pair of zip off long john bottoms, get a pair and thank me later.
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Addicting
Well-known member
Leave no trace…
It's sand, I scratched with a stick, it will be gone in a week, likely less. Don't get your panties in a wad.
EDIT: oh you thought I did that?!? No, I just saw that and assumed that @Dave N had been there recently.
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Addicting
Well-known member
No it won’t, there are ones from the civil war and Spanish Conquistadors where I hunt in the sand STONE.
Stupid move
cgasner1
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2016
- Messages
- 2,949
I’ve told a couple guys this year to buy those long johns it’s the thing you didn’t know you needed.
November 9th, day 8. This was Saturday and I have to be back at work on Wednesday. I figured regardless of the outcome, I was probably going to pack up and mosey on home on Monday morning. That gave me Saturday night as my last opportunity for another overnighter so that’s what I planned to do.
At this point in the hunt, I felt that I had given it everything I had to give, put on a lot of miles, and looked over a huge amount of country. I hadn’t seen a bull that even remotely approached 300”, not on private, or in the back of a pickup or anywhere else. The other hunters that I talked to were struggling big time. For 5 days some local guys camped next to me. There were 7 hunters in their camp, they all had deer tags and they all had cow permits. After 5 days only one of them had harvested a cow elk, and none of them any deer, and they hadn’t even seen a bull.
I felt that I had seen what the unit had to offer, and though I didn’t want to shoot a dink bull, in my last 2 days I would take an opportunity on a respectable bull if the opportunity presented itself.
I had the morning to do something casual but I needed to be loaded up and leaving the pickup by noon in order to have enough time to get into the area I wanted to go into, get camp set up, and have some time to glass. So my buddy and I decided to go glass a spot that he had hunted in the past.
Cool to see the northern lights on our way to the spot.
We did see some animals there that morning but I think every hunter in the entire unit was hunting along that 5 mile stretch of road. No thank you, although still worth it to check out.
At this point in the hunt, I felt that I had given it everything I had to give, put on a lot of miles, and looked over a huge amount of country. I hadn’t seen a bull that even remotely approached 300”, not on private, or in the back of a pickup or anywhere else. The other hunters that I talked to were struggling big time. For 5 days some local guys camped next to me. There were 7 hunters in their camp, they all had deer tags and they all had cow permits. After 5 days only one of them had harvested a cow elk, and none of them any deer, and they hadn’t even seen a bull.
I felt that I had seen what the unit had to offer, and though I didn’t want to shoot a dink bull, in my last 2 days I would take an opportunity on a respectable bull if the opportunity presented itself.
I had the morning to do something casual but I needed to be loaded up and leaving the pickup by noon in order to have enough time to get into the area I wanted to go into, get camp set up, and have some time to glass. So my buddy and I decided to go glass a spot that he had hunted in the past.
Cool to see the northern lights on our way to the spot.
We did see some animals there that morning but I think every hunter in the entire unit was hunting along that 5 mile stretch of road. No thank you, although still worth it to check out.
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Back to the trailer to load up with over night gear. Buddy told me to let him know when I killed something and he’d help me pack. I took the truck down the road a little way and things were still such a muddy mess from the snow that I took the wheeler the last 15 miles or so.
I arrived at the end of the road right about noon and started my walk. Out of everywhere I had been, this was the nicest, rolly, lightly timbered, easy walking patch of ground that I had hunted.
I had a high point in mind about 3.5 miles from the wheeler that I was headed to. About 2 miles into my hike I look over and sure enough about 1000 yards away I see about a dozen elk with a 5 point, and a 6 point that appears to be somewhat decent. “Seams like a good opportunity”, so I put some trees between me and them, dumped all my overnight gear out of my pack, checked the wind, and headed their way.
Well as luck would have it, and my rookie mistake not being thorough, there were a number of other elk with them that were bedded in the timber above them that I did not see. They had me pegged and proceeded to run away bringing the whole herd with them. Not knowing exactly where they had gone, I did my best to tail them. A couple of hilly rises later, there they were, bunched up on a hillside across a steep ravine, 544 yards away.
There was a rock outcropping a few yards ahead of me that I headed for. Very awkward position to get comfortable in but I did my best. Range: 503 yards. I could see the bigger bull, there were cows blocking his neck and his rump but I had a clear view of his shoulder and ribs, with no cows behind him, I felt good and I took the shot. I heard an impact but he was immediately covered up by cows so I did not get to see him react. The cows cleared and there was not an elk laying there. I watched them go over a ridge through my binos and I only saw the smaller bull with them, but there were some trees there and there was a chance that I could have missed a couple of the elk leaving.
I headed over there to look around and see what I could find. No Bull. I wandered around a bit looking for blood, and I looked around looking into gullies and the bigger ravine down below, there were a few burnt trees crisscrossed here and there that I was looking around, but nothing. I figured I’d range back to where I shot from and sure enough I wasn’t quite far enough. I went up the hill a bit further and there was a little knob with a subtle depression at the top, and there he was laying right there in the depression.
I think he dropped in his tracks. Very thankful to find him. It was about 1:30 in the afternoon.
I texted my buddy and he immediately started my way. What a guy. I quartered him out, boned out the fronts, skinned the skull and had him in bags in 1.5 hrs.
Then I packed him across that first nasty ravine and had him in a tree. Just as I was getting there with my 3rd and last load he was just walking up, impeccable timing! (Now that I think about it, suspicious timing!)
I took a front and a hind and the stuff I had with me, and he took a hind and the head and we headed for the pickup, arriving there about an hour or so after dark.
I left the wheeler there and took his pickup back to my truck. His other buddies had just gotten to camp, it was a fun evening. 5.8 miles and a dead elk today.
I arrived at the end of the road right about noon and started my walk. Out of everywhere I had been, this was the nicest, rolly, lightly timbered, easy walking patch of ground that I had hunted.
I had a high point in mind about 3.5 miles from the wheeler that I was headed to. About 2 miles into my hike I look over and sure enough about 1000 yards away I see about a dozen elk with a 5 point, and a 6 point that appears to be somewhat decent. “Seams like a good opportunity”, so I put some trees between me and them, dumped all my overnight gear out of my pack, checked the wind, and headed their way.
Well as luck would have it, and my rookie mistake not being thorough, there were a number of other elk with them that were bedded in the timber above them that I did not see. They had me pegged and proceeded to run away bringing the whole herd with them. Not knowing exactly where they had gone, I did my best to tail them. A couple of hilly rises later, there they were, bunched up on a hillside across a steep ravine, 544 yards away.
There was a rock outcropping a few yards ahead of me that I headed for. Very awkward position to get comfortable in but I did my best. Range: 503 yards. I could see the bigger bull, there were cows blocking his neck and his rump but I had a clear view of his shoulder and ribs, with no cows behind him, I felt good and I took the shot. I heard an impact but he was immediately covered up by cows so I did not get to see him react. The cows cleared and there was not an elk laying there. I watched them go over a ridge through my binos and I only saw the smaller bull with them, but there were some trees there and there was a chance that I could have missed a couple of the elk leaving.
I headed over there to look around and see what I could find. No Bull. I wandered around a bit looking for blood, and I looked around looking into gullies and the bigger ravine down below, there were a few burnt trees crisscrossed here and there that I was looking around, but nothing. I figured I’d range back to where I shot from and sure enough I wasn’t quite far enough. I went up the hill a bit further and there was a little knob with a subtle depression at the top, and there he was laying right there in the depression.
I think he dropped in his tracks. Very thankful to find him. It was about 1:30 in the afternoon.
I texted my buddy and he immediately started my way. What a guy. I quartered him out, boned out the fronts, skinned the skull and had him in bags in 1.5 hrs.
Then I packed him across that first nasty ravine and had him in a tree. Just as I was getting there with my 3rd and last load he was just walking up, impeccable timing! (Now that I think about it, suspicious timing!)
I took a front and a hind and the stuff I had with me, and he took a hind and the head and we headed for the pickup, arriving there about an hour or so after dark.
I left the wheeler there and took his pickup back to my truck. His other buddies had just gotten to camp, it was a fun evening. 5.8 miles and a dead elk today.
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November 10th, day 9. I was up an hour or so before daylight heading back to retrieve the last quarter, along with all of my overnight gear, as well as my rangefinder that I had inadvertently left on the rock that I shot from. I had crap strewn all over that hill.
Having an elk at camp made for an even more enjoyable walk.
Saw some turkeys along the way, nice cool overcast morning.
Thankfully no little vermin’s chewed up any of my stuff. I intended to be back to pick it up shortly after leaving it there, but obviously that didn't work out.
I got back with all my stuff and met up with the other guys for lunch.
I was thinking about hitting up a spot that evening that I had seen a nice buck earlier in the week on the off chance that I could relocate him. One of the guys wanted to tag along so we went for an afternoon walk up to a high point to glass for the evening.
We saw a dozen or so does with a small forky but no mature buck so we called it a night and headed for camp.
Packed up the truck and trailer that evening so I’d be ready to roll out early in the AM. Missing the wife and kids. 9.6 miles today
Having an elk at camp made for an even more enjoyable walk.
Saw some turkeys along the way, nice cool overcast morning.
Thankfully no little vermin’s chewed up any of my stuff. I intended to be back to pick it up shortly after leaving it there, but obviously that didn't work out.
I got back with all my stuff and met up with the other guys for lunch.
I was thinking about hitting up a spot that evening that I had seen a nice buck earlier in the week on the off chance that I could relocate him. One of the guys wanted to tag along so we went for an afternoon walk up to a high point to glass for the evening.
We saw a dozen or so does with a small forky but no mature buck so we called it a night and headed for camp.
Packed up the truck and trailer that evening so I’d be ready to roll out early in the AM. Missing the wife and kids. 9.6 miles today
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November 11th, day 10. Rolled out just after 4AM and got home early afternoon.
Overall it was a great trip and I enjoyed every minute of it. I gave it everything I had and although I didn’t end up with a giant or even what most would consider a big bull, I came home with the best bull that I could find, and I was satisfied with that. Somewhat anticlimactic for the folks reading this, I know, but that’s how the story goes sometimes. I was blessed with great weather, good equipment and gear, met some really cool people, and came home with a bull elk to show my kids and a pile of meat to feed to my family.
Thankful for the opportunity.
Thanks for reading my story.
Overall it was a great trip and I enjoyed every minute of it. I gave it everything I had and although I didn’t end up with a giant or even what most would consider a big bull, I came home with the best bull that I could find, and I was satisfied with that. Somewhat anticlimactic for the folks reading this, I know, but that’s how the story goes sometimes. I was blessed with great weather, good equipment and gear, met some really cool people, and came home with a bull elk to show my kids and a pile of meat to feed to my family.
Thankful for the opportunity.
Thanks for reading my story.
sneakem
Well-known member
Utah is flatter than I remember.... Congrats on the elk.
Pahoundsman
Well-known member
Great recap,thanks for sharing and congratulations on a well deserved bull
Congrats, and thanks for sharing the writeup! Fun to follow along.
