Tule Elk
 

I always see people talking about RM elk or Roosevelt Elk but what about Tule elk? Do people hunt them often, why do we never hear about them?
Just curious
JP

Probably because they live in such a small area with a low enough population that not many people get tags to hunt them compared to the Rocy Mountain elk and Roosevelts. Even the latter aren't in that big of an area and not that many people hunt them either.

I spent 3 years in Northern Ca when I was stationed on the USS Pyro AE-24. I spent a lot of time around Grizzly Island and Cache Creek Wildlife Area. I saw a lot of Tule Elk and there were some really impressive bulls. I tried to draw a permit every year I was there but I never drew it.

Tule Elk is one of the hardest permits to draw. You can buy landowner tags but I don't think you'll get much change back from $20,000 if you do.

There is an Army Reserve installation about two hours south of San Jose, CA known as FT Hunter Liggett. It was my home-away-from home for 3 years, but they only allow permanent party to hunt there, except on weekends. In other words, if I invested in a license (out-of-state, since I live in CO), AND the on-post hunting permit I could only hunt on Saturday and Sunday.

That is NOT worth the drive and investment, so I passed.

It's unfortunate, too, because I saw tule elk everyday I was there!

I hunted Ft Hunter Liggett when I was stationed in CA, mostly for hogs and twice for deer but even with the base permits I couldn't shoot Tule Elk. All Tule Elk taken on the base required special permits, available only by drawing, which are in addition to the base hunting permit. Deer tags were also only available via a draw. Hogs were pretty much open year round. This was from 1995-1998 and per their website, this is still the case. CA knows they have a unique resource in the Tule Elk and they are very, very careful about the number of them they allow shot regardless if it is on State, Private or Federal Land. Even though the base is owned by the U.S. Army they still have to work with the state when it comes to hunting.

For 2013, the base issued a total of 30 Tule Elk permits, 9 were for bulls, 3 were for either sex and the rest were cow tags. http://www.liggett.army.mil/sites/fi...%20Results.pdf If someone didn't hold one of these permits they cannot legally take a Tule Elk off the base. I would think that getting caught with an illegally killed Tule Elk on the base would be a really bad situation to find yourself in.

By the way, if you were stationed on the base in the Army you didn't have to buy a non-resident license. Military members can claim 2 states for residency when it comes to hunting and fishing, their home of record and their place of duty. Right now I can legally hunt both VA and CO as a resident. It is one of our best benefits as far as I'm concerned.

^^ I don't think you read or fully understood my post.

1- It's an Army RESERVE station.

2- It was my "home-away-from-home."

3- They only allowed permanent party to hunt every day of the season. Non-permanent party could only hunt weekends, and thus:

4- Not worth the drive from Colorado.

Ergo I was not stationed there and could not claim California as a second state of residence. By the way, don't do that on your taxes.

I read it, but just because it is a reserve station does not mean there are not active duty there. Every base has an active duty element even if it is a reserve base. I misunderstood the "home-away-from-home" part because I've used the phrase to define duty stations. I only recognize one home and that is CO so I took this to be a duty station. Besides, that doesn't detract from the point I was trying to make which is Tule Elk permits are always hard to get no matter where the herds are found, even on a military base.

As to taxes, don't worry. I've been on active duty for 25 years. CO has a system for earnings that were earned outside the borders of CO by military personnel. They have a special form to fill out. I do not legally have to pay any taxes to CO that were earned outside the state. Like I said, I've been in for 25 years. This isn't something new.