Is Rut Huntin' Too Easy?
 

Been gettin' some grief lately from guides I know thet hunt other units. My unit opens fer rifle elk 9/20. With all the callin' gizmos an' new rifles an' such, I gotta admit it ain't hard fer the least skilled feller to make meat those first two weeks. Have we made it too easy? With all this global warmin', seems the bulls are stayin' in heavy rut longer ever year. I know pushin' the season in November would have the elk down in the foothills where the road hunters live, but come on already, September rifle season?

BJ

RE: Is Rut Huntin' Too Easy?
 

BeaverJack,
What was the sucess rate in your state last year?
Most I remember seeing averaged around 25% so if that is the case hunting during the rut isn't making it easier unless the number goes through the roof to around 75% of the hunters tagging elk.
Just my thoughts!


Greg

"Getting close to the game is the joy of Bowhunting for me, the harvest is a bonus."

Live 15 ft Python after eating a small Antelope!

RE: Is Rut Huntin' Too Easy?
 

Don't know the success rate overall. My camp was 100% the last 3 years durin' the first two weeks of the season. Thets 36 for 36 bulls. Last year I called a bull in next to the gut pile of one I'd kilt the week afor! The success rates of non-guided hunters won't be realistic cause mos' of 'em hunt low during the early season.

BJ


Edited by - BeaverJack on 09/13/2002 12:36:45

Edited by - BeaverJack on 09/13/2002 12:37:33

Edited by - BeaverJack on 09/13/2002 12:38:25

Edited by - BeaverJack on 09/13/2002 12:40:35

RE: Is Rut Huntin' Too Easy?
 

Whoops. My math ain't precise here. One feller had two cow only tags, which he filled out last year. So its 34 for 34 on bulls.

BJ

RE: Is Rut Huntin' Too Easy?
 

Unless you've got private land or a secret honey spot I'd say elk are one of the toughest animals to hunt. Success rate here in Utah for the general hunt on public land is 17%. Some guys get elk every year but thats only because of one of the above reasons. I don't know about your hunting low theory. I hunt the high country (10,000 ft plus) and thats where most hunters go around here, any fool knows when its dry and warm the elk are up high.

RE: Is Rut Huntin' Too Easy?
 

BeaverJack,
Do you run an outfitter or guide for one?
If so can you provide me with some information.
E-mail if you'd like amosgreg(at) yahoo dot com

Thanks


Greg

"Getting close to the game is the joy of Bowhunting for me, the harvest is a bonus."

Live 15 ft Python after eating a small Antelope!

RE: Is Rut Huntin' Too Easy?
 

Rather,
Thets cause you got them itty bitty mountings over there in Utah. Folks in wheelchairs can hunt 'em. These hills take pack stock. ATVs an' such ain't even allowed. I don't think I'd ever hunt a critter thet I only got a 17% chance of killin'. Guess thets where the professionals come in. Or maybeso you think the 17% are jus lucky? I read somewhar thet mos' the elk are kilt by the same hunters ever year. Hell, ifn it were easy, wouldn't be no outfitters. I jus' work fer a feller. Ain't got no money fer a lodge an' such. Jus' do it durin' the season. Probly be my last cause I'm gettin' long in the tooth an' wanna spend more time huntin' with my famly. But hell, maybeso there ain't no elk in Utah, jus a few straglers crossin' over from Wyom. Or maybeso all thet blonde hair over there spooks 'em afor anyone can git close?<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle> Still say its too easy in September. An jus' fer the record, elk ain't anywhar near the toughest critter to hunt. Try coes whitetail someday. Any critter what will come to a call ain't hard to hunt. Whitetails are durn sneaky. An' when they inhabit canyon country with cactus an' shin daggers what will make hamburger of your legs, its double hard. Nope, I reckin' groundhogs is harder to hunt then elks. Ceptn' on railroad tracks where they kinda stand out.

BJ


Edited by - BeaverJack on 09/13/2002 14:56:35

Edited by - BeaverJack on 09/13/2002 16:44:32

Edited by - BeaverJack on 09/13/2002 16:50:17

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RE: Is Rut Huntin' Too Easy?
 

Good question Moosehead, I know Colo. is not, but I've seen and heard bulls bugle in Oct. rifle season here too, so even that makes finding 'em a bit easy. But after a few shots go off, they quiet down real quick.

RE: Is Rut Huntin' Too Easy?
 

Only rifle season in Arizona in september is on indian land and the tags are ten to fifteen thousand dollars. I think the fudgepackers in SF could score 90%+ with a rifle this month. Oh yeah, I have killed cous WT and they are a bitch to hunt and a small target.

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RE: Is Rut Huntin' Too Easy?
 

Moose-True. First 8 point I shot at 16 I could pick up and toss in the truck! Have my eye on a 10 point muley in a secret spot for after my elk trip. You must be talkin' about those tiny bucks on the kaibab. Good hunting and keep smilin'.

RE: Is Rut Huntin' Too Easy?
 

Don't get small confused with easy. Coues are fine huntin', an' the secrets out. I used to buy tags over the counter an' there was leftovers. Now these gun writers been advertisin' the coues an' you cain't get drawed. Elk ain't hard to hunt. Long as you got horses. Ifn' you can cover the territory, you can find the elk. Specially early. Gettin' close ain't thet hard ceptin' in the dark timber. Fine eatin'. But nuthin' special to hunt.

BJ

RE: Is Rut Huntin' Too Easy?
 

i don't think it is easy at all. with public hunting and the instaters with the jump on the season i think it is not easy at all.
i find better luck the earlier in the season before the deer turn nocturnal.

RE: Is Rut Huntin' Too Easy?
 

Beaver- Right on and the CWT are a kick. Disagree on the elk. Yes horses are great as they don't spook the elk but most of us don't have the money for an outfitter or the patience to keep up horses. I hunt only with a bow now from the ground and it isn't a no brainer to kill at 20 yards with a bunch of spooky cows keeping watch. I just love takin' the knife to a 600 pound bag of sweet meat. Hope your clients do well this year and yes I am saving my nickels for one more guided hunt before I hit the gates. Good hunting.

RE: Is Rut Huntin' Too Easy?
 

In Saskatchewan the reg. early rifle season for elk is mid-sept., we also have a late season in Nov. However no mountains, just bush, some valleys (but to you mountain guys a ridge maybe), swamps, etc. Hunting here is hard(not physically..just low numbers and lumped area...so lots of traffic), I don't know for sure what the success rate would be but I would say no more than 25-30%. The call assists in that # for sure. I wouldn't say they are harder to hunt than Trophy Whitetails, which we have are fair share of but they ain't easy. As stated I know many guys that go every year and take Elk, but they know what they are doing. At the same point I know guys who go yearly and are lucky to get 1 every couple of years.

I would rank whitetails #1 (TROPHIES) and Elk a close second.

RE: Is Rut Huntin' Too Easy?
 

Skeeter-forgot about the zones. It was 104 degrees here yesterday which means 80 in the mountains! If it doesn't cool down I'm takin' a sprayer with green. brown and black non toxic paint and hunting my elk naked. Visualize that one at 236#. This time of year I envy you northerners but when I'm goose hunting at 75 degrees I bet you have it a bit colder. Good hunting.

RE: Is Rut Huntin' Too Easy?
 

BJ, I don't want to get into a pissing match with you but if you really think that there are no serious mountains in Utah then you must of been eatin too many paint chips when you were young. Utah has very tough country and thats where the elk go when they get some pressure. And I guarantee unless your wheelerchair has the word &quot;Boeing&quot; printed on the side you ain't huntin a lot of the mountains here. I've never hunted Wyoming and it may be a better elk state I don't know, but there is some very serious elk hunting here. I don't mind having an intelligent conversation but it looks like you need a little more info. Utah has 65,000 elk with 400+ class bulls in many units. 360 class bulls are not uncommon here. The thing is its so hard to draw a limited entry tag to chase those bulls so I choose to get a general tag when I don't draw. You get a limited entry tag and the success rate is about 50-60% depending on the area. You gotta remember the average hunter does not have access to horses and thats the reason for September hunt. I think you should just be grateful for what you got instead of putting everybody else down. 17% is low but you have a 0% chance sittin on your duff at home. Do you have a habit of not doing something if the odds are against you?

RE: Is Rut Huntin' Too Easy?
 

BeaverJacki is a phony! Can't you see it? broken English, crazy numbers, 100% success, calling elks to gut piles, etc. He's probably a 14 year old boy making crap up. Quit wasting your time with him
<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote<font size=1 face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
Been gettin' some grief lately from guides I know thet hunt other units. My unit opens fer rifle elk 9/20. With all the callin' gizmos an' new rifles an' such, I gotta admit it ain't hard fer the least skilled feller to make meat those first two weeks. Have we made it too easy? With all this global warmin', seems the bulls are stayin' in heavy rut longer ever year. I know pushin' the season in November would have the elk down in the foothills where the road hunters live, but come on already, September rifle season?

BJ

<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' size=2 id=quote>

RE: Is Rut Huntin' Too Easy?
 

KC-NO KIDDING! A kid or a retard but either way he's havin' fun with us. Anyone who reads this stuff who has hunted Utah or even killed an elk knows this guy's never climbed into a hot carcass. He does watch some good Gabby Hayes stuff though. Hey BJ You keep talkin' the talk and maybe someday we can hunt together and teach you the walk. I think this one was a hoot. Good hunting big buddy.<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

RE: Is Rut Huntin' Too Easy?
 

RATHER BE HUNTEN
theres no doubt in my mind utah has big elk i see them cross the border every year to feed all winter in wyoming and watch them leave every spring (southwest corner area 106) we have cow hunts every year for them and i see 300+++ bulls every year
how ever they did issue 30 any elk tags for DEC 1 THRU THE 31(area 106) this year so i just had to pick one of them up also

as for what bj says elk hunting is easy if you know the right spots i think that is 95% of the battle i hunt with guys that have filled there tags every year for 20 or so years how ever i am young so i still hunt on foot instead of horses (they help me with the pack if it is to hot) and non of us have guides nor do we hunt private land and september should be for bow hunters ONLY
i do and love them both rifle and archery

RE: Is Rut Huntin' Too Easy?
 

Yall git yer panties knotted kinda easy, huh? Well, the first 6 day hunt is over. Filled out in 3, then kilt my own bull an' helped another guide fill out his last. Two days off an' we start all over. Face it boys, huntin' the rut with rifles ain't rocket science. Ifn' an' ol' coon with a 3rd grade educashun can do it at 100%, what does thet say 'bout the brain powder you fellers are packin'?

BJ

RE: Is Rut Huntin' Too Easy?
 

BJ, you are one funny fellar! I could care less if your old or young, full of it or full of yourself...you are plain...entertainment with your drawl, broken english and plain old down home boy talk.

Go hard BJ, nice to gets some giggles!!!!

If this guiding gig gives upo, you might consider stand up. Hey Foxworthy did it!!!!!

Edited by - Skeeter 7mm on 09/24/2002 23:47:10

RE: Is Rut Huntin' Too Easy?
 

Skeeter 7mm sorry to dissapoint you but Dustin Hoffman already played Rainman, and Jeff Foxworthy has already told all the redneck jokes. So much for BJ's break into showbiz huh?

Like I said earlier it doesn't matter when you have the hunt if someone has a good spot that no one knows about(or can get to) or has access to private land your going to have a high success rate. Elk go where they don't get pressured. The average hunter usually hoofs it in on foot on public land that other people are also using and thats why the success rate is what it is. I've been on both ends and I can tell you it doesn't have a lot to do with your ability. I think if your an outfitter or a guide with horses I sure hope you have a very high success rate or I'd reccomend a new profession. Most people do something else for a living and spending hours in the saddle finding elk is not an option. And with outfitter prices using one every year is also not an option for the average hunter. Even with a September rifle I'll bet that succes rate will not break 30%.

But just for the record Utahs general rifle hunt is in October.

RE: Is Rut Huntin' Too Easy?
 

Rather probly has a point 'bout horses, even if he ain't much of a judge of human character. I cain't imagin' huntin' 'thout hosses. Our game ain't runnin' from other hunters. One of my dudes kilt a elk at 30 yards what we had stalked in on in his bedroom. First saw 'im at 'bout 10 yards, cow call stopped 'im cold. You cain't do thet where there's hunters thick as flies on a 4th of July picnic. Plus gettin' high ain't likely round here 'thout a hoss. Brutal trails though. My knee is still swolled from the ride out yesterday. So maybeso I'll amend my idear to &quot;Rifle huntin' elk in September usin' horses is too easy&quot;.

BJ