2rocky
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2010
- Messages
- 5,120
I got a reduced price cow tag because there was a season when my nephew was home from school. I did not take a lot of factors into account and my planning showed it.
I’m not bitter but I learned a few things that might help the next guy who looks at these “deals”
1) Remember these tags are Late season tags to apply pressure to elk to prevent them from over running private pastures and hayfields. Often the boundaries are only a subsection of the unit.
2) remember that these elk migrate from high mountain basins only when the snow is deep enough that they can’t reach feed. Deer migrate much sooner.
3) If there is not elk pressure on the private ground then the lands in the HMA s will not be open.
4) If you are not flexible on your hunting dates maybe consider a different tag if you want a quality hunt. These tags are often weather dependent.
5) Don’t assume the elk will surely have come down by a certain date. They don’t pay attention to the calendar. Only deep snow drives them into the late season zones. Not cold temperatures.
6) Have a reliable local source for weather and migration info. Especially if driving a day or more to hunt.
7) If you are from Texas and think camping in -10 degree weather is fun more power to you. We saw you left after two nights. Probably the best decision.
7a). Hunting hard doesn’t help when there aren’t elk around.
8) Seeing deer on winter range is an OK substitute when the elk aren’t down to play.
9) Locals don’t really care if you get an elk or not. Unless there are 200 head in their field.
10) If you can enjoy the scenery and have plan B then you can make the best of a trip when the elk aren’t around. If you need to see lots of elk then either be flexible or choose something else.
I’m not bitter but I learned a few things that might help the next guy who looks at these “deals”
1) Remember these tags are Late season tags to apply pressure to elk to prevent them from over running private pastures and hayfields. Often the boundaries are only a subsection of the unit.
2) remember that these elk migrate from high mountain basins only when the snow is deep enough that they can’t reach feed. Deer migrate much sooner.
3) If there is not elk pressure on the private ground then the lands in the HMA s will not be open.
4) If you are not flexible on your hunting dates maybe consider a different tag if you want a quality hunt. These tags are often weather dependent.
5) Don’t assume the elk will surely have come down by a certain date. They don’t pay attention to the calendar. Only deep snow drives them into the late season zones. Not cold temperatures.
6) Have a reliable local source for weather and migration info. Especially if driving a day or more to hunt.
7) If you are from Texas and think camping in -10 degree weather is fun more power to you. We saw you left after two nights. Probably the best decision.
7a). Hunting hard doesn’t help when there aren’t elk around.
8) Seeing deer on winter range is an OK substitute when the elk aren’t down to play.
9) Locals don’t really care if you get an elk or not. Unless there are 200 head in their field.
10) If you can enjoy the scenery and have plan B then you can make the best of a trip when the elk aren’t around. If you need to see lots of elk then either be flexible or choose something else.