Harvest data is scaring me...

[Nambaster]

Later on in the month, I plan on hunting elk. I looked over at the harvest statistics for the unit and it sits at 4.6%. Since this is Idaho, I have the option of hunting units with higher harvest ratios.

Would a 4.6% harvest ratio bother you?

My friend drew a hard to draw tag in Utah this year so, I deviated from my normal unit because of differing Hunt dates. The unit that I normally hunt has an 18ish % success ratio and I get a bull elk every year.

I would love some input.

 

[sndmn11]

Would a 4.6% harvest ratio bother you?

No

 

[Blackcats06]

For an Arizonian.... Hell yes. But we don’t have an otc or the option to hunt multiple units. AZ manages for 25% hunt success

 

[Stocker]

I’m going to a unit with 4% success last year according to data. I could go to other places but I plan on being the 4%.

Positive attitude and not quitting will take the success rate up 10 fold.

 

[Wildabeest]

4% odds in the woods beats 0% odds of being happier at home doing somethings else...

 

[LopeHunter]

How is your recent elk harvest vs tags running? I have heard (likely some truth) than on OTC and easy to draw units that 80% of the harvest are hunters that routinely have success most years for decades. In a 4% unit that would imply 3% of the hunters will get another elk this year and that leaves 97% of hunters to chase harvest rate of 1%.

There are people that have ways to scout a unit as they live nearby and hunt the unit with a few buddies year after year. Other hunters might have a relative with hay fields.

If the tag is OTC or can be drawn multiple times a decade then those hunters should be more successful as they have hunted wet years and dry years and smoky fire years and warm seasons and cold seasons so not only have an idea where the elk will be but also to not spend time where elk likely won’t be.

Average bull elk harvest in the West is around 20% of tags issued the last time I looked at info that was in a recap.

So 4% is not great but a random easy to draw unit is likely around 10% since a lot of limited entry elk units rise above 50% harvest that then leads to overall 20% success of issued tags.

If the unit you are considering is an accessible unit for you to spend time in then you can take the first step to being in the group that harvests an elk with most tags they hunt.

 

[brymoore]

4.5% success rate would bother me. It means it’s either low elk numbers or difficult terrain to hunt. However, you must know how to hunt elk if you kill a bull every year. Your odds would be higher unless something is blocking your success - like needing to get ten miles from the toad, etc.

 

[Irrelevant]

In WA we typically don't ever get much above that for general units. But in ID that would bother the heck out of me unless I had already been scouting and had a good plan.

 

[Mallardsx2]

No

 

[Gr8bawana]

I pay no attention to harvest percentages. The area I've draw my last 4 cow elk tags has harvest rates anywhere from 11-17% in the years I have drawn. I can tell you that I have a 75% success rate for the area.
I believe it's because we are willing to work and hunt harder and smarter than most hunters.
So just go out and hunt and have a good time.

 

[ida homer]

Yes, it would. Because that means you’re probably looking at the Selway, lolo, middle fork or a thick ass unit up north. Those zones are tough, some of the most devout and successful hunters I know have come out of those units without an elk sighting.

And there are dozens of other units with much higher success rates where you can get a tag. It’s not like it’s your only choice.

 

[2506gunslinger]

I live in Idaho and I would never hunt a unit with a 4% success rate. Lots of good elk hunting in Idaho, but wherever that unit is, it sucks.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

I killed a bull in a unit that supposed had a 0% success rate for that year.

So no

 

[Fremont15]

In Wyoming it seems as though the harvest statistics are always underestimated. I’ve seen slam dunk hunts with reported harvest percentages in the 30-40 percent range. With that said, seeing a 4% would be a little concerning.

 

[Ben Long]

I hunt a unit with percentages about like that. And I've taken elk with a 20-50% success, over time. So it's not your destiny. But it does suggest a difficult hunt and terrain that will test your mettle. I would definitely adjust expectations accordingly. One mitigating factor is in some of those places, deer hunters buy elk tags "just in case I see one." That can deflate success rates. When I grew in northern Idaho, the saying was "10 percent of hunters kill 90 percent of the elk." I think that's largely true, but cause only the skilled and dedicated are going to fill tags. And only with a dose of luck.

 

[schmalts]

It means if you put in your time and hunt really hard you can have a reasonable hunt. In a unit with odds like that a road hunter or someone who won't venture more than 1.5 miles from a road is not even going to see an elk unless it's on private land

 

[westbranch]

I don't think there is a whole lot of difference between a 4% and 10% ID OTC unit. Several northern ID units have varied from ~1% to >20% in the last 5 years depending on the weapon used. Be mobile to find where the elk are at and be in shape to cover ground.

 

[Murph1]

It should be interesting to see this year's stats for Idaho as some of the worst units are getting more hunters.

 

[Hatchie Dawg]

Yes it would.
HD

 

[Steelhead]

I get a bull elk every year.

If I every uttered these words I wouldn't be scared of much...