Utah Elk Planning

[alwayshunting]

I unexpectedly drew a Limited Entry Elk tag this year in south central Utah. Looking for suggestions on hunt planning. It is a muzzy tag opening Sept. 21 through October 2. I have never been in the unit or hunted Utah before. I live around 16 hours away which will make scouting challenging.

My hope is to have most if not all of the hunting season off. I am trying to decide how to best use my days for scouting. I am actually going to be near the unit next week for a previously planned family vacation and have worked in a half a day to drive the roads and get a better feel for the unit.

I could possibly fly down before the season and rent a vehicle for a few days of scouting. Another option would be to head down a few days before the season. Though the four days before the season is an early rifle season. Prior to that is an archery season that starts August 15th. From what I have read, even with the extremely limited tag numbers, there are quite a few people in the field due to friends and guides looking for elk for tag holders.

Any recommendations on how to best scout for the hunt?

 

[AntelopeEater]

Try looking around on the Utah Wildlife Forum, its the most active Utah specific forum.

If you join and participate, and then after awhile make a post looking for help with your upcoming hunt, there is a good chance you'll get some good info.

You can also let me know where your hunt will be, and I don't mind sharing what little I may know about the area, though I have not hunted elk yet, I have hunted small game in Utah, and most recently hunted turkey in the Zion Deer Unit, and the Boulder-Kaporiwtiz unit.

Hopefully you won't be hunting the Zion unit, because I kept my eyes out for elk, and did not see any while turkey hunting and exploring around this spring. There's deer there, but while people say there are elk there, I am not convinced there actually are any.

I drew a rifle deer tag for the Manti unit this October, so I'll be taking a scouting trip there over the summer.

 

[brymoore]

I drew a UT muzzy elk tag last same time frame last year. DM me the tag info. I’ll tell you what I know for the unit.

Elk were everywhere I looked. I had been to the 3 or 4 times before season. My best scouting turned to be chatting with the archery elk hunters a few days before my tag started. Archery guys were very open about where and what they were seeing. I ended up hunting an area within a few miles of my target area because of the info provided.