Utah Spike vs Any Bull

[Rrpro]

Early rifle is a great hunt. (Bugling ) but the hardest to draw the muzzleloader hunt has good bugling also and usually better draw odds. Good luck but I guess it's not happening this year since the draw is over sw desert good unit but they really all are good

 

[str8meat]

As a avid Washington state spike bull hunter I would hunt anywhere else than a spike bull only unit. I see multiple branch antler bulls and cows but very few spikes. Just my opinio. I do believe that you kill young bulls it's harder to have old bulls.

 

[waspocrew]

I'd go hunt the spikes on the LE unit you're hoping to pull a tag for. You'll learn the unit, see big bulls, and if lucky, might get a crack at a spike. I haven't lived in UT for a good number of years, but had fun on the few spike hunts on the S Cache when I was going to college.

 

[SSgt G Cody]

If you are determined to hunt Utah, do yourself a favor and go straight to the NW Corner area. Much more game there.

 

[JakeC]

As a avid Washington state spike bull hunter I would hunt anywhere else than a spike bull only unit. I see multiple branch antler bulls and cows but very few spikes. Just my opinio. I do believe that you kill young bulls it's harder to have old bulls.

I think part of the idea is that you weed out bulls with weak genes that aren't growing antlers fast enough. Maybe I'm wrong and they just want to have fewer of them.

 

[257Tony]

Grab a spike tag, head to the Manti or Wasatch unit and have a ball watching the bigger Bulls rut their guts out. You never know, might even see a spike!

 

[LocalJW]

Okay so planning to get the spike tag.

Some are saying there was snow up there? Was the weather totally crazy to where it be unsafe on my own?

Would I need a hot tent? How are the roads up there in the Wasatch especially dirt one? And how much snow do you think they got?

I hunted Colorado last year and it would snow at night but all melt during the day. Day time was 75-80 but evenings were 30 or less. Stayed in a cabin though.

Want to make sure I am prepared. My plan was to set a camp and then use my Polaris to travel.

 

[JakeC]

I replied to your PM but I'm curious to hear what others thought. I got beat up good by the cold, not so much the snow, but I thought it was unusual. I mean, we had snow on the blacktop in Davis County a WEEK before the season. And it was so unreasonably cold at night. I sure hope I'm right in thinking it was excessive.

 

[JakeC]

So did you get one?

 

[LocalJW]

So did you get one?

I did! Super stoked

 

[JakeC]

I did! Super stoked

Nice! You'll have a good time, and you'll definitely accomplish your goal of scouting some of the best LE units. There are other units that'll suit your style better but you're guaranteed to see some massive bulls.

I almost jumped ship when I got in the que at 6100 or so this morning but it moved along pretty well, glad you made it.

I looked at those coordinates and I'll try to respond in detail later, and keep an ear out for ya.

 

[Ckleeves]

I think part of the idea is that you weed out bulls with weak genes that aren't growing antlers fast enough. Maybe I'm wrong and they just want to have fewer of them.

Pretty much every 1.5 year old bull is a spike, the idea is to reduce bull to cow ratios because they are taking so few bulls with the limited entry tags that it would end up very bull heavy without the spike tag. The other option would be more LE bull tags but then you just reduce the overall trophy quality.

My brother and I did the any bull hunt last year, I actually thought it was a decent elk hunt. I killed a decent bull and my brother passed a few little raghorns and saw a few good bulls but no shots. Once we got in a few miles it really wasn't crowded. Overall Pretty much the same as Colorado OTC.

 

[LocalJW]

Nice! You'll have a good time, and you'll definitely accomplish your goal of scouting some of the best LE units. There are other units that'll suit your style better but you're guaranteed to see some massive bulls.

I almost jumped ship when I got in the que at 6100 or so this morning but it moved along pretty well, glad you made it.

I looked at those coordinates and I'll try to respond in detail later, and keep an ear out for ya.

Ya! I was in and spot 609 and then got into the page at 7:50 and then when it hit 8 I got booted and end up at spit 6400. Got in though and still had 6k tags left. Super stoked.

Whatever insight you have i'm all ears! Even if it's different units you think are better. Just open to learning country and seeing game.

 

[JakeC]

Ouch yeah that would have made me sweat, glad you got in there though.

Yeah I mean there's so many cool units here but jeez if you've been waiting 13 years already I just hope you take a look at those high-yield units. Then you can make a more informed choice about which you want to do as you get closer to having a shot. Even as a resident I was leaning towards the longer odds for an open country LE hunt until I got into some of the dense timber units and saw how many elk were in there. Plus I got into archery and I think that's where my LE points are going to go. Like CKleeves said it's really not THAT bad on general tags. I told you what I think about the stats and CK basically said the same. Not that I want more competition here, but you know. I'd have gone general this year if I didn't already have a cow tag on a LE unit.

COngrats, we'll talk again I'm sure.

Pretty much every 1.5 year old bull is a spike, the idea is to reduce bull to cow ratios because they are taking so few bulls with the limited entry tags that it would end up very bull heavy without the spike tag. The other option would be more LE bull tags but then you just reduce the overall trophy quality.

My brother and I did the any bull hunt last year, I actually thought it was a decent elk hunt. I killed a decent bull and my brother passed a few little raghorns and saw a few good bulls but no shots. Once we got in a few miles it really wasn't crowded. Overall Pretty much the same as Colorado OTC.

Good to know, I read on that after I said that and you're right. What made me think that was how specific they get about the length of the forks allowed and such. But if it's on a le unit they've all got the genes. Even though I did almost shoot one really dinky pencil thin spike, that kind of added to that idea.

If it was like colorado then that's pretty good reviews consider CO has something like 200000 more elk than we do! But I guess they're a lot more spread out too.