Two utah families convicted of poaching over a dozen elk. Many years ago, when bugling to attract bulls was still a novelty, a. This is an extremely remote unit that holds a great herd of mature bucks. We specialize in trophy bull elk, mule deer, bison, bear and lion. We cut their tracks as they went through the trees and off the back side of the hill. He saw a few bison, but none of them were mature bulls that piqued his interest. The book cliffs provide scenery ranging from the red rock often seen in southern utah to the usual green color of the northern alpine regions. Nov 01, 2004 a small band of elk, say five to six, will often include a spike but seldom a mature bull. I cant wait to share the journey with the hunt talk crowd. Elk are the second largest of the deer in north america. If you want to hunt a recordbook antelope, this is the place. Jan 11, 2020 the plute bull was the world record for over 30 years, and many thought that it would never be beaten. Rule out the possibility the tracks were made by cattle. The plute bull was the world record for over 30 years, and many thought that it would never be beaten.
Overall cow tracks are wider at the top and bottom, the toe area on an elk is much thiner. The utah division of wildlife resources utah hunt planner is an interactive map designed to help hunters research hunting units. One guide per hunter, lodging meals and transportation. Archery elk and archery deer season in utah is one of only a few times where it is possible to hunt two species at the same time. Last year was a banner year for antler growth across much of the west, with great feeding conditions, three consecutive mild winters, and other factors that allowed elk and deer to achieve their best potential growth. A herd of 10 may indeed have a 6point bull among it. Sep 21, 2010 team 3t book cliffs utah 2016 archery elk hunt duration. The altitude ranges from around 8000 feet to 4500 feet, the differing altitude providing a variety of colors and smells. Frank young utah bison hunt 2017 frank young waited twenty two years for the opportunity to hunt bison in utah, and on may 31st 2017, he finally drew his onceinalifetime tag. Deep canyons filled with thick oak brush provide excellent mule deer habitat. Black elk speaks cliffsnotes study guides book summaries. Mature bull elk tracks are about four to four and a half inches long, not accounting for the dewclaws. The book cliffs is a beautiful place to be in the fall.
Elk and deer archery seasons run simultaneously and allow for a great combination utah hunting experience. I happened to accidentally stumble upon the herd feeding in an open field. Every year, some of utahs biggest mule deer bucks and bull elk come from this remote place. A small band of elk, say five to six, will often include a spike but seldom a mature bull. Book cliffs, bitter creeksouth the bitter creek portion of the book cliffs is a huge area that holds a very healthy population of elk. Even more easy if it is a cowcalf operation the big moo cow tracks will be with the little moo cow. If you are interested in trophy bull elk hunting, then this fully guided book cliffs hunt is for you. Search for a hunt by wildlife species including buck. Oil clashes with elk in the book cliffs high country news. Book cliffs roadless has a high hunter success rate 50% to 81. In 1995, the elk hunting world shook once more when an antler buyer purchased a head that he had seen in the back of a pickup truck.
The only hunts that i know of that split the road less area off into its own hunt are for the elk hunts. The agency manages 42 state parks, all of colorados wildlife, more than 300 state wildlife areas and a host of recreational programs. The book cliffs bitter creek south is a good elk unit. Oct 31, 2004 a small band of elk, say five to six, will often include a spike but seldom a mature bull.
The elk is a large animal of the ungulate order artiodactyla, possessing an even number of toes on each foot, similar to those of camels, goats and cattle. No matter what youre looking for or where you are in the world, our global marketplace of sellers can help you find unique and affordable options. I would recommend getting packed in there especially for elk. The utah hunt planner also provides the legal hunting boundaries approved by the utah wildlife board. Oil clashes with elk in the book cliffs high country. Rocky mountain elk hunting elk hunting at high adventure. A young cattle track might be the same size as an elk s, but the tips of cattle tracks are more rounded.
Flying j outfitters began in the book cliffs with its founder lawny jackson clear back in 1970 and. This is exceptional big game trophy hunting and we are sure you wont be disappointed. We all may have been a little excited to finally see an elk stand still long enough to shoot. When they first saw elk, the early settlers thought the animals were moose, so they called them elk which is a british word for moose both bull and cow elk have a distinctive lightcolored rump patch. Scouting and heavyduty glassing are the methods to find big bucks. The glory days of elk hunting appeared to be long gone, after all, or were they. In the stateowned book cliffs roadless area, where bull elk permits are limited to. Cattle tracks have a more circular appearance than elk tracks. Double c guides elk hunts and elk hunting in the roadless.
Wyatt said that as the book cliffs elk herd increased since 1994, most of the elk moved from the stateland allotments to wyatts grazing allotments, decreasing the forage available to his cattle. I have killed way more elk looking up the mountain instead of straight in front of me where the tracks are headed. Add some of utahs best backcountry fishing in the mix and you have the makings for an amazing utah outdoor hunting experience. Learning how to identify and track elk increases the likelihood of viewing one or bringing home a trophy. Research hunts and units before you apply in the big game drawing, and any of utahs other hunt drawings. A young cattle track might be the same size as an elks, but the tips of cattle tracks are more rounded. The way that it looks is that the hunt includes both a and c in the any weapon hunt.
Next thing we know the big white bull comes running in to the meadow below us at 200 yards. It is a ruminant species, with a fourchambered stomach, and feeds on grasses, plants, leaves and bark. Jul 06, 2017 the bull and his cows were in a box canyon surrounded by vertical cliffs, with us blocking his escape. Now the fun begins staring at th computer, shooting the smokestick, getting in better shape, and dreaming. Elk that know they are being followed will do their best to use wind to their advantage. Bull elk tracks present a somewhat square outline as compared to the cow elk or domestic cattle.
We know the 100s of thousands of public land acres like no one else could. Abundant wildlife and rugged beauty have made the book cliffs wilderness one of. Made some great friends and saw lots of elk and scenery. After a 4 year wait, the book cliffs area of northeastern utah had finally opened for mule deer. Our years of hunting,working, playing, and living in the book cliffs, year round. Shane scott outfitting is a guide and outfitter located in richfield, utah. Limited entry book cliffs bull elk hunts and wasatch bull. Bulls scoring 320340 are reasonable expectations with a moderate possibility of a bull exceeding 350. The area offers excellent opportunities for hunting. Etsy is the home to thousands of handmade, vintage, and oneofakind products and gifts related to your search. We specialize in hunting and guiding utah mule deer, elk, antelope pronghorn, cougar mountain lion, black bear, rocky mountain goat, desert bighorn sheep, rocky mountain bighorn sheep, moose, bison and turkey.
This means that you should be able to hunt the road less area also if you would like. Because of this, when looking at an elk track, if the top track is on the outside of the bottom track, its usually a cow wide hips. Double c guides mule deer hunting book cliffs, henry. We hunt the book cliffs, rattlesnake, nine mile and san rafael units. In the stateowned book cliffs roadless area, where bull elk permits are limited to 30 per season, the hunter success ratio is 75 percent. Whether your bucket list is a giant bull elk in utah, or a arizona strip buck of. Utah is producing some of the largest trophy bull elk. For more information on elk hunting at high adventure. Ruggs ranch elk camp was a collection of comfortable wall tents situated deep in the rolling mountains of the 80,000 acre property. How do you tell the difference between a cow and a bull. For more information on elk hunting at high adventure ranch, please call 314 2099800 or fill out our contact form.
Baylor hatch is with jared kelsey and branson hatch at book cliffs. We got up to a spot we wanted to be in and a big bull was bugling right above us. It produces 310340 bulls yearly with a few bulls 340 plus taken each year. The world record elk of dark canyon the john plute bull. We held tight as another small bull was pushing cow along. How to identify elk tracks gone outdoors your adventure. The widest point of a cattle track is near the center, while the widest point for an elk track is lower. Hiking past elk early puts you where elk dont expect hunters to be. I dont recommend trying to get close to these animals, however. Two utah families convicted of poaching more than a dozen elk. Genetically speaking, most bulls simply wont grow antlers that big. We have trophy bull elk hunting in the book cliffs. Team 3t book cliffs utah 2016 archery elk hunt duration. Frank made two scouting trips to the book cliffs early in the season.
The book cliffs area is an exceptional trophy elk and mule deer unit. During the summer, elk eat almost constantly, consuming between 4 and 7 kilograms 8. Black elk tells black road of his vision, and black road advises him that he must perform the duty he was given in his vision and that first he must hold a horse dance. Cpw issues hunting and fishing licenses, conducts research to improve wildlife management activities, protects high priority wildlife. Swenson helped authorities track him down after he posted a photo to. We saw turkeys, elk, wild horses, and tons of deer. If you cant chase rams in the breaks, bull elk are the next best thing. The blm, usu, and the dwr have cooperated in the design of a new study to look at impacts of herbivory to aspen stands in the book cliffs. The down side is that 90% of my time is spent in a pickup today i saw a buck that i had seen only once before. Our hunters will usually get the opportunity to look over dozens of 4x4s while they search for that one special buck. Any legally killed elk in wild elk habitat is an accomplishment to be respected. Antelope densities fluctuate from yeartoyear based on climatic conditions and the amount of predation exerted upon the herd by the plentiful number of coyotes.
A 400class bull elk is about as rare as a 7foot man. Billy confessed to poaching four bull elk, four cow elk and two buck. Analysis this chapter represents the tragic situation of those indians who are making a lastditch effort to avoid agency life. Book cliffs get threeyear reprive backcountry hunters and anglers. We are gt outfitters, specializing in eastern utah big game. One of utahs most famous hunting areas is the book cliffs, a 200milelong. Elk archery and deer archery seasons run simultaneously and allow for a great combination utah archery hunting experience. This is only a concern if you know that there are domesticated cattle nearby. Predators, new roads, overhunting and poor fawn crops had decimated the previously plentiful deer to the point that the area was closed to hunting 19962000. It took some looking but we got her and jared kelsey smoked her. In fact, the largest nontypical elk on record, the spider bull, was shot in utah in. Nov 27, 2006 book cliffs buck post by 79ford sun aug 07, 2011 1. Few elk winter in areas sampled by the south book cliffs range trend studies.
There have been concerns about the current number of elk on the unit and impacts to aspen communities and limited summer range. For an added bonus, more record book bulls come out of the 16s than any. Apply for hunts with the utah division of natural resources. The book cliffs are well known for being a sought after hunting destination, and for good reason. Archery season in utah is one of only a few times where it is possible to hunt two species at the same time. Unit 10 arizona species information antelope overview. The size of the area, and difficult terrain, can make it a very challenging place to hunt.
The parks ungulate species elk, bison, pronghorn, etc. If you are hunting where there are book cliffs or large cliffs above the fields. In summer herds of deer roam the long, grassy valleys like wildebeest, and in the fall the air is alive with the music of bugling bull elk. They are magnificent animals to observe in the wild and prized hunting targets. I have 14 deer points, and plan on hitting the bc in the next couple of years on the archery hunt, but certainly wasnt expecting to pull a bull tag for another decade or more. I had drawn my tag the year before and had taken a nice 7x6 bull at 7. This tag was an any weapon hunt, but frank committed early on to taking a bison with his bow. From the high elevations where the goats run wild, to the cliffs and crags. If you have a chance, pick up a book called seasons of the elk.
All methods of elk hunting accepted including bow, handgun, rifle and black powder. The first time was last month and he was pushing 2830 wide and had almost no height to him at all. We hunt and guide big game in the majority of utah. If you havent been to the book cliffs you should check it out. Jul 07, 2014 2012 limited entry book cliffs bull elk hunt. The elk is also known as the wapiti, a shawnee word meaning white deer. The animals have food, water, cover, and larger tracks of land to roam around. If elk have used the area, you will find tracks and droppings to indicate their visit. Biggest bull elk taken in the state of utah in the year of 2011 duration. Book cliffs little creek, book cliffs bittercreek south, book cliffs south cisco and the oquirrhstansbury. Tracks can give you an idea of the sex and size of the animal.
Many years ago, when bugling to attract bulls was still a novelty, a pal insisted on shadowing a herd bound for. Utah hunt planner utah division of wildlife resources. As the largest members of the deer family, mature bull moose create tracks that are at least 6 inches long. Search for a hunt by wildlife species including buck deer, bull elk, bison, mountain goat, bull moose, pronghorn, desert bighorn sheep, rocky mountain bighorn sheep, cougar, black bear, wild turkey, greater sagegrouse, sharptailed grouse and sandhill crane. Access throughout the unit is very good with many oil and gas mining roads. The bull and his cows were in a box canyon surrounded by vertical cliffs, with us blocking his escape. This is a story about my brother in law who like me had been putting in for an elk tag for the book cliffs in utah for what seamed like forever. It can be tough to differentiate elk sign from young cattle tracks sometimes, once they get mixed up on the same trail.
My first thought when i saw antlers was young bull elk, then i quickly realized differently. I was just thinking that it might be helpful to some newold elk hunters to be able to identify a cow elk track from a bull how to you tell the difference when you didnt see what made it. A cow elk and a woman have one thing in common that men dont have. Limited entry book cliffs bull elk hunts and wasatch bull elk. Book cliffs the book cliffs holds the potential for a giant mule deer. My friends dad rifle hunted it last year and they really enjoyed their hunt. I watched a big bull elk make tracks a few minutes later but, sorry, i suddenly became too busy to take pictures. We are the oldest and largest hunting ranch east of texas with 3 square miles of land and hundreds of miles of game trails.