Bull_n_heat
WKR
So I lucked out a drew a limited entry tag in Utah for a November Bull hunt. I haven't spent any time in the unit, but plan to, and already have a few spots identified to start looking for animals from talking with other WKRers and the biologist down there. Just wanted to put out some feelers on the generalities of conditions and weather I might expect to encounter for conditions and thoughts on how to approach the hunt.
1. I'm assuming November can be variable weather-wise, with some years being pretty mild and others being downright nasty, but does anyone know what that might entail there? What would be "cold" and what would be the "hot" side of things? Having hunted November in WY, CO, SD, and MT I've seen 20 below days and highs in the 60s, but just want to get some expectations.
2. What type of snows really starts moving those elk around, and specifically moving down? Do they stay at the same elevation and just move to the south slopes?
3. I gather the unit is steep and nasty. If it were you, would you try to do some moderate backcountry hunting from a spike camp (with or without pack stock), or just set a good base camp and day hunt from there to maintain mobility? Obviously if I were to glass a concentration of good bulls in a particular spot, my plans would adjust based on that. I'll probably bring gear for either approach, but wouldn't bring stock if I thought it unlikely to use them.
4. I assume most of the elk should be reasonably glassable, but wondering if people have observed them timbering up, or if they had observations on what type of cover they would be in.
I want to avoid naming units, but if anyone knows anything specifically about the unit just west of the Manti.... I would be all ears. I certainly would also hope to reciprocate info on Wyoming deer and elk, or perhaps other locales.
Thanks a ton in advance, and as always, feel free to use the PM feature.
1. I'm assuming November can be variable weather-wise, with some years being pretty mild and others being downright nasty, but does anyone know what that might entail there? What would be "cold" and what would be the "hot" side of things? Having hunted November in WY, CO, SD, and MT I've seen 20 below days and highs in the 60s, but just want to get some expectations.
2. What type of snows really starts moving those elk around, and specifically moving down? Do they stay at the same elevation and just move to the south slopes?
3. I gather the unit is steep and nasty. If it were you, would you try to do some moderate backcountry hunting from a spike camp (with or without pack stock), or just set a good base camp and day hunt from there to maintain mobility? Obviously if I were to glass a concentration of good bulls in a particular spot, my plans would adjust based on that. I'll probably bring gear for either approach, but wouldn't bring stock if I thought it unlikely to use them.
4. I assume most of the elk should be reasonably glassable, but wondering if people have observed them timbering up, or if they had observations on what type of cover they would be in.
I want to avoid naming units, but if anyone knows anything specifically about the unit just west of the Manti.... I would be all ears. I certainly would also hope to reciprocate info on Wyoming deer and elk, or perhaps other locales.
Thanks a ton in advance, and as always, feel free to use the PM feature.
