Changing Hunting Units

[cnelk]

Curious to see how often guys on here have changed hunting units - specifically OTC or General units.

What made you change or what made you stay?

 

[Chucklehead]

Active wildfires forced me to call an audible one year, but that's it. Luckily I had a backup plan.

 

[idahohikker]

I like to give units a few years at least before moving around.

It's fun learning a new place but there's the learning cost of getting the area dialed. I love seeing new country and when my OnX research leads directly to elk in new country.

It's nice when you have 20+ miles of country available and you can have some old and new mixed in every season.

 

[chasewild]

I'll leave a unit after I've been successful in it. Then it becomes a backup plan. Unless the unit is huge -- then after I've been successful, I look at other parts of the unit I'd like to see.

 

[loggerchas]

Stick with the same unit, per weapon choice, as a rule. I do try and learn more of the surrounding basins and country every year, which has helped me pattern the animals a lot better in terms of effects of season timing and pressure. My hunting style for each weapon and the habitat in the area I focus within the unit has dictated where I am most confident hunting and routinely see critters.
That said, as I ride and fish various areas of the state during the summer I am always keeping my eye out for new country and "pre-scout" new areas for future possibilities. Hard for me to leave elk when I find elk

 

[1shotgear]

The home turf unit is your most important unit. Its the unit that you know every watering hole, draw, and glassing spot. Somewhere that you can play around with your new tactics and groom the new up and coming hunters under your wing. But like every good hunter you need to know when to pack up and head to better ground when your not finding the bulls up to your standard.
I only move OTC units when we had a bad winter kill three to four years before and a bad summer with little vegetation. This is almost always visible during your preseason scooting from the year of the hunt and the year before. You can see it coming. You just have to make sure you have enough time to scout the new unit. Once you make up your mind to stay or go stick to it and never look back. I have blown a season running back to a unit at the last second.

But my dad use to always tell me never leave elk to find elk.

 

[Bbell12]

The home turf unit is your most important unit. Its the unit that you know every watering hole, draw, and glassing spot. Somewhere that you can play around with your new tactics and groom the new up and coming hunters under your wing. But like every good hunter you need to know when to pack up and head to better ground when your not finding the bulls up to your standard.
I only move OTC units when we had a bad winter kill three to four years before and a bad summer with little vegetation. This is almost always visible during your preseason scooting from the year of the hunt and the year before. You can see it coming. You just have to make sure you have enough time to scout the new unit. Once you make up your mind to stay or go stick to it and never look back. I have blown a season running back to a unit at the last second.

But my dad use to always tell me never leave elk to find elk.

Preach it brother.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Elkhntr08]

Drawing a Wyoming tag changed my location. That and now I can send 2 months there hunting.

 

[trophyhill]

Proximity from work during archery elk has been my reason. Can't say I've been disappointed either

 

[Mike 338]

Fire... it seems to follow me around. Well, that and successful hunters on each side of me!

 

[BrentLaBere]

Every year I like to look at a new area in late July to early August. Im always looking for new areas. Even in the go to spot I have, Im jumping around and exploring overlooked areas. The grass is always greener......
Weather has played a roll. Pressure from hunters is another.

 

[Dos Perros]

I like the challenge of hunting new stuff. It makes me feel like I know the animals better if I can take what I know, hit a new spot, and find them like I've been there before. There is fun in the discovery.

 

[Wapiti1]

Every few years I pick a new unit or state to hunt and give it a go. I used to hunt only a couple of units when I lived in MT and those were close to home. Now that I have to travel to hunt there, all units are fair game, and I enjoy seeing new country. As I've grown as a hunter, I no longer worry about getting into elk. Given enough time, I can almost always find elk.

Jeremy

 

[Beendare]

I like looking at new country.....

harder to kill a couple elk every year though.

Brad, let me know what you decided...maybe i can help.....

..

 

[cnelk]

I went for it - getting good intel. Stay tuned

 

[jester]

I have a bad habit of always changing my unit. It has made me less successful, but I am always interested in hiking new territories.

One of the main drivers is the availability of my hunting buddy. He is often hard to arrange time off with.

 

[Jbehredt]

I’ve got to decide on a new rifle unit this year. CPW made my cow tag list A.

 

[Swede]

I have hunted new areas for two years now. There is a lot of scouting to get familiar enough to be hard on the elk population, but it has been both productive and fun. The united last September will be where I pitch my tent this year also. I left the place I had hunted for 25 years as I was seeing no elk after the opening weekend. The area I hunted last season was never great, but there were elk there all the time.

 

[5MilesBack]

What made you change or what made you stay?

It's always "crowd" dependent. I don't even like camping where everyone else is. I camp and hunt for solitude. So when an area starts getting crowded (camping or hunting)..........I leave.

I hunted an OTC area for over 10 years, and the last time I hunted it I shot a 300+ bull, but I haven't been back since because of all the new crowds that have showed up. I'd rather have the place to my self and eat my tag, than have a bunch of people around and shoot an elk. But if I have the place to myself, I'm shooting an elk.

 

[njdoxie]

I’ve only hunted 3 units and won’t change my current unit as I value familiarity and getting an elk and solitude.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk