Do I understand Utah's spike hunt?

[Neckbone]

Are Utah's "Spike Hunts" done by obtaining a General Elk tag and hunting in portions of limited entry units that are "Spike only"?

Is this an accurate Utah elk break down?

Limited entry: (Takes many points/crazy luck to get, hunt big bulls in excellent units)

General tag: Hunt general elk units, can shoot bulls if you can find any, good opportunity to hunt, low success rates. Can also hunt in certain areas of limited entry units, but shoot spikes only

Antlerless tag: Cow only hunts

 

[nobody]

Close. You buy a spike tag and then hunt the spike units, which have the same boundaries as the limited entry elk. Lots of elk, but very few spikes. Lots of 2 points and yearling small raghorns. We’ve had lots of limited entry elk tags, most recently last year, and only seen a very small handful of spikes across all those years.

A general elk tag is a bull elk tag (us Utahns just refer to it as “I picked up an Any Bull Tag”) that’s good on any of the general elk units. These have extremely low elk densities and very very low success rates statewide. I once hunted a unit for 2 years before I ever even saw an elk, and 3 years before I ever found a bull.

If you buy an archery any bull tag, you can hunt archery on either spikes or any bull units, but can only harvest a spike on a spike unit and any bull on an any bull unit. Once archery is over, you can only hunt whichever one you have a tag for. So if you buy an any bull rifle tag, you can only hunt the any bull units, and vice versa for spikes.

 

[Neckbone]

Close. You buy a spike tag and then hunt the spike units, which have the same boundaries as the limited entry elk. Lots of elk, but very few spikes. Lots of 2 points and yearling small raghorns. We’ve had lots of limited entry elk tags, most recently last year, and only seen a very small handful of spikes across all those years.

A general elk tag is a bull elk tag (us Utahns just refer to it as “I picked up an Any Bull Tag”) that’s good on any of the general elk units. These have extremely low elk densities and very very low success rates statewide. I once hunted a unit for 2 years before I ever even saw an elk, and 3 years before I ever found a bull.

If you buy an archery any bull tag, you can hunt archery on either spikes or any bull units, but can only harvest a spike on a spike unit and any bull on an any bull unit. Once archery is over, you can only hunt whichever one you have a tag for. So if you buy an any bull rifle tag, you can only hunt the any bull units, and vice versa for spikes.

Confusing part of that is there is no "Spike" selection on the hunt planner map. I'm going to read the regulations book a bit more..

So the goal here is to get boots on the ground with a meat tag and hear some good bugling and rut action. Would be great to arrow or shoot some meat, cow, spike, doesn't matter...but that is secondary. My hunting partner is 71 years old (He's fit as hell and capable) but he has never heard a bugle and wants nothing more than that. He only has so many more years the mountains.

Best bet to achieve that be to get an any bull archery tag and hunt those spike areas you think? If I can land one of those, get a Spike tag and hunt those spike areas? Seems like archery antlerless tags are limited to the NE corner (Uintas/Ashley area)

 

[nobody]

Confusing part of that is there is no "Spike" selection on the hunt planner map. I'm going to read the regulations book a bit more..

So the goal here is to get boots on the ground with a meat tag and hear some good bugling and rut action. Would be great to arrow or shoot some meat, cow, spike, doesn't matter...but that is secondary. My hunting partner is 71 years old (He's fit as hell and capable) but he has never heard a bugle and wants nothing more than that. He only has so many more years the mountains.

Best bet to achieve that be to get an any bull archery tag and hunt those spike areas you think? If I can land one of those, get a Spike tag and hunt those spike areas? Seems like archery antlerless tags are limited to the NE corner (Uintas/Ashley area)

If the goal is to hear bugles, you’ll want to hunt the early rifle spike tag. There are ZERO spike hunts during peak rut. Even with the archery spike tag, that season ends about 2 weeks before peak rut. They’ll have just barely started talking when that tag ends. That empties the woods for the limited entry tag holders so they don’t have to compete with the spike tags. Essentially, from September 5th-ish to October 5th-ish there are zero spike hunts going on. Then around the 5th of October, the early spike starts and overlaps with the mid-rifle limited entry limited entry elk. They’ll still be talking a bit, and they’ll be herded up for sure, but they’ve had 30 days of hard hunting pressure from LE tag holders and they really clam up and quit talking.

I’ve never heard a bugle on an any bull unit. They get so much pressure, everybody and their dog who has watched a YouTube video is calling to them, so the elk on any bull units are silent and sparse. You get into spots where you see lots of elk, but like I said, it took me 3 years to find them. And when I did, there were like 6 other dudes in this one canyon who had done the same thing as me.

Best bet is a spike tag during early October. But honestly, unless you can get on with somebody who has a tag in September for limited entry, you most likely won’t really get into crazy rut action.

You should put you guys in for one of the September elk limited entry hunts. Can’t draw the tag if you don’t apply, and every year people draw with zero points (my cousin did this year). Why can’t it be you?

 

[Neckbone]

If the goal is to hear bugles, you’ll want to hunt the early rifle spike tag. There are ZERO spike hunts during peak rut. Even with the archery spike tag, that season ends about 2 weeks before peak rut. They’ll have just barely started talking when that tag ends. That empties the woods for the limited entry tag holders so they don’t have to compete with the spike tags. Essentially, from September 5th-ish to October 5th-ish there are zero spike hunts going on. Then around the 5th of October, the early spike starts and overlaps with the mid-rifle limited entry limited entry elk. They’ll still be talking a bit, and they’ll be herded up for sure, but they’ve had 30 days of hard hunting pressure from LE tag holders and they really clam up and quit talking.

I’ve never heard a bugle on an any bull unit. They get so much pressure, everybody and their dog who has watched a YouTube video is calling to them, so the elk on any bull units are silent and sparse. You get into spots where you see lots of elk, but like I said, it took me 3 years to find them. And when I did, there were like 6 other dudes in this one canyon who had done the same thing as me.

Best bet is a spike tag during early October. But honestly, unless you can get on with somebody who has a tag in September for limited entry, you most likely won’t really get into crazy rut action.

You should put you guys in for one of the September elk limited entry hunts. Can’t draw the tag if you don’t apply, and every year people draw with zero points (my cousin did this year). Why can’t it be you?

Thanks a bunch for the info! I'm going to try my luck in the Idaho OTC debacle first as a contingency plan. I have 5 points in Wyoming which would have likely gotten me a general tag this year, but not sure how that will play out next year with point creep. What sucks about WY is the draw deadline being 1/31 and not knowing if you draw until mid May after all the other draw deadlines are long gone. I have 4 points in Colorado, haven't researched what that will get me yet. When I heard about these Spike hunts in Limited entry units I thought it may be a clever and easy way to do what we are trying to do.. Makes sense for them to clear the woods for the limited entry guys....they either got lucky as hell or spent a lot of years building points. I may throw my hat in there too. I did get lucky in WY in 2019 getting a general tag with zero points so you never know..

Thank you again for the info, was very helpful. Happy hunting.