# No snow! I need elk.



## dunn_gary (Sep 11, 2007)

Man, it's been a tough year! I've got two cow elk depredation tags and with this beautiful weather, no elk to show for it. They came down for a little while, but not in the right place for shooting. With no storms in sight, another bust. Two years in a row with no shots! I'm sooo depressed!
-O,-


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

If they are not coming down to where you are you need to go to where they are if you want one. That is unless your tag does not allow you to go to where they are located at.


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## MWScott72 (May 23, 2011)

Yep...my father-in-law ate his tag for that very reason. He was not willing to put out the effort to go where the elk were. I was bummed cause I wanted to help him out. The elk were there just further back. The lack of snow definitely does not help.


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## Kwalk3 (Jun 21, 2012)

The lack of snow doesn't help. Went out with a guy two weeks ago after some snow and helped him fill his tag. Since then a lot of the snow had burned off and the elk were about a mile and a half or two miles higher up in the canyon, but still there. Took a little more work, but still doable without the snow.


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## Finnegan (Sep 7, 2007)

With these late season cow hunts being so unpredictable, they too often don't get the job done. Wonder if the DWR will push to move more of them into early seasons. (Likely) Wonder if hunters will stand for it. (Unlikely)


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## Vanilla (Dec 11, 2009)

Finnegan said:


> With these late season cow hunts being so unpredictable, they too often don't get the job done. Wonder if the DWR will push to move more of them into early seasons. (Likely) Wonder if hunters will stand for it. (Unlikely)


Or just offer more control permits on more units.

I too am lamenting the lack of snow. One more try this weekend to see if I can find some cows. I have found bulls, and a crap-ton of deer, but no cow elk yet. I guess that's why it's called "hunting" instead of "killing."


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## SLCHunter (Dec 19, 2013)

.... a tad jealous of folks who have a cow tag!! I'm young and stupid enough that I'd walk my b*tt off to shoot one, if I had a tag. No snow means it's easier to get to them way in, reasonably cold temps (rather than 75, as in Oct) mean your meat stays well. Since everybody else sits in a truck near the road, you're alone way in with the elk. What's the problem?


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## Vanilla (Dec 11, 2009)

I'm not going to claim to have walked all the leather off my boots. But I certainly have not just driven roads either. I have put some work in, just haven't found where they are hanging out yet. 

I am willing to do some work, but I will conceded that I would not particularly care for a 4 mile pack each way for a cow elk. I guess I'm a bit of a wuss...


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

TS30 said:


> I am willing to do some work, but I will conceded that I would not particularly care for a 4 mile pack each way for a cow elk. I guess I'm a bit of a wuss...


I decided years ago that there isn't a cow elk out there worth packing much more than 1/2 mile. In that time I average about 2 cow elk out of every 3 years. I have a spot that if I just sit at for 2 or 3 days I can shoot a cow within 100 yards of a road.

It is just learning where they like to travel and when they do it and waiting them out.


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## Vanilla (Dec 11, 2009)

Critter, looks like I need to start hanging out with you!


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Critter said:


> I decided years ago that there isn't a cow elk out there worth packing much more than 1/2 mile.


+1

~10 elk, everyone was brought out whole. My butcher loves me.

-DallanC


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## jshuag (Jan 16, 2014)

DallanC said:


> +1
> 
> ~10 elk, everyone was brought out whole. My butcher loves me.
> 
> -DallanC


You guys are putting me to shame. My drag a few weeks ago was a mile.


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## Trigger (Sep 11, 2007)

I don't mind a 4 mile pack. This picture taken earlier this month.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

TS30 said:


> Critter, looks like I need to start hanging out with you!


I have had others try and sit that long only to wander off sooner or later and then come back to where I am at only to have to help me with the cow.

Not all hunters are cut out to sit in one place 2,3, or more days until they show up without seeing anything except for birds and perhaps a few deer.


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## MWScott72 (May 23, 2011)

Critter said:


> I decided years ago that there isn't a cow elk out there worth packing much more than 1/2 mile. In that time I average about 2 cow elk out of every 3 years. I have a spot that if I just sit at for 2 or 3 days I can shoot a cow within 100 yards of a road.
> 
> It is just learning where they like to travel and when they do it and waiting them out.


I actually enjoy getting after the cows, and if I have to pack one out 2-4 miles, that's just what it is. In the area I hunt, I have had opportunities to shoot them early when there is no snow, but for whatever reason, I just love the whole experience on snowshoes and wait until the snow flies and gets deep (kind of a laugher the past two years). That said, there have been some funny looks and comments thrown my way that I would work that hard for a cow.

Once age starts to hit me harder, I'm going to have to modify my methods and shoot them closer to a road or trail, but I should still be able to hit it "my way" for another 10-15 years minimum. It's worked out so far with 4 filled tags over the past 6 years (100%).


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

MWScott72 said:


> Once age starts to hit me harder, I'm going to have to modify my methods and shoot them closer to a road or trail, but I should still be able to hit it "my way" for another 10-15 years minimum. It's worked out so far with 4 filled tags over the past 6 years (100%).


It is funny how age does that to a person. I am now 61 and ended up packing my muzzle loader bull just over a mile to a road this last year but I also decided that was the last time for that also. The furthest that I have packed a cow was 3 miles all of it uphill except for the last 50 yards to the truck after wounding her a short ways off of a road. It took me that long to catch up with her.


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## Vanilla (Dec 11, 2009)

Critter said:


> I have had others try and sit that long only to wander off sooner or later and then come back to where I am at only to have to help me with the cow.
> 
> Not all hunters are cut out to sit in one place 2,3, or more days until they show up without seeing anything except for birds and perhaps a few deer.


Oh, I'm sure I can find a way to make it work. You're right, I might get a little antsy. But it's never too early to start learning the ways of the wise! :grin:


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## SLCHunter (Dec 19, 2013)

You guys are just all spoiled with lots of experience under your belt, and full freezers, on average! :shock:


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

SLCHunter said:


> You guys are just all spoiled with lots of experience under your belt, and full freezers, on average! :shock:


It takes a while to get it figured out and like I said I only run about 66% success rate over the years. It is just nice to know of a spot that the elk like and will cross at, you just have to wait until they do.


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## 3arabians (Dec 9, 2014)

Trigger said:


> I don't mind a 4 mile pack. This picture taken earlier this month.


Im with you trigger I too dont mind a long pack. I boned out two and loaded em into the saddle paniers and came out 6 miles in 3 hours. During my east canyon tag in 2012 it took me and my bro 6 hours to drag my calf out one mile. That was with lots of breaks. As I get older the more I appreciate my ponies.


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## Vanilla (Dec 11, 2009)

Any snow fly up around Tabby Mountain last night?


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## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

That is part of the beauty of shooting a calf. If you have to pack it out very far, it isn't that much work. That being said, this year is the first year in 5 that I have eaten tag soup for elk---and that was in large part due to my own fault at not double checking my gun! Once you get to know an area well, you can find those spots that elk regularly pass through close to a road. Of my last 5 elk, only 1 was more than a 100yd pack to a driveable road (it was ~2 1/2 miles each way, despite having died 10 yards from a road--gotta love closures!)


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## dunn_gary (Sep 11, 2007)

For those who apparently don't know what a depredation tag is, it''s a tag give to farmers and ranchers who loose $$ because of the big game eating and tromping in their fields. Therefore, you are only allowed to hunt on that property to which the tag pertains. I can only go so far before I'm out of the area I'm entitled to hunt. I did see a large herd Tuesday morning, but they were on the side hill, moving up. As I walked towards them (no cover to put between me and them) they just kept moving up. I could never get closer than about 1/2 mile. Gonna try Friday morning and see what happens. Maybe we can get closer to finally get a shot. That is if they are still there and the fog doesn't limit vision too bad.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

On the few depredation tag hunts that I have gone on they didn't issue the tag until the elk were in the fields. It usually only took one or two days of watching before you found them to tag out. 

If the elk were still high and not eating the hay or whatever crop was in the field they would never let out the tags.


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## 3arabians (Dec 9, 2014)

dunn_gary said:


> For those who apparently don't know what a depredation tag is, it''s a tag give to farmers and ranchers who loose $$ because of the big game eating and tromping in their fields. Therefore, you are only allowed to hunt on that property to which the tag pertains. I can only go so far before I'm out of the area I'm entitled to hunt. I did see a large herd Tuesday morning, but they were on the side hill, moving up. As I walked towards them (no cover to put between me and them) they just kept moving up. I could never get closer than about 1/2 mile. Gonna try Friday morning and see what happens. Maybe we can get closer to finally get a shot. That is if they are still there and the fog doesn't limit vision too bad.


Yep we got off track with your thread talking about long pack outs when your area is relatively small. I can only imagine the frustration you would have seeing a herd just up the hill from the little area you have to work with. Thats no good. Hopefully you have some time and they move in so you put some elk meat in your freezer.


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## 3arabians (Dec 9, 2014)

dunn_gary just wondering how it went this morning if you got out. Cow down?


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## dunn_gary (Sep 11, 2007)

OK, for some of you some more info is maybe necessary. They were coming down into the fields and such way after dark, and heading back up a couple hours before light. There is plenty of depredation. So, in the end, I never had a shot. So it ended in a bust. Two years in a row with not even a decent shot to show for it. -O,-


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## 3arabians (Dec 9, 2014)

Thats too bad. I was hoping you would get one. Good luck next time.


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## dunn_gary (Sep 11, 2007)

Critter said:


> On the few depredation tag hunts that I have gone on they didn't issue the tag until the elk were in the fields. It usually only took one or two days of watching before you found them to tag out.
> 
> If the elk were still high and not eating the hay or whatever crop was in the field they would never let out the tags.


That is so not true. These tags were given to the farmers back in like September and were good for October through January 31st. That's what was printed on my permits.


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## hatch000 (Aug 4, 2011)

It was my third year in a row with a depredation tag. The little amount of snow almost cost my brother and I from filling our freezers. We have filled our tags 2 of the 3 years. Last years snow totals were just as bad if not worse causing us both not to fill our tags. But we had to work alittle harder this year and we both got it done.
Mine was a mile packout and my brothers was about a 400 yard packout.
Our situations were almost identical. We both shot from the same spot and the elk died about 100 yards away from each other. The packout distance was significantly different due to more snow on the ground when I harvested which made it a further pack to the truck. My brothers harvest which was two weeks later with almost no snow, allowing me to almost drive right to it. Mine was harvested the first week of January and his was harvested the third week in January.


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## Dukes_Daddy (Nov 14, 2008)

dunn_gary said:


> That is so not true. These tags were given to the farmers back in like September and were good for October through January 31st. That's what was printed on my permits.


Depredation 72 hours http://wildlife.utah.gov/rules-regu...ations/973-r657-44--big-game-depredation.html


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