# I fully expect to be roasted for asking for advice..



## FreshfromFlorida (Nov 26, 2018)

Okay friends, 
I hate to do it because I see how other similar posts are received on here but here goes nothing. 
My wife and I just relocated from Florida to Layton. The past month or so I have been pouring through the hunting regs and wearing out me OnX app, needless to say I am more confused now than when I started. With so much huntable land the options seem endless. After much reading and consideration I have decided to buy General Any Bull Tags (likely Multi season if available). We exclusively archery hunt for the most part but I figure the Multi Season will give us a longer season and more days in the field to try and figure some things out. As far as Deer tags I am planning on starting to accumulate preference points in the hopes of one day drawing a proper Mule Deer hunt, and using the OTC elk hunts to focus on an area are start to really do alot of hiking and learning. Now comes the hard part... We are planing on spending most of our weekends this summer backpacking and scouting our chosen area. But thats the problem, what area?
I love the "wilderness" aspect of the Uintas north and south slope. But being in Layton there is a considerable amount of public ground right here a stones throw from the house. The area south of 84 and north of Farmington Canyon looks fairly promising from studying maps. But is there game to be found in there? I would be able to devote alot more scout and hunt time to that area being that it is right behind the house. Does anyone have any experience with that tract of land? Are there elk to be found in there during the archery hunt? My initial thought is to enter on Farmington Canyon and hiking in north of there towards Shepard Creek. Am I on the right track? Or should I focus further north closer to 84? As an avid southern whitetail hunter I can honestly admit that I am completely in over my head. However I am willing to do the work and pay my dues to figure it out. With so much land at my disposal now its just hard to figure out where to begin. 
Sorry for the long winded post but I need some guidance.
Thanks in advance everyone!
Christian


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

The problem with land "a stones throw from the house" is its only a stones throw from everyone elses houses near you. Everyone knows of those spots, so expect alot of people in the woods. 

Finding a spot a couple hours drive away will dramatically lower the number of people and hunting pressure, but finding a spot an hours hike from the road, that you drove a couple hours to get to will reduce other hunters you will run into to just a few at most.

I'd rather hunt smaller deer and be the only one on the mountain, than hunt a spot with big deer and be one in a sea of hunters.


-DallanC


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## Steve G (Nov 29, 2016)

The Utah Hunt planner will provide you a lot of easy to digest information including success rates etc. If there is a positive success rate for a particular unit, there is game there.

https://dwrapps.utah.gov/huntboundary/hbstart


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## Kwalk3 (Jun 21, 2012)

First off, Welcome! 

Sounds like you are on the right track with the Multi season elk tag. Elk on the Wasatch front are one of the tougher hunts in the state, but if you put in the legwork it's possible. We pulled 2 bulls off the Wasatch Front during archery season in August and September this year, so it is doable..

However, if you are after an opportunity to harvest an animal I would encourage you to put in for the unit you are talking about for Mule Deer as well. In addition to the regular archery season, you will have the opportunity to chase muleys with a bow in the same area South of 84 through the end of November for deer as part of the Wasatch front extended archery hunt. Lots of opportunity there and you can harvest a muley doe on the extended hunt if you want. Plus, this time of year it's a lot of fun to get up and watch the muley bucks push does around.

There is also an extended hunt for elk that goes until mid December. I'm located in Kaysville, but haven't spent a ton of time hunting Farmington, Shepherd, and Baer Canyon. There are elk at times in all those places, but Farmington especially gets a lot of traffic. The further north and closer to 84 you get, the more rugged and thick the country seems to me. Would be worth it to explore I'm sure, but I don't know what kind of elk numbers you'll see.

Shoot me a PM if you have questions about anything. Again, welcome to the state and the forum!


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## BPturkeys (Sep 13, 2007)

Keeping in mind that deer and elk are all over Utah, this is what I recommend. This summer after the animals have returned to there summer grounds, visit a few areas, spend a day or two exploring and scouting. After a few trips you'll come to like some areas better than others. Now, examine ownership to insure access. Visit your chosen area as much as you can to learn the "lay of the land", roads and trails. Find high spots for glassing, water sources, and make note of the different terrains (heavy pines, quakes, meadows, etc). Scout, scout, scout as much as you can on your chosen area and don't waste any more time exploring new areas until after a couple years working your area.
It is just a fact that the better you know an area, the higher your success will be.


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## caddis8 (Sep 10, 2007)

I lived in Utah all my growing up years. I have in-laws in Farmington and I live in Nebraska still. 

I'll give my experiences. When I moved I found the furthest public piece of land with the smallest town and started hunting there. I killed deer the first year there and have had opportunities to kill deer there every time I've gone up. It's crowded, but if you know it well enough, you'll find where critters go- if there are critters.

Now here's the Utah part. There are elk up where you're talking. Tougher to find and tougher to hunt because of crowds, but there are critters around. There's a fair bit of private land patchwork up there so it will take some time to understand that that looks like. I've had game cameras up that canyon and have seen far more deer and moose than elk. I've had a few elk on camera and a couple of dandies. I've seen tracks and sign, but very few on the hoof. 

Here's where things get a little sticky on the scouting up there. You can have things spotted and then when the hunt starts, it can throw your scouting off because there could be trailers parked where you've seen elk and UTVs running the roads scaring critters away from predictable patterns. 

But if you put the time in, it can be rewarding. 

That's kind of a non-answer answer. You're on the right track. 

One other piece of advice I would give you. Be involved on the board. Post stuff. Ask Questions. You may find some friends through here. There are some great folks on this site and if you're willing to put miles in, keep your mouth shut, not take your friends to someone else's spot, then you may end up with some hunting partners out of the whole thing. You get what you give.


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

sometimes you have to decide where to hunt based off where you want to be. There is a lot of awesome country in Utah. Don't let those stupid ungulates dictate where you are going to spend that time!


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Welcome to the Forum FfF and good luck!
.


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## middlefork (Nov 2, 2008)

There is how to hunt elk and there is how to find elk to hunt.

You may be better served to learn how to find elk in areas where they are more plentiful. That is usually in the LE areas that have spike/cow hunts during the archery season. You can then transition that knowledge over to a general any bull area.

Or if you are more into for exercise start out on the general any bull units. In general they elk are more spread out and more difficult to see.

The more encounters with elk the better you will become at hunting them. It sucks to blow the one hard earned chance because you read the situation wrong.

Have Fun!


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## FreshfromFlorida (Nov 26, 2018)

Thanks for all the great advice! I am very torn in regards to the any bull vs spike bull tag situation. I know the odds are I would see more elk and probably get a good education in a LE unit. The flip side is I am stuck hunting for a cow or spike where as the any bull units would be more of a "if its brown its down" type scenario. If I go the spike bull route my plan was to spend my time in the Monroe unit. I love the idea of an archery only area. I know that area doesnt allow harvest of cows, but from my research it would be a pretty killer hunt with lots of critters to mess around with. Like I said before it's kind of a sensory overload...too much land, too many options. Def a new problem for a guy that hunts whitetails on tracts of 1000 acres.


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

FfF -- keep in mind, you do not have to stay in 1 unit. You can hunt any of them, as long as you follow the specific rules for that unit.

So, go spend a weekend on Monroe, hunt some weeknights in your back yard, then hit the Uintas for another weekend. Don't be unnecessarily restrictive!


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## Hoopermat (Dec 17, 2010)

If you are willing to do the work. There are plenty of elk in north and south slope units. 
There is a app called All Trails and it is great for summer hiking in the Uintas. 
I have used it for years to find areas that others won’t go during hunting season and have found some hidden areas that don’t get pressure. And as a plus we get out and get some great camping and fishing in the wilderness areas. 
The best thing you can do right now is learn the areas you want to hunt. And in June and July you will have a good idea of where the elk will be when the season opens. 

Welcome to the land of the free. Enjoy your public lands


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

spring LE turkey application period opens up tomorrow. Apply for a turkey permit for one of the regions you want to learn for elk. If you don't draw a permit, buy an OTC permit for the general turkey hunt for that region. This would be a great opportunity to do some spring hunting and start learning some of the areas you may want to be hunting. The turkeys and elk will be in similar areas....


LE Turkey hunts are based on regions, not units. So you could cover multiple elk units within a LE turkey region. I think the general season turkey permit is statewide.


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## Vanilla (Dec 11, 2009)

PBH said:


> FfF -- keep in mind, you do not have to stay in 1 unit. You can hunt any of them, as long as you follow the specific rules for that unit.
> 
> So, go spend a weekend on Monroe, hunt some weeknights in your back yard, then hit the Uintas for another weekend. Don't be unnecessarily restrictive!


Have to be careful with this. Monroe is spike only and Uintas are any bull, so the tag does not cross over.


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## MadHunter (Nov 17, 2009)

All very good advice. But....I'm still waiting for the roast. op2:


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## Steve G (Nov 29, 2016)

MadHunter said:


> All very good advice. But....I'm still waiting for the roast. op2:


Ok. I'll go against my better judgement here..;-)



FreshfromFlorida said:


> We exclusively archery hunt for the most ...


Either your exclusive or not. Ask your wife if you can be exclusive for the most part and let us know how she responds. :mrgreen:


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## Airborne (May 29, 2009)

I have hunted with whitetail guys from back east and often times it's hard to get them out of that small area mindset. Out west is big country and animals move A LOT. Our animal densities are low compared to back east. Utah is huge and our elk population sits under 100k animals and deer under 450k (I could be wrong but I think i'm close) You need to cover country and use good optics and let your eyes do your exploring when possible. You are probably going to need to learn how to quarter an animal if you don't already know how and realize that elk are big and most animals are going to have to come out on your back. Something to be prepared for.

You have a tough row to hoe and finding a good mentor will save you time and heart ache. Good luck and use the search function on this forum--tons of info out there


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

Vanilla said:


> Have to be careful with this. Monroe is spike only and Uintas are any bull, so the tag does not cross over.


Nilla -- Maybe I'm confused by your comment.

You just buy a General Season Archery Elk permit. Then you are required to follow the specific restrictions for the unit you hunt. If you hunt Book Cliffs, it's spike only. If you hunt Fish Lake, it's spike / cow. If you hunt Zion, it's any bull.

From the Field Guide:


FieldGuide said:


> Utah has four general-season elk hunts:
> •Archery hunt
> •Any legal weapon hunt
> •Muzzleloader hunt
> ...


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## Vanilla (Dec 11, 2009)

I missed the archery part of the discussion. My bad. Yes, archery is allowed to hunt both general and spike only. 

As is usual, I am wrong. Nobody should ever listen to anything I say! I'm just going to put that out there right now, and then never admit it again. And I'll blame the mods for editing this post and not accept responsibility for saying it. Or I was hacked. Or something...


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## High Desert Elk (Aug 21, 2012)

Taking a different approach, even though you recetly moved to UT, for hunting purposes next year you are essentially a non-resident. I would focus on LE bull units for archery with a general season archery tag, chase cows and spikes, and ease into learning UT hunting and regulations.

If you're not into fly fishing, start. Some blue ribbon trout streams in your new state, and a great way to do some elk scouting while you're at it. The upper Logan is still one of my favorites...


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## Kevin D (Sep 15, 2007)

Airborne said:


> I have hunted with whitetail guys from back east and often times it's hard to get them out of that small area mindset. Out west is big country and animals move A LOT. Our animal densities are low compared to back east...&#8230;.


I've had the same experience with guys that primarily hunt whitetails back east. I was taking a hunter from Wisconsin on an elk hunt back in the day. We were glassing mornings and evenings and seeing a respectable number of elk each at sitting, just not the bigger bulls I knew were in the area. After about the third day the frustrated hunter told me that this just wasn't working, that we needed to find a good food plot and sit on a trail where we can ambush them. I had to point out even the same bulls we were seeing weren't in the same spot everyday, sometimes they were a mile or so away from where we had seen him just the evening before. I told him to have patience, and sure enough, a day or two later we spotted one of the bigger bulls and swooped in and got it killed. I gotta to say though, hunting with that hunter was probably one of the most miserable 5 days in my life, it made me rethink my career choice.

Then this past rifle deer season I was headed back to camp when I came across a couple hunters seated down in the heavy pines. I got to talking to them and they said they were from Michigan and this was their first trip out west hunting mule deer. They said they found this spot where two game trails intersected and had been watching it for the last 2 days but have only seen a total of 3 does. I told them that where I just came down from I had glassed close to 30 deer in the past hour, including a couple so-so bucks. I'm not sure if they ever filled their tags or not, but hopefully they learned that trail watching in the bottom of a draw with it's swirling winds may not be the best recipe for success in Utah like it may be in Michigan.

Bottom line is that a lot of the skills and tactics you learned hunting back east are transferable, but a lot aren't. Animals in the west think different, behave different, and react different than perhaps what you're used to. The key to success is to take what you already know, and learn how to adapt it to new areas and new species.


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## Airborne (May 29, 2009)

Exactly what Kevin D said! Very similar experiences...when a back east guy is hunting out here and uses the term 'food plot' my eyes roll out of my head!

On the flip side when I lived back east and started hunting whitetails I would cover country and try to spot and stalk deer never finding success. Met another hunter who parked near me at dark--told me to buy a **** treestand and learn how to hunt whitetails because I kept moving deer out of his area (he saw me wandering about in the woods). He helped me to hunt whitetails--totally different game


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## FreshfromFlorida (Nov 26, 2018)

Haha yea I had a buddy from Montana come out and hunt deer with me in Georgia and he kept wanting to stalk every deer we saw in a bean field. I told him he must have been smoking crack thinking he could sneak up on a whitetail. Its def applies and oranges. But I'm here to stay so I'm willing to forget what I know and start from scratch. Its gonna be a long few years I'm sure but it will pay off eventually. Thanks everyone for the information. Its gonna be a super fun summer of backpacking trout fishing and exploring. I'm excited about the whole process of learning something new. Cant wait to get started. Thanks again everyone! On a related note, if anyone finds themselves in need of a second set of hands to pack out next year I'm in Layton and work from home. Always willing to lend a hand in the hopes that maybe if I find myself in a tough spot one day someone would return the favor.


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## High Desert Elk (Aug 21, 2012)

Just to throw a curve ball at you, hunting elk from a treestand can also be an effective method :grin:


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## Kevin D (Sep 15, 2007)

High Desert Elk said:


> Just to throw a curve ball at you, hunting elk from a treestand can also be an effective method :grin:


I actually agree with this statement, I've killed a fair number of both deer and elk sitting in tree stands over water holes with a bow. It all boils down to how close you need to be to make an effective shot with whatever equipment you are using, the time of year, weather conditions, and/or immediate hunting pressure among others. It's all part of a learning curve that's comes mostly from trial and error.


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## bowguyonly (Dec 31, 2018)

I appreciate your thread. I on the other hand haven't hunted a day in my life but have moved home after an extended away.
Much appreciated.
I am archery exclusive whether I want to or not unless I Tim Wells with a spear. Not going to happen anytime soon.


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## Lone_Hunter (Oct 25, 2017)

FreshfromFlorida said:


> and wearing out me OnX app,


Start looking for roadless areas , or as near to roadless as you can find. A large number of hunters are addicted to their 4 wheelers. Look for areas that require you to hike a few miles before you get to an area you'd want to hunt, you'll see less people and more wildlife that way. Speaking of, I've found that they react quickly to human pressure or lack thereof. Wildlife can disappear on a Friday or Saturday, and reappear on a Monday or Tuesday.

Don't pigeonhole yourself to one area. Look around, drive around, hike around. Utah is riddled with back roads you'd never know where there if you weren't looking for them. Do your "e scouting", have an area A, B, and C to explore, but keep in mind that what an area looks like on a map, more often then not looks entirely different with your boots on the ground.

Eventually you'll find a honeyhole, at least for a little while; keep it under your hat.

Make mental notes on what you've seen and where, and keep seasonal migration in mind. (Heat, cold, snowlines) If Murphy had a law for hunting, i'd swear it would be "If your looking for turkey, you'll see deer, if your looking for deer you'll see elk, and if your looking for elk, you wont see anything". That's how it goes for me more often then not.



DallanC said:


> The problem with land "a stones throw from the house" is its only a stones throw from everyone elses houses near you. Everyone knows of those spots, so expect alot of people in the woods.


THIS. For awhile I found a turkey/deer honey hole that was about 45 minutes from my house, hardly saw anyone there, but that isn't the case anymore.


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## StillAboveGround (Aug 20, 2011)

I tell folks from back east you can throw a dart at the map and hit any National Forest area and go find elk there. It's true. But you may also find other people or sheep or areas so steep you don't want to climb without good reason.

You will have to pay some dues and learn some different areas. No shortcut for this.
Every year I scout and hunt areas I know and always try to hunt an area I've never been. This is important, because you will find honey holes. Then over time, other people find your honey holes (or they will build a gas/oil pad and you don't want to listen to the pump).

Killed a cow elk this year at a place I had never been in 25+ years.
Good luck, but enjoy the journey.


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## goofy elk (Dec 16, 2007)

High Desert Elk said:


> Just to throw a curve ball at you, hunting elk from a treestand can also be an effective method


Read this 6 times and throw in a bind over water with a Redman lick!


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