# Statewide Archery Elk



## gooseblaster (Sep 2, 2009)

Would you guys mind explaining to me how the how the statewide archery elk hunt works.
Here is what i think i know so far: The tag is good for either a cow or spike, and in some areas any bull, this tag is good for every part of the state. I was told that you get the tag over the counter, ?????

I'm sure this question has been brought up many times. I still way new to the archery world and have never given this hunt much thought. I have tried using the search engine and it has given some insight. 

My family and I are going hunt to the sanpete area. Any PMs about the area more than welcome also :mrgreen: 

Thanks for your help


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## elkfromabove (Apr 20, 2008)

All the general elk hunt tags are over the counter. There is a quota to the any weapon (rifle) tags, but the archery elk tags are unlimited. With the archery tag you can take either sex, but if you hunt a spike bull unit (See map, Yellow portion, pages 30 & 31 of the Application Guidebook), you can only take an antlerless or a spike. If you hunt an any bull area (Same map, grey portion), you can take an antlerless or any bull including a spike. 

Sorry, don't know Sanpete area.


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## proutdoors (Sep 24, 2007)

The Sanpete area (Manti unit) has the largest elk herd in Utah. It is also a fairly big unit, do you have any specific areas you are thinking of, such as by Fairview. Ephraim, Manti, Mayfield?


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## nkunz (Sep 25, 2007)

There are a few areas where antlerless are not legal, such as Bookcliffs and Monroe. So be sure you are not in one of those areas before you start shooting.


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## Old Fudd (Nov 24, 2007)

State Wide Elk? I Thought it said STATE WIDE ARCHERY DEER! OOPS! OH That will probally be next year, after this years Archery Deer Hunt Blows up in someones face!!

FUBAR!!!


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## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

oldfudd said:


> State Wide Elk? I Thought it said STATE WIDE ARCHERY DEER! OOPS! OH That will probally be next year, after this years Archery Deer Hunt Blows up in someones face!!
> 
> FUBAR!!!


Fraid not my friend. You have seen the LAST of state wide archery deer... :? Get used to it. Or, just do what I'm doing and spend your money in another state...


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## gooseblaster (Sep 2, 2009)

proutdoors said:


> The Sanpete area (Manti unit) has the largest elk herd in Utah. It is also a fairly big unit, do you have any specific areas you are thinking of, such as by Fairview. Ephraim, Manti, Mayfield?


I believe my father-in-laws friend is wanting to hunt south of manti. I don't know the area very well. We will be getting out and looking around during the summer. I would appreciate any tips on areas to check out 

This will be my second hunt with a bow. Does anyone have any tips for a first time elk hunter with a bow?

Thanks!


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## gooseblaster (Sep 2, 2009)

elkfromabove said:


> All the general elk hunt tags are over the counter. There is a quota to the any weapon (rifle) tags, but the archery elk tags are unlimited. With the archery tag you can take either sex, but if you hunt a spike bull unit (See map, Yellow portion, pages 30 & 31 of the Application Guidebook), you can only take an antlerless or a spike. If you hunt an any bull area (Same map, grey portion), you can take an antlerless or any bull including a spike.
> 
> Sorry, don't know Sanpete area.


Thanks elk that makes perfect sense


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## elkfromabove (Apr 20, 2008)

nkunz said:


> There are a few areas where antlerless are not legal, such as Bookcliffs and Monroe. So be sure you are not in one of those areas before you start shooting.


I haven't been able to find that information. As far as I can tell, antlerless are legal during the archery hunt in ALL general any bull and spike areas. Did I miss something?


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## Flyfishn247 (Oct 2, 2007)

gooseblaster said:


> This will be my second hunt with a bow. Does anyone have any tips for a first time elk hunter with a bow?
> 
> Thanks!


Find water and sit on it, especially if it is a hot, dry summer.


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## Younghunter21 (Sep 7, 2010)

Just north of 12 mile canyon(mayfield canyon) is a good place to look. Thats all I can tell you. But around just west of ferron reservoir there are some good areas with pockets of elk. If you do find some stuff you want to hunt, like flyfishn said sit on some water or cow call just a little further into the season. Good Luck.


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## proutdoors (Sep 24, 2007)

gooseblaster said:


> proutdoors said:
> 
> 
> > The Sanpete area (Manti unit) has the largest elk herd in Utah. It is also a fairly big unit, do you have any specific areas you are thinking of, such as by Fairview. Ephraim, Manti, Mayfield?
> ...


Shoot me a PM a week before you head down, and I will meet up with you and give you a few areas to scout.


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## proutdoors (Sep 24, 2007)

elkfromabove said:


> nkunz said:
> 
> 
> > There are a few areas where antlerless are not legal, such as Bookcliffs and Monroe. So be sure you are not in one of those areas before you start shooting.
> ...


I recall that when they first went to statewide spike, there was a provision to exempt areas that fell below the population objectives by a certain amount.


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## gooseblaster (Sep 2, 2009)

proutdoors said:


> gooseblaster said:
> 
> 
> > proutdoors said:
> ...


Thanks Pro we would really apprciate that!


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## JuddCT (Sep 7, 2007)

I can help you out as well for that area. Let me know when you head down and I can point you to some spots.


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## gooseblaster (Sep 2, 2009)

JuddCT said:


> I can help you out as well for that area. Let me know when you head down and I can point you to some spots.


That would be fantastic!!

Another question for the area, how is the deer herd? Everyone else has applied for deer also. their main goal is putting down elk, but they also might think that they may jump a deer. Would it be worth the money to put in for deer tag?


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## proutdoors (Sep 24, 2007)

It depends, most of the areas that hold elk are not the best areas for bow hunting deer. So, unless you are planning on spending lots of time in the hills, or if you live close to the Wasatch Extended area, I would focus on the elk....


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## gooseblaster (Sep 2, 2009)

Thanks Pro! Does the area south of manti (and the entire unit) get hit pretty heavy with during the archery hunt?


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## proutdoors (Sep 24, 2007)

Lots of people in the area, but there is LOTS of country. With minimal effort you can get away from the crowds and be into elk.


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## mikevanwilder (Nov 11, 2008)

Being a east Manti hunter. I know that once you get off the roads your pretty much by yourself. I've archery elk hunted the unit many times and when I get off the roads and into the canyons elk are pretty easy to find. Now getting a shot is a whole nother story. 
The dead fall is terribly thick and the elk can move through it much faster then you or I. 
If you find you want to try over on the east side of the unit I can show you alot of places that hold elk that I've never encountered other hunters.


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## gooseblaster (Sep 2, 2009)

Thats great news! I swear there is nothing worse road hunting :x . So when the elk are found is it easier to spot and stalk them, try to intercept, sit on a water hole/wallow, or all the above?


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## JuddCT (Sep 7, 2007)

All of the above. Depends on a lot of factors.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

gooseblaster said:


> Thats great news! I swear there is nothing worse road hunting :x . So when the elk are found is it easier to spot and stalk them, try to intercept, sit on a water hole/wallow, or all the above?


Ah I can't wait until some of the younger members here on this site get to the point that they have bad knees or hips and can't walk that couple of miles not to mention having to depend on another hunter or somebody with them to go fetch their animal and do the heaver work.

Right now I am the one that fetches and tries to get that older gentleman into a good shooting position, and a lot of it is done by road hunting. That is until my knees also go witch will not be in the not to far distant future.


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## proutdoors (Sep 24, 2007)

gooseblaster said:


> Thats great news! I swear there is nothing worse road hunting :x . So when the elk are found is it easier to spot and stalk them, try to intercept, sit on a water hole/wallow, or all the above?


I have had poor success using spot and stalk methods. I have had decent success setting up ambushes by locating elk and getting to where they are going before they get there, and I don't have the patience to sit on water. My preferred method is to stay about 1/3 of the way off a ridge, walking slowly and cow calling every minute or so. I mix in curious calf sounds, as this seems to get yearling cows and spikes to come in to investigate.


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## gooseblaster (Sep 2, 2009)

Critter,

I didn't mean to offend to you if i did. I totally understand that road hunting is the only way for some to hunt. I guess I should have clarifed when i said that there is nothing worse than road hunting. I meant that those of us who are younger, and can hike a few miles in, should. Maybe its just laziness when you see guys ages 20-30-40 who simply drive all over and then complain that there are no animals. I priase you for helping those who are older to get the chance to get a shot off. Once again didn't mean to offend you. Once i get to the age where i can't hike like used to be able to, i will probably be road hunting too. But until then thanks for keeping the animals off the road


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## gooseblaster (Sep 2, 2009)

JuddCT said:


> All of the above. Depends on a lot of factors.


Sort off figured that :lol: I guess that is why they call it hunting.



proutdoors said:


> gooseblaster said:
> 
> 
> > Thats great news! I swear there is nothing worse road hunting :x . So when the elk are found is it easier to spot and stalk them, try to intercept, sit on a water hole/wallow, or all the above?
> ...


I don't have very much patience too. Do the elk like to stay up on ridges in between the canyons? And what type of type of call do you recommemd?


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

gooseblaster said:


> Critter,
> 
> I didn't mean to offend to you if i did.


No offence taken, there are always two sides of the story.

I remember when I would park my vehicle in Spanish Fork Canyon stuff a couple of sandwitches into my shirt and be off from daylight until after dark. It seams like it was just yesterday that I did that instead of over 35 years ago. How time flies.


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## proutdoors (Sep 24, 2007)

gooseblaster said:


> I don't have very much patience too. Do the elk like to stay up on ridges in between the canyons? And what type of type of call do you recommend?


I have found elk prefer being about 1/3 of the way down from the top of the ridge line. Of course this is not always the case..... I look for little ledges where the terrain is fairly flat. Even though elk can be found in steep country, they prefer level ground whenever possible.

As far as calls, I recommend any/all EXCEPT one...the Hoochie Mamma. I like mouth calls for their ability to make a wide range of sounds, I like reed calls because of their consistent sound. It is hard to go wrong with a reed call such as a Primos Hyper Lip, or a Carlton Fight'n Cow. The Carlton, IMHO, makes the best calf sounds.


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## mikevanwilder (Nov 11, 2008)

I don't know about that west side, but I know on the east spot and stalk is almost out of the question with all the dead fall. I've tried to be quiet and no matter how hard I try, I still make noise. 
Pro has the right idea of trying to get where you know they are going before them. Scouting plays a big role here. Once you get there patterns down you can make a game plan according to that.
As for where you'll find them. Really depends on the time of day, temp, weather, all sorts of factors. 
In the morning they tend to hang in more open areas and feed, quakey stands are perfect for this. when the day hits and temputures climb they are going to go get into some of the thickest stuff around. When night comes the start moving back out into the open.
Like I said though there are many other factors that can change this. 
One thats really common on the Manti is sheep. Ecspeacially during the archery season. 
They move into a canyon and the elk that were the will be long gone along with the deer too.
Good luck and if you want I can show you some places I love to hunt elk.


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## gooseblaster (Sep 2, 2009)

[quote="proutdoors As far as calls, I recommend any/all EXCEPT one...the Hoochie Mamma. I like mouth calls for their ability to make a wide range of sounds, I like reed calls because of their consistent sound. It is hard to go wrong with a reed call such as a Primos Hyper Lip, or a Carlton Fight'n Cow. The Carlton, IMHO, makes the best calf sounds.[/quote]
I have heard a lot of people give bad reviews on the hoochie mamma. Why is that? I do perfer diaphram calls. I use them while hunting turkeys. I do like to have both hands free.


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## gooseblaster (Sep 2, 2009)

mikevanwilder said:


> In the morning they tend to hang in more open areas and feed, quakey stands are perfect for this. when the day hits and temputures climb they are going to go get into some of the thickest stuff around. When night comes the start moving back out into the open.
> Like I said though there are many other factors that can change this.
> One thats really common on the Manti is sheep. Ecspeacially during the archery season.
> They move into a canyon and the elk that were the will be long gone along with the deer too.
> Good luck and if you want I can show you some places I love to hunt elk.


So do the permitees run sheep all over the unit? I may take you up on offer for the east side. It depends on what the rest of the family wants to do. Are you going to do the archery elk hunt this year?


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## shaun larsen (Aug 5, 2011)

gooseblaster said:


> I have heard a lot of people give bad reviews on the hoochie mamma. Why is that?


its because every utard out there with a GS archery elk tag in their pocket has ATLEAST 2 of them and they arent afraid to use it.... o-||

elk on public land get hunted hard in utah. they hear lots of calls each season. the most popular calls used become less effective more and more over time. if you watch the primos truth videos, youll see that they have great succes with the HM. but the fact is, their videos are quite far from "the truth". with the primos hunts, a majority of the time, they arent on public land. its all private where the bulls dont get anywhere near the amount of hunting pressure a public land elk does. if you can find a less popular call that you can still SOUND LIKE AN ELK WITH, you'll have better success. the only time ive seen a hoochie momma come in handy is to get a moving elk to stop when they are within range.


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## gooseblaster (Sep 2, 2009)

Ah ha gotcha! Just like a mojo in the marsh. I don't use one anymore becuase everyone has one. IMO they may work the first week but after that i feel they are less effective. I am trying to expand my hunting horizons. Ever since i was little i soley hunted birds with an occasional rifle deer tag that was notched in a farmers field :roll:


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## shaun larsen (Aug 5, 2011)

gooseblaster said:


> occasional rifle deer tag that was notched in a farmers field :roll:


dont feel bad about that! take them any way you can get them :twisted:


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## #1DEER 1-I (Sep 10, 2007)

Unless they changed it you can't shoot a cow on the bookcliffs monroe and a few other units


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## gooseblaster (Sep 2, 2009)

shaun larsen said:


> gooseblaster said:
> 
> 
> > occasional rifle deer tag that was notched in a farmers field :roll:
> ...


Haha ya someone has to manage the farmers deer herd :mrgreen: :mrgreen:


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## gooseblaster (Sep 2, 2009)

#1DEER 1-I said:


> Unless they changed it you can't shoot a cow on the bookcliffs monroe and a few other units


That is some great information to know. That would really suck to stcik a cow and then find out later cows were illegal on that unit


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## elkfromabove (Apr 20, 2008)

elkfromabove said:


> nkunz said:
> 
> 
> > There are a few areas where antlerless are not legal, such as Bookcliffs and Monroe. So be sure you are not in one of those areas before you start shooting.
> ...


  I did miss something!

2009-Spike only on Book Cliffs, Monroe, Paunsagunt, Plateau Boulder
2010-Spike only on Book Cliffs, Monroe, Paunsagunt
2011-Spike only on Book Cliffs, Monroe, Paunsagunt
2012-Unknown (but likely), since that info now only appears in the Big Game Field Regulations Guidebook which hasn't yet been printed.

So, yes, be careful!


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## gooseblaster (Sep 2, 2009)

Thats great! Thanks for the info Elk!


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