Response To Request for More Info on Utah Cow Elk

[Utah Hunter]

I posted this added information on my Utah Elk hunt post but I think some may have missed it and with "a little bit of humor" in it, I thought it important to repost it.

In response to request for more hunt info, let me say that my two years of successfully bagging an elk have been a direct result of this forum. After tearing a bicep tendon in both the right and left arm, I qualified for a handicap crossbow hunting permit in the state of Utah. My first internet search found the Excalibur website and then the forum. Two and a half years ago, I started reading the forum posts everyday. From those readings, I found and contacted Danny Miller, who guided me in my purchase of the Vixen and related items. There is no doubt that this forum was vital in my success this past two seasons with the spike elk last year and this year's cow elk. It has been stated so many times that this forum has helpful, knowledgeable, intelligent, sharing, compassionate, fun loving, and good looking people. I found out that it is all true. Thank you all for your wisdom and information

I hunt in Northeastern Utah in the Uintah Mountains about 25 miles north of Vernal, Utah. I have lived in this area for about 20 years with my original home being in Northern Iowa. We hunt the elk almost entirely from tree stands. We hunt water holes, feeding areas, and travel trails. The elk do respond to calls but the more mature bulls do not respond much until the rut, which starts around the 15th of September and is when the general elk archery hunt ends. Limited Entry hunts start then and are the best opportunity for bigger bulls. Good areas are hard to draw but there is a point system. I have 15 points accumulated and hope to hunt one the good areas of the state wth my crossbow next year.

Last year there were 5 archers in our camp and we bagged 4 spikes and one branched antler bull. This year we had 4 archers and we bagged 2 cows, one spike, and the 4th archer held out for a branched antler bull and passed on several spikes and cows and now "will be eating her tag".She has killed more elk that any of our hunters over the years. The success rate for the general archery in Utah ranges from 10 to 15 per cent success rate so we have done really well.
When I shot my cow, I was calling to an elk that came in behind me and was leaving the area when my cow answered my call from another direction and came right into a shooting lane at 17 yards. It was a complete pass through. I cow called right after the shot which often stops them from running. I heard her go down within a minute or two.
We get 4 wheelers into most of our kill areas with some trees or deadfalls taken out with a chain saw. We get them back to camp, skin them right away, and cool the meat through the night and take it to town to the meat cooler the next morning. My spike last year was some of the best elk meat ever and we hope the same for this dry cow this year.
Yes, the Vixen is sweet and fits me and my hunts perfectly. It does not have a Boo string, just the string from that came with the Vixen.
On the amount of meat, elk weights are often exagerrated. But they are big animals. Here is some weight info that seems a little high..
ELK
Young-of-the-year:
Average weight: 298 pounds
Yearling and adult females:
Average weight: 495
Range: 438 - 556
Yearling and adult males:
Average weight: 698
Range: 469 - 950
Informative website on elk. http://ces.uwyo.edu/PUBS/B594R.pdf

Thanks again to all my helpers on this forum. Larry