Unit 8 and 9 not managed for trophy elk

[azcouesandelk]

You all are right. There are 0 big bulls left in unit 8 anymore. In fact I bet there aren't any in the state

[MT_Sourdough]

It's getting hard to finish a thread in this forum. All I hear is wha, wha, wha. And bitter responses from people who feel privileged. You all need a hankey?

[coues krazy]

It's getting hard to finish a thread in this forum. All I hear is wha, wha, wha. And bitter responses from people who feel privileged. You all need a hankey?

really?

[huntlines]

GreyGhost85,

 

I think we are saying the same thing. I understand there are big bulls killed every year and there will continue to be however the hunt itself is not the quality it used to be. With the amounts of tag going up, in some cases doubling, the hunt experience is being destroyed.

 

Yes I live in the same state and have all my life. I have been hunting since the mid 1980's and have taken six elk with a bow in my life. The units I like to hunt have gone down in quality due to the number of tags issued. Late 1980' through the 90's if you were drawn you rarely ran into other hunters. I ran into more big bulls and ones that were not running in the other direction at the sound of a call. Now I see more hunters running up and down roads bugling from their truck or quad. The roads sound like Phoenix during rush hour traffic and the woods are full of people cow call/bugling. When I elk hunt now I don't even carry calls because they are useless epically on big bulls. Not carrying calls is fine with me just a noted change from just fifteen years ago.

 

Bigger bulls seem fewer probably because now you have to go deeper into the woods. I remember the 90's when I seemed to see 375 plus bulls nearly everyday. Now with the pressure it seems like I see one every three to four days during a hunt. Sure this is just my opinion but the hunter numbers in the field killing the experience.

 

I also agree bulls need to be able to get old in order to get big but with tag numbers the way they are and lots of people wanting to just harvest an elk the smaller bulls are getting killed. A trophy is in the eye of the hunter and I don't frown on anyone who shoots a rag horn. If it is what they want then great. My last elk hunt I wanted a 370 plus bull. I passed a handful of 330 to 340ish bulls and countless smaller bulls. I came home empty handed and was fine with that because I knew I only wanted 370 or bigger. I didn't need the meat and have taken several bulls in my life already. What I was upset with was the amount of people hunting. Quality elk hunts are a thing of the past due to the amount of tags per unit.

[Arrowsniper]

Rthrbhntng...

 

In looking at the: G&F Alt elk hunt objectives, 50% of the bulls, should be 6 points, in those 4 units.... Is that correct?

[shanehamblin]

The WM in question needs to read the Elk Hunt Guidelines.

Units 1, 9, 10, and 23 will be managed under Alternate Elk Hunt Objectives.

The bull to cow ratio in these units is managed higher and they are managed for more 6 point bulls.

Hence the TROPHY Unit aspect.

http://www.azgfd.gov/h_f/documents/huntguidelines.pdf

 

This is funny. Unit 1 is not managed for a trophy unit. Its a product of the fire. 300 archery bull tags and a cow hunt going on the same time. Its a joke. Sure there are some giants but gnf shouldn't take credit for managing it that way. Maybe we should thank the USFS for torching the unit. Just give it a few more years. It'll be what 3a 3c now is. Because they managed it for trophy bulls about 10 yrs ago too.

[mje1]

My Son and I ran into the WM helping in unit 1 on wed before the archery hunt ended and I complained about the tag #s and his response was the Bull/Cow ratio was too high so it sounds like theyre talking out of both ends.

[ThomC]

Come back to this site when the Elk results are out, lots of people complaining that they cant get drawn. There are not enough tags. Couple that with the numbers of people , scouts without tags, searching for large bulls. Ten helpers for one tag. Every year it gets worse. What do you think is the problem? Oh, its always somebody else.

[Explorer]

There are more hunters putting in. I don't have a problem with issuing more tags as long as they break the hunts up.600 plus archery tags in one hunt in 6a when they could have two consecutive hunts with only 300 tags per hunt.it would be a " more quality"hunt. I like to get drawn every year, I'm not one of those people who gets ten bonus points and then gets a tag and so I can show everyone the bull that my ten friends and I got.its going to get worse down the road. If they cut back on tags everyone would be complaining about how they will never get drawn. I never drew a tag that said " trophy tag" it's either a bull or a cow. The hunt is what you make of it.

[yotebuster]

 

The WM in question needs to read the Elk Hunt Guidelines.

Units 1, 9, 10, and 23 will be managed under Alternate Elk Hunt Objectives.

The bull to cow ratio in these units is managed higher and they are managed for more 6 point bulls.

Hence the TROPHY Unit aspect.

http://www.azgfd.gov/h_f/documents/huntguidelines.pdf

This is funny. Unit 1 is not managed for a trophy unit. Its a product of the fire. 300 archery bull tags and a cow hunt going on the same time. Its a joke. Sure there are some giants but gnf shouldn't take credit for managing it that way. Maybe we should thank the USFS for torching the unit. Just give it a few more years. It'll be what 3a 3c now is. Because they managed it for trophy bulls about 10 yrs ago too.

Please read the link. Those units are managed under the alternative management system. Meaning 30-40 bulls per 100 cows. All other units 20-30 bulls per 100 cows. Genetics are good in AZ. They manage for what they deem a healthy population. Thankfully genetics are good and there are good bulls. Those of you complaining should hunt colorado, Montana or Idaho once. To the guy complaining about the biggest bull they killed in 22 being a 338 bull, most hunters in those states have never seen a 338 bull in their entire lives, and most have never seen a 6 pt. AZ has the best elk hunting in the US hands down (yes NV has big bulls but isn't really in the same boat with less then 1000 bulls killed annually). You have it good in AZ. REALLY good.

[m77]

I just don't understand the reason hunting is allowed during the rut. Seems to me you would want those big mature bulls to be spreading the best DNA on to the next generation. Would pushing the archery season back a month be the right thing? Also, cow hunters harvesting 1 year old cows would be better than taking 3, 4, or 5 year old cows. Hunters Education should also involve Game & Fish management practices. Maybe these suggestions would benefit healthy herds for many years to come.

 

And I know, someone is immediately going to say loss of habitat should be the number one focus. And the archery hunters are going to be up in arms protesting. Can't please everyone. Management should look at all practices to keep a healthy herd for many, many years (forever).

[D.F.M.]

Its not about quality or quantity its about money. You put out more tags you get more money. Its not rocket surgery. Just sayin

[Xnt]

I was one of the lucky Unit 1 tag holders this year. I didn't encounter another hunter in the woods in 6 hard days of hunting until after I tagged my bull. Lots of guys on the road though. I'm glad they are giving out more tags--I don't want to wait another 10-15 years before getting another chance at a bull. The notion that 3 tags should be given out per hunt per unit is kinda silly IMHO.

[AverageJoe]

 

The WM in question needs to read the Elk Hunt Guidelines.

Units 1, 9, 10, and 23 will be managed under Alternate Elk Hunt Objectives.

The bull to cow ratio in these units is managed higher and they are managed for more 6 point bulls.

Hence the TROPHY Unit aspect.

http://www.azgfd.gov/h_f/documents/huntguidelines.pdf

This is funny. Unit 1 is not managed for a trophy unit. Its a product of the fire. 300 archery bull tags and a cow hunt going on the same time. Its a joke. Sure there are some giants but gnf shouldn't take credit for managing it that way. Maybe we should thank the USFS for torching the unit. Just give it a few more years. It'll be what 3a 3c now is. Because they managed it for trophy bulls about 10 yrs ago too.

You have no clue what you are talking about.

[kwp]

 

 

The WM in question needs to read the Elk Hunt Guidelines.

Units 1, 9, 10, and 23 will be managed under Alternate Elk Hunt Objectives.

The bull to cow ratio in these units is managed higher and they are managed for more 6 point bulls.

Hence the TROPHY Unit aspect.

http://www.azgfd.gov/h_f/documents/huntguidelines.pdf

This is funny. Unit 1 is not managed for a trophy unit. Its a product of the fire. 300 archery bull tags and a cow hunt going on the same time. Its a joke. Sure there are some giants but gnf shouldn't take credit for managing it that way. Maybe we should thank the USFS for torching the unit. Just give it a few more years. It'll be what 3a 3c now is. Because they managed it for trophy bulls about 10 yrs ago too.

You have no clue what you are talking about.

I'll disagree and say Shane hit the nail square on the head. Give unit 1 a few more years and we will all be asking where all the big unit 1 bulls went.