Tag Soup 2019

Prerylyon

Veteran member
Apr 25, 2016
1,334
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Cedar Rapids, IA
Alright, things are far enough along now that this thread is about past due...😆

I'll go 1st:

I spent 5 glorious days in Wyoming last week. I saw mule deer. I saw whitetail deer. I saw elk. I saw antelope. I saw wolf tracks. I saw black angus. I saw herefords. I saw whiteface. Go beef! lol

My tag was for antlerless deer-but a very, very special kind of antlerless deer. They were a kind of deer that lived only a 1/2 mile from irrigated lands... 😂

I have no regrets. In actuality, we had got to practice stalking muleys each day-even if we had to halt pursuit once we were 1/2 mile from a pivot off into the surrounding hills, and we did have a couple of legitimate chances. I tried a Hail Mary of a shot at 481 yards that was a solid miss. We spotted the group of 8 does and 1 buck nearly 2 miles away from a high ridge we were using to get a wide view of the country. I crawled and worked my way through several draws and small canyons, using the terrain to evade their many sets of eyes, but eventually got busted by the buck. The rangefinder said 481 Y. Late on the 2nd to last day, it felt like the 4th quarter, down by 2 pts, 4th down. What else to do but set up for that 65 yard field goal? So, that's what I did. I learned some important lessons there on the limitations of my marksmanship and rig, stuff to work on for next year. My older retired buddy that joined me was a real mentor. He helped me track and look for the deer I shot at for hours, and worked through all the possibilities so we were sure it was a miss. He also coached me on the dangers and cautions of shooting in close quarters in proximity to stock and agriculture: you have to be super careful in these kinds of places and be certain of your backstop.

The bucks were actively rounding up does all last week. We saw several harems where a buck had a group of 8+ does, and one corker of a buck that had twice that many, but it was all he could do to keep smaller bucks away from his girls. It was quite the sight!

So, feel free to use this as a place to tell your tales of 2019 tags unfilled. 😉
 
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JimP

Administrator
Mar 28, 2016
7,065
8,339
70
Gypsum, Co
This year was a strange year. In both the states that I chased mule deer they were not where they should of been and were hard to find. I started in Colorado with a muzzle loader tag. I went with a neighbor who had a secrete spot, well that is a good spot. It is so secrete that even the deer don't know about it. I then went high up next to the private where there are usually bucks hanging out but even there I couldn't find one to even think of shooting. In the end I ate the tag once again.

Utah muzzle loader was almost the same. The deer were just not where they had been in the past. I went high and low, in thick stuff and in the aspens and in 5 days of hunting I had only seen 3 bucks, and none of them worth even looking at to shoot. Then I got lucky and found the pappy buck of the woods on the 5th day. I have his picture posted in the success thread.

Then it was off to Utah for a spike elk hunt. We found a unique white spike and were set up to catch him on opening morning but another hunter bagged him. Then my brother in law tried to slice off two of his fingers and since he was the one with the tag that hunt was a bust. He ate the tag.

Colorado general 2nd season deer started out just like Utah's did. My brother in law had the tag and I was his spotter. After 4 days he was getting discourage at not seeing a decent buck. We had watched a spike, 2pt, and a 3pt and Sunday morning he was discouraged enough that he said that we would hunt that night and Monday morning and then call it. But Sunday night he found a nice 4x4 and tagged out.

So out of 4 hunts we ate tag soup on 2 of them and tagged out on 2. I guess 50% isn't too bad.
 

mallardsx2

Veteran member
Jul 8, 2015
3,806
3,011
Pretty good year for my wife and I so far.

Tag soup so far:
6 black bear tags (Ya, you read that right)
18 does tags (Ya, you read that right)
4 Gobbler tags (Ya, you read that right)

We killed:
2 Gobblers (Could have killed 4 more but we didnt because the turkey population is low )
1 Bull Elk
1 Bull Elk not recovered (I guess you consider this tag soup)
2 Whitetail Does
4 Whitetail Bucks

We for the most part hit a home run but I may never get over loosing my bull in Colorado. The rest of my season helped get my mind off of it a little but I am still very sick about how that all played out.

I still have some check in hunts I may go and try and hunt here in Georgia since I am out of buck tags just for something to do (doesnt count against my buck tags)

The hogs on our property have turned into vampires completely and I dont want to run deer off our lease to the other clubs just trying to kill hogs.

I may go to the Chattahoochee NF and try and kill a bear this weekend. I still have 5 vacation days, just waiting for a snow day to get a track and get rolling. Without some tracking snow its next to impossible.

I might try and trap another River otter this year and maybe some beaver. I think I will set some coyote traps too for a change of pace.
 

Colorado Cowboy

Super Moderator
Jun 8, 2011
8,064
4,288
82
Dolores, Colorado
3 of us went to Wyoming with 5 antelope tags and I deer tag. Got the antelope (3 bucks and 2 does). But.....tag soup on the buck deer. Took 13 point for me to draw the deer tag and I had my chance, but the stars were not lined up right and a great buck is still spreading his genes in his territory!
 

go_deep

Veteran member
Nov 30, 2014
2,650
1,982
Wyoming
Drew my first LQ deer tag in Wyoming in 8 years in an area I know well. I knew of multiple nice looking 4 points that made it through to this year and had high hopes, to only be crushed later, Lol!
2nd to last day I found a huge bodied, white faced buck with a group of does working through broken patches of pine. My son and me are getting excited because we could see tall tines, and that he was well past his ears. When he stepped out, he was the biggest 2 point I've ever put eyes on. I really had to think about it for a couple minutes, but knowing I may never have the tag again I decided to take my chances to try and find one of the 4 points, I lost. Good times with my son in the field though!
 

memtb

Active Member
Sorry about the “tag soup”....it’s a pretty thin brew!

We’ve done it far too many times, 3 years in a row. I was hoping for the “big bull”, my wife wanted to “close the deal” on small bulls during the first few days.....we passed on many small bulls. Only, to go home empty-handed a couple weeks later.

Not this year.....we have cow tags. Purchased under duress from my wife. She knows that we’ll put meat in the freezer.....as I won’t be looking for a “trophy cow”!

We haven’t been out yet, but, have until the middle of December! memtb
 

Ikeepitcold

Administrator
Staff member
Feb 22, 2011
9,880
1,457
Reno Nv
Out of 6 tags I was involved in we killed 4

All Nevada Mule deer. Both tags that were not filled were due to warm weather, and a hunter that was not prepared for the physical aspect of hunting big country. The last guy that didn’t fill burned out on a long steep hike to get to a 170” buck with a 4” cheater. His feet were hurting him and he just ran outta gas. He did work his butt off for sure but 4 days in and he was wore out.
 

RICMIC

Veteran member
Feb 21, 2012
1,962
1,704
Two Harbors, Minnesota
I never consider a hunt a failure as long as I can get out hunting, see some new country, enjoy time with friends and take another breath in God's country. Having said that, here's my talley.
Tags punched - one bull elk (CO)
one antelope doe (WY)
Tag soup - mule deer (CO)
- one antelope doe (WY, 2nd tag)
- white-tail deer (MN) We went 0 for 12 on deer at our camp again, the 5th time in 6 years. Bad winters and 3,000 wolves have
decimated the deer herd and prevented a recovery. For 40+ years we shot 8 to 14 bucks a year.
Tags left - whitetail deer (MN) The season is still on, but not much point in going out.
- cow elk (WY) Late season tag
 

Gerald

New Member
Dec 8, 2017
35
26
Colorado
Had a buck and doe pronghorn tag for the same hunt same unit but only got the buck tag filled. then i had a bull elk tag filled on the 6th day of a tough hunt that felt really good to fill.. then i had a big bummer of a hunt for my buck tag which i had on the very top of my list of hunts i was looking forward to. showed up to hunt and realized i had left my tag at home so i couldnt get my buck🤦‍♂️ instead helped out with others on their buck and doe tags and could have had a shot at several really nice bucks if i had a tag in my pocket. the one that haunts me is the big one close to 175" and limping badly on his left shoulder obviously been shot or hit by a car and i could have bagged him that night if i had my tag... keep them in the glove compartment of the car and not in your dresser at home!! Ah well at least i still got one last tag to go for in the first two weeks of December for some meat on a either sex whitetail only tag. Now those wolves really scare me and i really hope they dont forcefully introduce them to our beautiful state of Colorado and mess up our hunting and deer and elk populations as they have in those other states up north... very sorry to hear its out of control up north and i really dont want to see that happen here or in any other state anymore. There is a petition that i signed yesterday to stop them from it if anybody might be interested in signing and supporting us in stopping those idiots from messing everything up.. not sure if its okay to post the link though..
 

Yell Co AR Hunter

Very Active Member
Dec 10, 2015
842
672
Yell County Arkansas
3 of us went to Wyoming with 5 antelope tags and I deer tag. Got the antelope (3 bucks and 2 does). But.....tag soup on the buck deer. Took 13 point for me to draw the deer tag and I had my chance, but the stars were not lined up right and a great buck is still spreading his genes in his territory!
13 point tag soup. I never had a chance to try that. That must be really tough.
 

hutty

New Member
Oct 17, 2017
48
7
Buddy and I cashed in points , hired guide and did archery elk hunt in cloud peak wilderness in Wyoming. Hunted hard every day for 6 days and never launched an arrow. Saw elk sign, heard elk, saw elk but could not seal the deal. Double tag soup and a tough way to start the 2019 season.
 

tim

Veteran member
Jun 4, 2011
2,407
1,057
north idaho
Does tag soup count for miscellanius tags? bear, lion, wolf are $11, I buy them if I see one, but don't really chase after them.
Lion and wolf are still in, bear is closed, all over the counter.
 

Prerylyon

Veteran member
Apr 25, 2016
1,334
511
50
Cedar Rapids, IA
Does tag soup count for miscellanius tags? bear, lion, wolf are $11, I buy them if I see one, but don't really chase after them.
Lion and wolf are still in, bear is closed, all over the counter.
For it to be 'tag soup', you need to have the unblemished tag in hand, after expending a sincere effort hunting to fill said tag, with no dead animal corresponding to said tag, to show for your efforts therein. 😆
 

go_deep

Veteran member
Nov 30, 2014
2,650
1,982
Wyoming
For it to be 'tag soup', you need to have the unblemished tag in hand, after expending a sincere effort hunting to fill said tag, with no dead animal corresponding to said tag, to show for your efforts therein. 😆
Found in section 9, sub section 6, column 2, paragraph 11 in the tag soup manual... don't ask me how I know so much about the tag soup manual.
 

hunter25

Very Active Member
Sep 8, 2016
520
360
Glenwood Springs, Colorado
Full year tags filled.
Texas Turkey
Alaska caribou
2nd season colorado buck tag

Unfilled
Alaska wolf, missed
Colorado bull tag

Was a tough year for bucks for us. Counting my ex wife's side of the family we had 9 buck tags. Only my son and I filled our tags and we both shot forkies at the end just to stock up on dry meat for him.
 

taskswap

Very Active Member
Jul 9, 2018
523
379
Colorado
Everyone has a story about "the one that got away." I have my share. This season I had one get away from pure stupidity.

I had a pretty successful year overall, and there's meat in the freezer to prove it. I had a 4th-season (this weekend) buck tag that I meant to back up with a bull tag so I was good for "anything with antlers." But I never got around to getting it. I've had a lot going on with work and never had time to get it.

Conditions today weren't great. LOTS of wind in unpredictable patterns (hard to hunt "into the wind") and very cold. Some recent dusting of snow showed plenty of recent tracks, but all at least a day or two old. I probably shouldn't even have been out - I had hurt my ankle on my elk trip. But I figured this was the best way to try out a new pair of boots I had bought, so I pushed on for about 3 miles before heading back.

And immediately bumped into this guy. He wasn't worried about me at all, more curious, and I had nothing better to do so I stopped and just observed him. He half-circled me twice to check me out, and didn't move off for at least 3 minutes. I had plenty of good shot opportunities. He's zoomed in here, but it was about 80 yards and broadside nearly the entire time.

But I had never gotten around to buying that tag. Maybe next year. So I'll be eating a buck tag instead of a bull backstrap.

He was beautiful to watch, though. Just a 6-pointer but still amazing. The entire time he was checking me out he was absolutely silent, even on crunchy snow and dry blowdown. If he hadn't been moving I'd never have known he was there.

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