Utah ground floor 35yo worth considering?

[HuskyMusky]

I have 7-10pts in most western states, I'm 35yo.

I have 0 pts in Utah, would you even consider applying at this point?
especially since I have 7-10 in CO, WY, MT, NV, AZ?

Would your answer change any if you were only interested in bowhunting?

I could get lucky before max pts which sounds like it would be 30-70/never years away?

I kind of think I'm better off focusing elsewhere, although desert bighorn is another chance at drawing that tag...?

 

[mallardsx2]

I'm 31 and started applying for points in Utah this season. I plan to hunt there with my friend (A resident) in 5 years if possible.

The one thing that people keep forgetting is a lot of the people with massive amounts of points are in their late 50's and some in their 60's and even older.

The reality is that in 20 years I will be 51 and have a lot of points and those guys with massive points will be too old to hunt, already drawn in, and some will be dead....

Not trying to sound cold here just doing logistical thinking.....

I would like to see a chart showing what age guys are with how many points. Of course there is a correlation but I'm betting that most people like myself (until a few years ago) either didn't understand the system or couldn't afford to buy the points.

Buy them save them for 5 years or so and start applying in units of that magnitude and then go hunting when you draw.

In the mean time, it looks like your going to have a lot of fun in other states!

Best of luck to you!

 

[CM_]

For elk I would say if you are willing to hunt the mid-tier units (especially archery) and not chase the very upper end units it is probably worth it.

 

[HuskyMusky]

I also wonder how many of those guys will say draw a Moose tag and then ditch their stockpile of Moose points in other states?

 

[CoHiCntry]

I also wonder how many of those guys will say draw a Moose tag and then ditch their stockpile of Moose points in other states?

Probably depends on how much they have invested in those points. Would be easier to give up points that only cost you $10 a year vs. Ones that cost you $50 or $75 a year. Would be hard to give up $1000 worth of points...

 

[timo]

This is exactly what i had to do this year. Drew a Wy. moose tag last year and decided to let my Utah points go. Being in my mid 50"s i figured i have enough other hunts to keep me busy.

 

[Tim McCoy]

It really depends on how much time you have to hunt. With the line up you have, can you fit in more hunts? If you are wanting a desert sheep so bad you are going to apply everywhere, then with that UT license, you may as well then for a few other species. A bow will help with tags in some cases. UT does allow you to essentially use a license over the course of two draws, so long as it is valid. So if you go with UT, the first year buy your license late in the application period, then the next year apply earlier with the same license, then repeat...

 

[Zim]

If I were a greenhorn, I'd be passing on Utah. The odds suck already even for mid-tier hunts, and with the SFW/MDF/DOW corruption the future for average joe hunter is bleak there. Lord knows what the fat cat's next scheme will be. 100, 200 more tags skimmed from the few remaining trophy hunts? I doubt they will stop until there are only mid and low tier hunts for us low life hillbilly masses.

In that case, what value will your points have? Nothing.

 

[Theist]

For rifle I would say it's not worth it. For muzzy and archery you can get a decent tag in 10-12 years for a non res. It will take more for the upper class units. If you don't have to have a 350 bull and are ok with a 280-310 6x6 with a bow I would defiantly do it. Another idea is to pay a cwmu 4-6000 for an elk in the 280-300 class range. Most the cwmu units are greater than 80percent. Spend 1500-2500 playing the draws or just save for a couple years and do it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[MN_Bucshot]

I just started applying in Utah last year. I know it's a long shot, but unless I'm not understanding how the draw works, there is a random chance for drawing most units. Also, it is relatively "cheap" to apply compared to other states. Especially when applying for more than one species. I also hope to hunt there in the next couple of years (and hopefully every few years) on some kind of general tag, mostly explore. I would like to know something about the state just in case I get really luck.

 

[NDHunter]

I think Utah is a tough one. I'm 32 with 4 points and am not sure it's worth it to keep applying, although I probably will... Sure, elk tags are great but also tough to draw. The limited quota deer tags are super tough to draw. Same with antelope. I have no doubt that the odds for some of the lottery tags are better than the odds of drawing moose, sheep and goat tags. Like Tim said, the one plus is that a guy can use the $85 license 2 years for applications. Then it isn't quite so expensive to apply each year. If money isn't that big of an issue, I'd say go ahead and apply. I certainly wouldn't plan on drawing more than 2, maybe 3 elk tags at best in your lifetime.

Like others mentioned too, if you are willing to bowhunt, then it would be more worthwhile to apply. You'll never catch a primo rifle unit though.

 

[88man]

I apply in Wy/CO/NM and have max pts in wy for E/D/A and 13 moose and sheep pts. Just cashed 15 elk pts in last year in CO. So I have 16 deer Co pts. I have 9 utah deer and 7 utah elk and all the other pts. Utah is the state I know the least about! I know I have a chance at drawing. I just have no target or goal unit in utah. Will those 9 deer and 7 elk points equal a good hunt in the next 10 years?

 

[CoHiCntry]

Here's some food for thought... I started applying in Utah about ten years ago, age 32. At that time the elk tag I was interested in took 12 or 14 (can't remember for sure) points. I'm now getting ready to turn 42 & this same tag now takes 18 points! So... I'm guessing in ten more years it very well could take 22 points! I'll only have 20 points by then and will be 52 years old. At this rate I may be over 60 years old before I actually draw. Of course there's always the random so you never know. This just shows how you get sucked into the system and have to much time & money invested to give up. Had I realized all this 10 or 15 years ago I would NOT have started accumulating points in all these Western States.

Admittedly I'm not interested in mid tier units or average animals. I can hunt and kill them in the state l live in, so to me there's no reason to go out of state and pay big money for what I can do right here in my backyard.

Sounds like you have lots of points in other states. If you have plenty of money & a gleam in your eye for hunting trophies only, you might as well jump in. Everyone else is.

 

[gonhunting247]

Unless you're just totally tapped out, I'd go for it. Time flies and about the time you're done using all those points in other states, you'll be ready for UT. I don't mind hunting mid-tier units and enjoy hunting all species so that is definitely a factor in my choice, as I put in for every species available and buy my hunting license every other year. Heck, you're young! Who knows you may have 30-40+ years to get there.

 

[Slugz]

Interesting post with some great insight......all the more reason I'm probably just gonna stick to my home state plan.....and hunt year after year. I see plenty of respectable 330-340 class bull elk year after year in my home state, deer are nice, maybe draw a moose tag someday. Thanks everyone for confirming why I moved here.

174 days till the Colorado archery opener !

 

[NDHunter]

Interesting post with some great insight......all the more reason I'm probably just gonna stick to my home state plan.....and hunt year after year. I see plenty of respectable 330-340 class bull elk year after year in my home state, deer are nice, maybe draw a moose tag someday. Thanks everyone for confirming why I moved here.

174 days till the Colorado archery opener !

Dang. 330-340? I don't know that you'd do much better in Utah where you'd be going into a unit you've never hunted before.

 

[Slugz]

Dang. 330-340? I don't know that you'd do much better in Utah where you'd be going into a unit you've never hunted before.

Yep I agree. One of my friends found a 362" dead head last year also. There are big animals in Colorado just gotta be willing to go in after them.......or go up after them

 

[CoHiCntry]

Interesting post with some great insight......all the more reason I'm probably just gonna stick to my home state plan.....and hunt year after year. I see plenty of respectable 330-340 class bull elk year after year in my home state, deer are nice, maybe draw a moose tag someday. Thanks everyone for confirming why I moved here.

174 days till the Colorado archery opener !

Wow that is pretty impressive on public land! How many 330-340 public land bulls have you killed in Colorado?

 

[Slugz]

Wow that is pretty impressive on public land! How many 330-340 public land bulls have you killed in Colorado?

See is the key word there. None is the answer. I arrowed a 328 and shot a 341.....put 4 friends on animals (all rifle) that were 332, 338 and 342.......4th friend missed a very large one with a rifle.....all in a GMU that has leftover tags every year and a bull to cow ratio of 50/100 roughy every year or better. Painful hunting. Little bit of crazy and usually a rodeo or two mixed in with that. PM me if you want to talk more.....we see a lot of those curly horned things in your picture some years also.

That data is from my log books the last 7 years, so 3-4 years straight now of mild winters, good wet springs and high forage production. Same reason the deer herds in some areas are producing big horns out side of the traditional " great genetics" GMU's in my opinion.

All the best

 

[Doe Nob]

Why not. Applications are the cheapest part of this sport. What's 60 bucks a year? 2 tanks of gas? Dinner out for 2 people?

Age bracket dynamics are interesting. Hunters are on the rise across the country for a couple of reasons - 1) outdoor TV networks and 2 - disgust with factory farming and a desire to harvest your own meat finally becoming socially acceptable in circles where it has not been before - see zuckerburg or Chris Pratt- Hollywood is still very anti - hunting but the younger generation somehow gives field to table a pass. That and the rise of the "hunting athlete". People train hard year round to get into places that used to remain undisturbed. Competition on the mountain has gotten more intense as well as trying to get the tags in the first place.

SO - I think you get in now while you can. Applicants are and will be on the rise as hunting becomes more popular. Also, half the tags in Utah are randoms so you have a chance every year, no matter how small.