Utah 16 points
Contributors to this thread:General Topic
From: Muleman
17-Jan-18
Should I look at using them or wait for something better on a Late Season Rifle Elk Tag? At 65 I'm not getting any younger, this is DIY, my one an only tag in Utah. I do have Mules to ride & pack so not limited to where I can get. Thanks for your Thoughts, Wayne
From: IdyllwildArcher
17-Jan-18
I don't know how anyone could answer that for you without knowing how important it is for you to hunt with a bow vs rifle.
Either way, with 16, you're not in much better shape one way or the other. So many of the good units either only have 1 tag and no bonus tag to begin with, or you're years behind the creep.
You could hunt Southwest Desert archery this year or next year most likely, but that's not a pack in hunt as far as I know.
From: Tjw
17-Jan-18
I helped on a late season in southern utah year before last. It was a awesome hunt. I know it takes 15 resident points, not sure for nonres, archery was a few more and rifle in the 20s. Not many tags either. Good luck TJW
From: wilbur
17-Jan-18
Get on Monster Muleys and pose the question. Lots of those guys are from Utah.
From: HDE
17-Jan-18
People with less points draw all the time. Put in for what you want. With 16 pts you have a better shot at a rifle than most others do.
But keep in mind it's not guaranteed. People with 20 have lost out to those with 10 or less.
From: Tjw
17-Jan-18
I just looked up points on the boulders. 15 last year drew. Big unit, big bulls. The bow tag was 16 and they kill a couple 400 plus on it every year. Archery can be tough, dates are early and for some reason it is more miss on bugling there...
From: SDHNTR(home)
17-Jan-18
With that many points AND mules, I'd look at the Book Cliffs roadless.
From: Tjw
17-Jan-18
From: Tjw
17-Jan-18
No archery tag for non res and 20pts rifle for roadless books.
From: wildwilderness
17-Jan-18
Boulders is a huge unit. If you go early archery then you should at least pay for some scouting service or a guide. Its a good time to kill big (400") bulls but you have to know where they are, before they move for the rut in Sept. (early rifle season)
How much time do you have?
From: SDHNTR(home)
17-Jan-18
No Books roadless NR archery tag? Is that new?
From: Shrewski
17-Jan-18
Probably meant no PREFERENCE point tag for archery in BCR. That was stolen by SWF along with many other non resident tags. There is a random tag for archery. The only preference point tag left in the BCR is for the rifle season.
At 65 I would be going for a “lesser” unit and enjoy. I’ve found the 2nd tier units everywhere I’ve been have been excellent. I’m 50 with 18 points so I am holding out for “premier” for once in my life.
From: Don K
17-Jan-18
Problem with Archery is your hunting very warm weather so be prepared for that. I have 16 points also and hope I get drawn for the unit I would like this year. Also you never know whos on the sideline just building points and going after a unit that just has a handful of tags this can really be tough
From: BULELK1
18-Jan-18
You are 'bordering' on 100% for Archery or Rifle on these units with your 16 pts.
In No particular order
Manti
Nebo
Book Cliffs--Bitter Creek
LaSal LaSal
Wasatch
Paugnsuguant
Fishlake
I certainly Would Not apply as a Group applicant!
Good luck, Robb
PS-toss me an Email and I can send you a Spreadsheet, I tryed to send it via PM but no go
From: c3
18-Jan-18
I have tons of video of the late hunts if you want to see what that's all about. They can be a super fun rifle hunts if you want to go there. I'm a bowhunter through and through though, so I'd be patient a few more years to get the bowhunt you really want.
Cheers, Pete
From: Charlie Rehor
19-Jan-18
When I started applying for a particular Utah Elk unit in 2004 it took 6 or 7 points to draw as a NR. Last year I did not draw with 13 points. Point creep averages around 2/3’s of a point each year. Worse than any other state I apply in. As BB told me get a hunt ASAP and be done.
From: HDE
19-Jan-18
Point creep in UT really only matters with roughly 50% of the issued permits. The other half, points help a little. If there is only one permit available for a hunt, points help as much as the hunts where 50% are given to the free-for-all pool.
2011 and 2012 a muzzleloader tag in a very premium UT LE unit was drawn twice with no points at all...
From: ELKMAN
19-Jan-18
Agree with charlie. Get a hunt and get out. I would do book cliffs roadless if you have mules. Awesome hunt. My buddy did it last year.
From: IdyllwildArcher
19-Jan-18
BookCliffss roadless would be great with mules. The problem is that his points don't matter much because there's no bonus tag in the unit for archery. Last year's stats show he'd have odds of drawing around 3%, probably just a little less. He could put in for that unit all his life and if they don't increase the NR tags, he could potentially never draw.
From: sticksender
19-Jan-18
The days of counting on points to get you any high-demand hunts as a NR are long gone. If you currently have way less than max points in Utah, IMO the best approach is to simply treat it like a powerball raffle. That is, you can't win if you don't enter, but there's little hope of ever hunting a high-demand unit there in a lifetime. With that approach, you'd apply for the best elk hunts and pray for some crazy luck. Meantime there are plenty of other states where you can have a decent elk hunt every year. My son took this approach with his Utah apps and was one of the lucky ones a few years back when he drew SJ elk in the random. Just dumb luck of course....but if you enter enough states/species and play all the raffles you can find, you could luck out on a couple or three like that in your lifetime.
From: HDE
19-Jan-18
Well, 1:578 for an LE bull in UT is better odds than 1:3,000 for a desert bighorn in NM...
From: 5575
19-Jan-18
This will be my 18th year putting in, first 15 it was my goal to get an archery tag. But with the terrible dates for archery season and where I am at with points now I have decided to hold off for an early rifle hunt. My son drew an LE early rifle tag last year with just 6 pp in southern UT and it turned out to be allot of fun!
From: Coyote 65
19-Jan-18
I am 72, this last year I drew an early rifle AZ tag. For the last 8 years I had put Early bull, rifle and Bow as my second choice. I opted to get an outfitter to help me get a bull out of the woods after it was down. Killing with a rifle or bow was not a problem as I live in the unit I drew from and I know where they are and all the good ambush points.
I still plan on going elk hunting again, but now I will be putting in for easier to draw cow tags. Let someone else get the bugle season tags.
Terry
