Harvest success rates

[Sticknastring13]

So reading the annual big game report from 2012 I was looking at harvest success rates. Some of these figures seem way off. For example, on the manti big bull archery hunt there was 99 tags issued. The reported success rate was that 39 bulls were killed. That seems impossibly high to me. I had this tag this year and was unsuccessful. I hunted 12 days and had a few close calls and passed on a rag horn 5. I was never able to make it all come together. I have only seen like 1 manti archery bull posted this year and haven't heard of any others being killed on the archery hunt.

Maybe this was just a really tough year for the manti archery big bull and 2012 was a really good year for the bowhunters on that unit. What do you guys think?

 

[dillon]

I don't think 39% is impossibly high for an archery hunt on the Manti. I would expect it to range between 30-40% over say a 10 year period.

However, I have wondered about published harvest rates on other units in the past. A few years ago my dad had a late season tag on Panguitch Lake and the harvest rate was substantially higher that I thought it should have been after talking to several people with the same tag that year.

I assume that the harvest rates are going to be lower for 2014 than they were in 2013 because of the odd weather that the bow hunters had to work around this year in most areas.

Dillon

 

[huntinfanatic]

The only way the numbers would be off on LE and OIL tags is if hunters lied on their mandatory harvest survey but I doubt it's off by much since successful hunters are asked to send in a tooth for aging. Some years are just better than others.

 

[Ranger1]

Many factors can influence the hunt: moon, weather, moisture, elk numbers, when the actual season started, and for the unit the number of years you go back the closer to the glory days when there were more and bigger bulls being taken. Also another big factor is the state DWR Elk management plan. Many folks were frustrated five to ten years ago because they gave out so few tags so they lowered the age class on majority of units. The hunting was better.

Other big factor it takes less points to draw an archery elk tag now than it did ten years ago so many don't get discouraged year after year getting an unsuccessful letter so there is the potential that many are making their first or second archery hunt (not saying that is your case). I remember in the eighties you could count on hunting a bunch of years before you figured it out and scored on a bull and learned the area.

Sorry you didn't score on a wall hanger. Twelve days you had fun hunt. Next hunt your experience will help you get it done.

 

[mntman]

I think a lot of people feel embarrassed about bulls they shoot on these LE hunts when they aren't as "big" as the next hunters bull, which is why they don't share. No reason to be, they are happy with a punched tag, nothing else matters.

Mntman

"Hunting is where you prove yourself"


>wah wah wah......
a certain individuals response on 8/12/2014 to anyone that commits suicide.
http://www.monstermuleys.info/dcforum/DCForumID11/19864.html
There are many things that would be nice to wish for or say but then I would be just like him.

 

[middlefork]

>I think a lot of people
>feel embarrassed about bulls they
>shoot on these LE hunts
>when they aren't as "big"
>as the next hunters bull,
>which is why they don't
>share. No reason to be,
>they are happy with a
>punched tag, nothing else matters.
>
>
>Mntman
>
>"Hunting is where you prove yourself"
>
>
>
>>wah wah wah......
>a certain individuals response on 8/12/2014
>to anyone that commits suicide.
>
>http://www.monstermuleys.info/dcforum/DCForumID11/19864.html
>There are many things that would
>be nice to wish for
>or say but then I
>would be just like him.
>

There are a lot of LE hunters that don't grace MM with their presence. And a lot that don't post smaller bulls because they might get ridiculed. I know of 2 on a different unit that I seriously doubt anybody but those directly involved will ever know about.

I know on my hunt in 2011 the sucess rate was in the mid to high thirty's and I felt extemely lucky to punch my tag on day 18.

 

[littlebighorn]

I would guess the stats are right, but besides the hunting conditions, they vary significantly as far as who is hunting and how picky they are.
An archery raghorn is a trophy to some and a dink to others.

 

[Sticknastring13]

That's true bighorn. With the quality of bulls we had been seeing, I had a hard time pulling the trigger on a rag 5. Looking back though, I wish I would have dumped him. But I'm content with the tag soup and letting the bull grow up to become mature. It was a hell of an adventure at least.

 

[HIGHMARK]

My brother had the same tag this year and had a great hunt. Lots of close calls a killed a real good bull. My other brother had the same tag in 2012 and it was a lot tougher for him that year. Killed a bull on the second to last night and only had one other close encounter. I know of very few people that frequent this forum anymore, and none of them ever post anything. Like others have said, most feel like they will be made fun of for posting bulls that aren't huge.
This is my brothers bull from this year. First time posting a pic, hope it works. Don't have a pic of the 2012 bull on my phone.