Manti Muzzy Elk 2024

[Ac300win]

Super stoked to have drawn a muzzy tag for 2024 as a non resident after 24 years of applying for early rifle. Grew up in Midvale and our group has hunted the area for generations.

We had an early rifle tag in our group last year and had a good hunt with a nice older age class bull (8 yrs old) on the 4th day. We struggled finding bulls over 330 and consistently saw poor tops and mass above the G-4’s. That 5 day hunt was tough mentally and decided a longer season with the smoke pole was good choice to take advantage of a relatively mild winter and the abundance of stunted bulls we saw last year.

Anticipating a great horn growth year and hoping for some inspiration from those that haven been spending time in the central-south end of the unit.

Going to be a great experience with close family and friends. Trying to mentally prepare and not worry too much about inches and staying focused on finding precision with this smoke pole.

 

[elkhunterUT]

Good luck to you-should be a great year to have a tag and if I had a choice, I would take the muzzy tag as well.

 

[Vanilla]

I’d love to have that tag in my pocket this year! Any year you get to chase big bulls is a good year, but I think this year might be exceptionally good on the Manti. And the muzzy dates almost always have the best rut action.

Best of luck!

 

[Ac300win]

I’d love to have that tag in my pocket this year! Any year you get to chase big bulls is a good year, but I think this year might be exceptionally good on the Manti. And the muzzy dates almost always have the best rut action.

Best of luck!

Agreed, good moon phase as well!

 

[MuskegMan]

Hope you smoke a nice one with your smoke pole

 

[MACK13]

Congrats on your tag Ac300win, my brother drew the same tag as well and we are excited.

Good luck to you!

 

[Ac300win]

Congrats on your tag Ac300win, my brother drew the same tag as well and we are excited.

Good luck to you!

Thanks and luck to you as well. Hearing some reports of good antler starts. Be interesting see if the oak crop is similar to last year

 

[Ac300win]

 

[MACK13]

View attachment 147119

Is that a pic of last years rifle hunt?

 

[elkassassin]

I'm Perty Sure If you Had Hit A Few Banquets & Whipped Your Pocket Book Out You Could Be Hunting It This Year!

For A Nominal F'N Fee!

I’d love to have that tag in my pocket this year! Any year you get to chase big bulls is a good year, but I think this year might be exceptionally good on the Manti. And the muzzy dates almost always have the best rut action.

Best of luck!

 

[Ac300win]

Is that a pic of last years rifle hunt?

It’s an Oregon bull from a few years ago. I hadn’t asked to load last yrs bull

 

[Ac300win]

You are probably right Sassy

 

[MACK13]

It’s an Oregon bull from a few years ago. I hadn’t asked to load last yrs bull

Copy, was going to say you guys got some early snow!

Are you a fellow Oregonian?

 

[Ac300win]

Yeah Mack. Oldest son’s Emily bull. I’m in NE Oregon. Where abouts are you? Just learned that our resident party has an archery and two early rifle tags for Manti. Hope they leave a good one for me.So much for trying to stagger tags…

 

[MACK13]

Yeah Mack. Oldest son’s Emily bull. I’m in NE Oregon. Where abouts are you? Just learned that our resident party has an archery and two early rifle tags for Manti. Hope they leave a good one for me.So much for trying to stagger tags…

Nice! I'm in Albany/Corvallis area, was born in SLC and raised in southern Idaho. Wow... three tags that is cool, you guys will be busy!
Yeah, save us one if you can! My cousin from Utah has an archery tag as well.

Good luck to you guys this year.

 

[CC11]

Should be a great hunt! Looking forward to getting down there this year!

 

[Ac300win]

Should be a great hunt! Looking forward to getting down there this year!

Be here before you know it.

Been hearing of some good bine growth.

 

[Ringneks]

Plenty of feed up there this year. Good luck on your hunt.

 

[Ac300win]

Thanks Ringneks!

Hoping the sheep and cattle don’t annihilate the mtn like last year

 

[Tikka]

Thanks Ringneks!

Hoping the sheep and cattle don’t annihilate the mtn like last year

I think you meant “like every year”

 

[Ac300win]

True that Tikka. I hadn’t been on the mountain for a few years until last fall and it seemed worse than I remember.

 

[FairweatherHTR]

There is a good mix of various age class bulls from what I saw on the mountain two years ago. My wife had the multi season tag and the rut was going strong. I also had a muzzleloader expo tag a couple of years before that. The sheep were all over on both hunts but toward the end of the muzzleloader they start moving them off of the mountain which can create a lot of commotion but the elk are used to it and just move over to the next canyon.

 

[Tikka]

There is a good mix of various age class bulls from what I saw on the mountain two years ago. My wife had the multi season tag and the rut was going strong. I also had a muzzleloader expo tag a couple of years before that. The sheep were all over on both hunts but toward the end of the muzzleloader they start moving them off of the mountain which can create a lot of commotion but the elk are used to it and just move over to the next canyon. View attachment 150751View attachment 150752

Was somebody looking at horns through the scope? Nice bull...

 

[3TOE]

Was somebody looking at horns through the scope? Nice bull...

I saw that too… lol
It happens!

 

[FairweatherHTR]

Was somebody looking at horns through the scope? Nice bull...

Yeah all 3 shots sounded like meat hits to me and I was trying to coach so I can only guess which one hit antler.

 

[Ac300win]

Great bull, stuff happens in the moment lol. Congrats to your wife

 

[Ac300win]

My utah brothers have been putting some time on glass and picking up some smaller bulls. Fingers crossed we can find the needle in the haystack

 

[Ac300win]

 

[Ac300win]

So you’ve waited for 24 years….Based on what you know about the Manti are you shooting either of these bulls early in the hunt this year

 

[MACK13]

Yes & Yes

 

[elkhunterUT]

Both are definite shooters in my mind on the Manti unit. Best of luck to you - hope you get one of them and come back and share it here!!

 

[Vanilla]

I would be stoked about killing either of those bulls!

 

[Ac300win]

Thanks guys. I like the looks of the first bull. Glassed long distances but fronts and beam length look good.

Bulls are starting to crank up and becoming more visible. Buddies son took a very nice archery 6pt this past weekend. Big guys are gonna start showing themselves. Muzzy is dialed and heading for Utah in a couple weeks.

 

[MACK13]

Thanks guys. I like the looks of the first bull. Glassed long distances but fronts and beam length look good.

Bulls are starting to crank up and becoming more visible. Buddies son took a very nice archery 6pt this past weekend. Big guys are gonna start showing themselves. Muzzy is dialed and heading for Utah in a couple weeks.
View attachment 156878

Brother has dialed in as well, will be taking off in couple weeks as well, good luck to you and maybe we will run into each other.

 

[Ac300win]

Mack send your gps pt of the 350 bull you locate

 

[MACK13]

Mack send your gps pt of the 350 bull you locate

Will do!!

 

[Ac300win]

2024 Utah muzzy elk in the books on day 2. Great hunt with life long friends and family in gods country. We Christened this bull Lucky 9 as he was the herd bull and 9th that came into my two boys rutfest that started at 12:45 and ended at 1:50pm. Didn’t have much time to size him up but lucky enough to slip one in the boiler at 55 yards.

Overall great hunt. We called in 14 bulls in a day and a half. Hunting in tight cover we had multiple branched bulls in longbow range. As expected, tough finding older age class bulls. This guy was last guy out. He was likely keeping his bedded cows corralled while the circus was going on above him with all the crazy satellite bulls running around. We had a split second to decide to shoot and happy we made the call. We knew this bull was in the area but he hadn’t been seen for several days apparently staying in a deep canyon after the rifle hunt.

Very grateful to have both my sons with me and buddies that made this a great adventure. Cant wait to return home turf in the future.

View attachment 159302View attachment 159302

 

[Ac300win]

 

[Silentstalker]

That’s a great bull! Congrats!

 

[elkhunterUT]

Congrats on a great looking bull!

 

[Ranger1]

Great-looking bull! Congrats!

 

[buxnbullz]

Congrats, that's awesome!

 

[Tikka]

Beautiful picture!

 

[LIK2HNT]

Great bull
Nice picture and everyone is even smiling!!
Everyone should still smiling after the pack out too.

 

[Ac300win]

Beautiful picture!

Thanks Tikka. That was a sweet spot and we had a great photographer

 

[Ac300win]

Great bull
Nice picture and everyone is even smiling!!
Everyone should still smiling after the pack out too.

Fortunately we were. Wasn’t to bad getting him out boned. An absolute beast of a body. Buddy is a taxidermist and I think he said the neck was 42” but don’t quote me on that because of the late festivities

 

[Wapitiwilly]

Heck of a Bull, definitely a gagger for the Manti.
Congratulations

 

[Vanilla]

Really cool! Nice work. Congrats on a great bull.

 

[Focoelkman]

That’s fantastic- great bull and thanks for sharing!