Question for fellow MM?s on the Utah Draw / Elk hunts.

[SoutherBowhunter]

I have been out of the hunting loop for awhile so I apologize if anything I include is incorrect.

When I last applied for a LE tag I was only allowed to select one species to apply for. What is the reasoning behind this? If the FG is looking to make money wouldn't it make sense to allow a hunter to apply for all LE species? Most hunter I know would apply for all LE tags greatly increasing revenue without the FG having to do anything. I know this would make it a bit harder to draw some of the LE tags but to help alleviate the problem they could put a rule in place that you can only draw one LE tag per a year as well as take tags back from groups like the hunting expo and put them back into the draw system. If you end up drawing two tags you keep the one you have the most points for and the other goes back into the draw.

Now to the elk hunt.

I have heard good and bad things about the spike hunt and the general units. Why don't them limit the number of tags given for the spike hunts / general season elk hunts to a certain units. Wouldn?t they be able to better regulate the number of animals taken off the spike units if they are giving out only a certain number of tags based on animal numbers. Same applies with the general units. They are already pretty well broken up. If they allocated tags based on animal numbers wouldn't this help people have a better quality hunt?

I am all for hunting every year being in the field with my family and enjoying my time outdoors. I wouldn't trade the memories I have from hunts with my father my wife and my infant daughter ( I packed her in two miles on last year?s bow hunt open just to have her with me )for anything. I just hope when my little girl is old enough these opportunities are still available for her.

I would also like to hear from folks from other states so I am posting this in the general forum.

Let's hear everyone?s opinions. As to why this would or wouldn't work it's just something I have thought about a lot.

 

[txhunter58]

LAST EDITED ON Jan-09-13 AT 05:49PM (MST)[p]
I make the assumption you are a resident of Utah??

NONresidents can currently apply for multiple species but residents can not. I WOULD GLADLY SWAP THIS WITH YOU! I was getting closer to drawing an elk tag when they made the change, and now my odds have gone to heck since all the people only putting in for a deer point are now doing elk too. The one I really wanted to draw I was down to less than a 1 in 100 chance. Now, I am at about 1 in 500, so I have had to regroup and put in for a lesser unit.

So Utah gets more money from us, but gives nothing back. Because it is as you say: we can only draw one tag a year. So even though I put in for both elk and deer, if I draw one, I am taken out of the drawing for the other. So they get more money from us without giving us anything in return.

As far as which tag you get to keep, you get to keep the one you draw first. And currently deer drawing comes before elk, so if you draw a deer, that is it and you don't get a chance at drawing an elk. So, since I really want to go elk hunting the most, I put in for a Henry's deer tag. If I get one, that is one that would be worth putting off an elk hunt for. But guess what, the Henry's odds have gone to crap because of that! Not that they were ever good.

What I would like to see as a change of this policy is to continue to let us apply for multiple spieces, but for only one hunt. In other words, I would put in for a elk hunt, but a deer point. That way, they still get their money, but I get better odds. We both win!
txhunter58

venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)

 

[SoutherBowhunter]

Thank you for your comments and knowledge on this txhunter58.

I am a current Utah resident. I assumed it would make the draw odds more difficult for any given species but was unaware of how great the impact would be. Again I appreciate the reply. I haven't looked into how other states do there draws and have always been curios why Utah chooses to do theirs the way they do. And don't get me wrong I am not complaining about the draw system, other than never drawing a tag, just curios why its ran the way it is. I am sitting on 14 elk points so I will be able to put in for deer soon enough. Thank you again for taking the time to respond.