Plenty of bull elk in the backcountry

Plenty of bull elk are scattered across Utah, but the animals can be tough to find once the general rifle hunt starts.

There's good news for hunters, though — the animals haven't vanished, they're just hiding in the backcountry.

Utah's 2006 general rifle bull elk hunt kicks off Oct. 7.

Elk are doing great

"The weather has been excellent for elk over the past three years, and most of the herds in Utah are doing great," says Craig McLaughlin, big game coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources. "Currently, there's more than 60,000 elk in Utah, so we're closing in on our goal of 68,400 elk. If these wet winters and springs continue, elk numbers should continue to climb."

McLaughlin says some of the areas in Utah that have the greatest number of elk include the Central Mountains (Manti) and Wasatch Mountains units in central Utah; the South Slope, Yellowstone unit in northeastern Utah; and the Plateau, Fish Lake/Thousand Lakes unit in south-central Utah.

There's also plenty of elk on the Morgan, South Rich unit in northern Utah, but this unit consists almost entirely of private land and written permission must be obtained from landowners before hunting on it.

Head to the backcountry — that's where the elk are

Most of Utah's elk hunting takes place on spike-only units, where hunters may take only spike bulls. Plenty of spike bulls are available, but the animals can be tough to find.

"The success rate on these units averages about 18 percent," McLaughlin says. "That's not a high success rate, but fortunately hunters can do several things to up their chances."

McLaughlin says the key is to get off the roads and into the backcountry. Unless it gets cold and snowy before the hunt, he says elk will be at higher elevations and will be scattered when the season opens Oct. 7. To find the animals, hunters need to get out of their vehicles and into the backcountry areas where the elk are.

"Elk are smart, wary and sensitive to hunting pressure," McLaughlin says. "As soon as the shooting starts on opening day, they head into the backcountry areas and into the thickest cover they can find. If you want to be successful, you've got to head into the backcountry and find them."

The general season rifle hunt also occurs during the rut (breeding period) when mature bulls are gathering groups of cow elk. These large bulls will chase off any spike bull they see, and that forces the smaller spikes into the cover.

"I think the larger bulls scare the spike bulls as much as the hunters do," McLaughlin says. "Unless you get into the backcountry areas where these spikes are hiding, you're probably not going to see many. If you do get into the backcountry, though, you'll probably be among the 18 percent who take a spike bull this year."

OHV map — don't leave home without one

The most important reminder McLaughlin has is for hunters using off-highway vehicles. "If you'll be using an off-highway vehicle, it's critical that you obtain an OHV riding map for the area you'll be hunting," he said. "These maps are available from the agency — usually the U.S. Forest Service or the Bureau of Land Management — that manages the land you'll be hunting.

"We're receiving more and more complaints that OHVs are being taken into areas where it isn't legal to use them," he said. "Taking OHVs into these areas damages the habitat elk depend on, disturbs and scatters the animals and ruins the hunting experience for other hunters."

McLaughlin also encourages hunters to do some preseason scouting and to check the boundary descriptions for the areas they'll be hunting. Boundary descriptions are found in the 2006 Utah Big Game Proclamation. The proclamation is available at the DWR Web site (www.wildlife.utah.gov) and from hunting license agents and DWR offices.

For more information, call the nearest Division of Wildlife Resources office or the DWR's Salt Lake City office at (801) 538-4700.