Hunters should find lots of elk this season

When the 2005 general bull elk hunt opens early Saturday, those hunters willing to get away from the roads and hunt the backcountry can expect to see more elk, especially spike bulls.

"2004 was a great year for elk in Utah. Lots of elk were born that spring, and most of those calves made it through this past winter," said Craig McLaughlin, big-game coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources.

That's a big change from hunts in 2000 through 2003, when drought conditions forced the DWR to issue more cow elk permits to try to keep elk populations within numbers their habitat could support.

Wet weather during the past year and a half has provided excellent forage for elk, and the DWR has been able to issue fewer cow elk permits.

Currently, there are about 59,000 elk in Utah. The elk-management objective is 68,400 elk.

"If these wet winters and springs continue, elk numbers should continue to climb," McLaughlin said.

"Elk will be at higher elevations and will likely be scattered. 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. As soon as the shooting starts on opening day, they head into backcountry areas and into the thickest cover they can find. If you want to find success, you've got to head into the backcountry areas and find them."

For those using off-highway vehicles, he pointed out that it's critical owners obtain an OHV riding map for the area they plan to hunt.

The maps are available from the U.S. Forest Service or the Bureau of Land Management, whichever happens to be managing the hunting unit.

"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 2005 Utah Big Game Proclamation. The proclamation is available on the DWR Web site — wildlife.utah.gov — and from hunting license agents and DWR offices.