[Modemer]

Hi all, I'm new to hunting. I have a general season any bull elk archery tag. Some people have told me that I can hunt spike bulls on the any bull units while others say they can only be hunted on the spike bull units. So I guess my question is... What can I hunt on a bull elk unit? Cow, spike and bull?

Perhaps the dwr would be more useful if they didn't refer me back to the guidebook that I told them I was referencing.

Thanks!

 

[willfish4food]

On an "any bull" unit you can hunt any elk - spike, branch antlered bull, or cow. On a Spike only unit you can hunt a spike or cow.

From the guide book (page 21 of the field regs):

If you obtain a general-season archery elk
permit, you may use archery equipment to
take only one of the following animals:
• One elk of either sex on a general-season
any bull elk unit
• An antlerless elk or a spike bull elk on a
general-season spike bull elk unit
• Only a spike bull on the Book Cliffs unit
• One elk of either sex on the extended
archery areas (see details below)
You may not hunt within elk CWMUs.

 

[nocturnalenemy]

You actually have a general season archery elk tag. The "Any Bull" or "Spike" designation is for the any weapon and muzzleloader hunts.

The answer to your question is in the guidebook, just like they told you. Read all of pages 20-21. A spike is a bull and can be taken on either of the units. Branch antlered bulls can only be hunted on the Any Bull units.

http://wildlife.utah.gov/guidebooks/2015_pdfs/2015_field_regs_low.pdf

If you obtain a general-season archery elk
permit, you may use archery equipment to
take only one of the following animals:
•One elk of either sex on a general-season
any bull elk unit
•An antlerless elk or a spike bull elk on a
general-season spike bull elk unit
•Only a spike bull on the Book Cliffs unit

 

[willfish4food]

Or you can shoot a calf if you so desire...

The regs say one elk of either sex on an any bull unit. They do not make exceptions for type of antlers (spike or branched), nor do they specify mature cow.

Good luck!

 

[nocturnalenemy]

willfish4food beat me to it!

 

[willfish4food]

willfish4food beat me to it!

Ya gotta be quick! ;-)

Or have no life.

 

[Modemer]

Thanks everyone for the quick reply. That is pretty much the way I understood the regs. But after listening to some people talking about what "they" thought it meant I called the DWR several times and got different answers. Frustrating.

 

[400BULL]

I think that you might be getting confused with the unit designation. With and "Any Bull" tag you can hunt units designated as an "Any Bull" unit, you cannot hunt units that are designated as "Spike Only" units. The opposite is true with the "Spike Only" tag, you can only hunt units that are designated as "Spike only", you cannot hunt "Any Bull" units.

With an archery "Any Bull" tag you can harvest any elk, that includes Branched antlered, spike, and anterless elk. With an archery "Spike Only" tag you can harvest a spike or an anterless elk. Branched antlered elk are off limits with a Spike Only tag.

400bull

 

[willfish4food]

I think that you might be getting confused with the unit designation. With and "Any Bull" tag you can hunt units designated as an "Any Bull" unit, you cannot hunt units that are designated as "Spike Only" units. The opposite is true with the "Spike Only" tag, you can only hunt units that are designated as "Spike only", you cannot hunt "Any Bull" units.

With an archery "Any Bull" tag you can harvest any elk, that includes Branched antlered, spike, and anterless elk. With an archery "Spike Only" tag you can harvest a spike or an anterless elk. Branched antlered elk are off limits with a Spike Only tag.

400bull

Yeah. A lot of people don't know that the rules for general season archery elk tags are different from general season rifle tags. Leads to a lot of confusion.

EDIT: 400bull, I just re read your response. There's no such thing as an "any bull archery" tag or a "spike only archery" tag. There's just a "general season archery elk tag". And it's good for the any bull and spike units as well as the extended archery units.

 

[Modemer]

Yeah. A lot of people don't know that the rules for general season archery elk tags are different from general season rifle tags. Leads to a lot of confusion.

I think that was part of the confusion when I called. The lady I talked to was really nice, but didn't seem to understand that I had an Archery tag that says Any Bull Units: 8/15-9/11 AND Spike Only units: 8/15-9/4/15.

To me a spike is a bull, is a bull..... and can be hunted on an Any bull unit. She made it sound like it HAD to be a spike only unit.

 

[nocturnalenemy]

I think that you might be getting confused with the unit designation. With and "Any Bull" tag you can hunt units designated as an "Any Bull" unit, you cannot hunt units that are designated as "Spike Only" units. The opposite is true with the "Spike Only" tag, you can only hunt units that are designated as "Spike only", you cannot hunt "Any Bull" units.

With an archery "Any Bull" tag you can harvest any elk, that includes Branched antlered, spike, and anterless elk. With an archery "Spike Only" tag you can harvest a spike or an anterless elk. Branched antlered elk are off limits with a Spike Only tag.

400bull

See this is where the confusion starts. Archery elk tags are not given the "Any Bull" or "Spike" designation. Archery elk tags are good for the entire state with the only restriction being no branched antlered bulls in the Spike only portions of the state.

Any weapon and muzzleloader tags are only good in the areas for which the tags says, Any Bull or Spike.

 

[400BULL]

Nocturnalenemy,

You are correct... My bad!

 

[nocturnalenemy]

Nocturnalenemy,

You are correct... My bad!

No worries!

 

[johnnycake]

Just watch out and don't shoot Argus, the famous bull elk that lives on [insert national park here]! He is an icon that is the bedrock of the tourist industry in [insert town nobody's heard of here].