Elk: 2008 Calls for Monster Bulls

Elk: 2008 Calls for Monster Bulls
2007 was great…could 2008 be even better?

By Steve Chappell

As I write this article, it’s early April and the Arizona draw results for elk were released about ten days ago. The excitement is high right now as I visit with hunters and friends that were fortunate enough to draw elk tags.

This year, I wasn’t one of those fortunate ones, but that’s OK. Last year the draws were very kind to me and allowed me to draw archery tags in Arizona and Utah. I’ll be sharing my experiences of those hunts in an upcoming issue of HI.

The year of 2007 was certainly a year that will go down in history as one of the greatest elk years ever here in the Southwest. In Arizona, the hunter with the auction tags for 2006 and 2007 tagged two 420-inch class bulls within a few days of each other. There were also several other 400-inch plus bulls taken during the fall archery and rifle seasons that I know of.

This year the 2008 Arizona Elk Auction tag sold for a record $195,000. That is incredible and goes to show that we are in for another great elk year in 2008. Utah also produced quite a few bulls this past season that eclipsed the 400-inch mark and then some. Utah produced an amazing 443-inch archery bull that is the potential new number one bull from the Beehive State.

This year has a lot to live up to compared with last year; but, from all indications, we are in for another incredible elk year. The late fall and early winter had me concerned due to a lack of moisture; weather predictions for the Southwest were calling for a dryer than normal winter. Thankfully, weather forecasts aren’t always accurate as we all know. The winter weather changed for the better after Christmas and we were blessed with great moisture. In the Payson and Heber area of Arizona, two friends of mine measured over six inches of moisture in a ten-day period. The Mogollon Rim south of Heber was blanketed in heavy snow up until very recently. Due to this heavy snowpack, I am predicting better than normal range conditions for the spring and summer months which will equate to maximum antler growth for the bulls and an active fall rut. Just yesterday I saw three mature bulls running together that had just started growing their new sets of antlers for the 2008 season. They were obviously enjoying the new spring growth that was starting to green up.
Now that we know that the range conditions should be favorable, let’s discuss what I believe is another important issue for a quality elk hunt - hunt dates.

In Arizona, the archery season should be stellar this year with the season starting on September 12th and running through the 25th. My experience over many Arizona archery seasons tells me that these dates are perfect and coincide with great rutting/bugling activity. The full moon falls on the 15th, so that will somewhat impact the early part of the hunt; however, I believe the hunting will be awesome - especially during the second week of the hunt. The early rifle hunt runs for seven days starting on the 26th of September. The timing of this season couldn’t be better. I predict that the hunters who were lucky enough to draw one of the limited tags for this hunt will be very satisfied. Late hunts, regardless of the unit, can be a challenge. Just because you’ve drawn an Arizona elk tag doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ve got a “trophy tag.” These hunts have the potential to yield some good bulls, but generally aren’t known for high success or big bulls.

The state of Arizona does a great job managing its elk herd. Although just about any unit is capable of producing a Boone & Crockett bull, several units are managed for high bull to cow ratios and an older age class of bulls. In these units, on normal moisture years, the bulls rut hard and good calling can produce results, not to mention a very memorable hunt.

New Mexico’s outlook should prove to be outstanding as well. The Land of Enchantment is also home to some monster bulls. New Mexico offers three archery seasons in several units, two in others, and also one extended archery season for certain units. All of these archery hunts occur in September. In general, the hunts starting from the 11th and 19th of September are considered to be best due to better rutting activity during the hunts.

New Mexico also has muzzleloader and rifle hunts that occur early enough in October that a hunter should have the opportunity to hunt bugling bulls. As with Arizona, the later hunts are typically harder to score on big bulls. Look for New Mexico to also produce book bulls during the 2008 season thanks to the great winter.

Utah has become known as the land of the giants. In recent years, Utah has surpassed even Arizona and has become known for its incredible bull elk. The major hurdle with Utah is obtaining a tag. Quality Utah tags are extremely hard to come by, especially for non-residents. Expect to apply for many years in order to hunt the trophy bulls that Utah has to offer. Utah’s archery season is generous as far as total days, but is stingy about giving archers an opportunity to hunt much during the rut. With the season starting in August and running until September 12th this year, the best hunting will most likely be during the last week of the hunt. Utah’s rut rifle tags are the premier tag since the hunt takes place from mid-September into late-September. These hunts are phenomenal and produce the bulk of the monster bulls coming from this state. Utah also offers muzzleloaders the chance to hunt during the rut. The muzzy hunt occurs in early October catching the tail end of the rut. Utah also has late hunts. Again, big bulls are more vulnerable during the rut, but Utah should produce some big bulls on all hunts this year. Although a 443-inch bull will be hard to top, look for Utah to rewrite the record books again in the fall of 2008.

Other states in the West should also have a great year for elk. Nevada, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana should all fare very well this year. I predict that 2008 will be a year that will rewrite the record books for elk. Enjoy the benefits of this great moisture since we don’t always get it. Always remember that the most important things about an elk hunt are the friendships, the time spent enjoying the beautiful creation, and the memories made while pursuing what I believe to be the most majestic creature on this earth. If you keep this in mind, the harvesting of a bull elk is just icing on the cake.

Tags: arizona, elk, HI36, new mexico, Steve Chappell, utah

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