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papajohn

4B north population hunt

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A guy at work got this hunt. He is going up Saturday. The ranchers want them killed. He contacted one rancher and the guy went so far as to send him a map of the ranch with 3 different areas marked "Elk". We'll see how it works out.

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I expect it is a low density hunt, similar to the Hopi hunts. If the rancher has basically done the scouting and handed over the information it should greatly improve the odds of success.

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Well I got a cow first thing this am. In the areas I hunted it was all cows. 4 other hunters (all with cow tags) did not see a single bull or even a spike. One guy saw over 45 the first day in about 4 groups. My tag was any elk (half the tags are any and half are cow) but I really wanted meat. Maybe the bulls are over at Chevalon canyon but tricky to get there on a maze of little roads. I would gladly do this hunt again but just for a meat hunt. I know pretty much where to go to get one now. Met some really good guys too.

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Did you kill on private ground? Were the ranchers cooperative? Also, can you describe the boundaries, I heard they were letting people hunt all the way down to Hutch.

 

Congrats on killing one. My buddy that lives up there is really kicking himself for not turning in the registration this year as they have been seeing some pretty nice bulls recently.

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First, I don't mind giving out my info as this is not the usual type of hunt. If you get the call from G&F I would definitely go.

Camped next to Hutch road about 12 mi. W of 377. Hunted N of of Hutch ( the southern boundary). That area is a checkerboard of State trust, BLM and private. ONX was great for seeing where the boundary's were.

Much of the area is subdivided into mini ranch plots of 40 acres or more in a variety of shapes. Hardly any is fenced and posted. Technically most of the area is considered open range and very few live there year round. Legally you can hunt private if it's not fenced or posted but not within 1/4 mi. of an occupied structure. Knowing if it's occupied is the trick.

Talked to one of the G&F unit guys and he even showed me some areas to hunt including some open private land. We both had ONX maps so that was neat. Elk scattered all through the area but closer to water holes. The game ranger showed some areas that he said had some bulls but it was more north and I tagged out so didn't get a chance to check them out.

I am surprised they don't offer more tags as the few of us picked won't put a dent in the population. A rancher told me a few years ago they had 1300 tags and it was a nightmare so maybe they decided to limit the hunters at one time in the area. I asked the G&F lady how many in the pool to draw names and she said 1300 so don't think you have a good chance to get picked every year, odds are pretty slim. Had a good time (always) for the short time I was there. Would have liked to explore more areas but can't complain.

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I got a call for the second hunt. It was for cow elk. She said terrain was flat with thick juniper & pinon. I was also told about 150 elk in the area. She also stated that the warden anticipated a success rate around 25%. I had just finished up a tough cow elk hunt on a friend's tag in Unit 9. Tough hunt - couldn't pattern anything. We gave up and came home early. I wasn't about to go through that again, so I took a pass on this hunt. Best if luck to all those who decided to plunk down the dollars.

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If anyone wants more detailed info on this area I would be happy to help out. After talking to a rancher, his wife, other hunters and a G&F unit mgr., I learned a lot about the elk in this area. Not as hard of a hunt as you might think plus in all the areas I hunted you can drive right up to your downed elk. I still don't understand why G&F doesn't offer more tags to control the population there as there are tracks everywhere I went.

PM me for info.

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You guys better stop talking about 4B or someone is liable to slap you on the wrist. Only locals are allowed to hunt that unit.

 

And there are no deer there, so dont ask . . ..

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