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Show Good Numbers Of Bull Elk Await Hunters In Utah SALT LAKE CITY Good numbers of bull elk will await hunters in the forests of Utah when the state's general bull elk hunt opens Saturday, Oct. 9. As is the case when hunting elk, those who know the area they're going to hunt, and have done some preseason scouting, will be those success. "Elk hunting is not like deer hunting," said Mike Welch, big game coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources. "Elk are a lot more secretive and they move significant distances," Welch said. To locate elk and determine their travel patterns, hunters need to scout before the season. It helps to do so in an area the hunter is already al-ready familiar with. "The most successful hunters will be those who hunt areas they've hunted in the past," Welch said. Hunters who scout areas they're familiar with should expect to see bull elk numbers similar to last year, Welch said. From surveys it conducted last winter, the Division estimated the total elk population in Utah last winter at 61,501 animals. That's up almost 1,000 from the 60,577 elk estimated in Utah during the winter of 1997 - 1998 and only about 4,000 animals shy of a statewide objective of 65,449. Elk hunters who haven't purchased pur-chased their permit yet may choose between an any bull unit permit or a spike bull unit permit, both of which remain available for the " up--coming hunt. Hunters who purchase an any bull unit permit are reminded that they may not hunt on a spike bull unit. Likewise, hunters who purchase pur-chase a spike bull unit permit may not hunt on an any bull unit. Both any bull and spike bull unit permit holders also are reminded re-minded that they may not hunt on limited entry bull elk units and are encouraged to learn limited entry unit boundaries before going afield. Welch also reminds elk hunters that written permission must be obtained before hunting private property, and to be careful with fires. "Fire danger is a concern," Welch said. "The fuel load is high and if a fire gets started, it will be hard to stop." Success rates for general season elk hunters in the Southern Region should be pretty similar to last year, said Southern Region Wildlife Manager Jeff Grandison. "We should have a good spike bull hunt," Grandison said. For the third straight year, a good crop of calves was produced in 1998. "There should be lots of yearlings year-lings available again this year," Grandison said. Grandison expects hunting to be slightly better this year on the Beaver Bea-ver and the Boulder, Plateau spike only units. He said elk populations on the two units are below management man-agement objectives, but are slowly increasing. Elk numbers on the Fiahlake portion of the Plateau unit have been higher than the number called for in management plans and increased in-creased numbers of cow elk have been taken over the past two years, to bring elk numbers back down. Because of this, hunters may see slightly fewer yearling bull elk on the Fishlake, Plateau unit this season, sea-son, Grandison said. Bull elk numbers on the region's re-gion's Zion any bull unit are at management objective but hunters are cautioned that tlhe unit consists almost entirely of private property. "Unless you know a landowner in the Zion unit who will give you permission to hunt, don't even bother going there," Grandison said. Success rates for the 1998 general gen-eral season in the Southern Region were 15 percent on the Fishlake, (See ELK HUNT on page 5-A) ELK HUNT From Front Page Plateau unit; 13 percent on the Boulder, Plateau unit; 13 percent on the Beaver unit; and 7 percent on the Zion unit. Grandison said those who are familiar with the area they'll be hunting will have the best chance of taking an elk, because they know where elk are traditionally located during the hunt. "Traditional areas are used by elk each year and hunters who know these areas find the most success," Grandison said. |