Sorry in advance the audio is terrible on this one !
Title: Elk Hunting in Southern Utah with DC Outfitters
Show Notes:
As a guide and outfitter for elk and mule deer in southern Utah, Ryan Carter is a master at finding what he’s looking for. We talk about his techniques for how he manages to snag so many big animals, how he uses water to track down bull elks, and compare notes on Arizona and Utah.
Ryan says he does a lot more pre-scouting than most outfitters. This might include cameras, tracking, or returning to areas where he knows he can the right sized herds. He looks for units based on age class, and he shares how that approach really helps him.
In his part of Utah, using water to track the herds is a crucial part of his pre-scouting method. He also tends to focus on bedding areas and food to help him find the elk. He talks about how elk move differently across the terrain, and how that affects where he looks for them. Water and wind are huge parts in the elk game and ignoring them will make it harder to find that trophy bull.
Elk go on a rotation just like other animals do, but it’s just a much bigger rotation schedule. Sometimes Ryan finds that hunters just don’t wait long enough for the elk to come back around. He talks about how the rut changes the behavior of the elk, and why Labor Day should change the way you’re tracking them down.
The water situation is a major difference in Arizona and Utah elk hunting. But there are some similarities as well. We talk about the impact of rain in Arizona on the elk hunt. Ryan and I have both noticed how rain patterns and the size of bulls are linked, so we speculate on how the units look this year.
What’s Inside:
Hunting elk before and after Labor Day shouldn’t look the same.
How Ryan uses technology to find elk.
The three things that Ryan looks for when he’s scouting for elk.
Our predictions for what the bull elks will look like next year in Utah and Arizona.
Mentioned in this Episode:
Days in the Wild on itunes
Days in the Wild on Podbean
Phoenix Shooting Bags
DC Outfitters
Ryan Carter on Instagram
Short Description:
Ryan Carter has managed to snag a lot of big animals as he’s hunted across southeastern Utah. He runs his own outfit, and I talk with him about his techniques for finding the biggest bulls. We compare the differences between Arizona and Utah hunting grounds, and we talk about what we expect to see this next year in elk hunting.
Tags:
elk shed hunting, elk hunting in Utah, hunting during the rut, finding bull elks, elk outfitters, tracking elk in Utah, elk hunting in Arizona