What started as a 5-day elk hunt ended in just one day, taking a 6×2 dropper club bull elk with my hunter Steve.
Day 1 — Racing the Storm
Day 1 began as we headed to our hunting blind near 10,500 feet, trying to beat the fast-approaching storm. A large 6×6 had been spotted in the area the day before.
Driving to the top end of the ranch, we bumped a few raghorns, some moose, and a few deer. We reached the destination, grabbed our gear, and hiked straight to the blind.
Steve hiking through the aspens on the way to the high-country blind.
Shortly after, we spotted a shooter 6×6 but passed on the 400-yard shot—the wind was gusting 20–40 mph. We sat in the blind watching the storms roll in as the wind kept picking up.
I made the call to hike back to the UTV and drop to lower elevation for shorter-range shots that were more protected from the wind.
The Dropper Club Bull
While hiking into the lower blind, we spotted a lone bull. We quickly sized him up: a 6-point with a big old dropper club on his right side.
I asked Steve what he thought. In his words:
“I don’t have one of those on my wall—let’s take him.”
One shot from Steve’s 300 PRC using Hornady 212GR ELDX ammo and the bull was down, in a meadow right next to a road. How lucky can you get?
Steve stayed with the bull while I hiked back to the UTV and drove right up to him.
Utah’s New E-Tag Process
At that point Steve started digging through his pack for his elk tag and hunting license. In Utah, you’re required to notch your tag before moving the animal from the kill site.
As he was digging, I thought this was a perfect time to try Utah’s new e-tag process. Even though we had no phone service, the buggy has Starlink so internet access was no problem.
We immediately notched the paper tag for extra insurance. This was our first time using the e-tag, but here’s how the process went:
- Download the Utah DWR app.
- Download a copy of the hunting license and tag.
Note: Utah will no longer be printing paper hunting licenses—only tags.
- Turn on location services for exact location.
- Take photos of the left antler, right antler, front view, and the animal’s sex.
- Enter the number of points on the left and right, and the inside spread of the antlers.
- Complete a harvest survey with questions like:
- Did you wound any animals?
- Did you wound any that were not recovered?
- How many days did you hunt?
- On a scale of 1–5, how satisfied were you with your hunt?
- Kill date
- Name a drainage harvested
It was just that simple.
Completed Harvest Screens
Additional app views after completion (personal information blurred):
Outfitter Benefits
As the owner of R&K Hunting Company based out of Heber, Utah, two things stood out that could benefit outfitters:
- It automatically completes the hunter’s harvest survey.
- It logs exact GPS coordinates of the kill site. That gives clear proof of the animal’s location if there’s ever any malicious reporting of the kill site—especially useful when an animal is known to travel between properties or is a well-known bull that draws the usual jealousy in the hunting world.
A Successful Hunt on Day One
Clean, straightforward, and the whole hunt wrapped up on day one.
If you’re looking for a western big game hunt in Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, or Mexico, give us a call.
Justin Richins
R&K Hunting Company
(435) 655-5484
thehuntingcompany.com