‘23 Utah Elk Hunt

Central Mtns, Manti Mid-Rifle Tag

For Todd Richins

HUNT OVERVIEW

Lifelong Hunters Making the Most of a Limited Opportunity

There are few places that offer the experience of the Manti, Central Mountains elk hunt. The largest elk herd in Utah, limited branch bull hunting opportunities, and amazing landscape all lend to the right conditions for a hunt of a lifetime. The factors that could pose challenges are weather, large herds of sheep, and other hunters who are pursuing general season spike elk. The spike elk hunters can also pose as good intel as they look over multiple big bulls in search of spikes.

This Hunt Plan is built around staying mobile & adapting to conditions. 

COMMENTS ON MANTI ELK HUNT

“Hunted Manti a lot over the past 20 years. There are lots of sheep herds on the mountain and they move continually. This pressures the elk to move also. My experience has been that when you look over the country, after knowing where the roads are, ask yourself how far can I get from the roads... that is where you want to go. If you speak spanish, the sheep herders could be the best source of intel.” - Rokslide Member

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“The elk tend to bounce around a bit depending on where the pressure is. I am most familiar with the north end of the unit. There are some nice bulls to be found in some of the not so nice areas to access.” - Rokslide Member

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“Hunt the high stuff between 8000 and 10000 feet. Just about every drainage at that elevation will be holding some elk. If you hear domestic sheep in a canyon, avoid the canyon. The elk typically aren't there while the sheep are there.” - DWNR Biologist Notes

Your Week-Long Game Plan

Hunt: Manti South

The southern end of the Manti, Central Mountains unit in Utah is a great place to start your mid-rifle elk hunt. The terrain here can be more rugged, offering seclusion both for bulls to get old, and for a better quality experience. Plus, there are few sheep allotments on this end of the unit.

You can choose to hunt this area from the bottom up, or the top down. The remaining aspen leaves, pitch of the mountain, and general preferences for glassing uphill or downhill will be game-time decisions that might change your specific approach to these pins.

Hunt: Manti Central

This is the heart of the unit and generally the focal point for hunters chasing elk in the Manti, Central Mountains. Essentially, the Skyline Road that runs through the mountain here is the jumping-off point for checking the east and west-facing basins. Multiple people suggest it’s not a matter of finding elk here, but deciding which elk to go after.
While there are not many “any bull” tags here, there may be additional hunting pressure for spike and cow elk hunters, especially in this part of the unit. Given this, you may want to hunt this central part of the unit on a weekday after the pressure has died down.

Hunt: Manti North

The northern end of the unit offers the most glassing opportunity with large burns from 2018 and 2021. Where the fires burned hottest, there may or may not be enough timbered cover for elk to be in the dead center of these burns. That said, there are a few unburned pockets of aspens and conifers within the fires near water sources. Unless it snows and is cold, one would expect elk to be hanging close to the bits of cover that either are inside the burns or that line the edges of it.

Lastly, it’s tough to tell what parts of the northern unit are accessible via vehicle. Keep in mind, if the burned timber blows down near some of these pins, it could turn an otherwise passable road into a bigger project of cutting and removing logs.

Hunt Plan Breakdown

This video shows you the thought process behind these hunt plans and an approach to hunting them.

Manti, Central Mnts Elk Hunt Video Library

Watch these videos to get a glimpse into previous elk hunt experiences on this unit.