Northern Region General Any Legal Weapon
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BaldBeaver
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Northern Region General Any Legal Weapon
Ok, so here goes. I was initially planning on purchasing an OTC tag for elk/rifle. However it will conflict with helping a friend on his rubies tag in Nevada. Looks like I will be purchasing a OTC northern general rifle tag for deer. I am looking at going to box elder, unless someone could convince me of a better place to go that walking some distance would get me into better bucks and away from the crowds. It doesnt seem as though the grouse creek area has much of an oppurtunity to get away from the roads. Am I mistaken. I am from out of sate, and currently stationed with the Air Force in southern nevada. Due to this fact, getting alot of time to scout different areas is next to impossible. Need to pick the area I am going to go to first, then get one good scouting trip in between now and then. Any help would be greatly appreciated. 
Re: Northern Region General Any Legal Weapon
BB (great/funny handle!),
The Grouse and Raft River Mountains are definately heavily hunted, with lots of roads/ATV trails that are used during the rifle hunt, but so are most other Northern general hunts. You will have to contend with a lot of private ground that cuts off access to public lands above and around it. That being said, I would do a ton of scouting via telephone and maps. Locate the private areas and count on any dirt road or trail to be used by hunters. Plan your hunt around them. You will be able to find isolated areas (nasty, steep and rough) where the bucks will go when the shooting starts. They will be a mile or two away from the heaviest traffic, but they are there. Look at coming in from the west side of the Grouse Mtns.
Even up on the Monte you will find a crap load of hunters and ATV's to deal with. Just remember the great majority of hunters using them will not venture more than a couple hundred yards from any road, use that to your advantage. If you are looking more for a isolated long hike hunt away from most crowds, think about the High Uinta Wilderness areas, its pretty darn big. Problem there is the tons of lodge pole pine forests that provide little food for the critters, so the deer are scattered and fewer...but it's a cool experience. Most of the hunters who hunt there camp at the bottom of the main drainages then hunt up a mile are so. There are some that go horseback, but not many. What bucks you find there will be, for the most part, mature.
Best of luck to you, and thank you for your service!
The Grouse and Raft River Mountains are definately heavily hunted, with lots of roads/ATV trails that are used during the rifle hunt, but so are most other Northern general hunts. You will have to contend with a lot of private ground that cuts off access to public lands above and around it. That being said, I would do a ton of scouting via telephone and maps. Locate the private areas and count on any dirt road or trail to be used by hunters. Plan your hunt around them. You will be able to find isolated areas (nasty, steep and rough) where the bucks will go when the shooting starts. They will be a mile or two away from the heaviest traffic, but they are there. Look at coming in from the west side of the Grouse Mtns.
Even up on the Monte you will find a crap load of hunters and ATV's to deal with. Just remember the great majority of hunters using them will not venture more than a couple hundred yards from any road, use that to your advantage. If you are looking more for a isolated long hike hunt away from most crowds, think about the High Uinta Wilderness areas, its pretty darn big. Problem there is the tons of lodge pole pine forests that provide little food for the critters, so the deer are scattered and fewer...but it's a cool experience. Most of the hunters who hunt there camp at the bottom of the main drainages then hunt up a mile are so. There are some that go horseback, but not many. What bucks you find there will be, for the most part, mature.
Best of luck to you, and thank you for your service!
Re: Northern Region General Any Legal Weapon
+1, I've heard the same thing but im sure there are some good bucks up there.lobowatch wrote:The Grouse and Raft River Mountains are definately heavily hunted, with lots of roads/ATV trails that are used during the rifle hunt, but so are most other Northern general hunts. You will have to contend with a lot of private ground that cuts off access to public lands above and around it.
One area I've looked at a little bit is the Mt. Naomi wilderness, east of of Logan. I have never been there but its an area i'm trying to plan a scouting trip to this summer. I'm not sure what its like during the rifle hunt but it looks like it has some potential for some good archery bucks. Ill let you know what I see if i'm able to get up there sometime. And I dont think youll have to much of a problem with the crowds if you get back into the wilderness area a ways.
I found this picture while doing some virtual scouting of the grouse creek area on google earth. The middle ones an awesome buck. If this was indeed taken on the Grouse Creek Range there are obviously some big bucks there its just finding out where they go when the pressure hits, it could be private property but its worth checking in to.
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BaldBeaver
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Re: Northern Region General Any Legal Weapon
Yeah I saw that photo as well and he is a dandy buck. I know there are some others that show a huge herd in some alfalfa fields. Would be nice though.