Why so down on general hunts?

[Loafer]

I don't think most people are down on general hunts its just disapointing to miss out on the opportunities that are availiable in draw units. Its pretty much the same reasoning that makes you jump up and down when you finally draw a covetted draw tag and you get to take advantage of the opportunities in a draw unit.

[Sniper1]

Im never down about any hunt.. Given a limited entry hunt is always fun knowing that most days if you hunt you will see big animals... But i have found that if you are willing to hunt and put miles on your boots on the general hunts there are big animals. I bow 30 min from my house up north here and i chase around some real bruisers every year..

[stewberd23]

I don't care what hunt it is I just like being out hunting. Although a Limited Entry tag would offer bigger deer, I've seen quite a few nice bucks on the general side the last few years.

[swbuckmaster]

the henry mtns only allows what 25-30 hunters a year and the wasatch front allows over 10,000 hunters and a 4 month season. Ill take the wasatch front and hunt it every year for the same size bucks as the henry mtns and same buck to doe ratio. Ill also learn to deal with other hunters doing the same thing as I enjoy. It does make me mad when someone says they get mad at other people. this is public land get used to the pressure and be great full you can still hunt. the way things are going you will get to hunt every 10 years.

[Sniper1]

Out of them 10000 hunters on the wasatch front 9900 road hunt so if you willing to put some miles on your boots you will find big animals. Alot of big deer are along the wasatch just got find em.

[swbuckmaster]

Wouldn't it be cool if we could all drive around on our wheelers with 12" of new snow every year shooting big bucks in november with our 230 grain 300 mags.

Wouldn't it also be cool if we didn't see someone on every ridge wearing orange pointing their guns at us to see if we are people or bucks.

That is what I see in my dreams then I wake up to reality and go hunt the front where I can do all of the above if I want except shoot them with a 300 mag.

We need more areas where you can do this!! not 3 day hunts, or Le split season hunts. We just need to cut the effective range down on our weapons.

[Springville Shooter]

I see some of your points, SW but I guess I don't get what good cutting down the effective range on our weapons has to do with anything. From what I understand, the front is archery only because of the proximity to large populations, and the presence of lots of people using the area for all forms of recreation. This is a great scenario because it offers alot of people great opportunity while easing the pressure from other areas in the state. But, I don't want the whole state of Utah to be sublect to the Wasach Front rules. I can shoot a bow just fine and have killed blacktails and turkeys since I was a kid but I prefer to hunt October with rifle in hand because that's what I like. I am willing to put up with the crowds and short season to do this every year, and a huge percentage of the hunters in the state feel the same way. Besides, do you really want everyone converting over to the late archery hunt and adding even more pressure there? I know alot of folks planning on hunting the front for the first time this year.----------SS

[mattman]

Considering i've yet to draw in Idaho and spent the last few seasons chasing a monster in a general unit (i call him houdini now since he disappears every year on october 10th) I find it difficult to get down on general hunts. Sure there are hundreds if not thousands of other idiots chasing the same deer you are and you're lucky to shoot a 2 point let alone a 4 point, but like pops always said "I'd take a bad day hunting/fishing over a good day anywhere else." Of course we all want to harvest but for me its more about the time spent afield with family and good friends. If that means i'm stuck dodging lead from some moron well burn somebody give me a flak jacket and a trench shovel i'm gonna be here a while.

[Sniper1]

The front archery only?
I hunt all three seasons on the front and know of people that kill great deer on the rifle hunt. Also know of places that hold great deer in all three seasons of the deer hunt. Again put some miles on them boots and you will find big deer.

[NotEnufTags]

the henry mtns only allows what 25-30 hunters a year and the wasatch front allows over 10,000 hunters and a 4 month season. Ill take the wasatch front and hunt it every year for the same size bucks as the henry mtns and same buck to doe ratio. Ill also learn to deal with other hunters doing the same thing as I enjoy. It does make me mad when someone says they get mad at other people. this is public land get used to the pressure and be great full you can still hunt. the way things are going you will get to hunt every 10 years.

I assume your reply is based on some things I said. I fully understand that general season is for everyone, I realize that I am not entitled to anything. We had just got used to having a nice area with a few other hunters. Now theres alot in the area. I'm not mad that more people are doing the same thing I enjoy.

We had deer patterned pretty well based on multiple years of hunting the same area. The whole state has the right to be there but that doesn't change the fact that it get frustrationg when what worked in the past no longer applies. I mentioned that we had camped in the same place for years. I called it "our" camp spot with quotes because it's public ground and the hunters that got it first have every right to it (assuming they pay taxes too). The hunters that camped there are a group that had been tresspassing for years in the private canyon one over from where we hunt. After they got kicked out they moved into the canyon we hunt. Two of the group came across me field dressing the deer I posted up in this thread. They saw exactly where I took him. Guess where they've been every morning since? The first year they brought in 7 tags. The next year they brought in 12 tags along with young kids firing .22s all day in the middle of prime hunting country. Again they have a right to do it. It's their land as much as mine. But if I want to be frustrated about it, that's my right. Last year me and a buddy of mine had had enough and went out on our wheelers to glass a new canyon. We spotted a 26" 160 class buck and tried to make a stock that ended in my buddy putting a power belt just over the deer. I remember a second shot being fired almost instantly and wondered how on earth did he get a second muzzle loader shot off so quickly? It was another hunter.

Maybe we just moved into his honey hole and maybe he's frustrated now who knows. I'm ready to start scouting new areas. I haven't bow hunted for years but I may upgrade my bow and join the front hunters after my muzzle loader is done (dedicated hunter).

In the end I will agree that I am happy to have the chance to hunt and as someone else said, a day out hunting beats doing pretty much anything else.

The original point of the post was whay so down on general season hunts? I don't know that people are down on general season hunts as much as it is just being overly excited to persue more deer with less competition and likely, a better caliber of deer. I would love to hunt an LE deer unit but my 11 years of putting in for elk have kept me from putting in for LE deer. There's always the expo tags. Til then I'll be happy with any hunting opportunity I have.