Southern Utah Deer

Well I got drawn for General Deer. Not sure where I am going to hunt yet. Hard to scout when I am 500 miles away and these gas prices. I know it is still early but how do the deer herds look this year to you locals?
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OutBackG5
Ill be hunting SE utah and im 1000 miles away. Been wondering the same thing. Last year we didnt see the deer numbers we have been seeing in years past. Hopefully this years better.
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"OutBackG5" wrote:Ill be hunting SE utah and im 1000 miles away. Been wondering the same thing. Last year we didnt see the deer numbers we have been seeing in years past. Hopefully this years better.
 You were lucky enough to get drawn two years in a row? Did you guys fill your tags?
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MuleyMadness
They look great so far, at least the ones I've seen. If we could keep vehicles from killing them all o the highways. ](*,)
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"MuleyMadness" wrote:They look great so far, at least the ones I've seen. If we could keep vehicles from killing them all o the highways. ](*,)
 Brett, did you see the phone pic that was going around down here of a big buck hit by a vehicle over in Washington Fields? I'll have to see if I can find it again...
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MuleyMadness
Nope didn't see the phone pic, but saw video of him when he was alive. Probably the same buck.

I'd love to see the pic if you have it.
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Well since you guys live so close tie a good one up for me and feed him real well till I get out there. Make sure to tell me where you put him. :thumb
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OutBackG5
"CaHntr" wrote:
OutBackG5 wrote:Ill be hunting SE utah and im 1000 miles away. Been wondering the same thing. Last year we didnt see the deer numbers we have been seeing in years past. Hopefully this years better.
 You were lucky enough to get drawn two years in a row? Did you guys fill your tags?
 Yeah we've actually been lucky enough to get drawn 4 years in a row. Didn't feel our tags last year bit came very close. It was tough hunting last year. Big crowd with the OTC elk tags. And we Were hunting during the first week.
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I have been talking to a buddy of mine in Utah and he sounds real discouraging. Says the deer number are way down and that is why they cut the number of tags they gave out. Told me to expect to see Mule Deer on endangered species list if this keeps up. I hope it isn't as bad as he tells it. The last time I got drawn in 2007 I started off in Big John Flats. I got there two days before the opener and scouted like crazy. I did not see a single buck and only a few doe. Heard one shot before I packed up and left in the afternoon. Thinking about other places around Beaver.
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OutBackG5
Yeahh that doesnt sound real good. We have been goin every year since 2007 and we seen good many deer every year until last year. I still got a shot on 140-145 inch buck and hit it lil far back and looked for it for 2 days without any luck. I was sick. still am sick about it. hate losin deer. We'll be huntin for about 10 days this year so hopefully be able to locate some. Did they have another bad winter or what?? we talked to a game warden last year and he said they had deer die off due to harsh winter.
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Mularcher
Last year I called the biologist for the southern area I hunt he told me the same thing about the winter kill off. After hunting a good portion of the archery season I only saw one buck a 100 yards away that got me shaking. I hope its different this year.
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PhillyB
I was in So. Utah last weekend scouting a few areas and I was impressed with what I saw. Nothing huge, but a number of decent bucks. On Saturday morning I saw a bachelor group of about 5 bucks. Again nothing too big, but 2 of the 5 appear they will be shooters come archery season.

All the boys were right where I expected them and they all had antler growth. It was lush too so hopefully they grow big.

Mularcher- it is the same as last year. TONS of water everywhere, so the deer will be spread out. Just gotta have your spot and stick to it. Hopefully I will have some good trail cam pics in the next few weeks. Put the cams up last weekend as well.
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"PhillyB" wrote:I was in So. Utah last weekend scouting a few areas and I was impressed with what I saw. Nothing huge, but a number of decent bucks. On Saturday morning I saw a bachelor group of about 5 bucks. Again nothing too big, but 2 of the 5 appear they will be shooters come archery season.

All the boys were right where I expected them and they all had antler growth. It was lush too so hopefully they grow big.

Mularcher- it is the same as last year. TONS of water everywhere, so the deer will be spread out. Just gotta have your spot and stick to it. Hopefully I will have some good trail cam pics in the next few weeks. Put the cams up last weekend as well.
 I cant wait to see some of the pics. You have an archery tag?
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PhillyB
Yeah... archery. I cant wait either. Hopefully I have some good ones. I will be sure to post them if I do.
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I grew up in Utah and Just moved to Colorado last year. There was a bad winter a few years ago that i did see the deer die off quite a bit. The year after i found a LOT of Dead Heads while out shed Hunting. I always hunted down south with Very good Success! All my hunting was done down By Scipio and Beaver! I Know that last year there was a HUGE fire in Scipio that took a toll on the bucks down that way but doesn't mean the BIG one your looking for didn't make it out:)

IMO i would go down towards Beaver, I have had great luck along with my friends and family!

NOW, if you had an archery tag I LOVE the Wasatch Front! :)
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I had a southern tag last year and I'd say pretty much everyone but me filled their tag! I saw a few nice bucks get taken and also some really small ones... one spike was small enough to be a purse dog. And I missed a great looking buck opening morning! Seems that whenever I find the big boys down there they have already been poached!
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Mularcher
I got my Cams out this weekend and it was eventful not so much for deer although I did see a lot of deer moving, even with a full moon but putting up first camera I dropped my phone just before dark, back and forth to camp to get my wife's phone trying to call it in the middle of the night on the side of a mountain with no luck is um not fun, back the next morning to find it on the Other side of the trail I was looking at night. ](*,)

Anyone ever hunt a rub area during archery season? I came across a spot with countless multi year rubs. I had to put a cam up to see what's been there for years?

PhillB,
Saw some of the water, I tried to expand my spot the problem is I still have snow to deal with.... oh and the herd of Elk that are now in my deer area???
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Cool pics of the elk. Is that an LE Unit for elk?
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PhillyB
"Mularcher" wrote: PhillB,
Saw some of the water, I tried to expand my spot the problem is I still have snow to deal with.... oh and the herd of Elk that are now in my deer area???
If it is the same area you hunted last year, then yeah there is a ton of snow still up there... two weekends ago when I was up it was 17* at 4:45am when I hopped on the quad. Sent you a PM.
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Mularcher
CaHntr,
No It's not a LE unit just public if you have a Tag PM me I'll try to help you out.

PhillyB
Ya same spot although I'm trying to get further away from people since last year was so busy.
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spoofman
i have hunted in the general area as you have indicated. I notice that the years following a rifle hunt that can access the top of the divide between bullion and big johns is never a good sign for the next years hunting. Last year i hiked back in about 4 mile only to come upon a tent in the middle of the box canyon i was going to hunt with some horses. ruined my whole day. ended up shooting some meduim size guy on the way back home.
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Mularcher
Seemed very busy in the area I was last year, I chalked it up to the statewide archery??
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spoofman
i have hunted in that area and it seems that if you can access the high country during the rifle it takes a few year for it to rebound due to the vehicle access to the high country bucks. Last year there was a fire in the area that ruined things a bit during the muzzleloader hunt as well making visibility low and shcsing game out of the area.
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"spoofman" wrote:i have hunted in the general area as you have indicated. I notice that the years following a rifle hunt that can access the top of the divide between bullion and big johns is never a good sign for the next years hunting. Last year i hiked back in about 4 mile only to come upon a tent in the middle of the box canyon i was going to hunt with some horses. ruined my whole day. ended up shooting some meduim size guy on the way back home.
 The area you seem to be talking about looks to be a little north of where I hunted. All I know is in 07 I camped at Big John Flats and hiked my tail off looking for deer. Did not see a single buck and very few doe. It was nice to see the Mountain Goats though. Hope to get drawn for that one of these years.
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OutBackG5
Has anybody been to the blues around monticello and blanding?? last year we heard they had hard winter and we didnt see near the deer. Just wondering how winter was this year??
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"CaHntr" wrote:Well I got drawn for General Deer. Not sure where I am going to hunt yet. Hard to scout when I am 500 miles away and these gas prices. I know it is still early but how do the deer herds look this year to you locals?
 Check your PM
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