Why so down on general hunts?

Agreed, I shot my first 4 deer on general hunts, one nice muley and a great whitetail included. Also a great time to get out and have some fun with freinds and fill the freezer. :))

Not sure why everyone seems to get that way....yeah a limited entry area would be awesome but I am way stoked to get out and hunt again this year on the general hunt. On last years hunt, I was able to find a nice little honey hole that had 3 nice big 4 points in it but just was not able to finsh the deal due to the wind shifting on me when I was about 50 yds out and spooking the deer (archery). But I am going to get on top of them this year and finish the deal! So I'm counting down the weeks now!!!

"PLP" wrote:Seems like everyone only gets excited about a draw hunt.Why so down on the general hunts?Because of the pressure?Timing?Surely Nice bucks can be taken during this time too.

I get down on the general areas because of the pressure. It's very hard to pattern a buck in an area where he's pushed multiple times a day. I also hate it when I hike in a ways and start glassing only to have multiple other hunters in the same canyon.

One year a small two point ran up the far side of a canyon I hunt. Between eight hunters I counted 40 shots. These guys were flinging lead at 600+ yards.

In a limited area I believe those hunters wouldn't have felt the pressure to shoot at anything with anlters. If they did want the two point they could have at least closed the distance.

I have taken several smaller bucks because that's what was available in the area. I know the mind set of you can't shoot a big one if you don't pass on the small ones. I'm slowly progressing more to the point of holding out for a good one but I still like a good deer steak in the freezer. Often on general season hunts that means taking a small 2 or 3 point.

You can luck out on public land in a general season hunt as I did two years ago but on most popular general season areas taking a buck like I did is a rare thing, at least where I hunt it is.

After helping out on the Henries last year, I see the potential of limited entry areas when herds are managed for quality. Ivery much understand the excitement of LE tags over public land general season tags. But maybe I'll get lucky again on a general season hunt. It's what keeps a hunter hunting.

Notenough that is a great buck 10sign:

Absolute beast!!Utah I assume?

Yeah i dunno about other people, but General hunts are my favorite time of year! Going with your friends for a giant camping trip full of fun where you get the opportunity to shoot a deer, dunno about yall but thats a big time bonus for me!

Dont get my wrong but LE tags are great :thumb

"PLP" wrote:Absolute beast!!Utah I assume?

Southern Utah general season muzzle loader.

"BIG R" wrote:Notenough that is a great buck 10sign:

Thanks Big R

"camodup" wrote:Yeah i dunno about other people, but General hunts are my favorite time of year! Going with your friends for a giant camping trip full of fun where you get the opportunity to shoot a deer, dunno about yall but thats a big time bonus for me!

Dont get my wrong but LE tags are great :thumb

I hope I didn't come off too negative. I'm with camodup on loving the opportunity to be out with my family and best of friends on the general season hunts. It's a pass-time that I hope I'll be able to enjoy for decades into the future. It's just that every year there are more and more hunters in the area we hunt. Last year was the first in 18 years that we didn't camp at "our" campsite. There were fourty guys with tagsin a small canyon on the muzzle loader. When we started hunting there, only eight or so tags were in the area. It's getting ridiculous. The thought of a LE deer tag is very appealing. Til then I'll enjoy the campouts with the chance at harvesting a deer.

I know for me, I like the better opprotunities on controlled units. There are usually more and bigger deer to choose from. The seasons also generally last a little longer than in the general units. I have yet to draw a controlled deer tag in my lifetime, but have harvested a buck every year off of general units. Granted the biggest one I've shot was a Two year old crab claw four point. (Basically a two point.) I've only seen one monster buck on a general unit, and the hunt in that unit had been over for a month. (Saw him while elk hunting in late November.) Are there big bucks in general units, yes. But they are very far and few between and increadibly intellegent. Just look at the number of sheds and the quality of sheds in general units vs. controlled unit sheds. HUGE difference. My biggest shed set came off of a controlled unit... 200"+ Muley. I haven't found anything bigger than a small four point in the general units.
Just my .02

It's fun to spend the time with friends, but it's crowded for sure. You scout out a couple options and find people sitting on the face your watching. Or sitting in the saddle you watched nice deer feed over. Just so many hunters out there. But I wouldn't want to limit the number of tags either. Everyone should have the chance to get out there and enjoy the hunt.

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.

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..

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.

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.

:thumb 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.

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.

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

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 hell somebody give me a flak jacket and a trench shovel i'm gonna be here a while. lol

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.

"swbuckmaster" wrote: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.

im not point my finger at anyone on this thread or blaming them. I'm just stating the facts that archery only areas can offer thousands of tags and long seasons and it doesn't impact the deer like everyone says. You would have to be blind to see this. Everyone says archers only wound deer or wound 3 deer to every one they tag. This is simply not true! if it was true the front would suck and it wouldn't be one of the best places in Utah to hunt.

I am also not wanting to shut the rifle hunt down. I am just saying there should be a spot like the front in all corners of the state. This way people could have the chance to hunt LE quality every year if they would just pick up a freaking bow. Maybe people could make areas LE rifle and over the counter bow. this way if you still want to hunt every year you still have the chance. I grantee you over the counter tags are gone after this year and it will probable be LE state wide with chances of drawing a buck tag every 5 years or more once SFW get a hold of the tags.

That's what Montana does with the vast Missouri Breaks country. Lots of archery permits for deer and elk with a long season. Few gun permits. Elk and deer numbers are managed for archery. Makes for lots of opportunity, lot of hunter days.