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[severetaxidermy]

I'm starting this to see how everybody's doin this year in utah. I'd love to see what's bein taken. If you want to disclose where the specimen was taken, it's up to you. I just want to see animals

[severetaxidermy]

I've hunted Utah for 10 years now and it took me 9 yeah you read right 9 (nine) years to be able to get a shot at a decent size 4 point. Decent to me is about 24" wide is all. Thank you utah fish and game!!! Great management plans if you expect to shoot 1 or 2 good deer in your lifetime!! I've hunted northern utah during those 10 years, several of which I went home empty handed trying to find a good one. I'm not a crappy hunter by any means. I'm a taxidermist and have killed several things. My dad, brother, brother-in-law, and many other family members hunt as well. Decided to try somewhere new this year.

This was taken near Richfield, UT.

[hunter g]

SAVOR THE FLAVOR WONT HAPPEN AGAIN GOOD BUCK MAN

[severetaxidermy]

I sincerely agree with that hunter g! unfortunately

[Critter]

It is interesting that you and others are complaining of the deer heard in Utah and the lack of quality bucks. I have a few questions for you. First of all I lived in and hunted in Utah for the first 25 years that I could hunt deer. The first question is how many friends or relations do you have that will shoot the first yearling buck that they see? The answer may surprise you. Also do you get into a remote area where the bigger bucks hang out or do you ride a atv up to a hill and walk 50 yards and expect to see the biggest buck that walks? After I moved out of state I have came back every year to hunt for horns. In that time I have passed up more young bucks than I would care to count. I have also passed up quite a number of 4x4's that just didn't quite make it. A couple of years ago I tried to put the sneek on a huge buck only to have a smaller 4x4 bust me. He headed over the hill only to be shot by some other hunter. That smaller buck was sporting a 25" rack. Also most of the larger bucks will stay in the thick cover until just before dark and then they will step out into the shadows of the trees that they have been in. You may only have a 5 or 10 minute window to take him. Also years ago you us to see a lot of hunters out hiking all over the mountain witch caused the deer to move from one location to another, this year the only ones that I saw hiking were some hunters walking down a road or just above it. So for a FYI the big bucks are still out there but you need to do a lot of work to get to them. Talk to other hunters and see if you can convince them that the 2'pt that they have on that wheeler is where the big ones come from if only they could grow up.
The DOW of Utah has decided that they want most hunters to have a quantity hunt and not a quality hunt. If you really want a quality hunt you'll need to head to a limited entry area but don't expect to see that there is a monster behind every tree or bush, it was never that way and will never be that way.

[severetaxidermy]

critter,

Maybe I just don't have the luck you do but I have passed on several small bucks waiting to see the bigger ones, that's why I said i've gone home many years empty handed. True there are many people out there that want the "meat" and will shoot anything. In fact, that's all the fish and game cares about. If there's a spike or a 200 class buck it makes no difference to them. They'll manage for "harvestable meat" as they claim. I have several friends that are like me and pass on the smaller ones, which are still hard to come by.

I agree that "road hunting" doesn't materialize into big bucks most the time. that's why I generally hike miles at a time in search of a good buck. Still I tend to see more hunters than deer.

It would definitely help if the DWR even tried to do any sort of actual head counting of the deer population instead of picking a random, fictitious number and using a computer module.

You can blame it on me or whatever you will but I know what I've done to look for big bucks and I know what the fish and game as done, so whatever.

[Critter]

Just by chance what do you consider a shooter buck? I usually will see at least 3 or 4 bucks that are in the 18-26" range every year and usually pass on them. This year I wanted some meat so when the big one that I wanted didn't show up I took a 4x4 with a 22" spread. I did find a couple of areas that the bigger ones should hang out in but one of them you would need to sleep with the deer if you shot him since the road out is an ATV trail that if bad enough in the daylight. The other one you would need to get lucky and be there during the migration since the deer would be making their way down through some ledges to you.
What I am saying is that the big ones are there but you need to do more homework now than you did 20 years ago. You also really need to be able to hunt the whole 5 or 9 days to figure out what they are doing and then have the time to set up and take one. Most of the areas that I hunt are set up for a young guy in his 20's to get into it and bring one out but I am pushing 60 and still have a chance to take a nicer than average buck every year. But I am also waiting for that magical buck to show himself long enough to get a shot off.
As far as the DOW, how many hunters would be willing to give up hunting for 2-5 years to let all the bucks get to that age where they are sporting the headgear that everybody would like to see? That is what it would take. I'm willing to bet that there are not that many. I remember when Utah went to a total draw on deer. I would be willing to bet that they lost a quarter of the hunters that just did not want to put up with it.

[severetaxidermy]

I also agree that it takes time and dedication to find a big buck. I also believe there are some good ones out there. The northern Utah area is just not as good as anywhere else in the state, my opinion. As I stated in my first post I consider a decent buck to be about 24" wide. Shoot maybe even not that, I still can't seem to find many of those around.

I know the fish and game and do some better management if they really wanted to manage the mule deer. Too much of a revenue stream for them though. It would only take a slight change to the number of hunters or say you can only hunt every other year and that'd do a ton for the population, my opinion.

This is a buck that I got in from the deer hunt this year. The guy that shot it said he could see 16 other hunters from where we was on the hill and somehow he was the one that shot this buck. According to the aging article the DWR uses this deer is only a 2 1/2 year old buck (27" wide). Even one year would make a big difference between having spikes and two points vs good size 3's and 4's.

[Critter]

I was wondering how does the DOW determine the age of a deer without checking it's teeth? Do you have a link to it?
As far as Northern Utah I have heard reports of a canyon in the North West corner of the state that you have to access through Idaho from that holds some nice bucks. A friend was up in Idaho working and went into for some reason and spotted them right after the hunt a couple of years ago. So I really don't know just where it is at yet but he said that there were some wall hangers.
Now to give up a couple of my secrete places for you if you want to look them over before you decide on where to hunt next year. Both of them are in the central area and both are for the young body and strong legs. The first on is the face of Mt Timpanogos just to the north of Orem towards Provo Canyon. If you hunt there you need to hike through the oak brush up to the ledges and rock slides and go from there. You'll find very few hunters and some nice bucks. The other is just inside the mouth of Spanish Fork Canyon and to the North. Again it is covered by oak brush with a few clearings but it holds some large bucks but like Timp it is not for the faint heart. I hunted both of these areas years ago and hardly ever saw any other hunters because of how rugged they are. There are a couple of others up Provo Canyon but unless you have horses or a helicopter they are pretty much out of the question. The things that these areas have in common is that there are no roads, steep, and a lot of cover.

[jberdou]

Check out more pics on BIG FREAKIN BUFFALO!!!

ARMY GUY

[Critter]

Was that one of the Utah hunts? If it is it looks like one of the Antelope Island ones.

On edit: I saw that it was one taken on a ranch here in Colorado

[severetaxidermy]

Critter,

The DWR only judges them by teeth. That's the best way they have as far as a "best guess" on the age of the deer. I got this article in person from a DWR official and it's what they use. I'm checking all my deer I get in using this article.

Find it at http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/reso.....h/ages.htm

jberdou,

That is one MONSTER Bison there Congrats!!

[Matapatos]

I'm sorry, but I'm tired of people blaming the Utah Fish and Game for not making the hunt any easier. Just talked to a guy the other day that has hunted deer for 20 years and has shot as many 4 points. All on public land. I've seen a buck that scores right around 200" that was harvested on public land this year. I know people that won't put in for a limited entry tag because they believe there are too many good bucks on public land.
In short, one has to do their homework to find the deer, do what nobody else will do, go where nobody else will go. Its not as easy here in Utah, but getting a shooter buck in your sights is doable. Keep doing what you've always done, you'll keep getting what you've always gotten. Might need to change it up!

Travis

[rasd123]

Thanks for the info, I appreciate it.

[hunter g]

critter your deer hunts have been souther right. i have lived in central ut and have hunted here my whole life iv been in north east and northern, ya there are a few good bucks killed but these area's are no southern ut and that is why i will never hunt around my home area. iv been hunting down south for 5 years now and have been able to kill a good buck every year. now iv hunted these other units for 20 years and i do not have anything to show for it. i do not have the full of piss and vinegar anymore if you know what i mean i do have horse's and when i was younger we use to get in some of the nasty country. I watch for wildlife in the winter and when some of us local's say there is a issue with the deer herds and were 100 miles apart there might just be something wrong.(FOR A GOOD T BONE YOU COULD STICK YOUR HEAD UP A COW'S A@$ BUT YOU SHOULD TAKE THE BUTCHER'S WORD FOR IT) the dow is only worried about the $. know for your 2 point remark i talked to a old boy from wyoming and i said the same thing to him make the state 3 point or better and he said that would make it worse his remark was the fork horns and the little spike's need to go is that what you want breeding your does. he said if all the big bucks are killed you loose that good quality so it is very hard to manage deer. that was his remark. i however would like to see some of these units closed for one year maybe close the north and the next central and so on make the units 3 point or better and let the kids 18 years and younger shoot the small bucks hell i dont ? that is my idea. have any of you guys hunted central or north i am very curious and if you have where at. good luck hunting