# Frustrated!



## bigbr (Oct 24, 2007)

Perpetual optimist I am not and to think that the deer herd is not at critical mass is out right horse cookies.

Left the Wednesday before the opener to look for deer in unit 9a and started in Soap Stone basin. Arrived to find about 10 inches of snow and Icy road conditions on road system up there spent the night glassing and saw nothing, noda and few tracks. Had a cow tag in my pocket so we were looking for elk also, so I thought I would double my efforts. To make a long story short, the deer numbers in three major drainages are so **** few that to kill one should be illegal. Walked a ton, glassed a lot and spent six days pissed as well, let just say that I sent in for a PETA card. People may be taking a few bigger deer, but that is a poor measure of a healthy herd. 

My last general deer hunt.!


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## 30-06-hunter (Sep 22, 2013)

Soapstone is one of the most heavily hunted areas in the state during the general elk season, even though you are talking deer I'm not at all surprised to hear of low numbers due to the high pressure just days prior.


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## dmoody (Jul 26, 2013)

I've hunted that area before several times and have taken a buck from there but I have never seen an elk. My experience has been that the elk and a majority of the deer head lower onto the private property off the western slope as soon as they see pressure.


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## kabose1 (Jul 31, 2013)

I am not a local and hunted the spike elk this year and myself and 2 friends saw more deer in the week we were there than I have seen in a whole year here in san diego. I mean we saw close to 100-150 deer. I had them as close as 20 feet. we were in southern utah so I cannot speak for any other area but wow. I hunt alot of hours here in san diego and would love to see a third of what I saw in utah. Granted alot of forkies but we saw plenty of 3x3 and some really nice specimens. PM me and I will give you exact area as it might be somewere you can hunt with your tag. will give you GPS coordinates so you will be right smack in the middle of were see saw them.


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## jeff70 (Sep 16, 2007)

I have a tag for unit 8, my son and I hunted last weekend and I am heading out tonight as soon as the wife gets home to try again. We hunted from Elizabeth peak down to the boy scout camp. and then tried over by lily lake. We did not see a single deer. nor did we hear any shots. Hopefully this weekend will be better.


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## IBSquatchin (Nov 19, 2012)

You can thank option 2. Thanks Obama.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

Option 2 isn't doing a thing, it is the weather. 

I hunted a area that I have hunted in the past and didn't see a deer at the elevations that they were usually found at. They had all moved out down to either their winter grounds or just above them, and that is where we found them.


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## Mr.CheddarNut (Jan 16, 2013)

IBSquatchin said:


> You can thank option 2. Thanks Obama.


What does Obama have to do with option 2?


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## #1DEER 1-I (Sep 10, 2007)

bigbr said:


> Perpetual optimist I am not and to think that the deer herd is not at critical mass is out right horse cookies.
> 
> Left the Wednesday before the opener to look for deer in unit 9a and started in Soap Stone basin. Arrived to find about 10 inches of snow and Icy road conditions on road system up there spent the night glassing and saw nothing, noda and few tracks. Had a cow tag in my pocket so we were looking for elk also, so I thought I would double my efforts. To make a long story short, the deer numbers in three major drainages are so **** few that to kill one should be illegal. Walked a ton, glassed a lot and spent six days pissed as well, let just say that I sent in for a PETA card. People may be taking a few bigger deer, but that is a poor measure of a healthy herd.
> 
> My last general deer hunt.!


You won't find many on this forum who will ever think numbers are low, they'll come up with an excuse as to why you didn't see anything.



> I have a tag for unit 8, my son and I hunted last weekend and I am heading out tonight as soon as the wife gets home to try again. We hunted from Elizabeth peak down to the boy scout camp. and then tried over by lily lake. We did not see a single deer. nor did we hear any shots. Hopefully this weekend will be better


I believe this is where hunting is headed in our state, because of those who will never say numbers might be low, in order to sustain opportunity.



> Option 2 isn't doing a thing, it is the weather.
> 
> I hunted a area that I have hunted in the past and didn't see a deer at the elevations that they were usually found at. They had all moved out down to either their winter grounds or just above them, and that is where we found them.


Option 2 is doing its job, some units require further tag cuts to get better results. I don't understand why people dispute this, option 2 may not grow populations much or at all. It will help with more bucks on units, more pinpoint management, and cuts and allotted tags where needed. It's not going to do its job if more tags are still released on units than there are buck deer. Option 2 is an effective tool, look at any LE unit in the state, they are the way they are because they are managed as units not as a GS statewide whole. Option 2 is helping and will continue to. Weather's helped too, but option 2 has helped greatly with overcrowding as well, at least for the muzzy and archery hunt, not so much the rifle.


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## IBSquatchin (Nov 19, 2012)

Mr.CheddarNut said:


> What does Obama have to do with option 2?


It was a joke. I guess humor is wasted here.


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## brendo (Sep 10, 2013)

that's weird I had the same tag and the 5 out of 5 people that had tags got deer we were hunting soapstone as well. as previously stated I was in the area during the elk hunt people everywhere! Its also pretty hard to get away from a road in that area I'm sure they got pushed around a bit. Good luck If you go this weekend and don't be to quick to judge the population we saw more bucks this year than ever.


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## klbzdad (Apr 3, 2012)

#1DEER 1-I said:


> You won't find many on this forum who will ever think numbers are low, they'll come up with an excuse as to why you didn't see anything.
> 
> I believe this is where hunting is headed in our state, because of those who will never say numbers might be low, in order to sustain opportunity.
> 
> Option 2 is doing its job, some units require further tag cuts to get better results. I don't understand why people dispute this, option 2 may not grow populations much or at all. It will help with more bucks on units, more pinpoint management, and cuts and allotted tags where needed. It's not going to do its job if more tags are still released on units than there are buck deer. Option 2 is an effective tool, look at any LE unit in the state, they are the way they are because they are managed as units not as a GS statewide whole. Option 2 is helping and will continue to. Weather's helped too, but option 2 has helped greatly with overcrowding as well, at least for the muzzy and archery hunt, not so much the rifle.


ainkiller:

Social media would disagree with you. NEVER have I seen so many trophy animals coming from Utah hunters and those successes increase every year with STABLE mule deer numbers. If I was going to blame anyone for not seeing super monster freak of nature bucks on every unit, I'd blame the guys and gals shooting the big ones we have now. Let em keep growing! How about a two point or smaller restriction for a couple of seasons statewide? How about we leave the big boys to grow a couple of years? Isn't that what the "inches crowd" is suggesting the "opportunity crowd" do?


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## #1DEER 1-I (Sep 10, 2007)

brendo said:


> On the other hand so many people think they can judge how the deer herd is doing by a few days in the field and a relatively small area. That is what doesn't make sense to me?


At least a few days a week in the same areas for years and years. I've watched it. Not a few days.


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## brendo (Sep 10, 2013)

#1DEER 1-I said:


> You won't find many on this forum who will ever think numbers are low, they'll come up with an excuse as to why you didn't see anything.
> 
> I believe this is where hunting is headed in our state, because of those who will never say numbers might be low, in order to sustain opportunity.
> 
> Option 2 is doing its job, some units require further tag cuts to get better results. I don't understand why people dispute this, option 2 may not grow populations much or at all. It will help with more bucks on units, more pinpoint management, and cuts and allotted tags where needed. It's not going to do its job if more tags are still released on units than there are buck deer. Option 2 is an effective tool, look at any LE unit in the state, they are the way they are because they are managed as units not as a GS statewide whole. Option 2 is helping and will continue to. Weather's helped too, but option 2 has helped greatly with overcrowding as well, at least for the muzzy and archery hunt, not so much the rifle.


On the other hand so many people think they can judge how the deer herd is doing by a few days in the field and a relatively small area. That is what doesn't make sense to me?


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## gmanhunter (Dec 27, 2007)

I was raised in kamas, and that area is kinda weird. Sometimes it gets one snow storm and the deer almost seam to leave or migrate out of the area. I hunted the kamas unit, and there wasnt as many deer as what ive seen in the past. I spent 5 days hunting, before I filled my tag. I may be wrong for saying this, but I think it had to do with the full moon that was out for ever. I sometimes think the deer tend to feed at night and bed up early. Hope things turn out better for you with whats left of the hunt.


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## #1DEER 1-I (Sep 10, 2007)

brendo said:


> On the other hand so many people think they can judge how the deer herd is doing by a few days in the field and a relatively small area. That is what doesn't make sense to me?


You're right, but I'm saying I'm out constantly , DWR numbers are continually growing, yet I see less and less in most areas I go. It just doesn't make sense.


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## brendo (Sep 10, 2013)

#1DEER 1-I said:


> At least a few days a week in the same areas for years and years. I've watched it. Not a few days.


I wasn't singling you out. I was simply stating another point that most people spend a few days during their hunt out in the mountain's and when they don't see any deer they think that the DWR suck's or the deer number's are too low. I just don't think many people can make that kind of statement accurately, I know I couldn't.


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## #1DEER 1-I (Sep 10, 2007)

brendo said:


> I wasn't singling you out. I was simply stating another point that most people spend a few days during their hunt out in the mountain's and when they don't see any deer they think that the DWR suck's or the deer number's are too low. I just don't think many people can make that kind of statement accurately, I know I couldn't.


I understand, you're right. It's just I feel I've truly put in tons of time, and I still believe numbers are low. But you're right about a lot of people only look a few days and make assumptions .


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## Springville Shooter (Oct 15, 2010)

IBSquatchin said:


> It was a joke. I guess humor is wasted here.


Vote 1......humor appreciated.-----SS


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## IBSquatchin (Nov 19, 2012)

Springville Shooter said:


> Vote 1......humor appreciated.-----SS


Vote 2


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## Mr.CheddarNut (Jan 16, 2013)

IBSquatchin said:


> It was a joke. I guess humor is wasted here.


Sorry, sheesh! Text is painfully plain. With all the crying and whining that goes on this forum I guess I didn't feel it to be such an outlandish statement worthy of being considered sarcasm


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## jeff70 (Sep 16, 2007)

Well weekend 2 is in the books. I did not see anything again But had a awesome time in the mountains anyway. Saturday evening I left my wife and went out for a few hours I came back to pictures of the 4 point that was eating grass not 10 yards from her.  To bad we are in a association and no hunting is allowed.


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