# How was your deer hunt?



## ridgetop (Sep 13, 2007)

Considering the amount of deer and bucks seen, their general health appearance and your perception of habitat conditions. 
Rate how this years hunt went.


1- very poor
to 
5- excellent


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

I voted 4. We filled all tags and had alot of fun. Thats what its all about for us.




-DallanC


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## Christine (Mar 13, 2013)

4 for deer, 1 for all the jackwagon hunters that crowded our canyon due to the loop being mostly closed.

So much littering and driving past the No Motorized vehicle signs this year. 

And if you're going to road hunt... that's fine but look behind you once in awhile and let other vehicles pass... and stay on the designated trails!!!

Grrrrrr.....

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## TPrawitt91 (Sep 1, 2015)

Saw bucks and had some run ins, none killed though. Still might get an extended archery day in before the season is over


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

I tried a new area this year, one that we haven't hunted in over 50 years. While it could of been a 5 it quickly dropped to a 1 due to the deer had already migrated down onto the private where you needed to shell out a few hundred dollars to be able to hunt it. We did see some nice bucks on the private as we would drive through it. No one was seeing deer up on the Forest Service and what few shots we herd were all down low on the private.


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## weaversamuel76 (Feb 16, 2017)

I hunted fish lake early rifle and give it a 3. Never hunted it before but we covered a bunch of ground and got to glass a bunch of country. Saw very few total deer thought the numbers were very low. We did see a couple good bucks and saw a handful of spike/forkies still though. 

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## 2full (Apr 8, 2010)

Didn't see as many bucks this year in our area. Horn growth was a little off as well with the lack of moisture in the spring and up until mid July. Usually see a big buck or two. I personally didn't this year. 
I ended up with a decent buck. 
So, I gave it a 3. Not bad......but not great. Average.


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## derekp1999 (Nov 17, 2011)

I'll give it a 4. Filled three of four tags in my group and saw quite a few bucks.


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## Kwalk3 (Jun 21, 2012)

Between Archery and Rifle Seasons our group went 4 for 5 with a few nice bucks for the area. It's been a good year.


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## MadHunter (Nov 17, 2009)

We saw a lot of deer in general and quite a few bucks. We also saw a lot more people in this area we hunt about double the usual amount. Off of first impression I was going to go with a 4 but then I remembered the awesome folks we ran into and how they helped my wife and I out. That made it a 10!


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## sheepassassin (Mar 23, 2018)

Christine said:


> 4 for deer, 1 for all the jackwagon hunters that crowded our canyon...


And that right there, is the root of the biggest problem Utah hunting has. The canyon always belongs to someone else and everyone else who decides to hunt that public land too be damned!


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## MadHunter (Nov 17, 2009)

sheepassassin said:


> And that right there, is the root of the biggest problem Utah hunting has. The canyon always belongs to someone else and everyone else who decides to hunt that public land too be damned!


Maybe more so than thinking they own the public land they hunt, the real issue is that people litter and don't obey the closures and other rules of the land. We pick up a lot of garbage left behind by other people and have also reported road closure violators to the authorities. When it comes to that kind of thing it is my canyon and I will call you out on it.


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## middlefork (Nov 2, 2008)

I voted 3. We saw quite a few bucks ahead of the season but not as many as a few years ago. After the archery season they all but disappeared. Very few shots were heard on the muzzy and rifle.


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## Christine (Mar 13, 2013)

Wow, sheepassassin, way to entirely miss the point and strawman it. 

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## kdog (May 4, 2015)

derekp1999 said:


> I'll give it a 4. Filled three of four tags in my group and saw quite a few bucks.


Same for us, had a great time. this was a week on the archery, did not run into to many other hunters. Did have some bear dogs chasing things around though. That was totally lame.


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## sheepassassin (Mar 23, 2018)

Christine said:


> Wow, sheepassassin, way to entirely miss the point and strawman it.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


You were the one calling public land "YOUR" canyon.


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## wyoming2utah (Sep 12, 2007)

I wish the poll had an option to vote "0!" Without a tag, the hunt sucked big time! Additionally, while elk hunting, the area we hunted and normally see a lot of bucks was not good--between the drought and the cattle, the habitat was really poor and the deer weren't there.

I guess the only positive I could take away from this year's "hunt" was that I didn't have a tag on a bad year. But, a bad year hunting is always better than no year at all!


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## Christine (Mar 13, 2013)

I said "our" canyon, as in... the local canyon. 

If I was calling it MY canyon, I would use a word like, hmm, "My". 

My complaint is about the "jackwagon hunters". The one who litter and drive past closure signs. This really shouldn't be that hard to understand. 

Maybe this explains why people can't comprehend "No Motorized Vehicles".





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## ridgetop (Sep 13, 2007)

Can we please stay on topic and not hijack this thread? Thanks for all the comments, even yours wy2utah. Keep em coming.


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## 3arabians (Dec 9, 2014)

Ill give it a solid 3.5. We were on to deer everyday. We saw more deer than in years past. All the deer we saw appeared to be in good shape. The yearling bucks looked really healthy. Didn't lay my eyes on a mature buck but didnt ever get as far from a road as I shoud have. Hunted alot just not very hard. I was kinda lazy. 

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## legacy (Sep 30, 2007)

I think overall the conditions and deer appeared to be in good shape. We seen a lot of deer during the 6 days we rifle hunted. The only disappointment for me was that out of hundreds of deer I looked over I only seen 4 bucks. One was a small 4X4, one 2X3 and two 2 points.


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## wyoming2utah (Sep 12, 2007)

Christine said:


> I said "our" canyon, as in... the local canyon.
> 
> If I was calling it MY canyon, I would use a word like, hmm, "My".


Truthfully, I interpreted your post the same way as some others. The problem with your original post is that your use of the pronoun "our" was vague and lacked a clear antecedent. It sounded like you were condemning the "jackwagon hunters" for messing up the hunt in "your" canyon. To me, it sounded like your group of hunters was the "our" you were referring to.

My suggestion is to be more specific in your writing to avoid any misinterpretations. Instead of using the pronoun "our" without a clear antecedent, say, "the local canyon."

Sorry, but the English teacher in me couldn't resist....


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## callofthewild (Sep 7, 2007)

wyoming2utah said:


> I wish the poll had an option to vote "0!" Without a tag, the hunt sucked big time! Additionally, while elk hunting, the area we hunted and normally see a lot of bucks was not good--between the drought and the cattle, the habitat was really poor and the deer weren't there.
> 
> I guess the only positive I could take away from this year's "hunt" was that I didn't have a tag on a bad year. But, a bad year hunting is always better than no year at all!


amen to this. i was not the only one in this situation.


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## MadHunter (Nov 17, 2009)

This thread reads to me like different areas had different conditions. It is expected given the volatility of climate/nature/land and animal use and management. For the most part those who have responded seem to have a favorable overall review.

Let us see what next year brings.


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## Brookie (Oct 26, 2008)

I had trouble finding the mature bucks on the rifle after the 16 inches of snow. Patterns seemed different. During the Muzzleloader I saw 1 mature buck, of course I missed, but I did have a limited entry muzzleloader elk tag so I didn't hunt hard for deer. Overall I gave it a 2, to many people, deer seem to be in a decline from 3 years ago


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## Packout (Nov 20, 2007)

We had some great days deer hunting. Saw some bucks, could have all filled our tags if we had wanted. Got to hike the mtns with a gun on our shoulders. Helped others kill deer at the expense of our own hunt. Lots of people out and that makes it good- means people still like to hunt. In the end, for me, I don't see how just getting out and hunting can't be at least a 4 and if I even go on one hike with my kids it is a sure 5.


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## Hunttilidrop (Jun 12, 2018)

I was able to take a nice 2/3 at the end of the rifle. I had an opportunity at a couple really nice mature bucks on the archery hunt. Saw a ton of deer. But getting these two involved and having success is what made my deer hunt this year. I’ll give it a 5! Out of the 4 deer we killed they all seemed to be lacking their fat reserves when skinned. But otherwise looked good...


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## carcass (Aug 14, 2017)

I would say 4.5. 

My group of 4 all filled our muzzleloader tags. Saw plenty of bucks, and a few very nice 4x4, but two of our group missed them due to primer misfire . Lots of 2x2, and 3x3 though they had healthy bodies. None of us are trophy hunters though. One of our 3x measure 28" spread. 

Lots of does seen as well as fawns.

What was different is that they werent moving until around 9am.


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## TheHunted (Feb 22, 2016)

We had a great hunt, one of the best in years. My family went 4/5 on rifle deer tags and all four bucks were 2.5 years or older. We worked really hard to find success, hiked and camped in the backcountry. We’ve hunted this unit for a long time so we know where to go during certain circumstances (pressure, weather, ect.). I honestly didn’t notice much of a difference in the size of the bucks I saw compared to previous years. But like has been stated by others the deer we harvested had lower fat reserves then the deer we got last year. 1st pic is of my dad and brothers bucks from this year. Second pic is of my 2017 buck and this years buck. Third and fourth pics are of the largest buck I saw on the unit.


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## Winglish (Mar 28, 2015)

Hunted HARD on the muzzy on the Fishlake unit and did not see a single buck. Hiked a million miles and glassed for hours. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Zero. In 3 decades of hunting the same place I have never not turned up a deer there. 

Tried a whole new area where I had never been on the rifle hunt and came home with 2 little two points out of 4 hunters. We hunted from the Jeep and did not leave the road other than a short stalk on the deer. We had our bucks by 8:30, loaded and on the way home by 10 on opening morning. 

I'll give the hunt a 1 or 2 in terms of number of deer and a 5 on the experience of watching my son knock down a running buck on his first ever shot at a deer. 

Here's a pic of my boy's 1st deer:


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## ridgetop (Sep 13, 2007)

I'll give my 2 cents.
I gave it a four mainly because I did have the chance of taking a 170" class buck and several in the 150"+ range. I saw lots of does with fawns and in the area I was hunting, it was a banner year for acorns. The three bucks my group killed, all had great fat reserves. With the late summer and early fall rains, the vegetation seemed to green right up. 
I am looking forward to next season already.


Let keep the votes going. I'd like to see a good sample of at least 200 votes.


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## brisket (Mar 3, 2015)

I had more fun on the deer hunt this year than I've had hunting deer for a while and that was on a leftover tag. I ended up eating tag soup, but I passed on some smaller bucks early on and missed a couple opportunities later in the hunt. I mentored the tag to my boys and they both almost pulled the trigger on a couple of bucks, but they winded us and took off. So close, but just couldn't get it done.

My brother shot a good buck, so that was awesome and the 4-mile pack out was a good time. ;-) It also was fun scouting, hunting and exploring a new unit.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

ridgetop said:


> Let keep the votes going. I'd like to see a good sample of at least 200 votes.


Are there even 200 active members? Most "visitors" are web spiders.

-DallanC


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## JuddCT (Sep 7, 2007)

I saw more deer and bigger deer this year in Utah so I would give it a 4.


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## Vanilla (Dec 11, 2009)

DallanC said:


> Are there even 200 active members? Most "visitors" are web spiders.
> 
> -DallanC


My thoughts exactly. There won't be 200 people that read this. But it's a noble goal, and I voted.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

I'm going to give my deer hunt a 4.9

Pros:
Went with grandsons
Good weather
Hunted the world-renowned deer country north of Evingston (no ATVs allowed)
Didn't catch a deer.
A bullet went whizzing by my head - missed me.

Cons:
Lost sight in my right eye

My grandsons are teenagers now and I think in another 10 years they'll be able to keep up with me.


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## one4fishing (Jul 2, 2015)

Ha ha ha. You crack me up Goob. I love hearing everyone say Evingston.


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## Springville Shooter (Oct 15, 2010)

2018+Deer=EPIC!


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## Smokepole (Oct 21, 2008)

It was a good hunt this year. I'd saved up a few points and went on a general unit that takes a few years to draw. I shot a nice buck while he was sleeping in his bed. I'd been tracking him in the snow along a ridge and when he cut down, I went up and kept my eyes focused down below me. He never knew I was there.

I only seen a few bucks but, all were 3x3 or bigger. I threw in a pic of where he was bedded looking down to where he fell off the ledge and slid down and stopped against a deadfall.

https://utahwildlife.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=134033&stc=1&d=1542235494

https://utahwildlife.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=134035&stc=1&d=1542235611

Smokepole


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## colorcountrygunner (Oct 6, 2009)

I voted 3, but thinking back on some of the good bucks and the close calls I had I am thinking maybe I should have given it a 4. I archery hunt both deer and elk and the past few years the elk have been commanding more of my attention. As far as deer go I didn't see quite the quantity and quality this year that I have seen in recent years, but it was still really good. Better than many other years I have seen it. 

I saw probably 4 or 5 respectable mature bucks. They were hanging in a really thick and noisy area and it just made getting in bow range and getting a clear shot very challenging. One of them actually cooperated and tried to make things easy for me, but I was walking along with my head in the clouds and I didn't see him until I dang near stepped on him and he and his buddy fled the territory. On another one I was able to make a good stalk on and get to a ranged 53 yards on him, but the thick snowberry browse and choke cherries just made it so I never got a clear shot at his vitals. On a couple different occasions I had Mrs. CCG with an arrow nocked and trying to set up a shot on big bucks, but it just never materialized. What does that dude with the flat brim hat always say? "BOWHUNTING SUCKS!" The suck of bowhunting is what makes me love it though haha. Nothing like trying to close the distance on a big muley with a bow in your hand. Good luck in 2019, fellers!


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## taxidermist (Sep 11, 2007)

We had a fantastic hunt this year!! I gave it a 5. Just spending time in the woods with Family/Friends is better than complaining about not seeing the Deer you once did. 


Now if a Deer was killed I would have given it a score of 1. That's when the work starts.


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## Gledeasy (Mar 23, 2014)

I went with a 4. Thought about a 5 as I had the chance of bagging possibly my biggest buck, but shot the wrong deer. Also thought about a 3 as there just wasn't the deer in there like the last few years. To be fair a fire burned some of the area and water holes were dry. That could have changed some things.


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## middlefork (Nov 2, 2008)

In reality this is pretty subjective depending on unit.
And nobody is going to hot spot a unit


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## Lone_Hunter (Oct 25, 2017)

This year was two firsts for me. First muzzy hunt, and first deer hunt. All the times I saw deer when I was Elk hunting, I figured i'd give it go and I'm tired of the rifle circus.


Because it was my first time, I could not possibly give a rating. I don't know what is good, or average for deer season


I can say this much:


- It was REALLY dry this year.


- I hiked well over 60 miles in the mountains, and lost enough weight in 8 days of hunting to where my wife noticed just looking at me.


- I saw 3 bucks on opening day, 4 miles in a road-less area.


- I had ONE opportunity to shoot on day 3 or 4 of the hunt, and I missed. I suspect it's because I didn't drop my pack and the shoulder strap altered my anchor point and flubbed my aim, AND i misjudged the range and bullet drop.


- I learned a lot


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

I'd give it a 2 but for reasons you wouldn't think. My daughters had 2 rifle deer tags. I didnt even put in because I like watching them hunt more then hunting myself. I was able to watch my youngest get her first buck with a bow after hunting 5 days. If it were up to that hunt I'd give it a higher grade "5" but I'm rating both hunts. With my oldest we had planned a horse back hunt. It was going to be her last youth tag because she turned 18 this year. We all had high Hope's for this hunt. I got stuck in China and we had to eat our fist ever tag of any species in over 20 years of hunting. We didnt even go out one day. So I rate that hunt a zero. Not the divisions fault. Screw work! If we had gone out even one weekend id rate it a 4 or higher. 

Edit. Actually I lied I forgot I ate one spike elk tag in my 20s. Ate 2 any bull tags only because I wanted a 6 point bull. Could have punched all three if I chose to do so.


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## 3arabians (Dec 9, 2014)

swbuckmaster said:


> Edit. Actually I lied I forgot I ate one spike elk tag in my 20s. Ate 2 any bull tags only because I wanted a 6 point bull. Could have punched all three if I chose to do so.











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