# High country bucks



## J_marx22 (Sep 14, 2015)

So sometimes the high country of utah can get overwhelming. There are so many areas that look like they can hold good deer. So you find a few basins that have distance from heavily used trails, cover, water, and maybe they face north. When you are out scouting what makes one area appeal to you more than another if all you have done is say google earth scouting. I'm no expert in hunting at all and im really probably pretty awful. But to the experts on this forum, when your looking at areas to scout what makes you say "this area could be awesome"? What makes you stay away from certain areas? I really enjoy picking anybody's brain about mule deer and their habitat because I figure the more I learn the better chance I have a being successful.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

The biggest bucks that I have seen taken lately in Utah have all come within 1/2 mile of a well traveled road. 

But for looking for them I like areas that have ledges and pockets of trees where the bigger bucks can lay under and watch the day go by.


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## Lonetree (Dec 4, 2010)

Pick a place with deer, the more deer the better. :mrgreen: That of course sounds overly simplified, but let the deer tell you what the best habitat is. Look for sign, new, old, trails etc. The best deer habitat will be holding deer, and have sign that it does or has. The best advice I can offer is to then spend time watching this area, and it's deer. If there are deer, there are bucks, it is just a matter of finding them, which is where early season scouting pays off. Not too early, as allot can change from April-June. I watch deer about 300 days a year, and unfortunately not many of those days are in the areas I hunt(several hours drive), all my pictures of nice bucks, and tag soup are evidence of this.


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## hazmat (Apr 23, 2009)

I look for feed


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## Groganite (Nov 14, 2012)

I usually look for cover, open meadows, water, possible migration/feeding trails on google earth Then hit the dirt, hike my butt to a good glassing point and see if anything moves. I used to hunt the Wasatch front and you would be surprised what so many guys are hiking past!! I used to have ten or so guys a day walk passed some of my favorite honey holes not knowing that the first and last ten minutes of light is when most of the action happened. Some of my favorite spots were only ten minutes off the road. One of my spots has ten deer any given time of day in it and is right next to a sheep herder camp. they go to a hidden spring the sheep dont use and no one else hunts it because they think the sheep scare out all the animals. Keep an open mind, best way to find deer is to go out and scout.


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

My in-laws kill some dang nice bucks. Bigger bucks than what I ever even see. I am extremely jealous of what they get into. Every year. 

I don't know how they do it. They spend more time on ATVs than I do, which means they also hunt very close to roads. Most of the time, they shoot from the roads. Don't take this the wrong way -- they put in the effort. They are not typical "road hutners" in the sense that most of us picture a road hunter. Nonetheless, they spend a lot of time hunting from the road. There are a couple differences that I've noticed that stand out:

A. Time. They spend A LOT of time in the areas they hunt. It's a year-round thing. All winter, all spring, all summer, and (of course) all fall. That's all they do. They know the areas.

B. Eyes. Their eyes are just plain good for picking out deer. That's what they do. They are always on the lookout for deer (or coyotes). They know what a white face looks like. I don't know how, but their eyes are just plain better than mine. I wish I knew how to improve that.

C. Patience. A+C = success. They know the areas. They then go to those areas and they sit. Sometimes all day. Watching through a scope, binos, etc. All day. Under every tree, bush, ledge, and crack. In every shadow. That's certainly something to work on.

D. Dedication. It's not just about A (spending time). It's also about being willing to spend all your vacation time on hunting. It's about shooting hundreds of rounds through the new muzzleloader at 500 yards. Optics, weapons, boots, shampoo, etc. It's all high-end stuff. Swarovski spotting scopes with matching binos, etc. Their whole lives revolve around deer hunting. Everything else (Disneyland, education, work, etc.) comes after deer hunting. This is a hard area for me. I simply cannot dedicate this much to hunting deer.


Those are a few things that make my in-laws successful with deer hunting. Right, wrong, or otherwise, it works for them. Almost every year. Yes, I'm jealous of them.


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

You spend enough time in the hills you will develope a 6th sense where you will find bucks

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


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## ridgetop (Sep 13, 2007)

PBH said:


> My in-laws kill some dang nice bucks. Bigger bucks than what I ever even see. I am extremely jealous of what they get into. Every year.
> 
> I don't know how they do it. They spend more time on ATVs than I do, which means they also hunt very close to roads. Most of the time, they shoot from the roads. Don't take this the wrong way -- they put in the effort. They are not typical "road hutners" in the sense that most of us picture a road hunter. Nonetheless, they spend a lot of time hunting from the road. There are a couple differences that I've noticed that stand out:
> 
> ...


A little less fishing during hunting season would probably help too!;-)


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## ridgetop (Sep 13, 2007)

You can some times see game trails and water sources on google earth but not always.
Use the early and late season modes on G. E. and find the greener areas, these will usually be good feeding areas.


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