# Wasatch Front



## bowhuntinfool (Dec 29, 2007)

For those of you that have spent the last week on the Wasatch Front, I am just wondering if you have had better luck then I have??? I have been in every hole, hideout, canyon that I have seen good deer in the past and I have only seen one decent buck this year. Tons of two and three points but nothing "big". Anyone having better luck with it?


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## WasatchOutdoors (Sep 26, 2007)

I've seen a couple but they've been in odd places. The usual haunts that seem to have held deer every year have turned up nothing, and the few decent ones have been in little pockets of cover on an otherwise open area, that you don't have any kind of approach on. I think that they've been stepping out well after dark and returning before first light, so i have no idea how to approach these ones without getting busted or blowing them out into Morgan County.


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## blackbear (Oct 18, 2007)

wait till the moon is a little more sympathetic(smaller). the 2 major environmental issues right now iv seen- moon & water. Not much drinking water for them other than streams and rivers. Plus the grass is so **** crunchy. Lets hope we get some water here in the next week or so, itll soften the ground, and stir the animals up a bit, break them of their summer habits. Unfortunately it might not help with the dove hunt next weekend. Oh well, so are the trade offs.


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## coydogg (Oct 6, 2007)

Well I dont feel to bad now. I have had the same luck. I think the combination of heat, moon, and water are just keeping them down. I have seen the most action early morning. Opening morning saw a couple small bucks and some ladies. Then of course it just wouldnt be right if I didnt see a big 6x6 elk (thought I would do rifle insted of archery this year). He was within 20-30 yards of me for about 10 min. What even made me more mad about that is I heard big cottonwood is any bull during regular season. Other than that I havent seen much. I pretty much jumped on top of a decent 4x4 the other night. That sums it up!


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## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

The moon, heat, and ten billion other screaming idiots all out at once has been a pretty good argument to stay home this first week.


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## alpinebowman (Sep 24, 2007)

You guys and your moon phases. I missed one great buck on monday and saw several others feeding late into the morning and early in the evening. I did have the best luck on monday but I saw great bucks on sunday and monday. They are there just a little pressured right now. Remember we had the elk and deer hunters hitting the hills the first weekend. 

I also think SWBuckmaster did pretty good on a full moon on saturday 8)


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## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

alpinebowman said:


> You guys and your moon phases. I also think SWBuckmaster did pretty good on a full moon on saturday 8)


Compared to what I saw even this weekend compared to the first and from talking to guys who have been up where SWBuckmaster killed his all summer, the moon definitely has an adverse affect (meaning they're not up as early in the evening and don't stay out as late in the morning) on the deer when they can feed all night long. There isn't any reason for them to come out and feed heavily in the mornings after a full moon.... and we saw that. SW's deer was bumped to him... not like it fed right under him on the hill or something. I went out Sunday and there were deer out quite a bit longer than I remember seeing them a week ago. Couple guys I hunted with that have been at it for a while also explained about the moon situation when I asked what was with the deer. There was pressure too, no doubt about that, but I wouldn't question the moon affecting deer activity as well.


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## alpinebowman (Sep 24, 2007)

riverrat I saw the buck I shot at at 7:30 in the morning which is pretty late when you can see at 6:00 and when I was looking for my arrow I saw a even bigger buck with a great cheater that would put him over 30" at 9:00 in the morning. I guess the moon wasn't as bright in my canyon.


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## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

alpinebowman said:


> I guess the moon wasn't as bright in my canyon.


Could have been.... :lol: All I'm saying is I think it plays a part. Its not going to either shut down the hunt or leave it wide open with deer all over the place, but the deer certainly react to different factors in their environment, one of which is the moon phase.


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## TheMtnGuide (Aug 27, 2008)

I know that the deer just north of the main Wasatch cottonwood canyons over by East Canyon to Echo to Wanship had bad winter kill. The wildlife biologist I talked to said that there was 85% fawn kill and the older class bucks didn't make it through the winter. I've been a guide over by East Canyon for six years and this is the worst that I've seen it since the 80's. I was worried that the Cottonwoods may have seen the same affects from the winter. I think the moon and temp are playing a little role in the amount of activity you’re seeing but I can bet some of it has to do with the winter kill. The big bucks die because after the rut in November there pretty burned up and it can be very difficult for them to make it through a tough winter. That's why you are seeing a lot of smaller bucks that are 2,3 and 4 years old because they didn't have to fight as much in November because they aren't fully mature yet. Hope the hunting gets better for you.


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## InvaderZim (Sep 7, 2007)

And remember southern Utah aint the wasatch front!!! :? 

Different as night and day as far as I'm concerned.


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