# filmore oak creek



## scotty (Jan 18, 2011)

I have 7 points is the filmore oak creek unit worth putting in for archery deer. i hunted hard on the vernon unit with a friend on the archery hunt last year . didn,t see any real good bucks alot of 150-160 but nothing bigger. is the filmore oak creek better the same or worse.


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

better quality! harder archery hunt! I think the success rates for that unit are around 13%.


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## legacy (Sep 30, 2007)

swbuckmaster said:


> better quality! harder archery hunt! I think the success rates for that unit are around 13%.


+1

Vernons quality has dropped (so has Oak Creeks), BUT Vernon is a funner, easier hunt. I know a lot of guys who have had rifle Oak Creek tags over the past 2 or 3 years and have had a hard time killing deer - many eating tag soup.


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## goofy elk (Dec 16, 2007)

Definitely LESS deer,,,,,,,Maybe a better buck or two.

BUT, here's the real deal....Oak Creek is a perfect example of struggling deer herds 
in Utah............I mean REALLY!

Low elk numbers...
Low lion numbers....
Not much road kill....
Limited hunters......


A dozen years now and the deer herd is NOT growing,,
In fact,,I think this deer herd is shrinking like most other herds in Utah..


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## Huntoholic (Sep 17, 2008)

goofy elk said:


> Definitely LESS deer,,,,,,,Maybe a better buck or two.
> 
> BUT, here's the real deal....Oak Creek is a perfect example of struggling deer herds
> in Utah............I mean REALLY!
> ...


So why is it shrinking? Is this unit already mirco-managed?


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## legacy (Sep 30, 2007)

huntoholic said:


> So why is it shrinking? Is this unit already mirco-managed?


I think that is the million dollar question! Is it predation? Is it poaching? Is it loss of habitat/drought/fire? Is it over hunting? Is it cyclical? Could be any one or a combination of anyone of these.

In 2009, the harvest % on Oak Creek (rifle) was 67.7% while the next lowest harvest % was Thousand Lake at 85.7%. Oak Creek archery was 37.5% compared to Vernon at 63.3%.

IMO, one place the the DWR could make an immidiate impact on the deer herds is by cutting back on the number of antlerless tags issued!


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## goofy elk (Dec 16, 2007)

Thousand Lakes is the same scenario,,,,,,except a few more elk.

I pounded the living crap out of both those units for lions from 1997 to just last year..
I can flat azz guarantee its NOT the lions,,,,,only a handful on both for the last 4 or 5
years.....

They both have good deer habitat as well....legacy is right ,,Its the million dollar ??????
Because roadkill and predication by lions is LOW on both,,and deer numbers are sliding downward.


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## Packout (Nov 20, 2007)

If you want a tough hunt then go with the Oak Creeks. That is a nasty, rocky, steep mountain with difficult access which produces a few great deer. With an archery tag you will hunt it and most likely go home empty. I have spent many August days on that rock pile and it can be tough to find bucks on certain days. 

Classic example of how Micro-Managment of bucks can not build a herd......


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## scotty (Jan 18, 2011)

here it is. I want to get a good velvet buck on the wall, I have a 175 buck that I shot on the extended a couple years ago and my 5 year waiting period is up this year on elk and I want to start putting in for the wasatch again. Henry's I will never draw, the paunsaugunt will take me 3 to 5 years same with san juan if i'm lucky. I haven't heard alot of good things about the book cliffs and I hunted with a friend on the vernon last year. so where do I have a chance at a good buck for the wall with 7 points


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## legacy (Sep 30, 2007)

You could try a CWMU. IDK if any let you hunt early enough for a velvet buck though. Id say screw it and just put in for a CWMU anyway. If you're dead-set on a velvet buck, put in for whatever unit tickles your fancy and make th best of it.


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## katorade (Sep 23, 2007)

Problem with CWMU's is most don't let you scout, most have only a couple of days, if they have guides most won't take you to the better bucks. 
If I had seven points and was in your situation, I would go with Vernon a hunt that you know some of the area, and you don't have to deal with landowners, even though there is a few good ones.
I wouldn't waste 7 points on a CWMU


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## goofy elk (Dec 16, 2007)

If I had 7 deer points,,,,,,,,I would be hunting in the Book cliffs with my bow.
ABSOULUTLY no question!


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## legacy (Sep 30, 2007)

goofy elk said:


> If I had 7 deer points,,,,,,,,I would be hunting in the Book cliffs with my bow.
> ABSOULUTLY no question!


+1


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## dkhntrdstn (Sep 7, 2007)

goofy elk said:


> If I had 7 deer points,,,,,,,,I would be hunting in the Book cliffs with my bow.
> ABSOULUTLY no question!


+1


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## cnegeese801 (Mar 19, 2009)

I grew up hunting that unit and have killed some great bucks. This was twenty years ago. I have been down there a few times since just to look over the country. There never was to many deer on that unit. back in the day my dad contacted the dwr and they said that blue tounge disease was struggling the deer herds. I did not think so at the time. I always thought lions because of all the tracks we would come across and dead deer hanging in trees. Never the less I would love a chance to get back in there and hunt. Love the area and is some tough hunting. But I have seen some big deer on that Mtn if you know where to go! You may not see many deer but they are in there...JMO!!
Travis


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

there are some huge deer down there. It is a sleeper unit for quality. You wont see to many people talking about it but if you do some scouting and are using a muzzy or a rifle you can walk out of their with a +185 gross buck or better. 

it is just a hard archery hunt. 7 points wont get you the muzzy or rifle tag either. Those tags will take you another 10+ years of applying.


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