# 2014 Henry Mountains Bison Hunt



## Shunter

Went down for a scouting trip a couple of weeks ago. Explored the area for the first time. What an amazing place! Any tips on the late season cow bison hunt would be appreciated. Where to camp, which side to come in on, Packout methods (should have 5-10 guys helping out, no horses but we'll have atvs and snowmobiles. Here are a few pictures of how the trip went.









First view of the mountain range









Closer view









Overheating after climbing 3,000 ft of elevation pulling a trailer. Emptied the trailer, had 4 wheelers, and did much better after.









Overlooking the desert









Spotting deer from the tent first thing in the morning



















Will load more pictures later


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## Shunter

We were down there when Utah had the "super moon". Huge and very bright all night.


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## Shunter

Saw lots of cattle. We hoped every dark spot on the hill was a bison









Figuring out the roads

























Some great views









Our first sign of bison


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## Dunkem

Welcome to the forum,great pictures!


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## Rattler

Looks like a fun hunt. Good luck.


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## Shunter

Some great bucks. Early morning they were everywhere. About every 100 yards we would see some sort of deer. It was amazing. No deer deer activity at all during the day. That's expected with 90 degree weather though.


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## Shunter

And one very diseased buck. I've never seen anything like this in my life. I would think the DWR would want this guy out any herd, especially on the Henry's


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## Critter

If you have the late cow tag you might want to concentrate on the lower country. Cave Flat, and Tarantula Mesa. That time of year you can expect any kind of weather that there is, from hot days to 3' of snow and it can happen from one day to the next. 

There are a couple of members here that had that tag in the last couple of years and they should chime in.


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## bowhunt3r4l1f3

Wow that buck is disgusting! Got shiz hanging all over him! I've never seen anything that bad!


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## Shunter

Thanks guys. I look forward to participating more here. I've been a long time reader but haven't contributed much.


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## BPturkeys

No buffs???


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## johnnycake

You are going to have a blast! Looks like you camped right where we cut my cougar's track in 2012! I ended up taking my cow bison on the way to Tarantula Mesa, just before the turn to something-or-other cave? Definitely stick to the Notum Road side of the mountain, and like other's have said be ready for anything weather wise. Also, don't drive too fast through anything. There are lots of little depressions and folds that the bison can disappear into. We almost drove right past the herd I shot my cow in--and another group of hunters on sleds did drive right past them just in front of us. Good luck!


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## Shunter

After searching high and low. We didn't spot any bison. We believe we found tracks and scat because they were close to the fur caught on that tree. With their tracks being so similar to cattle it was hard to tell for sure of anything though. The highest we went was about 9,500 ft just below south summit ridge. We spent an afternoon with 4 of us glassing every direction from up there. We camped about 7,500 ft and did a lot of glassing every day around there too. We spent most of the time on the east side, and only a couple of hours on the west during the day. I would assume they were only out in the open very early and very late but the place is so big it was hard to glass a lot of areas with only 2 days down there.


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## Critter

I have always said that every deer hunter in Utah should at least drive through the Henry Mountains once in their life, it is a real eye opener. It was even fun back when I used to hunt it every year before they made it a LE hunt. 

The bison at this time of year can be anywhere on that mountain. I have seen them just off of the top of Mt Ellen down to Capital Reef. Come August when breeding season is going on you will find a lot of them on Apple Bush Flats on the west side.


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## elkantlers

These were in the Nasty Flat area.

I don't know why the pictures are so small, but if you click on them they enlarge.


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## Vanilla

That buck...

Wow!


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## swbuckmaster

Look at that fawn killer!


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## dadams41

Awesome pictures. Thanks for sharing!


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## utfireman

My brother had the tag last year for the late cow hunt. PM me or email me at [email protected] and I will pass on all the info that I gathered from planning the hunt to actually going on it with him.


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## Truelife

Good advice from Critter, I had that tag a few years ago and tagged mine the first day in the high country. The next hunt 1 week later was very unsuccessful overall because the weather was so terrible they couldn't see anything.

Do A LOT of spotting. This time of year any place with the word "springs" in the name is a good place to start. They get pushed around a lot and they won't be in the same place for the hunt. The low country can be very huge and hard to spot.

My suggestion would just be to spot spot and then do some more spotting. Then, aim low!

Good luck. If you get close to the hunt and still aren't having any luck shoot me a PM and I'll see if I can be of more specific help.


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## Shunter

elkantlers said:


> These were in the Nasty Flat area.
> 
> I don't know why the pictures are so small, but if you click on them they enlarge.
> 
> Awesome pictures. Nasty Flat is one of the areas we didn't go. So many roads to explore down there. Thanks!


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## Shunter

PM sent to utfireman and Truelife . Thanks for the help guys! I'll keep you updated on any other scouting trips and of course the hunt.


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## hunting777

good luck on your hunt, it looks like you are doing your homework. let us know how things turn out.


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## jpd

*Thanks*

Thanks for the photo tour of the area. I'll be there for the first time in October with an any weapon tag in my pocket!! Very excited!!

jpd


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## hansenusn

We were down on the Henry's in July and saw a nice herd of bison hanging out below the Mcmillan Springs Campground. Not sure where they will be during the late season though.


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## Archin

Looks like an awesome place! I wish you luck. Soak it all in


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## Shunter

Just received a letter and a huge map from the BLM Henry Mountains Field Station. As you can see in the pictures the top map is very big and will come in handy for sure. The letter said congratulations and basically to stay on the roads with vehicles, ATVs etc.


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## elkantlers

These were down on the desert. About 5 miles south of the road that goes East to Mcmillan springs.


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## Shunter

elkantlers said:


> These were down on the desert. About 5 miles south of the road that goes East to Mcmillan springs.


Awesome! Thanks for posting those. I'll study the pictures to get better at identifying the cows from the bulls. I've taken the Bison Orientation that the DWR has but in the field I want to make sure I can tell them apart. Can't believe it's still 3 months until my hunt starts.


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## Critter

Look at the map and learn where you can take your ATV's if you have them. The last time that I was down there and looked at the map that is provided there are large areas that you can take the ATV off the road if you need to. 

Also one big problem is that where they are at today will change as far as where they will be at during the hunting season, and depending on just which tag you have they may just disappear. 

Telling the difference between the cows and bulls isn't that hard once you see them in person. If you have never actually seen a herd of them I would suggest a trip down there or out to Antelope Island if you are close enough to see what I mean.


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## Truelife

Critter said:


> Look at the map and learn where you can take your ATV's if you have them. The last time that I was down there and looked at the map that is provided there are large areas that you can take the ATV off the road if you need to.


I think they've changed this so that you have to keep your ATV's on the road everywhere. They don't even allow them off to retrieve a downed game animal anymore from what I've been told. I would certainly get in touch with the DWR in the area and find out for sure though. You will want the ATV there if you can take it. And you WILL see the DWR roaming around there quite a bit.

As far as determining bull from cow........ I think it's the young bulls that get people occasionally. Do some searches on Google images for cow bison, and bull bison. It also helps to have those who might be spotting for you understand the difference very well too. In the heat of the moment you don't want to find yourself relying on someone who is guessing.


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## Critter

They could of changed the rules about driving off road but the ones to check with would be the BLM office in Hanksville. That is where we did the last time that I was down there and learned where you could and couldn't drive them. 

About the DWR being down there, I have been down there for several bison hunts and have never seen a division employee down on the mountains. Not saying that they are not there but I have never seen one either in a truck or checking hunters.


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## GaryFish

If you really want to get into the legal eagle of the OHV stuff, the Richfield Travel Management Plan that allocated OHV use to pretty much designated roads and trails, was shot down in court based on a law suit from SUWA, that demonstrated that BLM was not able to determine "no significant impact" to cultural resources with their route designations, because they hadn't conducted cultural resource surveys of all the routes. So the judge suspended the route designation plan until BLM can come up with a plan to deal with that. Which as an ironic old twist to SUWA's efforts, means that management reverts back to the last decision, which is that OHV use is OPEN in the Henry Mountains. Which means, that outside of the Wilderness Study Areas, you can legally ride wherever the heck you want to. BLM will tell you roads and trails only, and I think that is good practice myself, but if you get ticketed and fight it, the legal purgatory of it all right now, is that the Henry Mountains are OPEN to OHV use, as there is currently no decision document in place (held up in court) that designates the roads and trails. 

The practical matter, is that you can cover ground a whole lot faster from the roads, and the roads provide some of the best glassing areas around in the Henrys. So if you really want to hunt from your truck or wheeler, there isn't a whole lot of reason to leave the roads and trails. But that's just me.


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## Shunter

*Letter received*

Thanks for the additional information guys. From what I have read in the letter is that the light blue squares are Utah School and Institutional Trust lands and are not subject to the BLM offroad restrictions. So if these are next to a road then we're free to drive off the road there. I've attached the letter I received if you're interested in looking at it. I converted the pdf to Jpeg so hopefully it's clear enough to read.


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## bamacpl

I go on a Henries deer hunt every year & have had the fish cops come in our camp & check for tags every time!!


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## GaryFish

Sue is great, and she lays things out for the most part in that letter. Only she left off that the travel management plan is in suspense due to court decisions, and that any designations in the plan are not valid at this time, since that plan has been invalidated until the cultural resource surveys can be completed on all designated routes, to support the finding of no significant impact. It is great to say that they have a plan, but they don't. Not until the court order has been fulfilled. But that is perhaps a discussion for another day. Carry on.

Have a GREAT hunt. The bison down there are ghosts. Good luck.


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## PBH

bamacpl said:


> I go on a Henries deer hunt every year & have had the fish cops come in our camp & check for tags every time!!


What the hell are the fish cops doing checking for deer tags?? shouldn't they be checking anglers and leaving hunters alone?? (maybe I'm assuming they asked for deer tags when in reality they asked to see fishing license?)


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## Dahlmer

bamacpl said:


> I go on a Henries deer hunt every year & have had the fish cops come in our camp & check for tags every time!!


Any chance you could post some pictures of the bucks you have taken? ray:ray:ray:


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## bamacpl

Dahlmer said:


> Any chance you could post some pictures of the bucks you have taken? ray:ray:ray:


I have never personally taken a buck on the Henries....I just go along with friends because I know the unit well & enjoy the experience. I hope to draw it soon!!!


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## Truelife

Critter said:


> About the DWR being down there, I have been down there for several bison hunts and have never seen a division employee down on the mountains. Not saying that they are not there but I have never seen one either in a truck or checking hunters.


Really?? I guess I'm just lucky. I was down there in late spring a couple of years ago and I think there were two trucks on the whole mountain we were on. Me, and a the DWR. I don't think I've ever been there and not seen them. We haven't ever been checked, but we've talked to them several times.


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## DeadI

That buck is something else. Any one know what those things are on it?


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## elkantlers

One more. I am no expert, but I think he is a shooter.


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## Shunter

Just received the blood sample and the tooth sample kits. The hunt is less than 2 weeks away! I made the summer scouting trip but was never able to make it down there for another trip. We're going down the day before the season starts to get a full day of scouting and get familiar with some new areas. I'll do a daily update if possible when we come into town each day.


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## bds

Good Luck!


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## RandomElk16

elkantlers said:


> One more. I am no expert, but I think he is a shooter.


Stud! Its an OIL and they are tough creatures. Talking to some that have done it, shoot whatever one you can!

Best of luck!


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## DallanC

RandomElk16 said:


> Stud! Its an OIL and they are tough creatures. Talking to some that have done it, shoot whatever one you can!
> 
> Best of luck!


This. My dad drew it in 1996... did not get one. Its a tougher hunt than you would think.

-DallanC


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## Mr Muleskinner

DallanC said:


> This. My dad drew it in 1996... did not get one. Its a tougher hunt than you would think.
> 
> -DallanC


Ditto. I did not get one last year.


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## Dukes_Daddy

Ditto, Ditto. Empty handed in 96.

PM if you want my checklist of spots we saw buf or sign.


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## huntress

My dad,mom,and uncle have all killed one on the henry,s in the nineties, all on opening day, (along with helping out a few other hunters the next few days) they usually are in the same place until they are shot at, then they are gone for the rest of the hunt,( find them BEFORE THE HUNT) my mom and dad found them a week before and they were still on the same flat opening day 2 years apart

p.m. Me and i will try to help you out, (if you are interested)

p.s. The real big bulls have a lot of hair on their heads covering the horns part way up, look for a nice curve up, not a jut outward that is a young bull,


Good luck, atv,s and jeeps ( cover ground quicker than on a horse) with winches are what we used, along with a truck, 3/4 in plywood sheet and a come-along


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## Shunter

huntress said:


> My dad,mom,and uncle have all killed one on the henry,s in the nineties, all on opening day, (along with helping out a few other hunters the next few days) they usually are in the same place until they are shot at, then they are gone for the rest of the hunt,( find them BEFORE THE HUNT) my mom and dad found them a week before and they were still on the same flat opening day 2 years apart
> 
> p.m. Me and i will try to help you out, (if you are interested)
> 
> p.s. The real big bulls have a lot of hair on their heads covering the horns part way up, look for a nice curve up, not a jut outward that is a young bull,
> 
> Good luck, atv,s and jeeps ( cover ground quicker than on a horse) with winches are what we used, along with a truck, 3/4 in plywood sheet and a come-along


Thanks Huntress, DM sent. Also, I'm curious how you used the 3/4 inch plywood sheet and the come along. Would you pull the bison on top of the plywood with the come along? Like a slide? Or just over some things and up steep stuff? The plan for now is to pack it out on our backs, 10 people total but 6 that will be able to pack some weight. This might not be feasible if it were a bull hunt.


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## Buckfinder

Good luck on your hunt!!


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## johnnycake

Way to be prepared with the packers. But hey, you never know, you might get lucky like I did on my cow hunt and find a road within 30 yards of where she fell! It took my brother and I 10 minutes to pack the chunks out, less time than it took our guide to get to his truck and back!:mrgreen: Good luck and I want pictures!


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## Truelife

Good luck on your hunt, can't wait to see the pictures.


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## Shunter

johnnycake said:


> Way to be prepared with the packers. But hey, you never know, you might get lucky like I did on my cow hunt and find a road within 30 yards of where she fell! It took my brother and I 10 minutes to pack the chunks out, less time than it took our guide to get to his truck and back!:mrgreen: Good luck and I want pictures!


That's awesome. That'd be nice that close to a road. A lot of roads down there so ya never know.


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## Critter

You also want to check with the BLM office in Hanksville to see just where you can take a ATV off of the road. The last time that I was down there a lot of the areas were open to off roading and there were areas where you had to stay on the roads. Even where we got the buff we could of driven a ATV to it but decided to just pack it 100 yards across a ravine to the truck.

The plywood trick is a easy way to get the whole animal into the back of a truck.


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## wyogoob

Shunter said:


> Thanks Huntress, DM sent. Also, I'm curious how you used the 3/4 inch plywood sheet and the come along. Would you pull the bison on top of the plywood with the come along? Like a slide? Or just over some things and up steep stuff? The plan for now is to pack it out on our backs, 10 people total but 6 that will be able to pack some weight. This might not be feasible if it were a bull hunt.


Best of luck.

.


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## Dukester

I also have a cow tag starting the 15th. 6 more days to go! Best of luck!


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## Shunter

Dukester said:


> I also have a cow tag starting the 15th. 6 more days to go! Best of luck!


Awesome. Good luck!


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## johnnycake

I'm so crazy excited and jealous of you guys! 
Here's my cow taken Dec. 28, 2012 to whet your appetites!


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## bkelz

bowhunt3r4l1f3 said:


> Wow that buck is disgusting! Got shiz hanging all over him! I've never seen anything that bad!


If you saw something like that deer, you think DWR would have a fit if you took it out. Sad, but honestly, I would see no problem. Wouldn't be hard to prove he had some health problems.


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## Shunter

johnnycake said:


> I'm so crazy excited and jealous of you guys!
> Here's my cow taken Dec. 28, 2012 to whet your appetites!


Great picture! Thanks for sharing. Now I'm even more excited.


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## LanceS4803

bkelz said:


> If you saw something like that deer, you think DWR would have a fit if you took it out. Sad, but honestly, I would see no problem. Wouldn't be hard to prove he had some health problems.


I have a whitetail doe on my property that has had them for years. She is very healthy and has fawns every year. 
They are called fibromas and are generally not a problem on the deer.
http://www.buckmanager.com/2010/02/10/white-tailed-deer-tumors-or-warts/


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## Shunter

Alright guys sorry for taking so long for an update. I'm back after spending several days hunting. Had some close calls but no success yet. I'll give you a day by day update and include some pictures.

Day 1:
This was Sunday, the day before the hunt started. I met up with friends and family at about 8 AM to start the drive down there. It's about a 4.5 hour drive to Hanksville where we would be staying in the Whispering Sands motel there. We stopped in Price, and went to Walmart for supplies, we ended up with much more than food and spent a little too much time there. A couple of the guys came out of there with knives, hatchets, and more camo. That's what happens in Walmart though. We continued the drive and got to Hanksville about 2:00 PM. We checked in to the motel and started the drive to the mountain. We got familiar with a couple new roads and found a lot of deer that night, the scouting didn't turn up any bison so I decided to stick to my original plan. We met that night at the motel to decide where each of us would be the next morning.

Day 2: 
Opening day. We 6 different machines and 9 guys. The plan we made the night before was to be in three different locations at first light. We all had radios and were planning on keeping good communication. Well things didn't exactly go as planned. We got to our unloading spot about 30 minutes late, then one of the 4 wheelers didn't start. While we were trying to get it started one of the groups left without their radios, they were still in the back of the truck. We finally got going and got to enjoy a couple hours of glassing as we moved through some of the dirt roads. So many miles of dirt roads down there that go all over the place. We finally heard from the first group that left without the radios, they met up with one of the other groups and grabbed a radio. They had spotted some bison. They were next to some other hunters and the other hunters were already moving in for the shot. We were about 20 minutes away and headed that way as quickly as we could on the 4 wheelers. Halfway there they radioed in that the other hunters had taken a few shots and got one down. We still sped up there hoping to cut off the herd. It was a herd of 10-12. We got to a spot where they thought the herd would be coming down and we spent the next couple of hours getting high and waiting for movement. We never saw them but went and talked to the other hunters and they said that there was another herd they spotted the day before. So we split up to watch for the different herds. While we were looking for these different herds, our 3rd group was occupied with a truck that had burst into flames and burnt to the ground. They spent a couple hours with this guy that was bringing his horses up to recover a bison from the prior hunt. It was a sad day for him, everything was lost.

We spent the rest of the day glassing and looking for those herds but didn't see anything. The weather was great all day.

Day 3:
Had an earlier start this day and we got to 3 different glassing points. Saw a lot of bucks but no bison for the first couple of hours. I came across a bison gut pile and tried following tracks but didn't see any tracks other than the one that was shot. But while I was looking at that I got a call on the radio that they had spotted a small herd of 5. They led me to a road that would get to about a mile away. I started a hike in to get a look and found the herd. 1300 yards away. I thought I could sneak in for a shot until I came across a massive valley in between us. I figured it would take several hours to hike closer for a shot and it was up some steep loose rock shale. These bison were at over 10,000 feet. I was at 8,000. I took a few pictures through the spotting scope and decided it would be better to go in after them from a different ridge and with someone. I drive around to a different side, met up with someone, ate lunch, and we started our hike. Much steeper and looser than we were expecting. The expected hour long hike ended up taking 2.5 hours. We got up on a ridge just a couple hundred yards from where they were and were nowhere to be found. We started following some tracks but it was getting dark and we made our way back down.

Day 4:
We wanted to go after that small herd we went after the night before. As we were getting to the unloading spot a big storm rolled in. We were in the middle of a blizzard. The fog quickly followed. We had no visibility and the snow was getting deeper and deeper as we made our way up the hill. We went on a long drive and glassed where we could but came off the hill earlier that day. Didn't see any bison or sign of bison. Very tough conditions that day. Maybe all the new snow will bring them down a little though.

That was it for my first trip. We'll be going back down next week and hope we can have some better luck. We had some close calls and had a lot of fun. As many of you know though the area is huge, steep, and rough.

Pictures to follow shortly


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## Shunter

The drive down









Glassing on the scouting trip

















Some bucks









First sign









Fresh gut pile from prior hunt or maybe opening morning

















Seeing my first bison on the Henrys. 1300 yards away.









The truck that burned on opening day

















Steep hikes and great views









Storm and low visibility on the last day


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## johnnycake

Good luck! And keep your eyes peeled. My cow was in a herd of ~30-40 that hid a couple hundred yards off the road in a wash. We were behind a big group of hunters on snowmobiles that blew straight past them. Good luck and I'm looking forward to the rest of the reports!


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## RandomElk16

Awesome pics! What happened with that truck?!?


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## Shunter

RandomElk16 said:


> Awesome pics! What happened with that truck?!?


He was driving up the hill and just had flames go up in front of his windshield and a few seconds later it got into the cab. He threw it into to park, grabbed a couple things, got his horses out of the trailer and it was completely engulfed by then. It burned for the next hour or so and he lost everything he had inside. Him and the horses made it out safe though. Not an old truck either. Maybe a fuel line burst.


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## RandomElk16

Crazy! Good luck down there and be safe!


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## Dukester

I didn't see that truck, but I heard about it. It was on the road that goes across Coyote Benches. I hunted 4 days out there and didn't see a single Bison! Saw some really good bucks... I'll post pics. One was a huge 3X4, made me want to put in for a Management Buck tag out there! I'll head back out there after Christmas to get my cow. Maybe I'll see you out there!


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## wyogoob

Great posts and pictures.

Good luck.


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## Dukester

Here are a couple bucks we saw up there, and flock of Turkeys. Next week, I'll bring a better camera and get some real good shots, hopefully some of me with a dead Bison!


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## 35whelen

great pics. hope you bag one


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## silentstalker

Good luck! Seems like a really fun hunt!


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## Shunter

Thanks guys. And great pictures Dukester. I need to get back down there soon. After Christmas I'll be there for the rest of the hunt.


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## Dukester

I got skunked! Last 2 days were snowed out. I hunted high and low for 7 days and never even saw a single buff! I'm extremely dissatisfied. Guess I should have spent $4k for a guide. How did your last day of the hunt go Shunter?


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## johnnycake

Sorry to hear it Dukester, did you at least enjoy the hunting?


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## DallanC

Sorry to hear you didn't get one. The buff seem scattered into remote areas this late in the season, if I had the tag I'd hire a plane and fly it 3 days before the hunt to get an idea of general areas where they were at.


-DallanC


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## Critter

A lot of hunters figure that the late season cow tags are the easiest tags to fill out on the Henry Mountains. They do very little scouting and when they do scout it it is usually during the season. This is one of the hardest hunts in Utah. You are trying to find a cow bison in how many square miles and there are only around 400 bison in the whole range. The winter range of these animals can range all the way down to Bull Frog on Lake Powell. 

I agree with Dallan, if I had that tag I would hire a plane a few days before the hunt and then go find them then make plans accordingly.


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## Shunter

Our second trip went well. Other than not filling the tag. We spent 3 days. First day was a storm up high where we knew where the buffalo were. So we glassed low most of the day. That night we talked to a hunter that had shot one a couple hours before. They got it a couple hundred yards from the road down low over towards Stevens mesa. We decided to change plans and head to that side and track the herd the next morning. That's what we did, and tracked them for miles and miles. They went up towards pistol creek then right up to the east side of Ellen peak. Later in the day we spotted either that herd or one close by and started making our way up through McMillan springs. Well, once got up there the snow went from about 6-8 inches to 1 to 2 feet. We got stuck and thought we'd hike the rest of the way. The joking was slow and we didn't think we'd make it so we spread out and started glassing. From the tracks we follows and those we glassed we think the herd traveled about 8 miles after being shot at. Mich further than we expected. The last day we headed back towards cave flat and airplane springs. We separated and got a good half day of hunting but got caught in some more snow. Found some more fresh tracks but no bison. 

We spent 4 days of scouting before the hunt and 7 days of hunting including the partial days . got a lot of people out that had never hunted and had the time of my life. In a couple instances we decided not to pursue a herd because of the crazy terrain and how far away we were from the vehicles. The weather was rough, terrain was rougher where we were finding bison but it was an amazing hunt. I have no regrets. Id be nice to have unlimited time and funds but I don't. Just getting to where we wanted to hunt from the motel was about 2 hours, 45 minutes to 1.5 hours of driving in the truck then more time on the wheelers once we got there. The tag cost $413, fuel on the scouting trip was about $400, then fuel and motel each day we hunted was about $150. Being into the hunt about $1,500 I would still do it again if I had the chance. If I would have gotten one the euro mount would be another $200, rug about $400, and meat processing about $300. Everyone that came down with me for the different trips says that they want to put in for a bison hunt on the Henrys. Nowhere else would you get a chance to hunt a Bison/mountain goat hybrid, see some amazing southern Utah terrain, and see some huge bucks to boot. I'll post a few pictures of the last few days. Thanks for following along this awesome adventure.


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## Shunter

Herd on the second to last day of my hunting. About 5 miles away through the spotting scope. Ran into too much snow and ran out of light by the time we got closer.


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## Shunter

Great view, and awesome ponderosa trees.


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## Shunter

Following fresh tracks. It started out easy. Then they hit the steep stuff. In one of the pictures you can see them going straight down something steep and straight back up the other side.


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## Shunter

The lucky hunter's bison that he got close to a road down low. A lot of preparation goes into these hunts but luck is a small factor. It would be very convenient to come across one like this. Congrats to the hunter. It was cool to see one on the ground. These animals are awesome.


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## Shunter

One of the sunsets


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## Shunter

More views


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## Shunter

Another storm on the second to last day.


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## Shunter

And I wanted to finish off by saying thank you to everyone here that has offered help. I received so much information that I would have needed a month down there to try out everywhere and everything that was mentioned. A lot of great information and it got me in on the bison almost every day. Thanks to all my friends and family too that spent a lot of their time and gear helping out.


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## wyogoob

Shunter said:


> More views


I seen that when I fell off a horse on the elk hunt.

.


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## Dukester

Critter said:


> A lot of hunters figure that the late season cow tags are the easiest tags to fill out on the Henry Mountains. They do very little scouting and when they do scout it it is usually during the season. This is one of the hardest hunts in Utah. You are trying to find a cow bison in how many square miles and there are only around 400 bison in the whole range. The winter range of these animals can range all the way down to Bull Frog on Lake Powell.
> 
> I agree with Dallan, if I had that tag I would hire a plane a few days before the hunt and then go find them then make plans accordingly.


You hit the nail on the head. Too big of an area and only 400 or so animals. The amount of places they can hide is unbelievable! A lot of this hunt has to do with being in the right place at the right time. I had a good time hunting though. The views are amazing. It is an extremely hard hunt. I even had a contact in Bicknell that has run cows on the Henrys his whole life. He told me right where to look and where he sees them all the time. He was surprised I didn't see any as well. As for scouting from the sky 3 days before, that would be useless. These critters don't stay in the same place for very long. It's not like hunting deer or elk. At least that's what the rancher told me. He said he's seen them move 30 miles in 3 hours before. Anyway, I was just never in the right place at the right time. That's why they call it hunting and not killing!


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## Dukester

This was the last day on Coyote Benches at only 6800'. Not easy to hunt in these circumstances.


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## Critter

Dukester said:


> This was the last day on Coyote Benches at only 6800'. Not easy to hunt in these circumstances.


I've seen it like that during the deer hunt in October. This late cow hunt is a real hunt. You may need a 4x4, 4 wheeler, snowmobile, or horses and that can happen all in one day.


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