# Monroe deer



## oldguysrule (Sep 18, 2016)

After spending 4 days down on the Monroe looking for deer for the muzzleloader hunt and finding very few I am very skeptical of the amount of deer the fish and game are saying that are there. Being on the opening morning of the le elk hunt and not finding any elk hunters has really got me trying to find more information out about this unit. If anyone has any to share I sure would like to talk to them as I have 22 points for elk and still cant draw done there. And did not see an elk the whole time I was there. It really has me worried.:sad:


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## MuscleWhitefish (Jan 13, 2015)

oldguysrule said:


> After spending 4 days down on the Monroe looking for deer for the muzzleloader hunt and finding very few I am very skeptical of the amount of deer the fish and game are saying that are there. Being on the opening morning of the le elk hunt and not finding any elk hunters has really got me trying to find more information out about this unit. If anyone has any to share I sure would like to talk to them as I have 22 points for elk and still cant draw done there. And did not see an elk the whole time I was there. It really has me worried.:sad:


Did you find water or look at water sources?

That unit is a road hunters paradise and if you drive around long enough you will bump something.

I would have zero thought trying to draw that unit with the points that you have. Elk suck to pack out and having roads near by is always a plus when packing one out.


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## #1DEER 1-I (Sep 10, 2007)

There are no deer and there are no elk, I would move onto a different unit


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

I agree all the elk and deer have moved over to the Plateau or Dutton.


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## #1DEER 1-I (Sep 10, 2007)

Critter said:


> I agree all the elk and deer have moved over to the Plateau or Dutton.


I agree head to the Dutton....it's about the exact opposite of the Monroe, it's no road hunters paradise.

On a serious note, Monroe should have some decent bulls on it in the coming years but don't expect to shoot anything giant. It used to be a much better elk unit than it was but due to exsessive b.... from local ranchers it has fewer elk on it. As for deer, there are deer on the Monroe, and you'll bump into bucks, but expect a general season buck. There are so many roads on every part of Monroe a buck has to be one of the smartest in the state to get big there. A small 3 to medium sized four is a good buck for the Monroe unit. Yes there are bigger bucks but they are few and far between. The last two years were pretty good on the Monroe unit but from what I've seen this year your assessment is t far off. It isn't as good as it has been the last two years and I have not seen near as many bucks or medium to bigger sized bucks I've seen the past few years. It hasn't been a good year for Monroe, but if you're not super picky you can get a buck.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

I can honestly say that I have never had any problems locating deer or elk on the Monroe. You do need to get away from the roads if you want to find them.


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## elkfromabove (Apr 20, 2008)

#1DEER 1-I said:


> I agree head to the Dutton....it's about the exact opposite of the Monroe, it's no road hunters paradise.
> 
> On a serious note, Monroe should have some decent bulls on it in the coming years but don't expect to shoot anything giant. It used to be a much better elk unit than it was but due to exsessive b.... from local ranchers it has fewer elk on it. As for deer, there are deer on the Monroe, and you'll bump into bucks, but expect a general season buck. There are so many roads on every part of Monroe a buck has to be one of the smartest in the state to get big there. A small 3 to medium sized four is a good buck for the Monroe unit. Yes there are bigger bucks but they are few and far between. The last two years were pretty good on the Monroe unit but from what I've seen this year your assessment is t far off. It isn't as good as it has been the last two years and I have not seen near as many bucks or medium to bigger sized bucks I've seen the past few years. It hasn't been a good year for Monroe, but if you're not super picky you can get a buck.


Yes! This is the best assessment we've seen so far. I'm not personally that familiar with the unit, but the DWR stats tell us that the deer herd has declined in the last several years. In post-season 2013 the deer population was 300 animals above the 7,500 objective at 7,800 but in 2015 it was 600 animals below at 6,900. And the buck to doe ratio also dropped during that time from 23.3/100 to 22.0/100. That's a difference of 230 fewer bucks which may not seem like much, but that's only 2 recent years and it's not the 2016 numbers. The unit has been on a general decline for some time and it has been noticed. However, there are still bucks to be had. You'll just have to work at it a bit more. Good hunting and play it safe.

The elk situation probably stems from the Spyder Bull. Everyone is still hoping one of his grandsons will show up and the applications are still high but the herd numbers are low and the local ranchers want them even lower. Additionally, the elk frequently migrate to neighboring units. Hunting elk on that unit is tough.


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## wyoming2utah (Sep 12, 2007)

I haven't spent nearly as much time on Monroe this year as in years past, so my observations aren't based on as much time spent as normal. However, one week before the bow hunt started, I saw the single biggest deer I have ever seen on Monroe in the private property off the main road not far from Manning Meadow Reservoir. That single deer was the first of 8 bucks I saw that morning off the main road while driving and the first of 4 mature bucks. I also saw a group of cow elk in that same area, a cow and a calf at the Reservoir, and 2 very nice bulls on the drive out (one of which was a pretty sweet 7x7).

When I make that same drive--from my house to the reservoir and back--before the 4th of July, I generally seen herd after herd after herd of elk. This year was no different. I have also found that from about the 4th of July on, the elk tend to disappear a little. 

I would venture to say that the elk--though not as numerous as 10 years ago--are still there in good numbers and shooter bulls can be found (obviously, what a "shooter" is can be very subjective, but nice 6-points are easy to find). I would also say that the number of deer for both 2015 and 2016 has actually been very good and much better than the previous years. I am not sure what the DWR's numbers say, but I would bet that they indicate an increase of deer over these past two years.

I have a neighbor who has been following a group of 7 bucks on Monroe for weeks now. Of the 7, several are big deer. I would suggest that you hunt the low country. Try the Dry Creek drainage near Marysvale or the Sand Ledge area near Koosharem Reservoir. Both areas seem to hold good numbers of deer.


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## oldguysrule (Sep 18, 2016)

Thanks to all for the information. I scouted the north end of the unit there was a few deer lower in the oaks. The water that I found didn't have many tracks. After talking to the wildlife biologist he said that the deer are there but that you will need to really work to get a good one. So it seems that I will be going to south side to start my more in-depth scouting this week. I appreciate all that you guys have given me. I will post of what I find later in the week thanks


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

Are you hunting with a muzzle loader or general rifle, one or the other will make a huge difference. 

I have seen just about every deer up there leave by the first Monday after the opening of the general season, then you have to hunt the cedars down low. For the ML I'd hunt up near Bean Hill.


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## oldguysrule (Sep 18, 2016)

Yes me and my grandson will be hunting on the muzzleloader hunt. this is his first hunt and I am working real hard to make it a good on.IOs the bean hill area down on the southern part of the unit? thanks


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

It is about in the middle of the unit. There is a ATV road that goes up it north of Dry Canyon. I've seen quite a few deer and elk in that area and it is a area that lots of the ATV's stay away from since it doesn't go anywhere.


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## #1DEER 1-I (Sep 10, 2007)

I sent you a PM oldguysrule


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## oldguysrule (Sep 18, 2016)

Thanks #1


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