[7mm Reloaded]

I have 12 points and eager to draw. :O--O:

 

[Truelife]

I've been wondering about Vernon success this year as well. I have 0 points because I drew it two years ago.

 

[Gunner73]

I have been considering putting in for Vernon. How is the herd doing out there now, any pics??

 

[Truelife]

The answer to that question hinges on what you are looking for in a LE deer hunt.

In my opinion that unit really needs a management hunt. There are a whole lot of older bucks that are big two or 3 points. The good solid 4 points don't grow very old out there because they get shot early.

It's a great hunt if you want to see a lot of bucks and the top end of your expectations is a 140 buck. If score matters to you and you are looking for something big then you will have to look long and hard. There are a few out there, but not around every corner.

Problem is I don't think any of our 6 LE units (excluding premium) are any better.

This picture is the buck I killed on the muzz hunt in 2013. We had a fair amount of snow out there for the first couple of days on that hunt. Strange I know but it was there. I think the picture makes him look bigger than he really is. He was 23" wide and grossed 159". I shot him on the second to last day of my hunt after passing up a lot of other bucks. I passed up one other that was about this same size earlier, and missed one that was a little bigger than this one. Missed one that was a little smaller too in frustration one day.

 

[Gunner73]

Good info! I would like a bigger buck, I don't really care about score but would like a buck with character.. I have thought about Vernon or Book Cliffs but ultimately will probably hold out for Pansagaunt or Henries.

 

[Truelife]

Good info! I would like a bigger buck, I don't really care about score but would like a buck with character.. I have thought about Vernon or Book Cliffs but ultimately will probably hold out for Pansagaunt or Henries.

How many points do you have?

 

[Gunner73]

11. I know I have a few years of waiting but I think in the end it will be worth it

 

[Truelife]

It would certainly be worth it if you could get a premium tag. You could get a Paunsaugunt tag but getting a Henry's tag is almost like waiting for lightning to come out of the sky and hit you on the head.

I actually got information off of the always trusty internet :-o and from what I found your chances of getting a Henry's rifle deer tag without max points is 18 times greater than ever being struck by lightning in your life. I was hoping it would be something like 1000 times better odds than getting hit by lightning, but.................

A lucky few draw it every year and there's nothing saying it couldn't be you. Keep your fingers crossed.

 

[7mm Reloaded]

The answer to that question hinges on what you are looking for in a LE deer hunt.

In my opinion that unit really needs a management hunt. There are a whole lot of older bucks that are big two or 3 points. The good solid 4 points don't grow very old out there because they get shot early.

It's a great hunt if you want to see a lot of bucks and the top end of your expectations is a 140 buck. If score matters to you and you are looking for something big then you will have to look long and hard. There are a few out there, but not around every corner.

Problem is I don't think any of our 6 LE units (excluding premium) are any better.

This picture is the buck I killed on the muzz hunt in 2013. We had a fair amount of snow out there for the first couple of days on that hunt. Strange I know but it was there. I think the picture makes him look bigger than he really is. He was 23" wide and grossed 159". I shot him on the second to last day of my hunt after passing up a lot of other bucks. I passed up one other that was about this same size earlier, and missed one that was a little bigger than this one. Missed one that was a little smaller too in frustration one day.

Nice buck, did you guys see the pic of the 35in. 2 point someone got last year? I'd be happy with that too. thanks

 

[Truelife]

I did not see that one but it doesn't surprise me. I watched a 26" two point for about 20 minutes one morning. He stood about 60 yards off the road the whole time. I think somebody shot him for that later on in the hunt.

 

[pizzaman_288]

Did the 2 pt have a gut that seemed to be hanging about 6 to 8 inches from the ground if it's the same deer he was still alive during the rifle hunt

 

[ridgetop]

Come on bigbuck81, huntarch, dodgeballer and SLCmuley. Lets see your pictures and here a report of your hunt.
All you guys asked for help on this forum.

 

[ridgetop]

I had a friends step son that was really struggling on the rifle hunt.
So I took him out on Friday to the winter range and the deer had not showed up yet. I can't believe how many camps were still out on the West side of the Sheeprocks on Friday.
Must have been a tough year.
Anyway, we only saw one small 4 point, which he was going to shoot but it didn't work out.
The next day we went back to the summer range and found a nice tall, heavy buck just South of town high on the mountain.
After a 3 hour, 2 mile stalk, we were 80 yards above the bedded buck.
Which my new friend made a one shot kill, while the buck was bedded.
Good job George.

 

[nocturnalenemy]

Come on bigbuck81, huntarch, dodgeballer and SLCmuley. Lets see your pictures and here a report of your hunt.
All you guys asked for help on this forum.

I read SLCmuley's report over on MM. Looks like he and a friend ended up with nice bucks.

 

[colorcountrygunner]

It's a great hunt if you want to see a lot of bucks and the top end of your expectations is a 140 buck.

In my ever so humble opinion a 140 inch buck is pretty doable on a lot of general season units. I sure wouldn't want to put a LE tag on a 140 inch buck. If that is the best this unit could do I would keep building points for a better unit or put in for antelope instead.

 

[Truelife]

In my ever so humble opinion a 140 inch buck is pretty doable on a lot of general season units. I sure wouldn't want to put a LE tag on a 140 inch buck. If that is the best this unit could do I would keep building points for a better unit or put in for antelope instead.

I agree completely color. That's why I personally think our LE units are broken. Again, I'm not talking about the premium units because they are a different conversation. We basically have two choices when it comes to LE deer in Utah, wait forever with the very real possibility of never drawing a premium tag, or put in for any one of the other units which aren't that great.

Now before some of you get the rope I know that there are folks that are thrilled as can be to hunt in these areas and see a whole lot of smaller bucks and go home with whatever they decide to shoot. That is evident by the fact that there are hunters that drive out of these LE units each year with a dead two point in the truck. I have no problem with that at all, but what I do have a problem with is that it seems there should be some options for the guy looking for the realistic chance of a 180 buck and I don't feel we offer one right now.

Our elk units are managed for age class. Why not deer?

I personally feel that a hunter has a better chance at a 170 - 180 class buck on the general deer hunt than they do on the standard LE units

Just my 2 cents

 

[MWScott72]

That's a nice buck Ridge. Congrats to George.

 

[Packout]

The reports I have had was guys saw some nice bucks on the archery, which then disappeared for the ML and Rifle hunters. It was a tougher hunt the past 3 years out there. My worry is the number of parasites on the deer this year-- which could lend to another disease outbreak (such as blue-tongue) like decimated the herd a decade ago.

I think we forget that most people posting here are much more hardcore than the average Joe. I tend to like the mix we currently have. Some units where guys can shoot 140" bucks as a sure thing (most guys have never shot a 140" buck) and there is a decent chance to shoot a 170"+ deer. Then we have units where 160-175" are almost a sure thing and a chance at 185"+ deer. Then there is the Henry Mtns, where many guys shoot 180" deer.

 

[Truelife]

Packout, I don't know everything, and I certainly could be wrong, but I would really love to know what LE deer units we have where a 160 - 175" deer are almost a sure thing and are not premium units.

I also don't think there is a decent chance of a 170 buck on the units where guys can shoot a 140 buck fairly easy. I know there are some very good bucks on all of these units, but I think the reality is that there are probably 5 or less of them killed each year on any given LE unit.

Maybe the real truth is that I'm just bitter because I can't seem to break out of the 160 class bucks that I've been lucky enough to harvest.

I do agree that the majority of hunters in Utah would probably be thrilled to shoot a 140" buck.

Maybe we should change the way we pick a LE unit to apply for. Click the pictures of the bucks that you would pass up, when you get to the size you want then a unit is selected for you.

 

[DallanC]

I think generally people forget not all LEs were created to grow big deer. Some, like the bookcliffs were created to help a severely decimated herd recover.


-DallanC