I have hunted the bookcliffs every year for over 30 years, except when it was closed. Add another 12 years to that as a kid hunting out there with my dad. I've guided family and friends every year since it reopened and would rather live out there than in my own home. This is a fact?the likelihood of finding a buck over 190 and in the 30 inch range is very unlikely, although not impossible, but based more on being in the right place at the right time. I've seen them, and we have been lucky to harvest a few over the years, but not often.
If you want a bruiser, take your time and get off the main roads. Since you are hunting early, make sure you stay in the higher country. If it gets cold, the main herd will start to move a little, but the bigger bucks will stay put until late October. Holding out won't ensure that you get a slammer?there just isn't that many mature bucks over 28 inches. However, a 24 inch 170 class buck is a good looking trophy and don't be afraid to take him if you agree.
The bookcliffs is a great hunt. Poaching out there has always and will always be the number one reason you don't see 190 class bucks. Ass wipe poachers come in from Colorado and the Uintah Basin and they wreak havoc on the mature bucks during the season and in the early winter. The country is simply too big for the DWR to control poachers and I wish more people who spend time out there would help. Besides, the DWR is only interested in managing the area for higher buck-to-doe ratios rather than trophy quality. Too bad because it has such great trophy potential. Enough of my soap box?.enjoy your hunt, work hard, be smart, and I hope you get lucky!