Southern Utah Rifle Hunting

wstrntines

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Im just wondering if any body would give a little advise where i should take my little brother on the youth hunt on the 29-31 of this month Im not lookin to score on someones honey hole just wanna help the kid get his first deer and get him addicted to it. I was thinkin of goin down towards fish lake or maybe over to the pavahnt any advise would help and if ya want I could maybe trade ya some wasatch front info or somethin.
 
My opinion of the Pahvant this year is that it is really tough.

It has been on a steady decline and the deer numbers are really down.

You could probably find a young buck if you are willing to hunt hard.

I heard bad things about the Fishlake area as well. My friend was hunting it and found plenty of smaller bucks right near Fishlake. But, other hunters have said it was difficult.

You will probably need to just put your time in and see what unfolds. The weather will play a big role in it as well.

Good luck and I hope you can find a buck for your brother. If you want some specific info for the Pahvant send me a pm and I will tell you a where they seemed to be on the bowhunt. It may or may not help you though.
 
For me I would go where the deer have less harsh winters if you have a Southern tag, which is generally considered a better general tag in the state of Utah for that specific reason. That means the southwest desert. The deer will be migrating down from Enterprise etc down into the Pacoon flats areas which is over by Gunlock Reservoir. The area is no secret as there will be plenty of other hunters there, but the plus is that there are more bucks per does than anywhere else in the state. Come down a day or two before, set up camp and get your bearings. You will go home with a buck if you work hard and have a bit of luck.

Good luck!
 
This was a double drop buck it was a dark photo and this is the best I could do with photoshop.
gbdeer3-1.jpg

Here is another picture from the honey hole.
gbdeer1copy-1.jpg
 
I agree with the commment on the Pahvant unit. The numbers are definately down. I placed three scouting cameras last fall from October 2nd through January 31st. I captured two bucks on film out 2,400 pictures. I typically capture dozens of bucks at these same three locations.

I hunted the unit on the archery this year and saw very few young bucks, as compared to years past. I counted only a half dozen young bucks in approximately 40 hunt hours afield. I hunted the higher altitudes in an area I have traditionally hunted since the late 80's.

I don't know if it was the weather, increased predators or previous hunt harvests that have caused the decrease. This past spring on this unit, while turkey hunting we observed numerous dead deer.
 
Good luck man I wish I could help you. Ten days of huntin So. utah (bow hunt and Muzz) I have seen very few deer and only one buck that was a four point. I hunted in the Dutton and Boulder mountain areas and found it very tough this year. Alot of the local guys I talked too, and other hunters said it was a very heavy winter last year and they think it resulted in a high loss of deer and many other species. The Elk are the only animals That appear to be doin ok. Good luck.
 
The Utah DWR and the Big Game Board set the direction of Mule deer hunting in this state. Shame on you for the low numbers of our Southern Utah base herd (actually the whole state). Last years winter decimated what was left in the Southern Region. Blame it on to the drought, vegiatation changes, harsh winters, but the real reason is management.

If you were working for a real employer, you would all have been fired long ago.
 
LAST EDITED ON Oct-20-10 AT 06:53AM (MST)[p]There's no sugar coating on your comments cannonball. I agree with your comments. The current management system is not working. The Pahvant was flourishing with deer in the 80's and 90's. There was a respectable population in the mid 2000's. The last couple years have been dismal at best. Granted there are some great buck there but they are a very rare commodity. It's difficult to find an average 4X4.
 

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