Vernon Help

[slcmuley]

Hoping to get a little advice on the Vernon rifle hunt. Not looking for any honey holes just a point in the right direction for some areas to check out. The reports Ive got from last year seemed pretty bleak. I'm hoping the hunters just couldn't find em and they're out there even bigger this year.

I plan to start scouting this summer and will probably spend quite a bit of time lookin for 2 good bucks to fill our tags.
I'm interested in the Sabey and Maple mountain areas. Any thoughts? Crowded? Low deer population?
Anybody been out to Keg mountain? Looks like a long drive. Wanted to see if anybody knew what the population was like out there before I made the trip?

Thanks in advance for any advice you may have.

 

[Wiszard]

I'd spend time scouting the west side of the Sheeprocks in the cedars.

Steve

Cancer doesn't discriminate...don't take your good health for granted because it can be gone in a heartbeat. Please go back and read the last line. This time really understand what it says.

 

[7remmag]

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[Zeke]

The best buck I ever passed on was on the Kegs. It's worth a peek.
Whiz said it right, Scout the west side of the Sheeprock range but I'd look from the top all the way down to, and around, the road.
You should have a great hunt provided you actually draw the tag.

Zeke

 

[slcmuley]

Thanks for the replies guys. If you have any info please keep it coming.
Will have tags as soon as the landowners receive their vouchers.

 

[littlebighorn]

I hunted the Vernon twice, back when it first became a limited entry unit. Much has changed since then, but we hunted the Sheeprocks and Simpson Mountain. We also went over to Keg, although we saw few deer over there.
Many of the deer on that unit seemed to have crabby front forks, which is a genetic trait that hasn't changed that much, at least from what I have seen.
I have viewed a few pictures of fine bucks off the Vernon, but my experience indicates that most are still real average in terms of trophy quality.
Back then we started scouting in late July and August when the bucks were in the velvet and we often saw big bunches of bucks. That was a great time to look at lots of deer.
It also appears to me that not many animals winter there, even though the unit is not very high. We often hunt coyotes out that way in the winter but rarely see many deer.
That's what I know.
Best of luck

 

[slcmuley]

LAST EDITED ON Apr-16-15 AT 10:26PM (MST)[p]
Where would you expect to see the most hunters?

 

[rockroller]

LAST EDITED ON Apr-16-15 AT 10:35PM (MST)[p]The Sheeprocks are the main mountain range to the west and south of town.I would check out some canyons on the backside.Although they sometimes take a good one down in the brush on the Vernon side.

 

[PointHunter]

Most of the hunters will be on the Sheep Rock range. Reason being is that is where a majority of the deer are. Kegs have very few deer. Numbers and quality are way down but still a really great hunt to see a ton of bucks. Every year there are a couple nice ones killed, usually on the archery hunt. The deer always seem to start moving the second week of October. Usually a week or so before the rifle hunt. The deer you find during the summer will start to transition.

 

[Wiszard]

Where will you see most of the hunters? That's an easy one to answer...wherever there are ATV trails. I'd hike up to a good vantage point and sit and watch deer emerge from the canyons. ATV'ers would drive up the bottom of the canyon, throw their bino's up for a minute or two and head down the canyon and into the next one. I even had guys come in on the ridge above me in the walk in area in Little Valley I think it's called just south of the reservoir. I do thank them at times because I hiked in after parking my quad at the top and ended up killing a buck in a pretty nasty canyon. Just before dark, I saw a guy in a side by side with 2 little kids. He ended up taking my deer to my camp for me. I didn't even know a side by side could've gotten where I was.


Cancer doesn't discriminate...don't take your good health for granted because it can be gone in a heartbeat. Please go back and read the last line. This time really understand what it says.

 

[ForkWest]

We were down at the dunes a couple years ago in September. We went out for an early morning ride and went way, way out west of Cherry Creek on the far northwest edge where the dunes peter out into big sage flats. We kicked up a bachelor group of 8 bucks, 2 of which were everything you could hope for. Just a dumb unsuspecting, quiet place, for a couple bruisers to safely hang out.

 

[slcmuley]

I made it out to explore the south and east side of Simpson mtn this morning. Long drive early in the morning. About an hour hike, glassing every 50 yards or so. I finally stopped at a good vantage point where I could study some seclued draws. I was pretty surprised with all of the water I found in such an arid region.
I didn't turn up any critters but did find some fresh tracks crossing the road while driving north along the bench.

 

[Gator]

On your next trip take some chainlink fence rolled up tight and make a drag out of it and drag the roads back in there, the next morning you will have a idea where the deer crossed and what time and what they was heading to(water,bedding). Works pretty good sometimes.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
>[Font][Font color = "green"]Life member of
>the MM green signature club.[font/]

 

[ridgetops]

Gator, that's pretty good idea.

There's always next year

 

[utarchery]

yeah, that'll work great, seeing as theres cows EVERYWHERE out there good luck with that. anywhere else that there isnt cows its a great idea


>On your next trip take some
>chainlink fence rolled up tight
>and make a drag out
>of it and drag the
>roads back in there, the
>next morning you will have
>a idea where the deer
>crossed and what time and
>what they was heading to(water,bedding).
>Works pretty good sometimes.
>
>"I have found if you go
>the extra mile it's Never
>crowded".
>>[Font][Font color = "green"]Life member of
>>the MM green signature club.[font/]

 

[westdesertdandys]

Lmfao I sure hope utarchery can tell the difference from a deer track and a cow. Save yourself some room there's plenty of sage brush and cedar tree's to drag around out there. ?

 

[ridgetops]

slc, keg mountain has very few deer out there but very few hunters hunt out that way too. I know the unit fairly well. PM me any time and I can give you some advise.


There's always next year

 

[Fukarwee]

PM Sent

 

[slcmuley]

Seeing bucks on both of the past 2 weekends. Saw a really nice buck on the 15th of May. Not seeing a ton of deer yet. Thanks for all of the advice so far.

Does anybody hunt the sand dunes area or is there just too much traffic there?

 

[Extramile12]

I see your spending some time out there to find the deer and that's good. Just keep doing that, it's not a hard unit to learn or find good deer......

 

[slcmuley]

Another weekend on Vernon. Starting to see more deer now. These deer are in wide open country lately. The oaks just got their leaves in the last week or so on the upper mountains.
Can anybody comment on the Little Valley area? Hunting pressure & deer population? I want to check this area on my next trip.
A gentleman suggested I check an area called Govornment. I cant seem to find this on a map. Anybody know of this area?

 

[Elkslayer1125]

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