Crawford mt hunt

i heard it was cold, windy, and not a lot of snow. a few decent bucks but lots of people. nothing huge.


"Shoot Straight"
 
>Anybody hear how this hunt went
>this year.


I saw a pic of a mid 180s buck off the Crawfords. Other than that, I heard it sucked really bad this year. Some guys that go out there every year during the hunt were saying it was hard to find a 170 buck this year.
 
LAST EDITED ON Dec-07-15 AT 01:36PM (MST)[p]so lots of people out there running around during the hunt without permits. Are they helping people out or just getting the way of hunters with permits
 
>LAST EDITED ON Dec-07-15
>AT 01:36?PM (MST)

>
>so lots of people out there
>running around during the hunt
>without permits. Are they helping
>people out or just getting
>the way of hunters with
>permits

Both. Lots of people want to go out there and see what they can expect if they draw a tag out there the following year. Some people just like to watch bucks out there during the rut, others like to take pics, and then there's all the spotters for guys that have tags. There might be rabbit hunters, shed hunters, or nature walkers as well. It's public land, so you can always expect to see people out there.
 
Yep I understand it's public land. It just makes it a little tougher if your the permit holder with lots of people out looking. But hey it's public land right.
 
I don't purposely try to make people dislike me. But when it comes to our Mule Deer, I am for what is best for the Deer. I think this hunt is unnecessary and certainly has not done anything positive for the herd. Prior to this hunt it was awesome to go out to the Crawford's and watch the bucks. Now I think it's far from awesome. But anything for more hunting opportunity.
 
I'm wondering what herd you are referring to 'letmgetbig'..?? While there are some resident deer on and around the Crawfords, this late hunt happens because of the migration that occurs from Wyoming... And they have collared and tracked deer from as far away as the Grey's River that migrate down to the Crawfords...

And I'm not sure if 15-17 bucks taken out of the herd would effect this herd negatively...

Why do you feel it is negative..??

"Therefore, wo be unto him that is at ease in Zion!" 2 Ne. 28: 24
 
What herd? It is all the same herd. From Idaho Falls ID. to Morgan UT. and beyond. Deer don't know State Lines and hunting units. I have seen the before and after of these late hunts and it is not positive. Idaho ruined some of the best Mule Deer hunting anywhere with late hunts.(one of my favorite places in fact) And yet they keep on going. Look at Wyoming's late hunt areas that were once great, now they suck. What if you had a late hunt at Labarge & Big piney. And killed 15-17 of the biggest Bucks there every year. It would not take very many years to wipe out the best genes in the herd.(maybe only one year) Those genes by the way are spread into ID. and UT. I have spent the last several weeks on the winter range and I have not seen 15-17 really big bucks. 5 or 6 to be exact. I am a dumb ass but I know that late hunts are not good for the herd.
 
I think we need to distinguish between "herd health" and "big bucks." These are not the same thing. The "herd" will be just fine with these 15 bucks taken out of it every year. If it is only effecting the best genes, that is impacting the trophy potential/quality. But that has absolutely nothing to do with the health of the herd.

I'm not sure if I'm for or against the Crawford hunt, but I did want to point out that important distinction in this discussion.
 
There are plenty of big bucks that survive the Crawford hunt each year. Most of them don't even move in there until later. I don't feel there's a big issue with the 15 tags issued. However, the new muzzleloader law will most likey allow more bucks to be killed at longer ranges. Not that it's a huge deal, but I'm sure the harvest rate will increase.
 
Last year I saw a ton of big bucks out there after the hunt. I was out there last week end. Didn't see much, few 170ish bucks but that was it. I don't think they really have migrated fully yet. As far as people being out there......everyone has a right to be there whether or not there is a hunt going on. Having a tag does not make someone more special than everyone else. If you want that kind of treatment buy a private land tag.
 
I am so passionate about the Mule Deer I get carried away sometimes. I don't think this hunt ever really impacted region G much or not alot. But early on when the hunt was first started I think it did impact the resident Bucks of K. And K has never been what it once was. I am sure it is not totally because of the Crawford hunt. But it did not help, at least in my opinion. It's good we all get to do our own thinking and my thinking is there was no need for that hunt. Vanilla you are right in the big scheme of things there are probably 15 deer a day dying out there for various reasons. But I am talking about the cream of the crop. Those genetics that keep us dreaming. And yes there are some out there. I am just afraid some day there won't be.
 
You are talking like ALL the region K bucks winter on the Crawfords. I bet there is a very small percentage of deer from region K that actually winter on the crawfords. There are a ton of areas South of K in Wyoming that suit the deer just fine. The Crawfords are not the only place for bucks to rut and winter. You could drive all over SW Wyoming and see deer rutting and wintering in random places. I highly doubt 15 bucks being harvested per year on the Crawfords has any impact at all.
 
HJB- the Crawford hunt sometimes has 100% harvest rates already... It's a pretty solid hunt, but not all 100% of those are trophy animals.

"Therefore, wo be unto him that is at ease in Zion!" 2 Ne. 28: 24
 
I hate to stir the pot a little, but since people are complaining about how Utah is screwing up Wyoming deer with a late hunt that kills maybe 15 bucks a yea, I want to point out that Wyoming has a general elk hunt that runs late that kills Utah General Season bulls. They kill A LOT more than 15 bulls that migrate off of the North Slope of the Uintas into Wyoming. I'm sure that they are killing some of the best gene'd bulls too!! Not to mention the numbers. Unlimited tags vs. 15 tags..... I don't think we are screwing Wyoming more than they are screwing us, that is for sure. My family has a ranch at the base of the Crawfords. Still plenty of big deer left in K that winter there. No unit is like it was 30 or 40 years ago. My dad grew up hunting those deer. Unlimited tags on both side of the state line is what screwed everything up. Not 15 short range weapon tags. I personally think they should make the Crawford hunt a traditional Muzzleloader hunt. No in line of any sort....
 
Haha ^^^ no kidding^^^. Or hunters for lack of that manner. If Utards can't shoot hundreds of yards they can't hang. Letemgetbig, I like your passion for the muleys, I wish more people had that quality.
 

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