Die Hard Book Cliffs Fans?

Mule_Deer_Crazy · Sep 29, 2004

I'm trying to help my buddy narrow down the search a little for his Book Cliffs hunt this year. It's the rifle hunt in the Book Cliffs North (I think), which runs to the end of October.

He's done a bunch of research, but everybody keeps saying the exact opposite. We're making a midnight run over there this weekend just to check it out and scout a little. It looks like the muzzleloader season will be underway while we're there, too.

Some guys are saying where we find deer now isn't where they'll be in a month. Others are saying the opposite. Anybody think they have a good feel for what is really going on in the Book Cliffs range?

Appreciate any comments or suggestions.

Good luck to all this year!

Smokepole · Sep 29, 2004

Where you find the deer now will not be where they are during the rifle hunt. They are high now but by the time the rifle hunt starts they will move to lower elevations.

Smokepole

Mule_Deer_Crazy · Sep 29, 2004

By lower are we talking clear onto their winter range or is there a trasitional zone between summer and winter range where they'll rut and wait for winter to set in? Do they tend to shift south as they move out of the high stuff or go every which way?

Thanks for any input or ideas.

Smokepole · Sep 29, 2004

If your buddy has a permit for the north, then you only need to look for the deer that migrate north. Yes, they will be in the transitional migration areas, snow and cold could still play a factor in how far onto winter range they may move to.

Smokepole

ktg · Sep 30, 2004

What smokepole said. Don't bother looking high.

Mule_Deer_Crazy · Sep 30, 2004

It was suggested that those deer migrate to the south/southeast. That a resonable place to focus on or are they heading somewhere else altogether?

Thanks for the advice, we're heading over this afternoon and get a chance to look it over.

Thanks.

Gator · Sep 30, 2004

If they get enough snow they will move all the way down to price river area just north and west of green river..

elkhuntr · Sep 30, 2004

Sam, I sent you Private Message.
Elkhuntr

Mule_Deer_Crazy · Sep 30, 2004

Thanks for the input. We're taking off in an hour or so and will run around in the hills for a few days! That will likely produce more questions, but will try to quit bugging you guys.

Thanks again and everybody have a good season.

bigbacks · Sep 30, 2004

Try looking in the Big Park area or around Rainbow, They say that herd starts to rut by about the middle of the rifle hunt so if you can help it keep your finger off the trigger til about Wed. and get away from the road.

Roy · Oct 1, 2004

It is not going to get cold enough or snow singificantly enough untill the middle of November to push the good bucks too low. Hunt up high, around the divide.
ROY

4x4elk · Oct 2, 2004

just a little advise the deer will be where you find them!

Justice · Oct 2, 2004

Roy says "It is not going to get cold enough or snow singificantly enough untill the middle of November to push the good bucks too low. Hunt up high, around the divide."

you should get a job at the weather channel, I am sure they would love to have a weather forecaster that can see a month and a half into the future, those dipsticks have a hard time seeing 3 to 4 days into the future let alone 15 times that far.

like charlie brown says "good grief"

Foreman4x4 · Oct 2, 2004

Start around McCook Ridge. There's still lots of deer up high right now, but they'll start moving lower by about the 15th. Funny thing is, weather doesn't seem to be a big factor in when the deer move in the Book Cliff's. Everybody I've ever talked to says they'll move for the most part the same time every year, no matter what the weather or the feed is like up high.

Be prepared for rain. I just got home from the Book Cliff's this morning and it rained every day we were there. Killed a 24" 4x4 with my muzzleloader last night. Broke camp and headed home this morning before the rain started again. Now it's gonna take a couple days to get the tents, bags, etc. dried out.

I saw lots of bucks in the 22"-24" range, but none bigger. I'm sure there are a few around, but I wasn't seeing them. I'm happy with the buck I killed.

Good luck to your buddy.

Mule_Deer_Crazy · Oct 4, 2004

Thanks for the advice, we just got back at 2:30 this morning from a quick scout trip to the Book Cliffs. 2,500 miles in three days just to look at some deer - only mule deer freaks!

We ran a good part of the unit and saw a bunch of deer. Hardly any muzzleloader hunters where we were seeing the deer? Probably saw about 35 bucks, one 26" that was knocking on 180" and another over 30" that probably only would have gone 170" (but he was wide).

Forget the deer, I want an elk tag! We're starting to think the average bull in there is 350 from what we saw and that was post season. And a rut rifle hunt to boot - Oh baby!!!

Thanks for all the ideas. The only other question we were wondering is do the deer use that thick cedar stuff as a trasitional area for rutting on the way to the big sage flats or are they staying in the thick cedar patches to winter?

Another interesting note, we never heard a coyote or saw a single pile of coyote scat. What's up with that? You guys have some phenomenal recruitment going on in the Book Cliffs too! Any of you guys want to do a husband swap and I"ll take your place over there? Don't matter what your wife looks like, I'm gonna be in the Books the whole time anyways!

Thanks again and good luck!!!

Mule_Deer_Crazy · Oct 4, 2004

Adnaram (sp?)

I couldn't figure out how to reply to your PM from the PM page and you didn't make a post here, so I'm not sure how to respond to you?

Foreman4x4 · Oct 4, 2004

I saw two coyotes alive, one dead, and heard a bunch more howling. Wish the rain would've held off and I would've done some calling. Sounds like you saw some great bucks.

I'm curious to know how many ML tags they gave this year. I saw more guys hunting bears than I did hunting deer.

grizzmoose · Oct 7, 2004

I have been out to the Books several times during most of the fall/winter months. If the deer are "high" that doesnt mean you wont find them low, and vice versa. The comment about Rainbow is on. I havent seen many deer there, but when I have, they have all been larger then the deer Ive seen on the divide or near McCook ridge. McCook seems to get too much pressure during season. My father and I drew tags there 2 years ago and stayed out all week. We found that the places we were least likely to hunt turned up the biggest bucks. If I were to have another chance to hunt out there, Id spend most of my time near Rainbow, Watson, and in the canyon out near Rabbit mountain.

Good luck!