NR General deer 2018

I have more than enough points to draw a general deer tag next year. Any suggestions on where to go? I've never hunted Utah. I am used to hunting high desert/ PJ type terrain for archery deer here in NM. Looking to hunt with rifle and just want an overall good experience. No expectations other than to see some bucks. Thanks for any pointers.

Do Not Apply for the South Slope of the Uintas!









Back Me Off to 1,700 Yards,650 is a Little Close & I'm Not Comfortable with it!

A GUT SHOT at 1,700 Yards will Still Make Some Good BRAGGIN Rights so I Can Say I At Least Hit Him!

West desert, tintic

"No expectations other than to see some bucks."

That's an unusual comment nmwapiti, if that is an accurate statement and I'll take your word that it is....... if you promise not to reconsider after you have drawn the tag and are standing in the sage.

Utah manage their general season unit deer hunts for maximum recreational opportunity, which basically means, they issue enough tags each year to shoot most of the mature bucks that were left over from the last year and all but 15 bucks per 100 doe, which means most of the deer you will be hunting and seeing are going to be yearling two points.

If that is all your hoping for, with the outside chance that a two or three year old might show up, many of the Central Utah general season units will work of you.

Monroe, Fish Lake, Boulder, Manti carry deer that can be hunted quite easily without much pre-unit experience. If you draw the Fish Lake or the Monroe, I will circle some locations on your Forest Service map where you could start your hunt. But...... don'y get draw the tag and then decide your only interested in killing a mature buck.

DC

2 Lumpy,

Thanks for the reply. I understand the general season hunts are what they are. I want to see a new area, do some exploring and maybe come home with a forky or small 4 point buck. Anything bigger than that and it will exceed my expectations. Patiently playing the LE point game as well so hopefully one year I can set the bar higher.

Would that be the South Slope, Yellowstone unit with a buck to doe ratio of 22 and a 61% success rate or a different one?

They ya go. Let me know when you draw a tag.

DC

LAST EDITED ON Nov-06-17 AT 12:40PM (MST)[p]Actually, 11 of Utah's General Deer units are managed for a 15-17 buck to doe ratio, while 18 are managed for an 18-20 buck to doe ratio. And of the 15-17 B/D units, 7 are within the ratio and 4 are over the ratio per the 2016 stats. Of the 18-20 B/D units, 1 is below the ratio, 3 are within the ratio and 14 are over the ratio per the 2016 stats.

I would say your best bets for seeing and taking a buck, including a mature buck, are the following units because they are not only over the unit's buck to doe ratio, but are also over the unit's population objective: Oquirrh-Stansbury, Beaver, Mt Dutton, Panguitch Lake, Zion, and Pine Valley. (I would include the Chalk Creek/East Canyon/Morgan-South Rich unit, but there isn't much public land on that unit and it was hit hard by the tough winter last year.)

Others with high buck to doe ratios you might consider are: Ogden, Abajo Mtns, South Slope/Yellowstone, Fillmore, Kamas, Nine Mile, Wasatch Mtns East, and Southwest Desert.

Keep in mind that the units in northern and central Utah and the Uintah Basin had a tough winter last year, some with a 70%-90% fawn winter kill, so the numbers there were way down this past year, but the southern and southwestern part of the state weren't hit so hard so the numbers remained about average.

In any case, there are plenty of good General deer units to chose from for your purposes, and with a little more effort than the normal Utah hunter puts in, there's a reasonable chance at a big one.

And if you draw Zion, Panguitch Lake, or Pine Valley I can help!

Please keep us posted.

Lee

Thank you for all the very useful information. Will definitely keep you posted.

>2 Lumpy,
>
>Thanks for the reply. I understand
>the general season hunts are
>what they are. I want
>to see a new area,
>do some exploring and maybe
>come home with a forky
>or small 4 point buck.
>Anything bigger than that and
>it will exceed my expectations.
>Patiently playing the LE point
>game as well so hopefully
>one year I can set
>the bar higher.


Is there different points for LE hunts as well as general season hunts? I thought an antlered deer point was an antlered deer point.

They are different. You can apply for both a general tag and also go into the limited buck tag pool. Just cannot draw both in same year.