ruby buck

huntin40 · Aug 25, 2015

This year was an unfortunate year as we saw more hunters than deer, not to mention the quality of bucks was not like we used to see. Granted I saw two bucks being packed out that were absolute monsters, im super happy with being able to have some delicious venison and not tag soup this year. Couldn't let this 4 point walk 12.4 yards away without putting the new bow to the test.

bcmulie · Aug 25, 2015

Very nice buck. Well done!

ICMDEER · Aug 25, 2015

Congrats. That's a solid buck and beautiful country. And the story has to be good. That's a pretty close shot. Well done!!

BradA · Aug 26, 2015

great buck congrats and that's a great picture !

sageadvice · Aug 31, 2015

Days long gone by, the Ruby's were my favorite place to hunt. Even back then though, that's a nice buck! Congrats!

Joey

"It's all about knowing what your firearms practical limitations are and combining that with your own personal limitations!"

Wiszard · Aug 31, 2015

That buck has a beautiful face.....congrats. He looks like a young buck except for his rack.

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.

bullskin · Sep 1, 2015

Nice buck in beautiful country. It looks like you had a great hunt. Congratulations.

ForkWest · Sep 2, 2015

Nice buck. Do you think that Eastman's episode and video of Cam and South Cox in the Ruby's was a big contributor to increased pressure of the past few years?

huntin40 · Sep 2, 2015

Absolutely!!! Cam also admitted in an interview where his top 5 favorite places to backpack hunt are, Rubies were one of them. Thanks Cam... NOT!!! But the number of tags they issue along with the second draw are the enabling issue. NDOW knows the success rate in those mountains are so low, with such a huge deer heard, all they see are dollar signs! To allow people in and out of state to essentially buy a tag in the rubies over the counter is absurd! It takes the quality of that hunt down so much. Look at the units in states where you can buy over the counter tags! To have three different groups of hunters racing and trying to beat other hunters to a group of bucks is not enjoyable to me! I've heard of this happening in Idaho and Oregon, but this was the first I've seen of this in Nevada, let alone in the back country.

NDOW needs to stop looking at area 10 as a profit for a business man, and start looking at it as a cr?me of the crop type from a management perspective.

Deerlove · Sep 2, 2015

LAST EDITED ON Sep-02-15 AT 11:34AM (MST)[p]I just got back from a scouting trip, and now I know why they reduced the tags. Lots of glassing a hiking came up with only two ok bucks. Plus a lot of bad 3 pt genetics.

huntin40 · Sep 2, 2015

Another note; We base camped almost ten miles in, exactly where we have been going since 2008. Never have we come across as much trash and garbage as we have this year. We didn't hunt this unit the last two years because of the number of tags they have been putting out. But before they started the second draw, we never saw trash. Once you give everyone and their brother a tag to an area, you attract all types of hunters! And while a poacher is the number one person on my list who I'd love to teach a lesson to, someone who litters and disrespects the outdoors is close behind them! By giving that many tags to an area ya the quality of hunting is out the window, but those mountains and those animals should not have to look at and deal with the trash left from some lazy ##### who just bought a last minute over the counter tag.

Packing out monster energy drink cans, beer cans, mountain house wrappers, etc... I look forward to my last trip out being lighter then my first. If I'm packing trash out left behind from other people then that's more weight!

huntin40 · Sep 2, 2015

We also didn't see the number or quality of deer we have in the past! Don't know why because the winters haven't been brutal! Tag numbers weren't dropped that much because they still issued a second draw for the unit.

We hunted for 7 days straight and saw so many hunters it made even your hopes of finding deer dwindle away.

fatrooster · Sep 4, 2015

Nice buck. I hate to hear about the garbage. people are pigs. fatrooster

huntin40 · Sep 4, 2015

I know you're a local guy fatrooster... What's our opinion of the tag numbers, deer numbers, and second draw?

piper · Sep 5, 2015

LAST EDITED ON Sep-05-15 AT 09:41AM (MST)[p]I have hunted the rubies for a bit more than 40 years. In my opinion the deer quality has declined, while the genetics have never been good for B and C class bucks, I would say it's really gone downhill recently.

Same story as most western deer areas, too many tags considering the technology and quality of hunters these days. The traditional buck pastures are nearly gone due to human disturbance. The habitat has declined because of changing climate and invasive plants, and Hunter prowess and technology just keeps improving.

Last year I spent time talking to the biologist and going to a meeting or two and speaking up about my views of the situation. I did this even though I'm a nonresident.

Maybe I will apply and hunt the Rubies someday in the future, but for now, I'm done, it's just too disappointing.

AdrenalineAddict · Sep 5, 2015

LAST EDITED ON Sep-05-15 AT 04:02PM (MST)[p]The Rubies have been going downhill since the mid 80's. I can't recall the exact number but I believe the herd is down over 70% since the 80's. I feel the lesson to be learned is that Wilderness/restricted access does not grow a deer herd. I don't believe it's a coincidence that after wilderness designation, drop in fur prices and restricting access, the herd is struggling. They proved how to grow a deer herd in the 1960's with the Kaibab experiment, but since everyone has forgot the lesson learned. The Gross Ventures are another example of how wilderness can destroy a deer herd, again, lesson learned has been forgotten. NDOW blames the drought, the common sense folks blame predation. As for now the Rubies still have some decent hunting provided you know the country (pockets of good habitat). When you can come out of that terrain with a decent buck you can consider yourself on of the 10%er's that figured it out or got lucky.

AdrenalineAddict · Sep 5, 2015

The reason NDOW had a second draw was to fill their original quota that was not met in the first draw. Many locals like myself don't apply for the Rubies, it's kind of a last choice thing for me. I know I still have a good chance of getting a tag in the second draw because there are usually leftovers. I'd rather hunt the Rubies than not have a tag at all. I've attached a photo of several Ruby Mt. kills my son and I have taken over the last several years that were all taken within 4 miles of the end of some well used trails. We rarely have pressure from other hunters because most hunt higher and farther in than my old bones can carry me.

piper · Sep 5, 2015

LAST EDITED ON Sep-06-15 AT 01:18AM (MST)[p]Actually it wasn't until the late 80s that the ruby deer herds started declining, the central drier parts of Nevada started a little earlier.

Blaming wilderness designation on the deer decline is one of the funniest things I have heard in a while, God I miss the politics in Elko (sarcasm).

Yes there are still some deer in the mountains, but it's not like it used to be, and I would blame the lack of mature Bucks and possibly shot out genetics on excess pressure.

High Tec archery equipment, too many late tags, both archery and rifle, Those things put pressure on mature animals. And over time I'm speculating that it effects genitics.

I believe the recent lack of overall deer numbers is a result of primarily drought and drought, then we have mines in the winter summer transition zone and much more human activity than ever in the past.

All areas in Nevada have been devastated by the dry conditions over the last 30 plus years, the ruby deer herd is as expected, the last to show it, but I believe it now has.

AdrenalineAddict · Sep 7, 2015

LAST EDITED ON Sep-07-15 AT 10:00AM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Sep-07-15 AT 09:56?AM (MST)

Nothing to do with politics Piper. It's one of those dynamics that the majority of wildlife models decide they will ignore. It's a simple process that has been proven to take about seven years to come to come full circle. The model is simple, possibly so simple the book trained biologists of today choose to ignore it, after all how can something be so easy to understand. The first element is restriction of access (no more coyote hunters, no more mountain lion and bobcat trappers). The second element is predation on the localized herd. The only people that put any pressure on the Rubies are a few hard core bowhunters and a few muzzleloader hunters. I spent the majority of the early season with a rifle hunter in the high country a few years ago and did not come across a single hunter packing a rifle more than .5 mile's from his vehicle. All who care about the growth of the herds needs to study the Kaibab Experiment (100% success) on how to grow a deer herd. The Beartooth Wilderness is another prime example, most the herd has been proven to live within 2 miles of the foothills and development. The count is so thin in the heart of the wilderness it is almost negligible. The Ruby Mountain herd is somewhat isolated from the rest of Elko County and has not seen the affects of the fires that burned wintering ground in other units. Not much to blame the Ruby decline on except other variables.

Deerlove · Sep 7, 2015

Adrenline have you seen dominate 3 pt genes in any areas? 102 seems to put out bad genetics.

piper · Sep 7, 2015

Addict, You forget about the late tags and the fact that the ,Rubies are a narrow range, 5 miles in is pretty far in the rubies. Also There are many more roads providing access there were when deer were more abundant in the 40s 50s 70s and 80 s. Heck I get lost in the south end of the range because they there are so many new roads. I don't get what your saying? The places that are wilderness have always been defacto wilderness?

I believe drought has the biggest effect on the amount of deer and overhunting has the biggest effect on mature bucks.

By late October those high country bucks are gone and moved on, snow or no snow, and a thousand or so hunters are finding easy access to bucks, the only exception is some of the private land.

I live right by the Wind rivers, the deer are close to the foothills there also, not because the high country is wilderness, but because it's to high too alpine, the habitat is lower.

The Rubies, the Salt rivers and the Wyoming range all have the right habitat in the high country, that's why they are there,
habitat, thats the key

huntin40 · Sep 8, 2015

Congrats on your success Adrenaline those are some good looking bucks! You and your son seem to have figured out how to hunt the rubies, which we all know is not easy to be successful let alone with good mature bucks.

You said the second draw is to reach the quota that the first draw would not meet. Since the success rate for archery is so low, especially for this area, wouldn't issuing more rifle tags be a more logical solution? I do agree rifle hunters don't venture far from the vehicle, but at least issuing more rifle tags would guarantee a quota being met vs issuing more archery tags. You sure they aren't just looking at this as an opportunity for profit? In fact why not issue more late season tags if meeting quotas was such a problem?

huntin40 · Sep 8, 2015

Piper, that is great to see a nonresident putting in the time and concern about this area. I definitely agree with the technology today and the drive and mindset of some of todays "hardcore hunters" that the deer are facing new kinds and numbers of hunters. Would your solution be to reduce the number of tags issued overall?

The entire state has felt the repercussions from drought. Its hard to believe that deer heard would ever feel anything resembling drought from all the moisture they get in that range. Would winter range drought affect a heard as much as the spring and summer range droughts would?

huntn1 · Sep 10, 2015

Piper, you are spot on. The there are a small group who think predators are the problem. I hunted the Rubies before it was wilderness and after and guess what there is no difference. People chased lions in there then and now. Anyone with any common sense knows that our weather is changing and there is not the same amount of rain or snow!! Those who have grown up here in the 50's, 60's, and 70's know what I'm saying.