My impression of Wyoming Deer unit 102

[DRT]

My son drew this tag this year for his first year hunting, and at first I was pretty excited for him, but as my scouting progresses, I am starting to doubt the success that we may have. I started scouting shortly after the draw results and have had several areas in mind to check, and as of today (July 30) I have yet to see a decent buck. I have had a trail camera setup and the biggest buck I caught so far will barely score 150, if he makes it at all. I have moved my camera a few times and the next setup will be checked next Wednesday. I have been out mornings and evenings with my boy looking for something that might make him smile, but I feel he is as disappointed as I am. Now, the number of deer doesn't seem to be an issue, we have seen plenty of deer, and plenty of bucks, but still nothing that I couldn't find on a general hunt, in fact I don't plan on hunting general this year but I did a little scouting in a general unit a few weeks ago with my brother and saw about 20 bucks over 160, including one 28"+ non-typical that really got me excited, and that was in two evening hikes for about 1 hr each, I think I would rather hunt a general unit at this point.

My boy wants to hunt opening archery but I am not sure where to start. All the hype about this area is blind, I don't see myself ever applying for the area again, it is not what people make it out to be.

I understand I do still have a month to find a buck, but honestly I have never put this much scouting effort into a general hunt, and if I did, I would guess I could really find a smoker buck, but for a Limited unit I would think it would be a lot easier to locate a nice buck, especially in the type of terrain as is 102. I'm sad to see my general hunt go away as I will be working my tail off to try and get my boy a deer, and wont have the time to hunt for a deer myself. May luck be on my side!!!

 

[gil_wy]

It's bad... and a bad winter will make it worse!

 

[Triple_BB]

Sounds like you shoulda just bought him a guided trophy hunt. It's a sad situation when a kid's expectation has been set that he needs to bring home a booner his first time out in order to generate a smile. My first deer with my dad was a doe. After that, the next several bucks were two points. They're still some of my best hunting memories...

 

[tailchasers]

Maybe take this as a sign since you said numbers are not an issue and put this to your advantage. To me harvesting any deer with a bow is a HUGE accomplishement. Close encounters with multiple animals as a massive rush. Nows your chance to get him addicted. BTW how old is your son?

"Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway."

 

[tagsoup]

I agree with triple BB. Maybe you should be more excited about what you are seeing, and hopefully that will get your son more excited. My first deer was a spike. And it took me along time before I killed a 150" deer. Put the hunting mags away that show the top 1% of the deer that are killed every year, and be happy getting to go hunting with your son.

"Go hunt for meat at Walmart."

 

[DRT]

That is not what the problem is. The fact that it is so hard to draw a limited tag and that we get to hunt in a new area is great. My son is 12, hence the 'first year hunting', but he has gone with me on every hunt and camping trip since before he could walk, he knows what its like to shoot a mature deer, and I am putting no limits on the size of the deer that he wants to shoot, but isn't it something else to maybe teach him some constraints on shooting and killing? I don't want him to shoot the first deer on the first morning (it is an any deer unit), he can do that in any general unit on any other year. I would really like for him to hold out, and KNOW that he could hold out for a more mature deer.

My problem here is that we have drawn this tag, I say we because this is a family hunt and everyone in our family, including grandparents, is excited to participate in the hunt, and we have only drawn a limited tag one other time in the 20+ years that we have been hunting. But now I am wondering if it was really worth it. Having this tag in hand is putting all the focus on hunting this year to this unit instead of the units that we have hunted for years, until this limited tag is filled, and I strongly believe that we could get chances at several MORE mature deer on a general unit than we will get on this 'dream' tag. So a Mule deer hunt for my wife and myself is pretty much out of the question as we are predominately an archery hunting family, and we will be spending most of our time in this unit.

I guess what I'm really trying to say is that this big 'Area 102' explosion is puzzling to me, not that great of an area, I already miss all my big bucks on general units.

 

[marburg]

>That is not what the problem
>is. The fact that
>it is so hard to
>draw a limited tag and
>that we get to hunt
>in a new area is
>great. My son is 12,
>hence the 'first year hunting',
>but he has gone with
>me on every hunt and
>camping trip since before he
>could walk, he knows what
>its like to shoot a
>mature deer, and I am
>putting no limits on the
>size of the deer that
>he wants to shoot, but
>isn't it something else to
>maybe teach him some constraints
>on shooting and killing?
>I don't want him to
>shoot the first deer on
>the first morning (it is
>an any deer unit), he
>can do that in any
>general unit on any other
>year. I would really like
>for him to hold out,
>and KNOW that he could
>hold out for a more
>mature deer.
>
>My problem here is that we
>have drawn this tag, I
>say we because this is
>a family hunt and everyone
>in our family, including grandparents,
>is excited to participate in
>the hunt, and we have
>only drawn a limited tag
>one other time in the
>20+ years that we have
>been hunting. But now
>I am wondering if it
>was really worth it.
>Having this tag in hand
>is putting all the focus
>on hunting this year to
>this unit instead of the
>units that we have hunted
>for years, until this limited
>tag is filled, and I
>strongly believe that we could
>get chances at several MORE
>mature deer on a general
>unit than we will get
>on this 'dream' tag. So
>a Mule deer hunt for
>my wife and myself is
>pretty much out of the
>question as we are predominately
>an archery hunting family, and
>we will be spending most
>of our time in this
>unit.
>
>I guess what I'm really trying
>to say is that this
>big 'Area 102' explosion is
>puzzling to me, not that
>great of an area, I
>already miss all my big
>bucks on general units.

The lesson here is simple. Don't believe the information you see in magazines, its often years behind and units live on their past reputation for a long time. The guys that run those magazines are not into helping people, they are into making money. You think Garth or any of the Eastmans are putting in for 102? I doubt it.

 

[mmwb]

I'd encourage you to help your son set some goals. Objectives may change as the hunt progresses so he can have the option of holding out for awhile and still be okay with taking a smaller buck later on. If you are seeing plenty of bucks, I expect that there are some bigger bucks you are not seeing. Glassing is a great way to scout a lot of country, but hiking and checking saddles and areas of likely big buck habitat for "evidence" such as tracks may surprise you. I know of a buck leaving a 4" track in one area. I've not seen him, but it still leaves the area as one I know has at least one mature buck. Another, blocky track about 1/2" shorter indicates another potential in the area.

Have a great family hunt. Have a good time. Let him practice his stalking skills on those smaller bucks. It will be great experience and some real adrenaline rushes. He may find that after a good stalk in close that a smaller buck all of sudden holds more value to him. If he shoots a booner, get it mounted. If it is a smaller buck, extend the experience and try mounting it with him or do a euro mount. At 12 he has a lot of years to try to find a big trophy. I sometimes feel for the kids that take great bucks early on and miss out on the progression trophy hunting and the year after year anticipation that can come with nudging the goal up a bit.

 

[TOPGUN]

mmwb---Too bad when the value of a hunt, especailly for a young kid seems to be determined if he can shoot a 170" buck. My best doesn't even break 160", but I'm having tons of fun trying to best him. I took my stepson up to the cabin in northern MI years ago when he was able to legally hunt deer and put him in good spots two years in a row. He shot two good 8 points, one is the best ever taken up there. The third year he said it was too easy and hasn't deer hunted with me since and that was back in the late 70s. IMHO the kids nowadays are spoiled because the parents make it too easy for them and it seems that it's an instant gratification thing or they aren't happy.

 

[Cornhusker]

What Topgun says is true. I took a landowners nephew out hunting when he was 12. His parents wanted him to kill the biggest deer we had seen on the place I got him close enough he did. It scored #4 on the all time state list muzzleloader bigger than I have ever shot. That was the last year he hunted he's 18 I think now, he says I've already shot the biggest deer on the place which is true in 30 years I've never seen one bigger in this area. My kids never killed large deer when they were young and were always happy we were together.

I do think its really great you are that involved with your son and his hunting you will probably have a hunting partner for life. Best of luck an I hope you find what you're looking for.

 

[Jbozahunter]

DRT,
I have had that tag a few times, I actually live here, and with tons of time to scout, and knowing the area very well, it's still tough to find the "big ones". There are some true humdingers, have even seen a few this year that will score well, but for me personally, it's tough to give up my honey holes that I have spent many hours, and miles on my boots to find.

That being said, if you want to pm me with the areas you've looked so far, I may be able to help you some.

Jbo

 

[30Hart]

Thanks for your honest feedback/impression of unit 102 in 2012. Hopefully this helps some people get off the 102 bandwagon. On a positive note big deer are in every Wyoming unit...keep looking, but I'd wait for the last week of October to hunt the unit and hit your general area first...good luck!

 

[mulecreek]

DRT,

If you are just now figuring out that 102 is not what it once was then you have not been paying near enough attention for the last several years. Even Garth has been suggesting for several years that people just accumulate points for Wyo deer, but if you must burn them then 102 is a decent place to do it. It has been said over and over again that 102 is an easy area to find a buck but not the B&C producer it once was.

If you see your son getting frustrated it could easily be that he is seeing your frustration. I think that when fathers take their wives and kids on their first trips they put too much pressure on themselves to get them a trophy. I did this with my wife in area 102 back in 2002. We had a great buck located before the season. Spent the first 5 days trying to locate this buck with no luck. She ended up taking a decent 4 point. I was so frustrated not being able to locate that buck but she could not have cared less. The part she talks about the most is sneaking up to within 40 yards of a 2 point while it fed for 20 minutes.

Show your son that it is more about the hunt than the kill. I hope you and your son have a great hunt.

 

[beech18]

Should feel lucky so far, 12 years old and already drew a LE deer tag. Mabey he burned up all his luck on the actual draw itself?

I agree with others. At that age score of inches shouldnt be the most important thing about the hunt (shouldnt be at any age of hunter). Teaching the wrong values to start out with. Theres so much more to hunting than size. Take what the unit gives you. Make the best of it. Can still trophy hunt and teach him about holding out and expircing a good hunt but with the standards per the unit is giving you to work with.

I too have seen kids starting out killing a big deer or big bull on there first hunt and even on a first day of there first hunt. Ruined em. They think, all I do is wake up and walk out, shoot this monster. Whats the big deal? The big deal is must of us hunters wait a lifetime to even get a chance at a true brute.

 

[DRT]

Thanks for all the replies and comments, I thought this might stir up something, but not about my sons first deer being a 'trophy'. I understand that this being his first deer, it should be about the experience and not the size of the animal, but in a way this is a family tag. Every chance that we get to go hunting will be a family outing, and with it being a limited tag, I would like there to be a little 'trophy' hunting involved. He has been with me for several of my smaller 'trophies' and he has experiences in hunting, that doesn't mean I wont let him shoot a smaller buck, but I would like for him to try and get a more mature deer, especially since this is a limitied entry tag.

I think the hunting experience is more than just shooting the deer, I take him out everytime we go scouting so that he knows what is involved with a 'trophy' hunt, and he sees the size of the animals we are finding and he understands what the potential of the tag is, which isn't much.

Even if I was taking him hunting on a general tag, I would be doing the same thing, I don't want to limit his preference for his 'trophy', I just don't want him to give up early and shoot the next buck up the trail. I would like to teach him that if he works for what he wants, he has a good chance of getting it.

This whole rant was not intended to be directed at what I am teaching my boy as a sportsman but the fact that Area 102 is no better than any general area in Wyoming, I guess I just expected more and I guess that is my fault for not doing my research on the area. I am not worried about the size of the animal that he shoots, I would just think there would be more, bigger, mature animals in the area. I guess with 400 tags allotted, it is getting a little overhunted.

 

[marburg]

>Thanks for all the replies and
>comments, I thought this might
>stir up something, but not
>about my sons first deer
>being a 'trophy'. I
>understand that this being his
>first deer, it should be
>about the experience and not
>the size of the animal,
>but in a way this
>is a family tag.
>Every chance that we get
>to go hunting will be
>a family outing, and with
>it being a limited tag,
>I would like there to
>be a little 'trophy' hunting
>involved. He has been
>with me for several of
>my smaller 'trophies' and he
>has experiences in hunting, that
>doesn't mean I wont let
>him shoot a smaller buck,
>but I would like for
>him to try and get
>a more mature deer, especially
>since this is a limitied
>entry tag.
>
>I think the hunting experience is
>more than just shooting the
>deer, I take him out
>everytime we go scouting so
>that he knows what is
>involved with a 'trophy' hunt,
>and he sees the size
>of the animals we are
>finding and he understands what
>the potential of the tag
>is, which isn't much.
>
>Even if I was taking him
>hunting on a general tag,
>I would be doing the
>same thing, I don't want
>to limit his preference for
>his 'trophy', I just don't
>want him to give up
>early and shoot the next
>buck up the trail.
>I would like to teach
>him that if he works
>for what he wants, he
>has a good chance of
>getting it.
>
>This whole rant was not intended
>to be directed at what
>I am teaching my boy
>as a sportsman but the
>fact that Area 102 is
>no better than any general
>area in Wyoming, I guess
>I just expected more and
>I guess that is my
>fault for not doing my
>research on the area.
>I am not worried about
>the size of the animal
>that he shoots, I would
>just think there would be
>more, bigger, mature animals in
>the area. I guess with
>400 tags allotted, it is
>getting a little overhunted.

Wow I knew it got hammered but I never looked up how many tags because I have never planned on hunting it. 400 tags is balls out crazy. Wyoming's deer herd is being sold out, wholesale slaughter for the benefit of a government agencies budget.....its no wonder hunting gets such a bad rap.

 

[Rambo]

If you are interested in trading some information I may be able to help you out I live in unit 102 and know of some nice bucks and great areas. Who knows you might make a friend.

 

[Califelkslayer]

DRT, I wish you and your son the very best on his hunt.

 

[PLP]

LAST EDITED ON Aug-05-12 AT 10:23AM (MST)[p]I find myself wanting things..more than the wife or kids do..I have to sit back and correct myself..and let them have their hunt..If it is their choice..then I let them shoot what they want.Once they get some experience under their belt..They will want to challenge themselves when they see it is not hard for them to smoke a 2 point anymore,and daddy keeps knocking down wallhangers..give it time..

My son (8yrs old at the time)begged to shoot a doe as his first..I wouldnt let him..until it got close to last light.I let him take that doe,and it made his hunt wonderful..He was miserable up until then.I knew there was a big buck on the farm,and I had seen him nearby..I was forcing my son to hold out and it was killing his interest..My wife shot that buck a few weeks later.He drew a tag in a coveted area back home..We went the first day and saw 9 bucks and 1 doe..He wanted to shoot every buck he saw..I wouldnt let him..A monster came out,and the opportunity was blown..I blew my gasket..I reflected on it later that evening and decided to turn things around..Made it all about him(because it was suposed to be)..The next am I rattled in a small 8pt and he smoked it at 40yds..The rush was unreal..I mounted it for him,and he knows it wasnt the biggest buck there,but he was happy with it and thats what matters.He said..now I have to come back for "big buck"..so it kept his interest going.

I see it way too many times..parents pushing the kids to do better than they have or as good as them,most of the parents didnt have that control at their age either!Let the kids be kids,and enjoy a hunt..it really does kill their interest when parents have super high expectations..I have several friends who turned their sons away from hunting..just by this kind of thing..Just offering free advice here..maybe worth just what you paid for it..anyways good luck on him getting one in unit 102!

 

[galvanized]

Take your son hunting as they said and let him stalk some of those younger deer. If he really wants to shoot one let him no matter what the size. If he is excited you will see it and then you will also be excited and happy for him. If he shoots a big deer the first year, then he may get discouraged in the next few years trying to top it. He is a kid just enjoy it. I hope you all have a good hunt and be safe. I hope your son kills the deer that makes him happy. Good luck buddy.

 

[elkantlers]

It's not like you have years invested putting in if he is only twelve. Next time out scouting if you act excited about the deer you are seeing he will get excited as well. Go out and have a good time and don't put any expectations on the size of deer your kid needs to shoot. If a 18" 3 point walks by and your son wants to shoot it, let him. And when you walk up to it, act like it is the biggest deer in the state.

 

[doggbiter]

Let him do what he wants, and if he does not kill you a 200in. buck. Weep to yourself, then tell him that you accept his lifestyle-choice. Then tell him you are proud that he expressed himself early in life, and you will cope on your end.

 

[bonepiler]

You guys have the tag, may as well go make the best of it. Hunting should be about the memories made and the experiences anyhow. It will be a neat opportunity to hunt in a new area. You never know, you may get lucky.

I have been talking for years about the over-rating of 102. Problem is, everyone thinks they are a "better hunter" than the next guy and they will hunt harder and walk farther than the next guy and they will be assured a trophy. I also hear how they are going to get away from the roads, etc. 102 is what it is, a glorified general season unit that takes a crap load of points to draw with a chance of running into one of the few big guys that are there. Maybe the average buck is bigger than general season, but most people arent going to walk away with a trophy from 102. I wish it were the same as it was in the 1990's to early/mid 2000's, but its not and probably never will be again.

Go have fun and best of luck. You will find a respectable buck for your sons first deer. Make the best of it.

 

[piper]

several years ago I saw quite a few nice bucks during the rut. people go scouting in the high country in the summer and see bucks out in the open, they go summer scouting in an area like 102 and cant figure out why they don't see as many deer? its no surprise.

You may find out that the hunting is better than the scouting in some places and just the opposite is true in other areas.

 

[DRT]

Piper, thats about what I've decided about this area, I'm not gonna worry too much about the scouting anymore because I'm sure we will find some deer come season opener, and throughout the hunt.

Funny how this whole post turned, I was simply letting people know about the deer that I have been seeing in the area, to maybe help them with their hunting applications for next year, but it quickly turned into my higher expectation of my son shooting a bigger deer. Just for the record, my son is perfectly happy with what we have seen, he enjoys going out scouting and seeing elk, even though he doesn't have an elk tag, I don't tell him that I'm dissappointed in the deer we are seeing, yes I would like to see some bigger deer but I just don't think there are many here. I am not pushing him to shoot or wait to shoot anything that he doesn't want to, I am just trying to say: Area 102 is nothing special, I wont waste my application on this area again, or my hunting season.

 

[TOPGUN]

LAST EDITED ON Aug-23-12 AT 08:20AM (MST)[p]"My son drew this tag this year for his first year hunting, and at first I was pretty excited for him, but as my scouting progresses, I am starting to doubt the success that we may have. I started scouting shortly after the draw results and have had several areas in mind to check, and as of today (July 30) I have yet to see a decent buck. I have had a trail camera setup and the biggest buck I caught so far will barely score 150, if he makes it at all. I have moved my camera a few times and the next setup will be checked next Wednesday. I have been out mornings and evenings with my boy looking for something that might make him smile, but I feel he is as disappointed as I am!"


***You sure could have fooled me when I read your opening statements above to start this thread, especially that last sentence!

 

[Zeke]

There's too damn much pressure placed on the offspring of trophy hunters. The tape should never have the final say in whether the 12 year old boy had a good hunt or not.

I understand your frustration but don't let it spill over to your son's hunt.

Sorry to hear about your unfulfilled expectations. I know how you feel.

Let the kid whack a 150 and make him out to be a hero! He'll be hooked on hunting and his old man for life.

Best of luck to you guys!

Zeke

 

[30Hart]

Couldn't have said it better Zeke!!!!