Book Cliffs ML

[BigPig]

My brother drew the Cliffs muzzleloader tag. I know enough about the unit to know that there are good numbers of mature bucks for the most part. I have a question for those of you that know it well. Lets say you had 7-10 days to hunt with 3 or 4 days to scout beforehand. You will be coming from out of state and live 13-14 hours away from the Cliffs. What type of buck do you expect to kill? What are realistic expectations?

 

[grizzmoose]

Everyone knows there are nice bucks to be had there, but there are also realistic expectations. If I drew out there again, Ill expect/hope to get something in the 180 range. More realistic would be mid 170's. Im sure people will say Im aiming low, but whatever. Thats my .02.

 

[Dahlmer]

I agree with grizzmoose. Anything in that 180+ range you should really consider shooting. There are definately bigger bucks than that, but unless your prepared to eat tag soup I'd think long and hard before passing a buck like that up.

 

[tivie85]

I drew my Book cliffs tag as well i would expect to get a 180 plus there i have alot of family that works out on the rigs out there that will do a good number of scouting for me and i will be out there a bit as well if u need some info P.M me

 

[GoatT]

I have two friends UTodd and Gonzo that drew the books muzzle last year, you may want to PM them to get some info. Tons of deer down there.

http://www.trophyblogger.com/Goat

http://www.trophyblogger.com
http://www.muleyradio.com

 

[gdog]

+1....I have the same tag as well.

Been hunting around for some info and sending out some emails.

I hope to hunt the entire time and get out quite a bit later this summer to scout.

Anyone who wants to hook-up to scout...drop me a PM.

Good luck!

 

[Tinytim]

Hey BigPig

First of all Congrats on his draw. Ok I will most likely get comments back about this post. But I believe in speeking the truth. I would say to you. Take a buck he will be happy with, Who cares what it scores, if he likes him take him. I agree with the other guys, with that tag, look for a 180 class. but also remember a 180 class buck is a monster in anyones book. The avaerge guy out there hunting has most likely never seen a 180 class buck and would shake the bullets out of his rifle if he did see one. I would say to him have fun, be safe and take a buck he can live with. Tags don't taste good if you were waiting for a B.C buck. I also don't think there are to many people that can pass a 170 class buck. Yes there are some, but not many. Good luck to you and I hope he gets a buck of your dreams.

Thanks Tim

 

[peez3006]

I hunted the Books with a muzzleloader last year. I killed a 163" buck. It was the biggest buck I saw out of over 200 bucks. Are there 180"+ deer out there? Sure there are, but they aren't running around anywhere. I wouldn't get too tied up in the score. Just shoot a buck that you're happy with, and have a fun hunt. You are going to see a ton of small bucks and a few better ones. I'll be there again this year helping my buddy that drew a tag. Good luck!

Don P.

 

[crimedog]

The Book Cliffs are managed for a 160-170 inch buck. While there are definatly larger bucks in there, You should expect a buck in that class. Personaly I would say don't let the "Score" affect what you think is a trophy. If the Buck has what you are looking for then it is a Trophy.

 

[grizzmoose]

Im glad to see Im not the only one with these comments. I drew a tag with my father in '02, and again with my father and brother in '05. Ive also been out there with another friend. Between these 6 tags over the last 5 years, there was one buck killed that went in the 160's. The rest were in the 150's or below. My father saw one buck a week before the season that would have been near 190. I saw one killed in 05 that was 180ish. To me, the Book Cliffs hunt is all about having fun, not necessarily about harvesting a monster. Its an amazing place to see lots of bucks. Again, Id HOPE to get something in the 180's, but if saw something on Saturday or Sunday that was high 160s, or low 170's, Id take it and consider it a huge success.

 

[slamdunk]

I'll be there as well, drew ML tag.
Sounds like there's going to be a big party around the campfire!!

 

[MortgageMan]

We hunted the Books on the rifle last year and saw alot of bucks. Mostly smaller 4 points in the 150-160 range. We hunted the whole hunt and only saw one deer that was maybe 180+. I wouldn't get hung up on the score too much. There is alot of good bucks out there, just find one that you like. It's definitely a fun hunt.

 

[UnoTrack]

This probably depends on what you glassed up on your scouting trip. If you saw a 180 buck on your scouting trip, I'd think that would be your goal for the first 8 days of your ten day trip. During that eight days you will have definitely narrowed down the prospects for big bucks. If the best buck you've glassed up is a 165 buck, I'd imagine that you would take that buck on the ninth or tenth day.

If you're married, and it's not your tag, and you want to get home to your new wife and your new house, make sure your brother pops the first 24" 4x4 that he sees. That would be a dang nice first buck for any hunter.

 

[Camo]

LAST EDITED ON Apr-25-07 AT 04:12PM (MST)[p]I agree with many of the previous posts. A 180 is a big buck and not hiding behind every bush. You ask 10 people what a big buck scores or how wide he is and you might get 2 close answers. We've all been there talked to the guy who see's a 30 incher every day in every place he hunts but never produces one. The muzzleloader hunt out there is probably the most difficult of the three hunts because the deer are in their migration. They seem to vanish for a while and are harder to locate. Good luck and like others have said don't concentrate to much on a score or a spread measurement ask yourself what you would be happy with sometimes less self imposed restrictions make for a funner hunt!!