Book Cliffs Rifle Tag!! Finally !!

[honkerdwn]

hey fellas, its taken ten long years to finally get this tag and all the sudden i'm not sure where to start. kinda in shock i think. i'm not probing for any had outs. just wondering if anyone can offer up some areas to start looking. have horses and plan on packing in. i've read about the stories of riding roads with everyone else and seeing deer but thats not my style. i know theres good deer to be had and plan on doing lots of home work and scouting. just thought i would start here.
any info would be great,
thanks

 

[TwoDogs]

Sorry Stud.....but you ain't got diddly. Utah Books is severely, grossly, comically overrated for bigguns.

You didn't state your trophy size goals, but your first post seems to indicate that you have some.

Try applying and looking just across the border in Colorado unit 21 for a REAL deer. Also, Colo unit 30.

 

[why]

good luck try colorado border & indian land border might get lucky i work out there . only place seen decent bucks nothing huge.

 

[Daxter]

Really good dates for the rifle hunt this year. Don't shoot early unless you see something really good, last weekend should be awesome. Like other guys have said, if you are looking for 30"ers or Booner bucks you have the wrong unit. If you want to have a good time and see lots of deer with a pretty good shot at taking a decent 4 point you will have a lot of fun. I personally don't think the hunt is worth 9-10 points, but obviously lots of people in UT do because that is what it takes. On the rifle hunt, with the dates being what they are this year, I don't think the horses are going to help you much. There just isn't a lot of country that will hold deer that time of year that doesn't have lots of road access. Also, it sounds crazy, but I think road hunting is the best way to hunt the Books during the rifle hunt. Good luck.

Dax

 

[tstewy]

+1 to all above comments i spent a tone of time down there this year and i can tell you that the quality is crap i would shoot the first 24in 4x4 you see lol. really though if you see a 170 class deer you better be bringing the pain i only saw 3 bucks down there after the seasons that were 180+ 3 yrs ago you would have seen 10-15 to many buck taken tot be a trophey unit try big park, buck canyon and wolf den three mile canyon is a good spot to look as well as moon ridge down low dont waste your time on horses unless you are going to the wilderness area but ive not spent any time in there in oct with the dates there should be very few bucks on the top but there might be few try greek cyn and rat hole pm if you want anymore info ps dont scout until the week before your season unless you are just looking at the country it won't do you any good there deer will be migrating and there is nothing down low until the middle of oct.

 

[tstewy]

you can check out some pics of deer i took pics of this year on my facebook page look me up its tyson stewart you should be able to get an idea of size and such

 

[justr_86]

Well if you chase down all these leads you wont have time to hunt, just drive.. Pm sent too.

NO GUTS, NO STORY!!

 

[ICHABOD]

Honker,
Dont let these guys get you down.
Take your horses into the roadless, get away from the crowds, and have a BLAST!
You wont see the the numbers of deer (or people) that you would on the "roads", but there are still great bucks in there.
You dont have to do it the way everyone else does it.
I hunted the 'Books Roadless rifle on horseback in '06, and would do it again in a heartbeat.
PM me if you need any info.
Congrats and have a GREAT hunt!
------------------------------------------------------
"Yeah, I'll shoot him"

 

[honkerdwn]

thanks for all the replies and the pm's. this is some great starting info. many may think that the cliffs are on the decline as far as quality of deer and that may be true but i'm not just running down to wal-mart to get the first buck off the shelf and i do realize that the days of popeye and goliath are harder to come by, but i do think there are good quality bucks still to be had. put in the time, the homework and with a little luck it will pay off.

keep any info comming, its all good.
thanks!

 

[lgriffiti]

Don't let these guys get you down. I've been on this hunt twice since it went LE. Both hunts were a blast. I shot a 183" gross typical in 2004. My son shot a 165" typical in 2006. Hold out, get away from the crowds and work hard. You'll see a ton of 22" 4-pts so be selective.

Good luck!

 

[TwoDogs]

honker,

This is my Bookcliffs rifle buck from 2004 from the ROADED area on public land. Is this what you're looking for? Answer my question.....and I'll explain my viewpoint further. I have extensive experience in the Books, and yep.....I've seen bucks bigger than this one. But....it's still over-hyped.

 

[swbuckmaster]

twodogs buck is what you can expect if you hunt your butt off and pass probably a 100 bucks. we had three tags out there last year and all three killed bucks about the same size. two of the hunters passed better bucks then towdogs to end up killing slightly smaller or equal bucks. As the season went on they became harder to find.

We have also found sheds this year to some pretty impressive bucks. how about a 190" typical so dont let people get you down. If I were you Id put in your scouting time a week before your season starts and get the buck on the ground opening day.

Sorry I wont give you any info as to where we found the horns or where we hunt because we are hunting out there this year again. Good luck hard work always pays off!!

Nets are for fish!!

 

[honkerdwn]

Twodogs, thats not to bad of a buck. something similar to that with maybe a little more mass would be great. why do you ask?


swbuckmaster, thats pretty cool to find sheds like that. good luck to you as well! i agree totally on the hard work!

 

[TwoDogs]

honkerdwn,

Time for you to hunker down, partner.

Life is tuff, sometimes. You just got sold a bill-o-goods by the pro "Books is a great trophy unit" clan.......but if you're as dedicated as you describe yourself.....you can still get-r-done. This big buck thing is a mental game more than a physical one, just so you know. Seems like you may have the right stuff.

What you just described is a 28" 190 class buck. I know...pics can be deceiving. I've seen a couple with 200" frames on the hoof......but I've looked at hundreds of bucks in the Books. And I mean....hundreds.

Just cuz the tag is hard to draw doesn't mean it's worth the odds....or the years and points. This is a common misconception in trophy hunting. it's a complete, total misconception when it comes to hunting big bucks in Utah. Utah blows right now.....and prolly forever. It's disgusting given the potential.

According to some recent data.....the average age of bucks taken on the rifle hunt is about 4. Yet the average buck whacked is 22"-24" 150 or so. I've seen tons of Utah Books bucks that were mature, 5+ year olds......and were only 24" 150-160 bucks. The gene pool for BIG bucks blows in the Books compared to many other areas in the west. I've been incredibly disappointed with antler production many times in the Utah Books. Not so right across the border in Colo unit 21.......where the deer summer, rut, and winter in pretty much the same unit with little co-mingling with other deer.

I wouldn't waste my points in the Books if I wanted a buck you just described. Having said this.........there ain't many other places, cuz Utah BLOWS for big bucks these days due to pi$$ poor mgmt and catering to the "opportunity" folks. The Henry's and the Triangle are about as good as it gets. Oh wait.......the Triangle bucks are Colorado bucks.

There are always a few big bucks whacked all around the west, including North Dakota and western Nebraska. Doesn't mean those areas are great trophy areas.

Sooooooooo........don't just "work hard"......but work hard and hunt SMART in the Books for a buck that you described. If you hunt the lower, winter-range country......persistence and patience and mucho glassing is the key. If you hunt the places these older bucks still live cuz they ain't moved down yet....use yer noggin' and try to predict their habits and behaviors to cross paths with one when you have a rifle with ya. The bucks I've described seeing here were mostly near roads.....FYI. But, the roadless area has a few good ones as well. Get yer mind right........recognize that this will be a challenge for ya and not a "tag=instant whopper" thing.........just cuz it's the great Utah Books.......and you can do well.

 

[Cozmo8]

Thanks Twodogs. I am a non-resident and drew the muzzy hunt this year. You have summed up Utah accurately. Die waiting for a Henry's tag or get out of the house and hunt. I burned my 10 points and am extremely excited about going on a hunt with a lot of deer not many people. Not being a numbers guy I can sleep well at night knowing I don't have to come back to this forum without a 200 inch deer and feel inferior. This is my one big hunt this year, I plan on a few scouting trips and then arriving early for the hunt. I hope it does not end on day one. The longer I am there the more successful I feel.

Not questioning your experience on the unit but from my very reliable sources "hundreds of bucks" seen can mean one day of scouting.

 

[TwoDogs]

LAST EDITED ON Apr-28-10 AT 09:41PM (MST)[p]>Not questioning your experience on the
>unit but from my very
>reliable sources "hundreds of bucks"
>seen can mean one day
>of scouting.

Fair comment, Cozmo. Just slightly exxagerated, tho. Try "a couple dozen bucks a day if I cowboy-up and hunt smart and look in the right places". Notice I said SMART....and not necessarily HARD.

Good fun hunt for ya. Lots of action, never any boredom.

I hunted September bulls there in 2003 when I lived very nearby. I used to have to brake just after dark driving out while summer scouting for a 24" buck that was a mature buck and was a nice non-typical 8 x 8 or so. No monster, but a nice buck. He used to cross the fairly major road I drove and seemed tame. But....I never thought I could kill him (if I had the tag) during the rifle season. Muzzy season......maybe. He was VERY predictable..........

 

[honkerdwn]

TwoDogs......i couldn't agree more on the state and how they are running the deer herds. the thought of colorado has crossed the mind numerous times. i'll probably shoot for it next year.
pretty much what you explained is how i've planned to go about it. i'm fully aware that this won't be an easy hunt and i wouldn't want it that way. years of roaming the hills and chasing these critters one learns alot. patterns, patience, persistance, hunting smart as you put it, and being dedicated to the time you have and a little luck are all key factors. i'm confident it will be an enjoyable hunt either way. the trophy is all in the eye of the beholder and i'm sure i'll get mine. i've passed up many smaller bucks over the years and know what it takes to hold out, but i do know a good one when i see it.
it will be a good hunt and with the information i've gotten here its given me some good places to start.