stillhunterman
Active Member
- Messages
- 608
This year I have the awesome chance to hunt with my oldest boy for the first time, and a very good friend in the Utah Northern region. It was our last choice in our group application. I grew up hunting Utah in the sixties and early seventies but have been chasing Blacktails in Cali for the last 30 odd years. Last year was my first hear hunting Utah since then. I hit the western edge of the Raft River mountains and although I hunted hard only saw a couple of small bucks which I passed on. ATV?s were everywhere and it was pretty crowded. I have solo hunted most of my life and have burned more than a few pairs of boots.
My boy and buddy are totally new to deer hunting and I don't want to put them through the experience of hunting in the crowds. I had planned on hunting the high uinta wilderness area but have since blown a disk in my back, relegating me to hunt an area that won't be too dang hard to exit should I run into problems.
I am looking for areas that are tough and rugged, away from the roads, but after hours and hours pouring over topo?s and google earth, it looks like that is going to be a hard place to find! Roads seem to be everywhere on that range. I've found a couple of places where we can get about a mile or so off the roads but that's about it.
Maybe I am missing something but would sure appreciate any ideas as to where we could start that would take us away from the crowds. I know the area is hunted hard, and the quality of bucks is lacking. Antler size is not my goal this year, a quality time with the boy and my buddy is what I am after, trying to introduce them to the pure essence of the hunt. I'm sure most of you get my gist. There is so much private land along the south slope with virtually no access to the forest from that side. This makes me think we might be able to hike in from the top, and find some places that are far enough away from the roads where we can find some animals that are not as pressured.
Any thoughts or ideas would greatly be appreciated. Although my scouting time is limited this year, I will be up there at least two or three times searching. Maybe I should consider the Grouse Creek mountains, and come in from the Nevada side?
My boy and buddy are totally new to deer hunting and I don't want to put them through the experience of hunting in the crowds. I had planned on hunting the high uinta wilderness area but have since blown a disk in my back, relegating me to hunt an area that won't be too dang hard to exit should I run into problems.
I am looking for areas that are tough and rugged, away from the roads, but after hours and hours pouring over topo?s and google earth, it looks like that is going to be a hard place to find! Roads seem to be everywhere on that range. I've found a couple of places where we can get about a mile or so off the roads but that's about it.
Maybe I am missing something but would sure appreciate any ideas as to where we could start that would take us away from the crowds. I know the area is hunted hard, and the quality of bucks is lacking. Antler size is not my goal this year, a quality time with the boy and my buddy is what I am after, trying to introduce them to the pure essence of the hunt. I'm sure most of you get my gist. There is so much private land along the south slope with virtually no access to the forest from that side. This makes me think we might be able to hike in from the top, and find some places that are far enough away from the roads where we can find some animals that are not as pressured.
Any thoughts or ideas would greatly be appreciated. Although my scouting time is limited this year, I will be up there at least two or three times searching. Maybe I should consider the Grouse Creek mountains, and come in from the Nevada side?
![image000000(17)[28820].jpg](/xf/data/xfmg/thumbnail/41/41753-27bfe460fd1df8323cff289e72fef5e2.jpg?1704005826)
