War on the opener

[gznokes]

Why does everyone always crack on all the people out for the opener of the UT deer hunt? I think it makes for a good day in the hills. A lot of people tend to get a lot of deer moving all day long. I know its not super pristine, spot and stalk hunting but I think its kind of exciting.

In the 80's it used to sound like a war was going on for the first couple of hours. I've never felt unsafe and for the most part the people I've run into seem to be having a good time.

The number of people in the mountains is nothing like it used to be in the 80's. NOTHING.

 

[257Tony]

I hear you, the first Utah opener I went on was in '87, non stop shooting until noon. Sounded like the first hour of Duck season, but for 5 hours straight.

 

[Packout]

I remember the 80s like Tony-- non-stop shooting from 7:30 to 11. People on every ridge. Camps in every turn-out on the dirt road.

On last year's UT general hunt we hiked in a few miles, saw 0 hunters after sun-up, saw 7 bucks by 8am and had a heard 2 shots-- both of which came from my gun on the mature buck I killed. We heard one other shot all day. Nothing better than spending a day afield with family or good friends.

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www.sagebasin.com
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[tabbyhntr]

it feels like war when you have bullets flying over your head. never tgought it was all that bad on general opwners till rifle elk this year. sitting n glassing minding my business, look behind me and see 2 guys pointing guns right at me at 500 yards away... further inspection revealed 1 guy without any orange on at all... next thing i know BOOM!!!!! UNMISTAKABLE HISS FLYING RIGHT OVER ME... scarrd the hell out of me so i run around the point to be out of their sught and see theyre shooting at a spike another 400 yards further than me... 10 shots and roughly 900 yards they stop shooting... think they ran out of bullets....

 

[littlebighorn]

If you thought it was exciting in the 80's you should have experienced the late 50's and 60's when I was a kid going with my father. Everyone had open sights. Tons of deer running around and nobody could hit anything, so it was really like a war for the first half of the day. And there were 180 thousand people out there banging away. It was a major event in the state but now it is pretty tame. The last opener I went on two years ago, I maybe heard 10-20 shots all morning. I'm just sayin!

 

[dirtygrass]

Hunted in Craig, CO 20 years ago haven't been back since. That pop when a bullet goes over your head and breaks the sound barrier scares the crap out of me. We saw 1000 deer per day only tiny fork horns and one big fork that ran through the shooting gallery of hunters. Every hill we went over there were hunters and dead fork horns. The CO DOW really screwed that area up, completly destroyed the genetics.

 

[Bowhunter18]

where did you spike elk hunt this year?

 

[Bowhunter18]

>it feels like war when you
>have bullets flying over your
>head. never tgought it was
>all that bad on general
>opwners till rifle elk this
>year. sitting n glassing minding
>my business, look behind me
>and see 2 guys pointing
>guns right at me at
>500 yards away... further inspection
>revealed 1 guy without any
>orange on at all... next
>thing i know BOOM!!!!! UNMISTAKABLE
>HISS FLYING RIGHT OVER ME...
>scarrd the hell out of
>me so i run around
>the point to be out
>of their sught and see
>theyre shooting at a spike
>another 400 yards further than
>me... 10 shots and roughly
>900 yards they stop shooting...
>think they ran out of
>bullets....


where did you spike elk hunt this year?

 

[tabbyhntr]

currant creek

 

[AndymanSavage]

I like the opener, it is kind of crazy, but brings back memories from Southern Utah in the 80's. Like was stated above, lately if we get off the main roads and (heaven forbid) hike around a bit, there is usually some ground to hunt without too many people around. I am excited to take my oldest 2 boys on their first real deer hunt, we went and shot one last box of ammo tonight to warm up. Come Saturday with my two best buddies sitting next to me on the hill I would have to think twice before passing up any unfortunate little meat buck that wanders by.....I have passed up deer for the last 6 years hunting solo without pulling the trigger, but I may have to break that streak to plant the hunting seed in my boys the same way my dad did with me twenty-five years ago...can't wait.

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http://andymansavage.blogspot.com/

 

[fullofbull]

I have read my Great Grandfathers Journal, and he talks about deer hunting not being as good as it used to be, and it was written in the 60's! THESE ARE THE GOOD OLE DAYS! Get the youngens out and hunting, we always wish for better. I am so glad I got started back in the 80's with huge groups of hunters, dozens of bucks hanging in trees, and braggin at the school yard about big bucks, waiting for weeks like it was Christmas. Hearing the office to call you out of class because your Dad was waiting to pick you up. I think most of the anti hunters are just pissed cause they were the only ones whos Dad didn't take them hunting. Yeah there are challenges, but for the future of hunting get the kids out, teach them the ways your Father, Grandfather, Uncle or Mentor taught you, and HAVE FUN! There are still deer to be taken, and stories to be made.

 

[hilltop]

Sounds like a few of you need to try northern utah, lets say one mile area.....Thats CRAZY!