Muzzleloader Tag Paunsaugunt Utah

snake1272 · May 29, 2013

I just got my email that I've drawn my Utah muzzleloader Paunsaugunt tag. I'm so stoked!! The only down fall is that I just relocated me and my family to Colorado last month for work. So I don't know how much I will get to scout the area due to funds. My brother drew the bow tag 3 years ago, so I know the area pretty well. I just don't know how much different the muzzleloader hunt is going to be. Are the deer going to be moving to the desert or should I be still looking on the plateau? I've heard people call this areas deer the wimpy deer, cause they start to migrate once it starts to get a little cold. So I was hoping that I could get some help for areas to scout? I need to make my scouting trips count, I just don't know how many times I will be able to make it down there before the hunt starts. Any help would be greatly appreciated..

Downrange · May 29, 2013

They will be moving off the top by then. Remember the rifle hunt used to start the first sat in oct and the deer were always moving by then.

Bwht4x4 · May 30, 2013

Refer to the image below. This is from a 1999 scientific paper that was done by the AZGFD on the patterns of the Paunsaugunt mule deer herd between AZ and UT. You'll notice in lower two charts the timing of the fall migration and the distance from the UT-AZ state line. From this study it looks like many of the Paunsaugunt deer are on the move down slope around Sept 16th and all of them reaching their lower elevation winter habitat around Oct 27th. During this time frame they are traveling about 40 km (24 miles) toward the UT-AZ border. Not sure if this is helpful, but I sure would consider it if I had the tag.

snake1272 · May 30, 2013

Thanks for taking the time to send that to me. I really appreciate it, that's good info to know.

snake1272 · May 30, 2013

Thanks for the info, ill have to look more into the desert areas from the sounds of it.

Bwht4x4 · May 30, 2013

BTW, here is a buck I watched in the Paunsaugunt during an archery hunt way back in 1996. My buddy had the tag and could not connect on this guy. However I had him at 35 yards more than once. He's one of the biggest bucks I've ever seen and I guess his width at 32-34 inches and probably gross at least 210". I could be wrong and would love for some feed back on width and score. This is the first time I've shown these picts so no one has ever commented on them before.

Stonefly · May 30, 2013

A few years ago allot of Deer on buckskin by 2nd week

snake1272 · May 30, 2013

That's an awesome buck!! I can only hope to find something around that caliber of a buck. Thanks for sharing that with me.

snake1272 · May 30, 2013

What's buckskin? I'm not familar with that.

Bwht4x4 · May 30, 2013

From the couple of weeks I spent there in 1996 I was amazed at the bucks and the genetics. In fact, IMO the caliber of bucks were near what is on and killed on the Strip, but a lot more of them on the Paunsaugunt. If the DWR managed it correctly I could easily be in the top 3 best mule deer hunts in North America.

Bwht4x4 · May 30, 2013

Snake,

How many pts did you have to draw the tag? I'm sitting at 17 pts as a NR right now and have been going for the Henry's archery hunt...like everyone else.

dillon · May 30, 2013

LAST EDITED ON May-30-13 AT 10:49PM (MST)[p]The majority of the deer herd will be working their way toward Arizona or at least the lower elevations. However, the bucks that live at the lower elevations during the summer will probably still be where they would be during the archery hunt for the most part unless the weather makes them move. I would personally scout toward the end of the archery hunt and see what the weather does. That is a great tag and you should be able to connect on a great buck. I am also curious to know how many points it took you to draw.

Good luck.

Bwht4x4 · May 30, 2013

One more thing Snake. Those big buck picts I posted were taken on Aug 30th at 6,110 feet elevation. The top of the plateau ranges from 8,200 to 9,200 feet elevation. There are big bucks down low all year long too!

snake1272 · May 30, 2013

I agree with you, it could be one of the best units. I seen a couple really nice bucks 3 years ago on the archery hunt. My brother put a stalk on a deer that went over 200 inches. But due to some cattle he could only get within 80 yards. Long story short, a guy ended up killing the deer the next day.
He had it posted on this site, I believe it went 213 or close to that. I had 10 points this year, statisticaly I don't think the odds were that great for me. I just got lucky

snake1272 · May 30, 2013

I really appreciate all this info you guys have supplied me with. It helps out a lot, I'm gonna try and make it down there and scout as much as possible. This info gives me sum good ideas where to look. I want to try and get there about 2 or 3 days before the hunt starts and try and locate some good bucks. It seems like the desert area has a ton of private property. I didn't spend much time in the desert when I was there but the days we did it seemed like getting to land we could hunt was difficult. Any ideas on this?

Vanilla · May 31, 2013

I hunted the rifle last year. Most of the deer hasn't moved until mid-October from what I gathered. Scouted early September in the lower unit a couple days after huge rain storm that washed the sand clean and I didn't see a single track. By my hunt there were deer super highways! There is TONS of public land down in the sand. Vast majority is public.

My guess is your hunt will be mostly in the mid to high areas. Doubt you'll spend much time below the Whites.

Bwht4x4 · May 31, 2013

Even though I saw some great bucks down low, I second Vanilla's comments that there are way more deer up high during the archery and early muzzy season. I would be focusing on top if I were you.

Timberbuck · Jun 3, 2013

Hunted it muzzy last year.

You will find deer on the top and the hatch bench. (although the dwr ruined the hunting on the hatch bench last year by chain dragging most of it for bird habitat between the archery and muzz hunt, still pissed off about it).

The south country below the pinks is vast and large and does not lend itself well to short range weapons, I would advise against it unless you really have some serious time to scout, find and pattern several bucks before the hunt starts.

Feel free to PM.

Jon