Crawford Mtns

_gloomis

Active Member
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248
I've been contemplating taking my chances at drawing the Crawford Mountain late Muzzy hunt in 2014. I understand it is very weather dependent which makes me a bit nervous. I'm sure there are some guys on here that have hunted this unit in the past. What are your thoughts of this unit?

Thanks,
_gloomis
 
LAST EDITED ON Nov-19-13 AT 03:46PM (MST)[p]A friend of mine's brother shot a toad there two years ago. Their dad shot a monster their years ago, but had it confiscated by Wyoming fish and game for being in Wyoming (before GPS). It was in Utah. Really need to know the border boundaries. Great hunt, but not everyone gets a toad. You need to be ready to settle for a good above average mature buck.
 
So I have never been to the Crawford Mountains and am heading up there on Friday for some wildlife viewing. Any suggestions on route to go and best places to see mule deer? I'll be coming from Layton, UT.

I'd like to get some muley bucks on film if possible and gather some data about the unit to help me decide if I should apply for this hunt in 2014.

Thanks for the help.

_gloomis
 
>So I have never been to
>the Crawford Mountains and am
>heading up there on Friday
>for some wildlife viewing.
>Any suggestions on route to
>go and best places to
>see mule deer? I'll
>be coming from Layton, UT.
>
>
>I'd like to get some muley
>bucks on film if possible
>and gather some data about
>the unit to help me
>decide if I should apply
>for this hunt in 2014.
>
>
>Thanks for the help.
>
>_gloomis


First things first.... The LE hunt is still going on so just wait until after Dec 1st so the lucky guys have a chance to shoot their deer.

My wife drew that tag this year (with 0 points) and took a nice 4 point.


The hunt is NOT weather dependent. There are BIG BUCKS all over that unit. The most frustrating part about the hunt was the LE tag holder's entourage. There were 4 trucks with tag holders to every tag holder on the mountain.


Monte Christi is closed so you'll have to go through Evanston into Woodruff to get there.


Hope this helps.


Wanna smell my finger?
 
I shot my first deer there when I has 16. Lots of small 4x4's on the road that year, but it was tough to find the big ones. They were in the steep stuff

The hunt was in the middle of December back then. We saw hundreds of deer a day. Fun hunt.

Grizzly
 
travishunter3006,
I don't blame you for not posting pics on here any more. I haven't posted any pics on here in quite a while myself. I to am curious to see your wifes buck. I am interested in the average size of bucks taken. If you don't mind, would you please send me a pic as well. I will PM you my email address.
 
I have been putting in for this unit and would like to see some pictures of bucks that come off there but I'm not sure how to send or open pm
 
better get em killed quick, cow elk hunt starts Saturday.

O--one
B--big
A--ass
M--mistake
A--america
 
I got to go scouting with my brother in law as he drew a tag this year. Here is a video of some of the bucks we saw.

I think it's a fun unit. It's very dependent on the weather and migration as the deer migrate from Wyoming. It's a fairly easy unit to get around as well since there is a road almost everywhere you'd like to go.

Workman Predator Calls Field Staff
http://www.workmanpredatorcalls.com
 
Thanks for posting do you have a picture of your brother I laws buck?
What's you opinion on the unit is it wort using 9 points?
Is there a lot of private land?
 
The bucks are all on public land! Its a fun hunt but just watch out for the hunting party entourage! Its worth 9 points any year!


The hunt is not as snow dependent as everyone keeps saying. There were giant bucks there without snow and giants bucks there with a small skiff of snow. The bucks follow the does.... which are PLENTIFUL on this unit.



It was a slug of a hunt and is my choice for LE deer.
 
Thanks for the info. Glad you had a good time on the hunt I will have to get out there and check it out where is the best access coming from the south end of utah county
 
LAST EDITED ON Dec-02-13 AT 10:08AM (MST)[p]I took a look last week at one of the bigger if not the biggest bucks taken off the unit this year and although he was a dandy buck, I don't think he was a slug by any means. From what I was told by this particular group, the Crawfords were a tough go for a truly good buck this season. Apparently a lot of 20-24", 140-160 inch bucks were what most guys/gals were puting on the ground. Kinda curious what kind of "slug" bucks were being seen.

Sit tall in the saddle, hold your head up high, keep your eyes fixed to where the trail meets the sky...
 
Can anyone tell me what the regs are on driving those roads and looking at the deer between now and February? We used to be able to enjoy looking at them but it seems there are signs saying no human presence between certain dates. How can they keep you off main, well traveled public roads?
 
LAST EDITED ON Dec-04-13 AT 07:22PM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Dec-04-13 AT 01:37?PM (MST)

Anyone? Browning rage, Muley_190?
 
Depends on what side of the state line you are on.

The road closure signs you see are going to be on the Wyoming side of the line.
They close Jan 1. I don't remember when they open. May or something like that.

The roads on the Utah side are open to travel, as long as the snow allows.
Nobody is going to plow them. Just depends on how much you like getting stuck.
 
I was out there two weeks ago on the Utah side. Didn't see any signs regarding closures. Where did you see this posted?
 
Shedygaga: I believe the roads connect from Utah to Wyoming. If you start out on the Utah side can you legally come out on the Wyo side? If not, does anyone know what Wyo officers would do if you are caught on a Wyo road there? Take your spotting scopes, impound vehicle? Just seems like if your are driving main roads, not getting out of vehicle and hiking (harrassing the deer) they can't say anything about that?
 
This issue is not limited to the Crawford mountains.

It does not matter where the road comes from or goes to.

The wyoming BLM is responsible for the road closures all over the state. There are many. The Wyoming side of the Crawfords is one tiny piece of a much larger closure.
Its not just the Crawfords.
The closure that contains the Wyoming side of the Crawfords extends north, south and east into Wyoming.
All roads inside the boundary, on the Crawfords or not, are closed as soon as you hit the Wyoming state line.

There are two dates. The dates depend on the closure area.
Some are closed Jan 1 - April 30, others close Nov 15 - April 30.

Its an all motorized vehicle closure, not just a road closure. No snowmobiles, ATV's, or any kind of motorized vehicle.

Whats the fine?

Here is your quote.

Violation Fines

"Seasonal closure orders may be implemented as provided in 43 CFR, subparts 8341.2 and 8364.1. Violations of this closure are punishable by a fine not to exceed $1000.00, and/or imprisonment not to exceed 12 months. "

Thats right off the Wyoming BLM web page.

None of this is new. The law has been in place since Dec 2008.

There are permits available for groups who have work related interests or other ecological interests. They are not going to give you one, just so you can look at deer.

Its really not that uncommon. Utah does it as well.
In the south cache, there are roads that close Nov 15. They just shut the gates and lock you out.
There are roads in north fork, above pine view that close during the winter and spring months. Same deal. Close the gate. It does not open until the roads are dry enough to not get torn up and rutted out by guys wheeling to get the old truck muddied up.

There are tons of WMA's that have all access closed, not just roads and motorized vehicles.

The Wyoming ones, you can still walk in. They are not closed to you being there. The roads are just closed to motorized vehicle travel.

Its not that big a deal.
I don't feel like they are infringing my rights at all.

And yes, they do take it serious. Every year in the paper, if you read the Wyoming papers, there are articles about guys caught violating the closure.

They get the fines and a little public humiliation.
 

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