Deer outfitter for Boulder/Plateau

ColdBore · Mar 1, 2022

I have decided to burn my points this year, and am going to hunt General Deer on Boulder/Plateau.

I have more than enough points to be guaranteed the tag, but am coming from out of state, so won't be able to scout. At this point in life, it just makes sense to cash out the points and hire an outfitter.

Yes, I know it's not a trophy unit. I'd just like a better chance at finding and having a shot at a nice representative buck for the area than I would have on my own coming in completely cold. It's been a good ten years since I've set foot in there, so it's just not reasonable to think I can drive up, jump out, and start hunting.

So..... who has a recommendation for a good outfitter for the area? If it matters, I'd prefer to hunt the area down by Bryce Canyon for nostalgic reasons (I hunted it a couple times with my father before he died a few years back).

Thanks in advance for any info.

Bigwiffy · Mar 1, 2022

Not much help on outfitters, but that unit is struggling probably more than most southern units. Good luck!

ColdBore · Mar 1, 2022

So which unit ISN'T struggling right now?

(Rhetorical question....)

I've put it off for a few years, always waiting for "better news". It's always a drought, or a bad fawn year, or something else. I'm not going to wait for the 70's to roll around again.

It's time to hunt, and make the best of it.

Bigwiffy · Mar 1, 2022

Have at it! The southern part of the state has fallen way off, but Boulder has taken a severe nosedive. You may find you one though! Don't listen to a fat guy on the internet, go have fun!

El Gringo · Mar 1, 2022

If you want to have your ideas crapped on…. Just post them up on MM…. It’s like clockwork.

Give the Epic guys a call, they’ll probably know someone good.

Bigwiffy · Mar 1, 2022

Not crapping on his plan. I've grown up hunting Boulder. It has got so bad we've moved to another unit. Guys that literally live on the unit have quit hunting it. Just telling him how it is. I guess I could say there are 30 inchers all over and he's in for the hunt of a lifetime! You want local intel/reality? Or are you ok hoping for the best? Still a few decent bucks I'm sure, it's a big unit!

El Gringo · Mar 1, 2022

Bigwiffy said:
Not crapping on his plan. I've grown up hunting Boulder. It has got so bad we've moved to another unit. Guys that literally live on the unit have quit hunting it. Just telling him how it is. I guess I could say there are 30 inchers all over and he's in for the hunt of a lifetime! You want local intel/reality? Or are you ok hoping for the best? Still a few decent bucks I'm sure, it's a big unit!

I don’t doubt your intel, as being accurate. It’s just an observation about feedback that people give…. The negative will always come out, and rarely the positive.

El Gringo · Mar 1, 2022

A really good outfitter can help a guy tremendously on an average unit. Good luck, I hope you whack a big’n.

Muleman1 · Mar 1, 2022

Most of the time they crap on the unit cause it’s the unit there hunting ?

ColdBore · Mar 1, 2022

That's just it. I'm not looking for that magical 30" wide, 200" buck.

I'm realistic. It's a General unit. I just want a nice outfitted hunt. As an out-of-stater, I'm not in a realistic position to do a DIY hunt. I'd like a decent chance at a nice representative buck for the area, not something that's going to grace the front cover of a magazine. I want to enjoy a hunt, while having a decent chance at a decent buck.

I need somebody to handle the logistics, I'll handle the shooting of a decent buck if presented the opportunity and be happy with that.

That's all I'm asking.

elkassassin · Mar 1, 2022

The Whole F'N State is Suffering Big Time!

And I Do Hunt There! (The Whole State!)

Muleman1 · Mar 1, 2022

elkassassin said:
The Whole F'N State is Suffering Big Time!

And I Do Hunt There! (The Whole State!)

Anyone who hunts in utah knows that

El Gringo · Mar 2, 2022

I have yet to kill a big buck in Utah, but here’s my 2 bucks on 2 hunts, over the last 5 years. There’s still a few decent bucks around.

ColdBore · Mar 2, 2022

I'd be tickled with either of those bucks, and very happy to go home with either of them!

Cole · Mar 2, 2022

Mecham Outfitters is in the Bryce Canyon/Tropic area

ColdBore · Mar 2, 2022

Thanks Cole. I just took a look at their website. The bucks in their gallery would make me happy.

As mentioned, a lot of this hunt is just to relive memories of hunting with my father 15-20 years ago in the area. I wish I could've made another hunt with him (don't we always?), but since the points are just sitting there, I figured it's time to go do it. A nice buck would be icing on the cake.

ColdBore · Mar 4, 2022

The application went in last night, with plenty of points to guarantee the tag. So now the planning begins, the conditioning gets serious, and lists start to get made, refined, and remade.

This will be the first time knowing in advance that I'll be getting the "Successful" email, so it's kind of a different feeling.

I also threw my name in the hat for elk with 15 points, which is definitely *not* a guaranteed tag, so I guess there's still some suspense.

But the deer hunt is on. ?

Now to find that outfitter.......

2lumpy · Mar 4, 2022

If Taylor can’t guide you he may know who would.

Albrecht Outfitting

Once in a Lifetime Buffalo, Elk, & Deer Hunts

albrechtoutfitting.com

BrowningRage · Mar 4, 2022

I hope you can find someone. Let us know who you go with as I think most outfitters are looking to guide on the 'low hanging fruit" LE units. And we'd all love to follow your hunt..

utarchery · Apr 10, 2022

www.shanescottoutfitting.com

hook1969 · Apr 13, 2022

Best of luck to you! My son drew the late season ML tag. We hunted our tails off. We had a great time but there were not many mature bucks to be found. I know that there’s the potential for a bruiser down there because it’s a big unit with lots of country. Here’s the buck my son shot on the evening of the second to last day. Even though it doesn’t score well, it’s a 7 year old deer and was a big bodied beast.
If you need any help PM me and I can tell you some of the places we found deer.

ColdBore · Apr 15, 2022

Congrats to your son!

I'd be perfectly happy if I find a buck like that, hook. ?

ColdBore · Jun 14, 2022

Still looking for an outfitter. I sent emails and/or left phone messages with all that were suggested. Only one responded. We talked on the phone and I thought it might lead somewhere, but he faded away, so I'm assuming he's busy on the better hunts.

So, if anybody knows somebody that still has an opening, let me know. Thanks.

257Tony · Jun 14, 2022

Have you tried Hightop or DC?

lundellhunting7 · Jun 15, 2022

ColdBore said:
Still looking for an outfitter. I sent emails and/or left phone messages with all that were suggested. Only one responded. We talked on the phone and I thought it might lead somewhere, but he faded away, so I'm assuming he's busy on the better hunts.

So, if anybody knows somebody that still has an opening, let me know. Thanks.

The hard thing is you are looking for a guide on a General Season hunt.... Hard for an outfitter to put in time scouting for your hunt on GS when they are putting in time on the LE units where they have multiple hunters.

Start flashing some money and hope one of them bites.

Zeke · Jun 15, 2022

Bigwiffy and I have hunted the same unit for years and he's not raining on your parade but rather stating the truth.

I'll be there again this year (creature of habit) since my wife and I are both mentoring youth hunters and we will enjoy family, the beauty, camping and a few deer running around. It will be interesting to see what this year brings since we've hunted it pretty hard over the years and cannot seem to turn up bucks like the ones pictured in this thread. It might just be me

Zeke

Clyde Hollinger · Jun 15, 2022

Give Garrett with Alpha Outfitters a call.

Live2hunt1 · Jun 17, 2022

I was in the boulders recently and saw a few deer around. I was fishing but they seemed to be in their usual spots. Since you’ve hunted it before I wouldn’t hire a guide.

ColdBore · Jun 19, 2022

lundellhunting7 said:
The hard thing is you are looking for a guide on a General Season hunt.... Hard for an outfitter to put in time scouting for your hunt on GS when they are putting in time on the LE units where they have multiple hunters.

Start flashing some money and hope one of them bites.

I get it.

But I'm not going to "start flashing some money".

Either an outfitter offers a hunt for General Season Deer, or he doesn't. If an outfitter has a hunt available, I'm interested in talking to them. If they don't, I understand that. I'm not going to get in a bidding war with myself.

That's one of the things killing this sport.

I've already stated my reasons for wanting to make this hunt. It's not about shooting the biggest buck or the mountain, or a certain number of inches of antler. It's simply to relive memories of hunting the area with my father who died a few years ago. If I happen to get lucky and shoot a decent (and by that, I truly mean just decent, not big) buck, that's just icing on the cake.

All I was hoping for was an outfitter to mainly handle the logistics of camp, meals, and a general area to hunt since I was coming from out of state. I didn't need my hand held while being led to a particular animal.

At this point, I've resigned myself to a DIY hunt from a motel (I just made reservations) or turning the tag in (30 days early to preserve my points) and rethinking it next year.

No sour grapes, I've just gotten to the point where I've accepted that's what it's probably going to end up being. And I'm okay with that, rather than "flashing money", to entice somebody who doesn't really want to be there to possibly put me on some immature buck.

utarchery · Jun 19, 2022

lundellhunting7 said:
The hard thing is you are looking for a guide on a General Season hunt.... Hard for an outfitter to put in time scouting for your hunt on GS when they are putting in time on the LE units where they have multiple hunters.

Start flashing some money and hope one of them bites.

Some guides still hunt for themselves and spend time in these units for themselves, let alone spending the time scouting elk and come across deer regularly

lundellhunting7 · Jun 21, 2022

utarchery said:
Some guides still hunt for themselves and spend time in these units for themselves, let alone spending the time scouting elk and come across deer regularly

But are they going to take there time to Guide on a General deer tag when they could be guiding on LE at the same time or hunting for themselves like you said... I would bet probably not.