101 vs 102 deer

M

muzzhunter

Active Member
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723
What are the pros and cons to these 2 units? Which do you think is better? Might have to try for a 101 deer and 58 antelope combo.
 
Quality is about the same. Really big deer are few and far between. Less country and deer in 101. 101 is mostly all sage and cedar. 102 is more diverse habitat-wise. 101 has a less pressure.
 
One sucks and the other sucks worse. Flipa coin to see which one is which. If your happy with putting major effort for a 160 buck with a extreme outside chance at bigger go for it.
They always seem to kill some older age class deer in 101. The problems are genetics seem to be challenged and Deer are few and far between.
102 has way more deer (although way less than just 5 years ago) but 400 hunters gives the feel of general season and top end bucks rarely make it past 31/2.
Rumor has it g&f is going to cut 102 tags may help in 3-4 yrs.
 
101 is tough open country mule deer hunting for a big buck, but you could glass morning and evening for deer and hunt antelope throughout the day. It'd be a fun hunt.
 
I spent the day in 101 yesterday. Never laid eyes on a deer. Not one. Zero. Zip. Nada. And I was in the areas that contain the highest populations of deer for the unit.

Another idea is you could hunt the eastern edge of 102 and also hunt 58 for goats. The antelope in 58 aren't faring much better than the deer are there, though. 50 tags for each species. 102 has a much better deer population than 101.

I can't believe how quickly deer and antelope numbers have dropped in 101 & 58 over the past 6-8 years. No fawn survival for whatever reason.
 
>I spent the day in 101
>yesterday. Never laid eyes on
>a deer. Not one. Zero.
>Zip. Nada. And I was
>in the areas that contain
>the highest populations of deer
>for the unit.
>
>Another idea is you could hunt
>the eastern edge of 102
>and also hunt 58 for
>goats. The antelope in 58
>aren't faring much better than
>the deer are there, though.
>50 tags for each species.
>102 has a much better
>deer population than 101.
>
>I can't believe how quickly deer
>and antelope numbers have dropped
>in 101 & 58 over
>the past 6-8 years. No
>fawn survival for whatever reason.
>


***That's good to know and a real shame! There's nothing like on the ground recon scouting trips to see what the actual facts are in an area!
 
Thanks for all the input. Sounds like a lot of Wyoming is hurting right now. I hope the powers that be can do something to help the situation. That would be great if they reduced tag number to help 102, but if it's anything like Utah once the increase tags, they rarely reduce them.
 
"One sucks and the other sucks worse. Flipa coin to see which one is which. If your happy with putting major effort for a 160 buck with a extreme outside chance at bigger go for it.
They always seem to kill some older age class deer in 101. The problems are genetics seem to be challenged and Deer are few and far between.
102 has way more deer (although way less than just 5 years ago) but 400 hunters gives the feel of general season and top end bucks rarely make it past 31/2.
Rumor has it g&f is going to cut 102 tags may help in 3-4 yrs."

_______________________________________________________________-

How many times have you DRAWN and HUNTED 101 and 102 in the last say 8 years??

3--maybe 4 times in each unit??

Thanks for your Harvest input and Harvest Pic's.

Robb
 
Fedup doesn't apply for 101 or 102 and hasn't for several years. He's right about both units.

102 is in terrible shape. All you need to do is take a look at the local taxidermist shop and see the quality of 102 bucks. I did just that a couple days ago. He showed me 5 deer racks from 102 that were 4&1/2 years old. All were 3x4's except one 150 class 4x4. He had several others as well that he said were no better. Compared to what 102 once produced, these bucks are junk. No mass, no width, and crappy tine length. Many of us locals have watched this take place over the past several years.

Those of us that actually live here and recreate in the area know exactly what's going on. We see it...and you don't need to have a tag in your pocket to see it.

I don't know if a 50 tag reduction in 102 will be enough to reverse the trend of poor genetics that is taking place there. In my opinion, we need to target those inferior bucks that seem to be doing most of the breeding these days.
 
Fedup and nontyp are correct.

Five guys at work had 102 tags last year. Have never seen so many junk bucks in one place - mature 2X3 & 3x4's that were heavy horned and 22-24" wide. WY G&F really needs a management only hunt down there for a few years! Not one guy at work found a buck worth pulling the trigger on. 102 is in such sad shape, it's really no better than most of the general units.
 
LAST EDITED ON Mar-28-14 AT 07:21PM (MST)[p]TopGun,,,
>
>***That's good to know and a
>real shame! There's nothing
>like on the ground recon
>scouting trips to see what
>the actual facts are in
>an area!


Funny you say that phrase above...I could not agree more with your statement!!! You are 100 percent correct. Boots on the ground give you way more FACTS on a subject than anything else. Same philosophy I apply myself for deer, elk and wolves. This why I seldom agree with the experts!
 
The word on 102's demise has been out for a number of years now. Must be a bunch of folks out there content with taking a 150 - 160 buck. 3500 plus applicants for 300 tags are some pretty long odds...
 
Dropping tag allocations can sure help along with Mother Nature being kind with winter and moisture.

I enjoy my yearly ventures over there as it is one of my favorite areas for the deer and elk.

Robb
 
Wondering if you guys with pics of bucks killed in either of these units over the last couple of years care to share some of them? I would like to see what some of these poor genetics look like. I have never set a foot on either unit.
 
I spend 10-20 days a year checking scouting cameras, and picking up sheds.

I work in 101/102 and drive highway 191 150+ days a year and down highway 430 30-50 days a year. We used to observe large bucks (especially in the rut/winter) regularly at work. Not any more. I haven't seen a good buck since 2010-11. The amount of deer I see in the unit has dropped 30-50%

I guided hunters for several years and we killed some great bucks (mid 2000's)now the outfitter struggles to kill 150 bucks.

I killed a 35" 197" deer in one of the units (the only tag I drew) Two years ago I quit putting in for deer in 101/102 because I felt my chances of killing a 180" buck was 0 to none. I have a couple of friends that are great deer hunters (track record of killing big bucks) that have drawn the tag and spent 25+ days hunting and never found a deer they wanted to harvest. There are a couple killed in 101/102 every year but its a needle in a haystack proposition.

Like Please Dear I love hunting 101/102 and love the country. I took emotion out of the equation and came with the answer that my best chances at killing nice bucks in Wyoming weren't in 101/102.
Until the G&F was willing to make changes (350 is ok 300 would be better) and until mother nature decides to help a little (like a decade of wet springs/summers) 101/102 will be subpar deer hunting. I hunt units in Colorado with similar terrain that I have much better chances of killing 28" 175+ bucks and I draw them with 0-1pts.
 
I had a tag in 2007 and helped my Dad in 2008. Night and day difference. I most likely will never hunt the area again and I haven't applied there for several years. The continued demand for tags there is ridiculous. With reductions (which I agree with) makes it pretty much a waste of time to realistically expect to hunt there.
 
I do a 30 minute DVD most every year for many years past of 31/32 Elk---102 deer for fellow hunters that have drawn Elk or Deer.... via the non-ressy type draw gig.

Some times/years 2-3 of those DVD's as I spend so much time in 31/32--102 deer and 3-Corners Utah side of the border (LE Bull Elk-Rocky Rams-Antelope Bucks)

Having the Forest Service Permit in the past sure as hell motivates me!! haha

Sure---it is more of a get to know the lay of the land, access, what very limited private property there is----ect. 30 minute DVD.

Some of the biggest bucks I have seen in 102 are way down low in what many would consider Antelope Buck country......in some of those back bay area's of Flaming Gorge.

I have Max Deer and Antelope points in the non-ressy point pool.
Every year I do my mid-May look-see, I have always withdrawn my 102 appl. 'cheapie fee' to date----maybe this year, I will keep it----it is what I do not see that is most important to me.

Thanks for your time and for sharing your passion for 102.

Robb
 
I hunted 101 in 2010. I'm not the best mule deer hunter, I admit that.

I spent the last 6 days of the season out there and I only saw one buck I would put a tag on. The last I saw him, he crossed into Colorado headed south. Probably a 180 buck. I saw a 170+ buck that another guy killed. That's it.

I thought I knew what wind was before I went out there, but I was wrong. You can't even glass much in 50+mph wind.

I would hunt it again but I probably don't know any better.

Eel
 
Looks like local G&F will be recommending a tag reduction in 102 of 100 tags instead of 50. This from the regional director in Green River.

Might see 102 rebound in a few years. Moisture would also help...
 
I hunted both 101 (maybe 10 years ago) and 102 (two years ago). The 102 hunt was a solid fun hunt. I enjoyed seeing antelope and elk in both units, but the deer hunting was nothing special in 101 (unless you really like being nearly alone in a sea of sagebrush and wind).
 
>Looks like local G&F will be
>recommending a tag reduction in
>102 of 100 tags instead
>of 50. This from the
>regional director in Green River.
>
>
>Might see 102 rebound in a
>few years. Moisture would also
>help...

I believe the reduction was only 50 tags in 102, IIRC from the Commission meeting last week.

I dont have my notes right in front of me, but most of what was in the original proposals went through.

There were a couple amendments by the commission...3-4 units in SW/SC Wyoming now have 3 point restrictions. Only a couple quota changes made by the commission, and the couple that were recommended were for decreasing doe permits.
 
>Any idea when the official regulations
>will be posted?


***Should be up in the first couple days of this week. They are all dated the 22nd for signature, so I'm surprised they weren't up by close of business last Friday.
 
I have spent a far amount of time in 102 for a none res with 2 elk hunts 1 deer hunt 6 ant hunts I have seen deer over 200 and in 2013 for elk I saw 2 deer that were very close to going 40 wide 1 was a3+3 and a 2+3 heavy and a huge frame they did not seem young, saw another 70 bucks but none going to break 170. I have been around during deer season and rarely see the deer hunters they must all be together on little mountain, hopefully they can bring them back, it is a grand hunting location. I was told that a wind farm was stopped, that did not stop wind monitoring divices from going up,that will help in removing grouse. I feel bad for you locals to watch that place vanish for the price of profits,lets hope not.
 
LAST EDITED ON Feb-07-15 AT 05:26PM (MST)[p]The buck was 170. Narrow with short G2's which kept it from 190. My wife shot that one. Unit 102
Out of 10 antelope, the smallest being 69 the largest being 77.. My wife shot that one too. the 77. Unit 59
 
How would the bowhunt in 102 be? I've heard it would be similar to Book Cliffs....lots of deer, not many big ones.

Wildfin, If you want me to post your pics, I would be happy to pm you my email address and post them for you.
 
I hunted 102 last year and while I wouldn't say there were tons of deer we did see a lot more deer during the bow hunt than we did during the rifle hunt. It was a lot fun chasing them with a bow but I would say 170" was pretty much the top end for what we saw in the unit.
 

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