9 Points?

[grizzly]

I am sitting on 9 points after the 2011 draw. I would love your opinions on how I should best use them.

I will hunt with all three weapon choices. By my math it will take me about 30 years to draw a Henry's archery tag (if 6 tags/year go to people in my point pool or higher, including the Bonus Tags, and nobody jumps in/out of that hunt choice).

Should I hold out and try and get lucky on Henry's or is there another unit I can draw and have a good hunt sooner. I am a horn-hunter (and unapologetic about it), if I burn a decade worth of points I want a legitimate chance at a really nice buck.

I am pretty patient, but three decades is a long time to hunt one deer in my home state.

A lot of you guys know more about these units than I do, so your thoughts would be appreciated.

Grizzly

 

[Trix4me]

IMHBWO...... Wait until after the season this year. Take a look at what comes off the pauns and the bookcliffs and Vernon, or even some of the CWMUS.Decide if you want to "burn" 9 points on what comes off these units. Not counting the luck factor, 30 years for the Henry's might be optimistic!

 

[Elkhunter96]

If you would only be happy with a 200+ class buck, you may have to wait until you get the Henry or Antelope Island tag or pay out some big bucks to buy a tag. Things will change, but those are the only two units right now that can produce on a regular basis the top end muleys.

 

[Deerlove]

I would of chashed out sooner on BC or pans. No need to wait any longer to get back in the elk game.

 

[Tbuck]

If I have learned anything about the Utah DWR it is CHANGE is inevitable. There is no guarantee that the Henrey's will even be a great Deer unit in 10 -30 years. Look at Utah's Elk, not saying that it is still not good, but it is not the glory days of 2000-2005 either. After waiting 15 years to get my elk tag a few years ago, I made the decision that I personally was tired of just applying and wanted to start hunting. There are a few units or CWMU's that could produce a fine buck with the points you have. I would burn them and start hunting. You will run out of YOUTH way to soon my friend.

 

[swbuckmaster]

id say burn them! like you said you might get lucky or it might take you more then 30 years for the Henry mtns. You have to remember you are choosing to hunt with a bow on the Henry mtns and there is no guarantees you will even kill a big buck on the Henry mts with an archery tag.

Now choosing to hunt any other unit in this state with an archery tag you could have a shot at a 170 buck. meaning you will see them but killing one is a whole other story with a bow.

Im sitting on 11 points and will wait it out for a Henry archery tag. There is no way I would even consider this unit if I had nine points with the pyramid scheme as bad as it is right now.

 

[grizzly]

If I burn my 9 deer points, I start with 0 elk points. That doesn't seem much better.

I don't feel like Book Cliffs are worth 9 points. I think Vernon could be a crap shoot, too.

Should I just go after Pauns archery and hunt my guts out? What about the Delores unit?

Grizzly

 

[Deerlove]

Maybe get a cwmu tag if u can get a inside scoop.

 

[huntinfanatic]

If I were you and wanted to hunt in the next year or two San Juan Elk Ridge Archery would be my unit of choice. Good chance at getting a good buck. Then my second choice would be a toss up between Henrys Management and Pauns Archery(most who draw pauns end up with a management type buck anyway). JMO.

 

[swbuckmaster]

San juan archery.
Book cliffs archery

It sucks that it takes so long but that is the cost of those units right now. You want something big and guaranteed by a ranch buck.

There are big bucks on all the units. It just depends on how well you know the unit and how much time you spend on them. Heck I find 180-200 inch bucks every year on general land. That is the only reason im in for the long haul. Plus I am in way better shape being 2 years ahead of you. If I had 9very points id hunt the bookcliffs archery and kill a 170 plus buck.