woodruffhunter
Long Time Member
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- 3,683
Not sure how to really start this post, so I guess I will just say that this hunt was different than I ever expected. First off, I had never stepped onto the unit, and secondly, I had no idea what kind of area/terrain I would be hunting.
With 5 points going into the draw, I did not want to apply for a top end unit in Utah (too difficult of odds). Therefore, I decided I would "roll the dice" on one of the easier units to draw. Being as I had heard good things about the Book Cliffs, I decided to apply.
Not being in the "Max Point" pool, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw I was successful for this hunt. With a busy summer, and a lot going on, I was only able to make it twice down to the unit. Since I had heard that the deer migrated a lot, I figured I would be hunting a few days anyway, to even find where the deer were at.
We decided (myself and my dad) that we would take the entire hunt off. In order to do this, I had to work up until the day before the hunt. Bobcatbess would be joining us for a few days so we wer excited to get going, Tuesday after work. I got a call from Bessy late that evening, wondering where we were at- it was late. He probably was wondering what kind of hunters we were. We told him we were on our way. Finally, we rolled into camp at 2:00 AM. That is the last time I will do that!!!
Opening morning came early, and we were up early. Bessy was going to go to another area an glass, and we were going to hunt closer to camp. We drove to the end of a road, got out and started hiking. Not really expecting to see much, we immediatley started seeing deer. A few small bucks, does, and before we knew it, we were about an hour into our hunt.
We started walking through some thick oak brush and came to a small opening. We immediately jumped two bucks. I saw that the lead buck was really good; a perfect looking 4x4. I figured later that it was a solid 170+ buck that I would have been more than happy with. I pulled my gun up, but could not get a clear shot.
We headed back to camp to discuss the morning hunt and what to do in the evening. Bessy came in and said he had seen some smaller bucks and a 27ish" wide 3x3.
We left that evening and saw only small bucks (from what I can remember), and nothing that interested me. This was the case for the next few days. The weather was HOT! Although it was enjoyable to camp in, the deer were not moving much. We were seeing deer, but not all the 22" 4x4's I had heard about.
A few days after the opener, I sensed people were getting nervous. A lot of people were leaving and I believe a lot of them were settling for smaller bucks. We were hunting a different area(s) now with about the same results as before. As were driving back to camp (earlier than usual), a buck ran accross the road. I got out and went to look at it. It was a tall, narrow, dark horned 2x3. I was ready to shoot it. I liked the character. I think Bessy thought I was nuts, but I know he would never say anything. I am still shaking my head thinking about how close I was to shooting it. Fortunately it kept running, and we were done for another day.
As I had said earlier, we found some new areas. We were doing a lot of walking and glassing, hiking, and glassing more. Still, there was nothing really big we could find. I did pass a few nice 4 points that I was now starting to regret. Bobcatbess did spot a group of five bucks and I was just about to shoot the largest one, a decent 4 point. However, he didn't give me a good shot so once again, I came up empty.
We were now to Saturday evening of the hunt. I was starting to think that I just might be going home empty. As usual, we split up. Me and my dad went one way, bessy the other way. We came over a hill and I looked down into a canyon. I saw what looked like a good 3x4. I decided I would put a stalk on it and see if it was bigger than what I thought it was. My dad stayed back and kept an eye on the buck. As I would walk, I would occasionally look back to see if he would give me any signals to where the buck was moving. I looked back and he was waving his hands. He then started running up the trail towards me. Now he is 62, and I was impressed he could run that fast lol... He told me that two or three other bucks had joined the first and one of the new bucks was a giant.
This made me more determined. After descending down the hill through the thick oak brush, I realized I was making too much noise. I decided to do something that I have only did one or two other times while hunting, I took off my shoes and started walking down the hill. It was slow going and tough to keep quiet. I finally found a hidden trail, right down the top part of the ridge. The bucks were just on the other side, out of site. I was hoping the would be moving and hopefully, walk right into me. I stopped, and thought I heard something. The wind must of changes because one of the bucks jumped up 15 yards from me and blew out of the area. All I could see were the tips of its antlers. I could soon tell its friends joined him. Dejected, I headed back.
We hunted these bucks for the next evening and the following Monday. Bessy had to go back to work that Monday. I tried arguing with him, but that didn't work. I decided to shut up or else my Polaris might get a "Tune Up" lol...
Tuesday morning, we were back at the same canyon. There were no signs of the deer. We started our long hike back to the truck and I told my dad we should be really quiet since there were always a few deer around the bend. As we rounded the bend, there was a deer facing away from us with his head down. It was only 8-10 yards away and I have no idea why he didn't hear us. He raised his head and he was a average 3 point. It looked a lot bigger up close! I decided I was just going to end the hunt.
With 5 points going into the draw, I did not want to apply for a top end unit in Utah (too difficult of odds). Therefore, I decided I would "roll the dice" on one of the easier units to draw. Being as I had heard good things about the Book Cliffs, I decided to apply.
Not being in the "Max Point" pool, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw I was successful for this hunt. With a busy summer, and a lot going on, I was only able to make it twice down to the unit. Since I had heard that the deer migrated a lot, I figured I would be hunting a few days anyway, to even find where the deer were at.
We decided (myself and my dad) that we would take the entire hunt off. In order to do this, I had to work up until the day before the hunt. Bobcatbess would be joining us for a few days so we wer excited to get going, Tuesday after work. I got a call from Bessy late that evening, wondering where we were at- it was late. He probably was wondering what kind of hunters we were. We told him we were on our way. Finally, we rolled into camp at 2:00 AM. That is the last time I will do that!!!
Opening morning came early, and we were up early. Bessy was going to go to another area an glass, and we were going to hunt closer to camp. We drove to the end of a road, got out and started hiking. Not really expecting to see much, we immediatley started seeing deer. A few small bucks, does, and before we knew it, we were about an hour into our hunt.
We started walking through some thick oak brush and came to a small opening. We immediately jumped two bucks. I saw that the lead buck was really good; a perfect looking 4x4. I figured later that it was a solid 170+ buck that I would have been more than happy with. I pulled my gun up, but could not get a clear shot.
We headed back to camp to discuss the morning hunt and what to do in the evening. Bessy came in and said he had seen some smaller bucks and a 27ish" wide 3x3.
We left that evening and saw only small bucks (from what I can remember), and nothing that interested me. This was the case for the next few days. The weather was HOT! Although it was enjoyable to camp in, the deer were not moving much. We were seeing deer, but not all the 22" 4x4's I had heard about.
A few days after the opener, I sensed people were getting nervous. A lot of people were leaving and I believe a lot of them were settling for smaller bucks. We were hunting a different area(s) now with about the same results as before. As were driving back to camp (earlier than usual), a buck ran accross the road. I got out and went to look at it. It was a tall, narrow, dark horned 2x3. I was ready to shoot it. I liked the character. I think Bessy thought I was nuts, but I know he would never say anything. I am still shaking my head thinking about how close I was to shooting it. Fortunately it kept running, and we were done for another day.
As I had said earlier, we found some new areas. We were doing a lot of walking and glassing, hiking, and glassing more. Still, there was nothing really big we could find. I did pass a few nice 4 points that I was now starting to regret. Bobcatbess did spot a group of five bucks and I was just about to shoot the largest one, a decent 4 point. However, he didn't give me a good shot so once again, I came up empty.
We were now to Saturday evening of the hunt. I was starting to think that I just might be going home empty. As usual, we split up. Me and my dad went one way, bessy the other way. We came over a hill and I looked down into a canyon. I saw what looked like a good 3x4. I decided I would put a stalk on it and see if it was bigger than what I thought it was. My dad stayed back and kept an eye on the buck. As I would walk, I would occasionally look back to see if he would give me any signals to where the buck was moving. I looked back and he was waving his hands. He then started running up the trail towards me. Now he is 62, and I was impressed he could run that fast lol... He told me that two or three other bucks had joined the first and one of the new bucks was a giant.
This made me more determined. After descending down the hill through the thick oak brush, I realized I was making too much noise. I decided to do something that I have only did one or two other times while hunting, I took off my shoes and started walking down the hill. It was slow going and tough to keep quiet. I finally found a hidden trail, right down the top part of the ridge. The bucks were just on the other side, out of site. I was hoping the would be moving and hopefully, walk right into me. I stopped, and thought I heard something. The wind must of changes because one of the bucks jumped up 15 yards from me and blew out of the area. All I could see were the tips of its antlers. I could soon tell its friends joined him. Dejected, I headed back.
We hunted these bucks for the next evening and the following Monday. Bessy had to go back to work that Monday. I tried arguing with him, but that didn't work. I decided to shut up or else my Polaris might get a "Tune Up" lol...
Tuesday morning, we were back at the same canyon. There were no signs of the deer. We started our long hike back to the truck and I told my dad we should be really quiet since there were always a few deer around the bend. As we rounded the bend, there was a deer facing away from us with his head down. It was only 8-10 yards away and I have no idea why he didn't hear us. He raised his head and he was a average 3 point. It looked a lot bigger up close! I decided I was just going to end the hunt.