Pauns Rifle vs Henry Mgmt Tag

[stilltrying]

I have 14 bonus points going into next year's draw. Based on last year's applicants I would have a 100% chance of drawing either a Pauns Rifle hunt or a Henry Mgmt Tag.

I was wondering what all of you think about which of these hunts would be the best hunt.

My goal is to kill a great buck - a 30" 3 x 4 would be just as good as a 27" 4 x 4. (170+ buck).

I do have some knowledge of the Pauns area, however I am not an expert by any means on this unit. I have never stepped a foot on the Henry's.

Thanks in advance for any feedback/comments

 

[hornkiller]

WOW!

 

[CATMAN]

Either unit will meet your goal of 170. I would probably go Pauns....just because you know it better, and no antler restrictions. Just my .02

 

[BeDawg]

kind of a toss up! You will have more time to hunt the Pauns. The 5 days they give you to kill a management buck on the Henries could be hampered by bad weather and mud.

Henries tag could be awesome weather and you could be selective. Paunsagaunt potential would be definitely higher as there are some toads taken there every year.

I do think it would be easier to kill a nice management buck on the Henries than kill a 190/200+ toad on the Pauns.

You also have a history of the Paunsaguant too!

If I told you which unit, would you believe me anyways? I think you should flip a coin.

 

[BIGJOHNT]

The Henry"s has some smoker management bucks.

 

[stilltrying]

I was going to take my wife on this hunt as well - Henry's would provide more action (viewing more bucks on a constant basis, Pauns is a little tougher)?

Good point on the weather though - late Oct may bring in some nasty weather - do they start rutting at that point?

 

[stilltrying]

>The Henry"s has some smoker
>management bucks.


And the success rate the last few years has been close to 100%, I am just not sure if some of those settled for smaller bucks or not.

 

[Zeke]

My buddy had a Henry muzzleloader tag this year and saw 2-3 buck that he said "....whould make a management tag holder VERY happy".
I'm in about the same points boat and this just might have tipped the scale for me. (plus, I used to hunt the Henty's every year and have never set foot on the Paunsaugant.
Good luck either way you go.
Zeke

 

[Vanilla]

I know I've seen pictures of some MONSTER management bucks on the Henry Mountains. But I question how many management hunters are shooting 30 inch 3x4's? Is it really that common? Or do you get one or two off there each year, and the rest shoot smaller bucks? I'd like the chance to try for one of those brute management bucks though.

Having hunted the Pauns rifle last year, I'd have no hesitation going back. You're certainly not guaranteed a 190+ buck on the Pauns. Lots of guys walk out with low 170's (or smaller) bucks when it's said and done.

I think you're in a win-win situation...and I'm jealous!

 

[Bwht4x4]

I'm currently at 17 NR points and can't figure out what to do. I really want an archery or muzzy tag for the Henrys. I've been on the Paun in the past, but I don't think it's anywhere near what it was like in the mid-1990s. If it ever gets back to that level I'd consider a Paun tag. I'm not going to use them on a management tag though.

 

[Vanilla]

LAST EDITED ON Oct-17-13 AT 04:00PM (MST)[p]Bwht4x4,

Your situation is different from my perspective. If you want to archery hunt, your basically guaranteed a Henry Mountains tag next year. Why not do it? You are within probably 2 years of being guaranteed a Henry Mountains rifle tag. And you are a year or two away from being guaranteed a Henry Mountains muzzy tag. I'm not a bow hunter, so I'd wait and do rifle in a couple years.

Edit*** Whoops! Missed the "NR" part of it. You're a ways out on rifle, but still guaranteed an archery. ML they only issued 1 tag, so no bonus point guarantee there.

Debating between a Henry management tag and a regular Pauns tag could be a tough call. But if it were me and we were comparing apples to apples, I'd be hunting the Henry Mountains...no question.

Once again....I'M JEALOUS!

 

[Bwht4x4]

Vanilla,
How can I be guaranteed an archery hunt next year as a NR if they only give one NR archery tag? That's going to go into the random draw and not the 50% max pt pool.

 

[Jdan9]

Bwht4X4

Only one tag means you're in the random draw which mean terrible odds. If I had 17 points I'd look at he Pauns or the management tag. Only the Henry rifle hunt has a 50% max pt pool tag and 17 aren't max. I have max and I won't be guaranteed a tag until the rest of the NR max point holders draw, could be 14 years for me, or maybe I get lucky and draw next year!!

jd

 

[Vanilla]

I thought they were giving 2. I must have misread it. Sorry!

 

[elkantlers]

Henry's 3x4

 

[Bwht4x4]

LAST EDITED ON Oct-18-13 AT 03:06PM (MST)[p]I'm very tempted to move to UT for a year just to get residency so I can draw a resident tag. My job would allow me to do this so I've thought about it. Afterwards I could move to NV and try to get an elk and BHS tag. I'm way up there in points in NV. Their draw system doesn't work the same as UT's so there it'd be a crap shoot.

 

[stilltrying]

Bucks like this is why I have started to consider Henry Management Tag vs Pauns Rifle. Not sure if these type of management bucks are more common on Henrys or if this is 1 in a million.

 

[stilltrying]

>Bucks like this is why I
>have started to consider Henry
>Management Tag vs Pauns Rifle.
>Not sure if these type
>of management bucks are more
>common on Henrys or if
>this is 1 in a
>million.


As both of these hunts go down in 2013, it would be good to hear experiences from hunters on both of these hunts - Pauns is currently going on, anyone have updates on the success of that hunt?

 

[Dikndirt]

Well I put my hands on a buck from the Pauns last night that would score near 250" A megabuck for sure! Give me a pauns rifle tag all day long over a henrys management tag.

 

[Muley_73]

The Henrys could be a ton of fun looking at big bucks. You very well could walk away with a very big managment buck. However the 100% success is not on this type of buck. I personally have family that has hunted the management hunt that past 3 years. They shot very nice 27" 160-170 inch bucks. They saw many smaller bucks harvested as well.

The Pauns..... well I love the Pauns and you do have a chance to kill a true giant! With that many points, its the Pauns without a doubt for me!

 

[cannonball]

The Pauns has really been slow this year except those who want to go up and down the new fence that was put up and catch a confused buck on the side of the road that can't figure out where the underpasses are. I disagree with all those who are giving you advise to pick the Pauns. This was a poor year for most and a very good year for a couple. Of course the guide services will do well, but what I understand it has been hard for them. They go up and down the road by day and spotlight by night and have names for the few existing big buck. Talked to a fellow who had it all figured out only to come home today with a deer a lot of hunters would be passing up here in the valley.

Stick with the Henries and take your chances!

ps. With this new fence, where most of the deer migrate to, it's anybodies guess how it's going to affect the next couple of years. It's not a pretty sight now.

 

[Vanilla]

I wondered how the fence would impact things down there. I've been worried that the underpasses would become blood baths for hunters.

 

[cannonball]

We've been down on the Pauns watching the canned hunt slaughter. We watched the deer slam into the fence, go up and down trying to get thru. Saw two gut piles by the fence and saw a guide service going along the same area. We talked to the DWR, hunters and those who live in the area. The hunt was very poor, except those who wish to go up and down the fence line where most of the large buck were killed, probably dazed from hitting the fence. I will indeed express by opinion again that anyone who believes in fair chase and wants a trophy hunt put in for another unit. These deer are so stressed that this year and the next couple of years may be disaster to this herd. I keep hearing the big ones haven't come off the top - fooy - most do not exist, only in someones wishful thinking, but there will alway be one.

 

[deerslayer88]

What fence are you talking about? I have not been down there for years, got pics and such so I get what all the hype is?

 

[cannonball]

It is a 10 ft. high fence on both sides of the highway from the Seamen Point turnoff to the Buckskin Wash. There are underpasses along the area involved, but the deer do not understand and do not want to use these crossovers. 90% or thereabouts of the deer cross the road during the migration season making the highway very dangerous and also loosing 200 to 400 deer a year depending on who you are speaking with that know anything. Right now it has been an extermination trophy canned fence hunt. It has been really sad.

 

[fin little]

Hopefully the long term benifits will be worth the the stress being put on the deer. Thankfully there werent alot of management tags issued on the Pauns this year . Its just a matter of getting the old doe coaxed into crossing and I think tings will workout. It may take a couple of years. Its my understanding that the habitat on the north side of the highway is better than the area on the south. The deer that wont cross will survive .

 

[cannonball]

I'm going to E-Mail the RAC and BGB and suggest they close the area from the Seamen Point road on the west, to the Kitchen Corral road on the east and from the highway on the south to the bottom of the red cliffs on the north for the next three years from hunting.

It could be easily done and would stop the fiasco that went on this year.