Paunsagaunt

Cg08

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LAST EDITED ON May-20-18 AT 11:22AM (MST)[p]I drew the paunsagaunt muzzleloader tag. I don't know much about the unit. Looking for any tips or places to check out. Will the deer start moving? Or be relatively close to where they summer? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
If you wanted to get pinched do just that. About all of Johnson canyon is private and permission has been sold to guide services so that is not good advise. Start high and go to the intermediate country as the hunt goes on. Get a good GPS, find the access roads, and make sure you are on government lands. Usually they are just beginning to migrate during the muzzleloader hunt. I am going to be hunting muzzleloader elk during the same time on the Pauns. Keep in touch we may be able to share information.
 
I had the tag a few years ago and it was a tough hunt. I hunted up top the entire time and that was a big part of the problem. I had scouted 4 different shooter bucks, but this hunt is exactly like opening day of the rifle season. Every tag holder has a group of 10 guys on 4-wheelers beating down every trail and then pressuring any bucks they spot. And its really not feasible to do a ton of scouting away from the roads because its so dang thick. So you'll get 1 or 2 good days of hunting and then it turns to crap. I do think its worth hunting up top at the start of the season, but you should definitely have a game plan to move lower if you don't kill something right away. I was continuing to see deer (and bucks) throughout the entire season and that kept me from moving. The shooter bucks had disappeared after opening morning though.
 
I did not kill a buck when I had the tag in 2014. I passed on some 140-150" bucks later in the hunt. If I had needed the meat or been itching to fill the tag I definitely had the opportunities. My buddy drew the tag also, and he didn't kill one either. He could only spend 5 days hunting though. By the time he was desperate enough to kill a 140" buck he had run out of time.

I went on an archery hunt on the Pauns about 6-7 years ago with a friend who drew the tag. Hunting was pretty good each time we went out, and he also reported good hunting on the weekends I didn't go with him. 180+ bucks were scarce, although we did chase a nice 190+ buck around for awhile. It was not hard to find bucks in the 160-170 range. On the muzzleloader hunt I did not see anything that would break 160 after opening morning.
 
True stuff about Johnson?s canyon, it's all pretty much private... the ranchers keep close eye on who's coming and going threw there..
 
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Here's mine from 2016.
Don't spend too much time on top, which I did because of "scouting" early in the year.

When you're not in the deer it can be frustrating but when you find the right elevation, it's nothing short of spectacular!

Zeke

#livelikezac
 
LAST EDITED ON Jun-10-18 AT 02:01AM (MST)[p]CG- Top is good but by mid season Sept, they have already started migration and coming off the up. Stick to the middle. It's almost like 3 shelves: Top Archery, Mid Level muzzy and bottom rifle. I would start in the middle high, then work your way though middle low- if it's hot as hell and does not feel like sept, more of Oct. deer are still pretty high. Johnson?s is a busy, wrong place,? wrong time of year. But top of Johnson is high mid level. Plan on the entire hunt if permitted. I've seen people work their ass off for a giant and people also came across one driving down road. The more time spent, the better your odds of finding a shooter-
I would hunt for 180? or one you personally like- n see what happens. Good luck! You?ve got this!?n
 
Muzzleloader hunt. Your cameras are a waste of time this time of year. They will give you a sense you know where to hunt, when you don't. Years ago I was told by a friend who lived in Tropic not to waste my time where we were seeing all of the large buck. We went there opening morning - no buck. Should have gone to the hills of fields above Tropic. There I have given you my secret. You will have to wait in line though.
 
Zeke, Great buck brother. Congrats!

Joe

"Sometimes you do things wrong for so long you
think their right" - 2001
"I can't argue with honesty" - 2005
-Joe E Sikora
 

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