Unit 61 3rd season (Deer)

[BridgerLake]

I need a couple of more points to draw unit 61 3rd season. How did the hunt go this year? Are the deer/buck numbers improving? Please post any recent pics you have of bucks from that unit. If you'd rather send me a PM that would be great.

Thanks.

 

[fuzzyvelvet]

I had a friend hunt it this year; he saw a 200+ inch buck a few times before the season opened but never saw him again. Never saw much in terms of big bucks the entire hunt. Deer were few and far between. He ended up shooting a tiny 4 point for the meat at the end of the hunt. He was very disappointed.

 

[hunterfisher]

I would post a picture but my buddies refused to pose for any pic's due to the fact that the deer that they had waited so long to hunt were so pathetically young and unimpressive. Just like you, they assumed that they would settle for no less than the monster muleys forums minimum of 180" but reality set in and they took out their frustrations out on the last couple of bucks they saw. Every "trophy deer unit" in Colorado is having problems with fawn recruitment,the current drought, and maintaining decent buck/doe ratios.On a brighter note though, lion populations are thriving,and recreational use of the Plateau is at an all time high.It's nice that the atv'ers and mountain bikers have plenty of recreational habitat while the deer and elk have little.
Anyhow ,have a Great Thanksgiving

 

[BighornBreath]

>I would post a picture but
>my buddies refused to pose
>for any pic's due to
>the fact that the deer
>that they had waited so
>long to hunt were so
>pathetically young and unimpressive.
>Just like you, they assumed
>that they would settle for
>no less than the monster
>muleys forums minimum of 180"
>but reality set in and
>they took out their frustrations
>out on the last couple
>of bucks they saw. Every
>"trophy deer unit" in Colorado
>is having problems with fawn
>recruitment,the current drought, and maintaining
>decent buck/doe ratios.On a brighter
>note though, lion populations are
>thriving,and recreational use of the
>Plateau is at an all
>time high.It's nice that the
>atv'ers and mountain bikers have
>plenty of recreational habitat while
>the deer and elk have
>little.
>Anyhow ,have a Great Thanksgiving

+1 !

 

[piper]

I always wonder about the killing of those last day meat bucks, and those young unimpressive animals.
It might have something to do with the lack of older bucks? over time anyway.

 

[Rando]

I have not heard anything good about unit 61 in the last two years!
A friends outfitter buddy drew that tag himself last year and only saw 4 good quality bucks while scouting and did not fill his tag during the season.
I spoke with a another outfitter acquaintance this year and he said he saw very few good bucks in 61 and saw his best buck of the year in unit 62.

It is a very big unit with a fair amount of rugged ground up high, with lots of timber, and lots of private ground down in the lower country.
It is my opinion, and I am a DIY'er, but I think unit 61, and burning lots of points, would justify hiring an outfitter (who has access to some of the lower privates in case weather pushed the animals down).

 

[notags2]

I archery hunted 61 for deer in 2011. I bought a land owner tag after the hunt started. That was the ONLY way I could afford one. It was not what I had hoped. Usually I have no problem finding some good bucks during an archery hunt in a good unit. I saw two deer worth shooting in ten days of hard hunting. One of the bucks was a very good buck but I used my points in a different unit this year on a muzzy hunt and got a great buck. I would not use many points on unit 61. Just my opinion though.

 

[elks96]

>I always wonder about the killing
>of those last day
>meat bucks, and those young
>unimpressive animals.
> It might have something to
>do with the lack of
>older bucks? over time
>anyway.


No I do not think it matters at all in Colorado. The number of tags is the overall determining factor in buck quality. If a person hunts hard and takes a last day buck, it will not significantly effect the over all quality of animals in a unit. Especially when looking at a more "quality" area as 61.

The way I look at it, if I hunt hard and do not find what I am looking for, then shooting a smaller buck the last is fine. Heck if I did not hold the tag, someone else would have and they could have been happy shooting a forky the first day. It is all about number of tags...

 

[elkdozer]

All u need to say is as long as the UTES are allowed to continue to slaughter the biggest deer in these units a the rate that they do the hunting quality will continue to plummit....

 

[ColoradoOak]

Are you saying there is a big slaughter by the Utes in unit 61?

 

[piper]

I didn't know that the Utes hunted any of the animals that come off unit 61?

I have killed last day meat bucks myself and there is nothing wrong with taking young deer, but it makes me think.
On one hand its a shame to see all those deer die after a winter kill when hunters could have enjoyed harvesting more of them, on the other its a shame to see young bucks get killed when their numbers are way down.

Big old bucks come from young ones, and there is a reason that you see many more of those dream bucks in places where they don't get hunted.

 

[BeanMan]

Deer are for hunting, elk are for eating.