utah cent mts/manti/san raf muzzy deer general

[dan.kirkpatrick]

drew a muzzy deer tag this year for this unit with hopes that some day ill pull the muzzy l e elk tag someday,,this way I can start to get familiar with the unit,,any tips on deer or future elk would be greatly appreciated.ive heard the skyline rd is good place to start but can get crowded..trying to work up some options to try,thanks

 

[bowhuntmontana]

I have spent some time in that unit, just where you are talking. I have only been there during archery and summer scouting. There are definitely enough deer to keep things interesting, but like other places, they go into hiding when they feel pressure. I have had success by moving to the middle ground between the road on the ridge top and the roads in the bottom of the valley. Finding an opening on a ridge between two draws or drainages and watching. The deer get pushed around a bit and if you can find where they like to cross in this middle ground, you should see deer. There are also some really cool bowls at the heads of the drainages, but they tend to be close to Skyline Road and most get glassed pretty hard. There are deer in those bowls up until archery starts, but they seemed to move off from the pressure once the season opens. It is still probably worth glassing those bowls hard during muzzleloader, but I wouldn't be surprised if the deer have moved down into the timber.

Beautiful area and some great camping too. I am with you, if you draw that elk tag you would be in for an awesome hunt. The fun thing about the muzzy deer hunt is you get to be in the woods when the elk are really rutting, even if you don't have a tag for one.

 

[Stillhunterman]

The Skyline rd does indeed get very crowded, but it's a very long road. All along it virtually any canyon has deer. Most of the hunters there will not venture very far down the canyons, they can be deep and steep. I tend to hunt the east side of the road for that reason. The unit has a lot of deer with a decent buck to doe ratio and you will have a ball. Ditto on the awesome camping areas. The nearby fishing surely doesn't hurt. You will surely see a lot of elk during that time of year as well. Best of luck to you!

 

[dan.kirkpatrick]

thanks guys,,do you think the southern end of skyline is any better than the northern end?any ideas about the open country east of the mountains? tryin to figure out a a,b,c,d option of places to hit first or last.open to all input,thanks again,,please p m me if your more comfortable on info,thanks,,,,any tips are great.

 

[Stillhunterman]

The southern end of Skyline tends to have more deer and as a result more hunters/pressure. The more open eastern side of the top holds deer as well. The scrub oak is thick and nasty and the sage around the lower areas also holds deer. It's big country with a lot of options. There is also private property scattered around, more so on the eastern side towards the bottom, so take caution and know where you are. As bowhuntmontana said, the deer will hold up in the thick stuff big time once they are pressured, that means the timber and the scrub oak. As your options b, c, d, etc., look for tucked away small canyons/bowls and flat shelves hidden away below ridge tops: lots of areas like that. Good luck. Don't overlook the northern end of Skyline. The oak and sage down towards the lake will hold deer, but again, beware of private.

 

[dididraw]

There is quite a bit of country on this unit where you can get away from roads. Much of the private land receives less hunting pressure so the animals move that direction when pressured. The areas between the roads on the top and the private land towards the bottom can be a good place to look. If you want to enjoy watching elk pick a canyon off the Skyline Drive that doesn't have a road or trail in it and hike down - I would guess 7 out of 10 times you'll find elk. Many hunters don't like to hunt down because of the climb out at the end of the day or an uphill pack out. Deer can be pretty scattered that time of the year, I've had good luck still hunting through quaking aspen patches on the muzzle loader hunt (works especially well on windy days when your sound gets covered up a bit).

As others have mentioned the camping and fishing are great on this unit. It is a huge unit so you can usually get away from other hunters, especially if you are willing/able to do some hiking.

 

[dan.kirkpatrick]

do the deer move down out onto the blm flats or is that really mostly wintering area?there is seclution out there?

 

[dididraw]

do the deer move down out onto the blm flats or is that really mostly wintering area?there is seclution out there?

During the muzzle loader season the majority of the deer will be 8,000 to 10,000 ft. However, there are always some deer that stay lower and do some feeding in the hay fields. Can be a little tricky to hunt these deer because of private property. I occasionally see a mature buck that time of year in the P&J as they move to or from the hay fields but it is a not common.

 

[dan.kirkpatrick]

ok,sounds like 8000 ft or higher will be plan a,b and c,lowland will be last shot