Plateau, Boulder/Kaiparowits Mule deer unit 2019

[anthonyjanicki]

Hoping this is the year that I pull a general deer tag for the Boulder area. I live in WI and have hunted AZ for mule deer but not Utah. I plan on driving out and camping. This will be the rifle hunt from Oct 19 - 27. Currently planning on hunting in the Boulder area. Has anyone been out in this area before? What can I expect for camping options? Have been looking forward to this hunt for 5 years. Any info would be greatly appreciated!

 

[JimP]

Boulder gets a lot and I mean a lot of tourist, but there are still a lot of camping areas. The deer herd is usually down low that time of year and I mean just outside of town low.

A better option would be down in the cedars around Lower Browns Reservoir to the north east of Boulder, Barker Reservoir to the north west or even up on the Plateau around Parker Mountain.

 

[elktaker]

Boulder is an amazing place. Campgrounds are available as well as endless options of camping on Forest Service or BLM land. It is a general rifle buck hunt so expect a ton of people.

You say you have been planning the hunt for 5 years. How many points do you have? If you have a bunch I would look at thousand lakes unit that is North of 24, you will have to look at odds to see how many you would need as a non-res.

 

[JimP]

I would personally stay away from the Thousand Lakes unit.

I hunted it after it became a general unit and was highly disappointed in it. Most of the deer had moved off into Capitol Reef and down into the town of Bicknell or the farmers fields around it. In 7 days of hunting it I saw one buck shot.

 

[elktaker]

I would personally stay away from the Thousand Lakes unit.

I hunted it after it became a general unit and was highly disappointed in it. Most of the deer had moved off into Capitol Reef and down into the town of Bicknell or the farmers fields around it. In 7 days of hunting it I saw one buck shot.

I was seeing something different during the elk hunts (2010 to 2016). During spike muzzleloader/rifle and the nov cow hunt, I was consistently seeing a few 3x3 or 4x4s a day up top. I typically hunt a mile or so from the road.

It’s not the trophy unit that people want it to be since it switched to a general hunt but I think going over and finding a small 4x4 is easier than boulder if you are from out of state and never been on either unit.

 

[JimP]

I would say that the early hunts such as the muzzle loader and general elk hunts that the deer will be higher than they are during the general deer hunt. Likewise on the Boulder/Plateau. But come the general deer hunt you will not find a deer up on the Boulder top, they are off of the top and down on the Plateau or Barker Reservoir level. Also you will get migrating deer off of the Fish Lake onto the Plateau. I know both areas quite well and if you hit it right you can have a field day picking out what buck you want to shoot. Hit it wrong and you will be lucky to see a deer.

 

[anthonyjanicki]

Great news! I was drawn for Plateau, Boulder/Kaiparowits general deer any weapon.
Is it worth it to bring an ATV with me?
I am assuming be prepared for any and all weather?
We plan on getting out there a couple days before season to scout. I would love to scout more but those jobs get in the way.
From what it sounds like, we should concentrate on the area to the west and north of Boulder? Not looking for a giant, just a good sized muley.

 

[elktaker]

Congrats, an atv will help with wear and tear on vehicles plus you can get around quicker.

 

[JimP]

Just be aware that the area north and west of the town of Boulder is a major tourist trap even during October. I was up near Hell's Backbone a couple of years ago and the tourist were miserable thanks to the good weather.

The area down below HWY 12 to Lower Browns Reservoir may be a good place to look for deer. When I was down there 2 years ago all the deer had migrated off of most of Boulder Mountain and the lower area off of the top. We actually saw most of the deer down in the private just before you get to Boulder. Last year all the deer were off all of the mountains down there. It rained and snowed for 3 days or so just before the hunt started and the animals moved out down to the low lands.