Unit 17a general deer

[B&C Blacktails]

Hello everyone new member here in California.

I have put in for rifle general deer unit 17a on the Wasatch front. I know there are a lot of tags available for this unit but I am hoping it will push the deer into places that I'm willing to go where others are not. Staying in shape and being fit plus handling extreme elevations is not a problem. So that being said I just would like some general areas I should look at on google earth. I don't want someone's honey hole just some advice. Also they have a controlled cow elk permit. If anyone can point to an area with some elk that would be appreciated as well.

I am hoping to learn this area since it seems I can draw this tag every year if i don't draw another state. I am looking for good sized bucks, bigger than 150" I'm not going to pull the trigger on a buck that I'd pass on here in CA. Yes there are big blacktails here. On public land.

Thank you everyone

 

[Arkus19]

I was just looking at the draw results for this unit tonight. Made me laugh I would be able to draw for sure as a non resident and still have a chance of not drawing as a resident thats seems a little backward to me.

 

[ivorytip]

yeah that s a little odd??

 

[ivorytip]

and good luck b&c.... i know Utah pretty well but not buy hunting units.

 

[marcusvdk]

Welcome to the forum and good luck

 

[justismi]

This is my home unit and one that I choose to hunt every year. It has a good deer herd, helped by mild winters recently and I've been seeing better buck to doe ratios in the last couple years. It has plenty of good access, and its close to both Utah and Salt Lake valleys.
One of the drawbacks to the unit is that for a ml or any weapon tag, the unit is essentially cut in half. The northern half of the unit, (salt lake valley) is archery only. Archery will allow you the option to hunt the 'front' as well as the rest of the unit, and give one of the few options to hunt mule deer in the rut in Utah.
This is not a trophy unit by any means. 180"+ deer are hard to find, and because of pressure even harder to kill. But they are on the unit. I choose to hunt it because I can scout heavily in the summer and find these deer. Last year I was chasing a non-typ 9x11 on the ml hunt that would've scored 220+. I watched him all summer, and the archery pressure pushed him into a cliffy steep nasty canyon miles from any road. I could never get within 200 yds to seal the deal. Closest I could get was 350 yds and had no play. After he was pressured on the archery, he kept no pattern i could find. I passed in 83 bucks in 7 days I hunted from small spikes and 2 points and 12 that I can remember that would've scored over 150.
You will have crowds. Even in the steep nasty backcountry on the front you'll probably run into other hunters or even just hikers.
Let me know if you have questions on specific areas. I can give you some ideas on places to start.
Good luck.

 

[B&C Blacktails]

Hello justismi I sent you a private message

 

[justismi]

Pm replied

 

[Theist]

Sounds like u just want to hunt. I live close by this unit and see plenty good deer come off this unit. Don't let the crowds get to u because they will be everywhere. I have hunted areas with 15-20 hunters within 800 yards on opening morning than I see 1-2 guys in the evenings. Pm me and I can give u a few ideas. I think a realistic goal should be 160" ur first year till u learn the area. But u do see that size over the summer and a few bigger. The wolves are coming in to this unit to and that's causing huge decreases in numbers. The dwr won't tell u this but we catch them on our cameras off and on. "They are hybrid dogs". Yep. As there are tracks everywhere around the kill sites. I still hunt predators in this unit and elk but lots of peeps