Utah Book Cliffs Muzzy Mule Deer advice...please.

[Ridge Runner]

Hi guys,

Well, with 8 points I got lucky and drew a Book Cliffs muzzy tag. I'm hoping a few of you could share some advice and insight with me through PM's. I've read everything I could find on the net, and looked over maps for the last few days. I'll be doing this trip solo, and driving from WV, so I'll only have 2 days to scout. I asked for some advice on the forum last year for a Colorado Muzzy hunt, but didn't get much help until after I posted a success photo...and then a few guys gave me some good info. Anyway...any help would be very much appreciated! Thanks, and good luck to all.

 

[JimP]

I had that tag 2 years ago and it was hotter than hadies in the summer.

Are you any at all familiar with the unit?

The deer will be up on the top of the ridge or what is called the Divide Road. This road runs east to west from the Colorado border all the way west as far as you can go. There are some good bucks there and I blew a stalk on a couple of bucks that would of went close to 200 inches but most of the deer out there are in the 160-180 range.

A area to check out is Tom Patterson Ridge, there are usually a few bucks hanging around in that area. If you like to hike all you have to do is to get off of the roads and you should find deer. The Road Less area on the western section of the unit is a great area but you would have to hike into it from either the top or bottom....Hence the name Road Less.

How mobile are you going to be? ATV, side by side, truck or just your two feet. I can give you a few other areas to check if you like.

 

[Ridge Runner]

Hi Jim,

I have an ATV, but would like to leave it at home and hike. I know most guys use them to go down the side roads off of the Divide road. I would like to find a place where I could park my truck and then hike and bivy camp to try and get away from the roads some. Been looking at some maps, but not sure it's showing all the trails. I can make out some atv trails on google earth that are not showing on my maps. I've read a lot about the roadless area, but might be a little much for me to pack a deer out on my own.

 

[JimP]

There are no real what you would call ATV trails. There are a lot of two track roads leading to old gas wells or out to gas well locations.

I hunted the area east of the East Canyon/Divide Rd junction. The bigger bucks like to hang in the pockets just to the south of the Divide Road. The road less if you want to look at it is just south of Ten Mile Knoll. There is a parking area just to the west of the knoll that people and outfitter usually park at to go into the area. There is a old road that goes into it that is closed off now. From the south you can access it out of Thompson Springs. A area that I saw a couple of nice bucks was on the east end of the Divide Road where it starts a switch back down into the canyon. There is a ATV road that you can walk out but it is a ways to get to the end of the road where I saw the bucks.

Also if it has a cold rain storm or if it snows before the hunt a lot of the bucks will head down towards their winter grounds to the north and south.

One thing about bivy camping is that there are a lot and I mean a lot of bears in the area, so keep that in your plans.

 

[Silentstalker]

Jim P is spot on. Great advice. The area is full of deer. If you are not seeing deer you need to move.
An atv is nice to cover a lot of country quick. I would recommend you spend the two days covering the divide road looking for shooter deer then hone in on them.
Good luck!

 

[Elkhunter96]

You will want an atv, unit is huge with lots of dirt roads. I have only archery hunted the unit for elk, but have spent lots of time there. An atv will let you set up camp and do lots of hunting and scouting. As others have said, plenty of bears. Keep that in mind. Bring really good glass, spotting scope and phone scope. I like to get up on the ridges and spot a bucks instead of just busting througn the forest. For the muzzy season, the deer will have moved a bit off the top and can be a bit more difficult to find and spot like they are during the archery season. The roadless is a good place to get away from crowds and look for some older bucks.

 

[Yooper Bob]

I hope the info that I gave you helps and if you have any more questions don't hesitate to call ,good luck.

 

[Ridge Runner]

Thank you very much for your help Bob! I can't wait to get out there and enjoy the hunt! I've been scouring maps and the internet for weeks.

 

[JimP]

Which way are you planning on going in? From the south or north?

 

[BOHNTR]

Make sure you check the area N/W of Tenmile Knoll..........drive past the knoll about 2 miles........from there until about 6 miles. All that country to your right (N/E) can hold decent sized bucks in the old burn area.

 

[Ridge Runner]

Which way are you planning on going in? From the south or north?

Planning on coming in from the south off 70. Plan on scouting as much as possible for a couple days along the divide road, and maybe a day in the road less, before the hunt. Then, once season starts, either stay in the road less or go back out and truck camp along the divide... depends on what I see scouting.

 

[JimP]

Coming in off of I-70 just take the Westwater exit and head north then turn east for couple of miles and then you will see the sign for the Book Cliffs access headed north. When you get to the private property you will drive around it and then through it a little. Then you can either go up Hay Canyon or across the creek and up East Canyon. The Hay Canyon rd will get you closer to the Road Less area.

 

[ivorytip]

I don't know unit boundries or anything there but pretty sure we were in that unit when we saw 3 monster bucks, they obviously weren't developed fully yet but my goodness they were big. I won't say what road we were on on the forum but I was impressed and wished I had a tag in there this fall.

 

[JimP]

I don't know unit boundries or anything there but pretty sure we were in that unit when we saw 3 monster bucks, they obviously weren't developed fully yet but my goodness they were big. I won't say what road we were on on the forum but I was impressed and wished I had a tag in there this fall.

The muzzle loader unit starts at the Colorado border on I-70 and goes west to the Green River, then north to HWY 40, Then along HWY 40 to the Colorado border and back down to I-70. Excluding all Native American lands.

I'll agree there are some real nice bucks out there but most of them will be in the 140-180 range. A couple of years ago during the muzzle loader season I blew a stock on two bucks where each of them would of gone over 200. I had one at 20 yards in the brush and all I could see was his head. I should of taken the shot.

Should of Could of Would of.