Biologists are tracking deer, elk, bison and pronghorn movements in utah areas of concern and public interest such as the book cliffs, paunsaugunt plateau and on the parker mountain range. Olson said the data shows two large migration corridors west of eagle mountain a town that didnt exist in the 90s, but is projected to triple in size over the next 20 years. Some of the country is pretty tough alongside the pink cliffs and bryce canyon national park and the success rate, while high, isnt quite as high as the book cliffs. New huntdata site check out the new experience click here to jump. Olson said the map shows sections of heavy deer movement. I have been told that the roaded side of the books cliffs is the one to go with. The book cliffs unit probably provides one of the most enjoyable hunts in the west.
Search for a hunt by wildlife species including buck. Deer migrate each year to their winter ranges in the first week of october regardless of snow or other weather conditions. This is the place to go to get a nice representative mule deer buck. The purpose of the book is to give hunters, landowners, and oth ers interested in deer management and wildlife in general an overview of mule deer biology. Limited entry book cliffs bull elk hunts and wasatch bull elk. At the end of your article you mention to drop you a line and you could see if you could put me on the buck of my dreams. The book cliffs utah mule deer unit produces 150170 bucks yearly with a few larger taken.
The state estimated a deer population of 372,500 in 2018 and 2019, up from about 363,650 in 2017. Information on sitka blacktailed deer migration pattern in alaska. It is a unique hunt and can be quite difficult or extremely easy. Thats when biologists studying the red deserttohoback mule deer migration corridor noticed something odd in their gps tracking data. Unbelievable mule deer winter range deer migration duration. The deer in the utah book cliffs live a sheltered life. Mule deer, elk and western big game hunting articles and. The state increased cougar hunting quotas and reduced deer permits in response for 2020. Natural resources reporter angus thuermer profiled the many mule deer studies conducted by the wyoming migration initiative and the wyoming cooperative game and fish research unit, with an emphasis on the outreach and privatepublic partnerships that fund our research. Nov 03, 2016 some of the bucks filmed during the 2016 rifle deer hunt at the book cliffs in utah. The early hunt is managed for hunter opportunity and usually occurs during the early part of the deer migration, thus few olderage class bucks are found during the early hunt.
Deer migrate each year to their winter ranges in the first week of. Habitat the vast expanse of the book cliffs herd unit is public land managed. I dont know which of the 2 is considered the roaded side. Conversely, the data can show where animal movement is truncated. Research hunts and units before you apply in the big game drawing, and any of utahs other hunt drawings. Roadless area deer move south udwr recommends the same avoidance periods for. The summer had been brutally hot and dry with temperatures in the low 90s. Duramap fabric map designed to last as long as your hunting memories. Sep, 2019 book cliffs, utah limited entry mule deer unit. We specialize in trophy bull elk, mule deer, bison, bear and lion. You do have a legitimate opportunity to kill a 200 inch mule deer here, but everyone knows it.
Numerous opportunities for both are found on blm land south of book cliffs near westwater, and are marked on the map. The green river in desolation canyon is a major migration route for waterfowl and a favorite winter. Vernal, ut uintah basin chapter banquet mule deer foundation. Deer migration patterns in alaska, alaska department of fish and game skip to main content skip to site navigation skip to section navigation. We hunt general season deer in the northeastern region of utah. In d11, after migrating from the summer ranges on blm and. There are definitely big deer there but i wouldnt burn points on it. Slope diamond mtn bull elk any weapon, book cliffs bitter creek south bull elk multi season, south slope bonanza diamond mtn pronghorn must rsvp. Oil clashes with elk in the book cliffs high country news. The unit has a large number of bucks and deer on it. New website allows people to look at utahs wildlife. Utah has the following basic limited entry deer areas. Deer migration patterns in alaska, alaska department of fish.
Utahs conservation permit program annual report fiscal. Aug 01, 2018 book cliffs mule deer are traditional in their migration and winter areas. If the deer start moving down, you need to know where they are going. Elk migration draws attention but public should keep its. The book cliffs in utah in october is anyones guess. Buck mule deer hunting in the book cliffs, this is a limited entry unit. If you are looking for a deer of a lifetime, then it is probably better to go guided unless you get some time to scout and learn the country. Unbelievable mule deer winter range deer migration. The book cliffs deer herd is one of the largest in utah. Limited entry book cliffs bull elk hunts and wasatch bull.
Particularly during the rifle hunt, youll see unreal numbers of bucks. We are hunting for buck deer and we hunt an area that gets very little hunting pressure during deer season as it is accessible only by foot or horseback. Well i drew the south rifle tag at the salt lake convention which was a nice bonus. Today, theres a limited draw hunt for trophy elk and mule deer here. Large mammals found in the book cliffs include coyotes, mountain lions, bobcats, mule deer, elk, black bears, pronghorn, american bison as an extension of the henry mountains bison herd and bighorn sheep. The week before the season starts you will see zero deer in this unit.
The wind would do strange things, a lot of doesfawnssmall bucks to work around, thick brush in some places, no cover in others, dry crunchy conditions, and hunting pressure. Your book cliffs hunt will begin at the trail head with a short horse orientation, packing and cargoing your hunting gear and heading off by horseback and mule train on about an hour and a half journey into some very remote and rugged country whose inhabitants include elk, mule deer, black bear, coyotes, forest grouse and a whole host of other. Maps for the region book cliffs wildlife management unit. There are lots of 150 class bucks with 2224 inch spreads on the unit to choose from with quality up to 170 class for those who put in the time both scouting and during the hunt. It can be a physical hunt with a large roadless area included in the deer unit. Book cliffs highway proposed in mule deer winter range.
The state estimated 375,000 deer in january, 2017, down from 385,000 in 2016. Introducing duramaps, a rugged, tearproof, waterproof hybrid fabric. Our new film shows how interstate 80 in wyoming is an almost impenetrable obstacle to movement of pronghorn, elk, and elk, including animals in the herd of worldrecord migrator deer 255. In april 2017, the utah division of wildlife resources began a statewide initiative to identify, preserve and enhance essential movement corridors for terrestrial and aquatic wildlife species in the state. The bookcliffs deer herd was very low at the turn of the century, but rebounded dramatically. Utah trophy bulls, bulls, bear, book cliffs mountains. Ive looked into this unit before since i have enough bonus points to draw but have shyed away because of true trophy potential atleast from what ive heard.
The quality of the hunt is reflected in the heavy demand for permits. Hosted by steve belinda and jodi stemler, both passionate conservationist who bring a wealth of knowledge, humor and intrigue to mule deer conservation and help listeners underdstand what mdf does and what you can do to help mule deer. Mule deer does epic migration, reappearance stun uw. This unit has a lot of deer, finding a buck over 180 may prove a little challenging. An effort to identify and preserve wildlife migration corridors. In part eight of our series, we stop in at utahs book cliffs. Utah hunt planner utah division of wildlife resources. We offer elk, deer, antelope, bighorn sheep, buffalo, cougar and bear hunts.
We hunt the book cliffs, rattlesnake, nine mile and san rafael units. Dwr launches new website highlighting wildlife migration. We will be capturing and gps collaring 40 elk on the book cliffs to better understand movements and migration patterns. The book cliffs is my favorite mountain range in utah.
Apr 09, 2018 the does reappearance marks a stunning turn in an already astounding journey that began in 2016. New website allows people to look at utahs wildlife migration patterns by carter williams, posted mar. This is a fun hunt if the hunter enjoys seeing a large number of 2225. The size of the area, and difficult terrain, can make it a very challenging place to hunt. In january, 2009, utah division of wildlife resources officials transplanted 31 bison from the henry mountains bison herd to the book cliffs. Book cliffs mule deer are traditional in their migration and winter areas. Migration is the underlying mechanism that allows this landscape to support the deer populations, said hall sawyer, a research biologist with western. There are some big brutes that will hang out on or near the top but they could be few and far between. Moose make a surprising move into utahs range creek the. Book cliffs elk and deer hunts fully guided trophy hunts. A cold rains storm much less snow will put them right into migration mode and it only takes less than a day for them to get to their winter grounds.
Utahs limited entry units, starts on the jan 29th the. The does reappearance marks a stunning turn in an already astounding journey that began in 2016. All does will be slung back for processing, and this will be a good opportunity to see and help process deer. The book cliffs are well known for being a sought after hunting destination, and for good reason. The utah division of wildlife resources utah hunt planner is an interactive map designed to help hunters research hunting units. Ive heard 170 180 which doesnt seem great for a 16 bonus points hunt. The book cliffs unit probably provides one of the most enjoyable hunts in the state. In 1986, there were 29 applications for every permit issued, according to the udwr. We know the 100s of thousands of public land acres like no one else could. Most book cliffs deer migrate to the north, however some migrate south. The book cliffs area is an exceptional trophy elk and mule deer unit. The first recorded sighting didnt happen until the early 1900s at the mouth of spanish fork canyon.
Feb 03, 2015 migration is the underlying mechanism that allows this landscape to support the deer populations, said hall sawyer, a research biologist with western ecosystems technology, a consulting firm. For mule deer, an incredible 150mile migration the new. The deer come up and over the ridge, which is 8000 feet high and many miles long, in order to get to the winter grounds low on the other side. Some of the bucks filmed during the 2016 rifle deer hunt at the book cliffs in utah. That hunt has been canceled for 2020, and the hunt listing has been removed from the electronic copy of the guidebook. In the stateowned book cliffs roadless area, where bull elk permits are limited to 30 per season, the hunter success ratio is 75 percent. Wearing a radio collar, this doe might be among the deer that provides information about the affect proposed changes to seep ridge road have on deer in the book cliffs. Our years of hunting,working, playing, and living in the book cliffs, year round. Mule deer hunting, elk hunting and western big game hunting. Migration initiative utah division of wildlife utah. The highway has severed or truncated migration corridors originating as much as 150 miles away, and it interferes with movement of tens of thousands of animals.
Gis, where it will be overlaid with maps of critical habitat, migration routes, land ownership. If there is a cold rain or even a early snow storm the deer will be off of the top and down to their winter grounds 12 miles to the north of the main road on the top. Majority of the deer harvested on the early hunt are younger bucks around 2. Running northsouth on seep ridge between willow and bitter creeks, this proposal will create highway traffic through crucial winter range and a migration corridor in the book cliffs limited entry mule deer hunting unit. We are gt outfitters, specializing in eastern utah big game. I would like to thank everyone that gave advice and encouragement on this site.
Blm a great map to have if you are interested in mountain biking or motorized dirt biking. In this dry country a deer may have to climb a mountain to get a drink. It is a migration hunt where the deer migrate out of the unit and sometimes all the big deer migrate early. There are only 3 areas with vehicle access and all of them will be loaded with hunters. Wyoming migration initiatives fundraising model profiled in high country news. Where to hunt mule deer in utah for 2015 hunting the west. Elk migration draws attention but public should keep its distance.
The deer come up and over the ridge, which is 8000 feet high and many miles long, in order to get to the winter grounds. I have seen it down there when there is not a single deer to be found up high, and this is in early october before the rifle hunts start. It has been common to see as many as 40 to 50 bucks in a 5 day. Courtesy corinne springer moose hang out in range creek canyon on the book cliffs. Sporadic cloud cover wasnt going to make this hunt any easier. A new website launched by the utah division of wildlife resources allows the public to access migration data from thousands of land animals, fish and amphibians. The largest member of the deer family was not found in utah when pioneers arrived and, biologists say, migrated on its own from idaho and wyoming. The alternative deer management plan provides the guidelines for which decisions on hunt recommendations are made.