Unit 34 deer
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Soccerdude
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I saw a few big velvet bucks this summer when I was driving through the unit. I wasn't looking either and didn't stop to look closer just keep trucking to my elk unit.
SS!
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Then why do they call it antelope hunting??
SS!
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That’s loser talk.
Wapitiwilly
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I think slightly needs to drink a little more and loosen up????
Muleman1
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schoolhousegrizz
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Hey slightlysober. I sent you a p.m. check it out.
schoolhousegrizz
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Saw this one last weekend. Looking for something a little better.
Muleman1
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I’ll turn something up don’t worry and if not it’s all about the experience with friends and family judging on how much u post on here and how lippy u are you probably wouldn’t know much about that ?
SS!
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I hope you get a big one. It always helps with the experience to shoot a trophy. Or take a participation trophy. Your choice
Good luck!!
oilcan
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Muleman1
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Lol
DeerHunter53
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Hopefully it has eye guards.......LOL
highfastflyer
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Just make sure you get it tested for CWD. Natrona county has some of the highest prevalence in the state for CWD.
shootem
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Good luck to all 34 tag holders. I’ve been hunting since the opener and have had a difficult time finding mature deer. I’ll be hunting till the end if that’s what it takes. I’d love to meet some of you guys so if you happen to see a black Ford Expedition around stop me and we can compare notes or exchange info on what we’re seeing. Hoping with the colder weather coming in the deer will be more active. Anyway, hope those that are just coming to the unit to hunt can do a better job of finding deer, it’s been tough and not what I expected.
SS!
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You’re putting in the time, something good will happen!
finnman
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My wife and I will be in a blue crew cab Tundra and my buddy in a white Jeep cherokee. Probably camped off the 33 mile road north of town. If you see us stop and we can chat. We will have camp setup by Sunday afternoon. I will serve frozen beer slushys and pepperoni popsicles.
Muleman1
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Ok so here we go first things first I had a great time seeing new country, scouting with my son and older father! I’d like to thank jm77, Grosventurehunter, large bull, schoolhousegrizz, and especially madmoose and Conrad8899 who I swapped info throughout the hunt and have hopefully made friends with and we keep in touch so back to the hunt where to start it was frustrating to say the least first scouting trip seen some decent bucks but nothing to get to excited about and covered a ton of country my poor kid and father had to sit through 1046 miles in the truck with me lol good times though! Second scouting trip was end of archery season and we only turned up 4 bucks all weekend the best was a 20-18 in 4 point seen in one of my other posts again disappointing but still hope we did see 3 badgers my father hasn’t seen one for a long time so he got a kick out of that as well as my son who’d never seen one anyways it snowed on us that weekend so I thought with colder snowy conditions we’d see more deer That was nothing further from the truth not many deer that trip ! Fast forward to the last week of the rifle hunt October 23 we headed out knowing the storms were coming with us this time we knew it was going to be brutal cold so we stayed at the Willard springs lodge the owners there are great people John and leeann (I know it’s out of the unit but a short drive to get back to the unit) and man am I glad we did the low on top was -16 with a wind chill of -22 according to the weather at the lodge tough to even get out of the truck in that weather we weren’t seeing hardly any deer at all then came October 26 we had a plan to go into a area that the night before we saw 6 small bucks and 1 4x4 around 24 inches the best we’ve seen ever out there I was getting frustrated and annoyed by not seeing deer and none the less anything worth getting excited about especially since I cashed in 9 points on special draw to get the tag and had high expectations for a chance at a good deer. So around 10:00 am my father took a road that I wasn’t to thrilled about and we drove it for awhile and we all got out to piss and he told me to come look at these draws over a little hill again not impressed we talked for a min and decided to drop down in the draw at this point it’s a heat scorching 3 degrees out just when we turned to walk back to the truck to get our gear I spotted some decent bucks and immediately ran to the truck grabbed my gun and my son and ran back up the small hill and decided it was go time and I picked out the biggest of 3 bucks and made a 360 yard shot and the hunt was over ! We got up to the buck and I was satisfied not the biggest buck on the mountain but was definitely earned and was the biggest we could turn up and most importantly the people I had with we and the memories we made are dear to my heart I did get frustrated at times on this hunt and I know in the words of my father that “that’s why they call it hunting and not killing” (his famous words) but the expectations were high so anyone who plans on hunting unit 34 you’ll have a good time you won’t see a ton of deer and don’t set your expectations to high ! All in all it was a good hunt and my only hunt this year due to not drawing a single tag in UT and I’m proud of my 12 year old who stayed positive and trucked along every step of the way In unbearable temps he’s a tough kid below is some pics of the experience as well as the deer ! By the way washing your hands in 3 degree weather arter gutting a deer is not recommended lol hunting is about getting out and making memories with loved ones and not the size of the rack we often forget about that but this hunt was a friendly reminder!
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oregonmuley
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Congrats & thank you for the report. I've been collecting points for that unit for about the last 7-8 years. Wondering if maybe its time to look elsewhere??
Nice buck and it looks like you earned it!!
Nice buck and it looks like you earned it!!
Muleman1
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I’d look elsewhere if I were you to be honest ! Again had a good time but not a high quality deer hunt
shootem
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I’ll back what muleman said, unit 34 is a piss poor unit for limited quota. I would compare the unit to a general season unit in Utah. I used 12 points to get the tag and am very disappointed in the numbers of deer/buck size. The unit is not worthy of any more than 1-2 points. I hunted my ass off and only found 2 small framed mature deer in 11 days of hunting. I ended up with a small buck and not what I would consider a 12 year deer. Beware to anyone looking to hunt the unit, I would be looking elsewhere. Even the fish and game officer stated that the unit is struggling.
SS!
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So you killed a deer you’re not happy with. Why kill it then? Better to eat the tag for the 50 lbs of venison you got off that buck.
bonepicker
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Great story! Great buck!
finnman
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Good write up Muleman1! Thanks for sharing. Our hunt was just about ditto. 3 tags, filled 2, glass a load of country and between the 5 of us in camp saw probably 25 bucks. Between us we saw 4 bucks that were 22-24” wide and we only got one of them. A 23” 3 pt. I am need up with a 18” 3x4. My wife missed a 20” wide 3 point and then a spike on the last night. She likes venison!
we hunted the eastern and northern areas of the unit. Saw one herd of around 100 elk with several bulls. Tons of antelope.
we have hunted a general area prior to 34, we saw more and better bucks in the general unit that takes 1 point over this unit. We had a good time but the points are not worth the quality of deer.
we hunted the eastern and northern areas of the unit. Saw one herd of around 100 elk with several bulls. Tons of antelope.
we have hunted a general area prior to 34, we saw more and better bucks in the general unit that takes 1 point over this unit. We had a good time but the points are not worth the quality of deer.
finnman
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Take out the so so buck hunting and the rest of the trip was great! We saw several bulls come out of the high country in the backs of trucks. We spotted one buck bedded down at the bottom of a rim, tucked up under the red rock. 330 yard shot but he was only a 12” wide 3x4, so we passed him up. My wife and I spotted a good buck at dark, backed out and went in next morning, on our hike in my wife spots him up and trotting away! WTH! I am trying to find him in my binos and I look over and up the creek bottom come 2 ranchers on horseback. That buck spotted them before we got close enough for a shot and he bolted. Never saw him again. Did a 5 mile hike up 2 drainages and turned up 3 does. Sometimes it just ain’t your day.
alaska_bou
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Nice write ups. Finnman; where you camped just off of the Buffalo Creek Road south of Sanchez Creek (if I remember correctly)? I was up on the 23th of last month and noticed a camp very similar to yours. The hunter/camp congestion between Buffalo Crk and 33 Mile rd was crazy, much more than I had expected having never elk hunted that area previously.
finnman
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Thanks. Nope, we were camped off the 33 mile road and the Lone bear road. Had a nice spot tucked in a small canyon out of the wind.
madmoose
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I, and the wife hunted 8 days. Kept in contact with muleman quite regularly. Great guy, great help. Our paths did not cross but were close. 34 is one very, very sad unit for deer. I could see someone routinely pulling a 160 class buck out of that country, ( if you were powerball lucky or you didn't have a job and you lived in that unit). Saw your camp Finnman, (ass load of does between your camp and the gap, routinely) never saw your rigs, but did see your buddy in the cherokee... curious to know if he spotted the bucks on the rimrock before mid day on october 27th. I left them feeding early morning, unapproachable with all the does around. He showed up about an hour later. Helicopter drop in would have been nice?
Those 2 bucks were the only 2 bucks that i would have deemed ok in 8 days. Still sad though considering. 34 is a forkie unit. We saw solid mature buck forkies and young forkies.
Great pronghorn. We hunted with our boys. 10 and 12. They did a tremendous job spotting deer with spotting scope and binos, boning out deer and packing out.
Wife got her buck on the tip from muleman, we skirted a few shallow draws late one evening, 12 degrees, caught her buck side hilling out of one crossing below us. Mine was a spot from my boys catching a small buck a mile and half out, left it up to them if we were going after it.. they said they wanted to see if we could close the distance. Due to terrain and wind, we had to go after him blindly for a mile and a half, then we refound him feeding. He stepped into the rocks and trees, still feeding at 290 yds. We went after him. The last 100 yds my boys and wife stopped and i continued, i bumped him out of his bed at 30 feet, did a couple "mehs" shot him barely at 40 yds. Cool experience to have with my family. Wouldn't trade it for nothing.
Cool country. But so wouldn't recommend for deer. If you want to see average bucks and big bucks in this country, get a magazine that has those pictures of bucks in it, drive to this country, many places to park and have beautiful vistas, and vantage points, then pull out your buck magazine.. wamo... Enjoy ?
Those 2 bucks were the only 2 bucks that i would have deemed ok in 8 days. Still sad though considering. 34 is a forkie unit. We saw solid mature buck forkies and young forkies.
Great pronghorn. We hunted with our boys. 10 and 12. They did a tremendous job spotting deer with spotting scope and binos, boning out deer and packing out.
Wife got her buck on the tip from muleman, we skirted a few shallow draws late one evening, 12 degrees, caught her buck side hilling out of one crossing below us. Mine was a spot from my boys catching a small buck a mile and half out, left it up to them if we were going after it.. they said they wanted to see if we could close the distance. Due to terrain and wind, we had to go after him blindly for a mile and a half, then we refound him feeding. He stepped into the rocks and trees, still feeding at 290 yds. We went after him. The last 100 yds my boys and wife stopped and i continued, i bumped him out of his bed at 30 feet, did a couple "mehs" shot him barely at 40 yds. Cool experience to have with my family. Wouldn't trade it for nothing.
Cool country. But so wouldn't recommend for deer. If you want to see average bucks and big bucks in this country, get a magazine that has those pictures of bucks in it, drive to this country, many places to park and have beautiful vistas, and vantage points, then pull out your buck magazine.. wamo... Enjoy ?
SS!
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Congrats! Solid report too!
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