52A Muzzleloader (late)

[grizzly]

I finally drew a tag, 52A Muzzleloader.

I've never even set eyes on this unit. Without giving away a honey hole, does anybody have any advice for me?

Thanks a ton.

Grizzly

 

[shelbys]

Pray for snow. A lot of serious flat country, but very deceiving. I'd hunt the north side up around Carey.

 

[3bigelkid]

If you get snow take a track and follow it. If you don't have any snow.......hope and pray. Good luck.

 

[grizzly]

3bigelkid, nice '07 buck (posted in the archery forum).

How much snow does 52A get by November? Can you still get around on the roads?

Any more tips guys?

Grizzly

 

[Muleymemories]

Had the tag a few years back, didn't get any snow and seen a total of 5 deer in 7 days of hunting. Very very flat and hard to glass. I personally would never set foot in the unit again. IMO.. Good luck with the weather, but i still dont think the deer will be in there that time of year even with a bunch of snow. The biologist will tell you different but i would take it with a grain of salt. If you hunt the craters it will be interesting to say the least.

 

[Lowlandmulies]

Good luck! Very slow and tuff hunt even when you get snow. Pray for a lot of snow and early.

Steve
www.muledeercountry.com

 

[tufcntry]

my dad had the hunt two years ago there are more deer than you think if there is no snow which there wasn't when i hunted it fing some good feilds bordering some desert and walk the edges looking for a big track, deer still migrate in there without snow just not big deer, but there is always a couple local guys who drw and kill nice bucks.

 

[Frontier]

I've got a 34" muley hanging on the wall that came from that unit, back when it was a rifle controlled hunt. Lots of glassing.

 

[grizzly]

Thanks everybody. I've got maps ordered and then I will start trying to learn the area. Its only like 1500 sq. miles.

Grizzly

 

[grizzly]

Which part of the season is typically the best? Is the rut about over by the end of November?

Grizzly

 

[tworivers]

nov 5 through 24 is when we would see bigger bucks , a few on early end but towards end alot more, one word can get socked in with fog pretty good there will be days when hunting is not a option.

 

[3bigelkid]

The reason it is so hard to glass is due to the lava flow type desert terrain. What looks flat, is not flat. It is not an easy hunt! I feel the most effective way to hunt is to track the deer in snow.(And I would just assume sit and glass on high points, but not in this unit) Outside of that you are hunting a very small resident herd of deer that know how to dissapear into lava washes. Good luck. Buy some steel shank boots. 10 miles of tracking a buck on lava rock will eat your feet up!

 

[Idahoron]

A friend of mine that is a F&G officer told me that there are "holes" in the lava flows. I can't remember what he called them. These areas are where the lava never covered the land. These areas are some times big. Big mule bucks will hide in these pockets. These pockets are never grazed and have good habitat. He told me that a guy took him to one and they saw a HUGE mule deer jump and run as soon as they crested the ridge goiong into the pocket. I can't tell you where it is or if it is in the DMZ. All I know is the area is tough to hunt. I have seen some BIG bucks in the craters of the moon, and the area west of arco before you get to Craters. Good luck
Ron

 

[Idahoron]

That info is SPOT on. fog can get to be the $hits there. Ron


>nov 5 through 24 is when
>we would see bigger bucks
>, a few on
>early end but towards end
> alot more, one
>word can get socked
>in with fog pretty good
>there will be days when
>hunting is not a option.
>

 

[tworivers]

Here is what it looks like.... lava ridges with pockets... and huge flows..

 

[idhunters]

We always called the "holes" in the lave flows "kapukas"...don't know if that is right or not. They are really cool. Walk across a mile of solid rock then drop into a 50 acre patch with 6 foot tall sage.

Found some bucks one year that were bedding about 200 yards away from a two track road. ONly it was 200 yard of lava flows. I swear if you would have killed one of those bucks you would have had to backpack him out. There are lots of "cracks" in the lava and it is rougher than hell.

Good boots is a great suggestion.

 

[grizzly]

Thanks, I hope to get up and do some scouting in the next week or two. I'll let you know what I find.

Grizzly

 

[Muleymemories]

what's the scoop? anybody luck out this year??


ridgeline outdoors
blacks creek guide gear

 

[grizzly]

It couldn't have been worse.

We hunted 5 days from dawn to dusk and saw 5 does, one fawn, and no bucks. We talked to biologists who hadn't seen anything and to some local hunters that hunted every morning and saw one two-point; they were looking for a doe for meat.

We did see a wolf and some antelope.

I was very disappointed.

Grizzly

 

[Muleymemories]

Sounds like the kind of hunt i had a few years ago. tough hunt!! good luck to ya next year.


ridgeline outdoors
blacks creek guide gear