Units 54 55 or 47
- Thread starter chasemike
- Start date
I grew up there and I LOVE unit 54.
IF a "special big deer" is what you want, that's not where to go. The genetics are better along the Wyoming border. There are mature deer in 54 (55 is a little better) but the genetics are not as good as elsewhere.
Within the shadows, go quietly.
IF a "special big deer" is what you want, that's not where to go. The genetics are better along the Wyoming border. There are mature deer in 54 (55 is a little better) but the genetics are not as good as elsewhere.
Within the shadows, go quietly.
54 was fun last year early on. My buddy ended up killing a nice 4x4 in September. We all hunted from treestands and everyone saw plenty of deer. Some real nice bucks on trail cameras too.
I will be hunting 55 this season during the archery only hunt in Dec. I am in Afghanistan now until the end of November, so that is all I will have available to me.
Does anyone have any input on 55 as where to start. My biggest concerns are Less People and seeing some deer. I shot a nice 3X3 last year in 39 Late, he didn't score well, but still a mature deer. Hoping for something a little bigger this year and I will have the time to devote to it. If anyone can help, that'd be great!
Thanks!
I will be hunting 55 this season during the archery only hunt in Dec. I am in Afghanistan now until the end of November, so that is all I will have available to me.
Does anyone have any input on 55 as where to start. My biggest concerns are Less People and seeing some deer. I shot a nice 3X3 last year in 39 Late, he didn't score well, but still a mature deer. Hoping for something a little bigger this year and I will have the time to devote to it. If anyone can help, that'd be great!
Thanks!
I grew up there. I spend a LOT of time there....and have for longer than most of the posters have been walking.
As I said, there are mature deer there (I have a 202 typical from there.)....still that is NOT the best place to hunt a "special big deer".
I suppose the definition of special big deer is different for different people. To me, special and nice 4x4 are different. Nice 4x4s are easy. Special can only be found where they ARE....that is not often in 54.
54 is easy access. It is my home and I LOVE it. That being said, along the Wyo. border (vicinity of Palisades east), is where you go if the goal is truly big antlers.
Within the shadows, go quietly.
As I said, there are mature deer there (I have a 202 typical from there.)....still that is NOT the best place to hunt a "special big deer".
I suppose the definition of special big deer is different for different people. To me, special and nice 4x4 are different. Nice 4x4s are easy. Special can only be found where they ARE....that is not often in 54.
54 is easy access. It is my home and I LOVE it. That being said, along the Wyo. border (vicinity of Palisades east), is where you go if the goal is truly big antlers.
Within the shadows, go quietly.
bucksmut
Active Member
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55 gets hit really hard either rifle or late archery I had the tag in 2010 and my friend had it last year. Scouted it pretty hard in the summer and found a nice buck that may have went 180 but an early rifle hunter killed it. I doubt I will put in again unless it is for the early hunt that has terrible odds. My 2 cents.
I have heard the late Archery hunt gets hit hard, everyone says the same about 39 late archery as well. I saw 4 people last year where I hunted in a few weeks.
39 is not 55 and 55 is not 39, that I understand. However, would you say that a majority of the folks hunting the late 55 are people who were not planning to hunt it, as in, they didn't fill there general rifle tag so they picked up a bow? Would you say that a majority of them are staying on the roads and trails? Or would you argue that a majority of them look forward to the late archery hunt all year and plan, prepare, practice and hunt hard to achieve success?
I hope to fall into the last category I mentioned. Hoping to find some places off the beaten path, glass a lot, hike a lot, turn up a couple bucks and send an arrow through one. I am not looking for a 200" buck, heck a 150" buck would be fine by me. Just looking for something a bit bigger than the one I shot last year.
39 is not 55 and 55 is not 39, that I understand. However, would you say that a majority of the folks hunting the late 55 are people who were not planning to hunt it, as in, they didn't fill there general rifle tag so they picked up a bow? Would you say that a majority of them are staying on the roads and trails? Or would you argue that a majority of them look forward to the late archery hunt all year and plan, prepare, practice and hunt hard to achieve success?
I hope to fall into the last category I mentioned. Hoping to find some places off the beaten path, glass a lot, hike a lot, turn up a couple bucks and send an arrow through one. I am not looking for a 200" buck, heck a 150" buck would be fine by me. Just looking for something a bit bigger than the one I shot last year.
I have not hunted the late archery in 55 but I have hunted in with rifle and muzz and have friend that bowhunt it.
55 has a good deer population and the class of buck you are looking for is there. The deer do head south and you may run into the problem of drifted in snow on the roads down low with the deer high up on windswept ridges making access difficult. There are some but no alot of private land issues and a little more so with the later hunt, but unless the snow closes things in access isn't a real problem.
I think some people plan on hunting it every year but alot of folks use it to extend their season if they are unsuccessful.
There are 200" deer in the unit but a 170 class buck is way more reasonable in that unit.
55 has a good deer population and the class of buck you are looking for is there. The deer do head south and you may run into the problem of drifted in snow on the roads down low with the deer high up on windswept ridges making access difficult. There are some but no alot of private land issues and a little more so with the later hunt, but unless the snow closes things in access isn't a real problem.
I think some people plan on hunting it every year but alot of folks use it to extend their season if they are unsuccessful.
There are 200" deer in the unit but a 170 class buck is way more reasonable in that unit.
Good information idhunters, thank you for posting. I am really looking forward to this hunt. I have no idea where to begin and will likely not have much time to scout before the season opens as I will be over here in the desert until late November. Either way, I am going down there with one goal in mind, to kill a buck with the bow. I plan on spending at least a full week down there, more if needed.
Any areas to stay AWAY from in terms of too many people chasing around the same deer? I am looking for solitude and if possible a decent number of deer to keep me occupied.
Thanks!
Any areas to stay AWAY from in terms of too many people chasing around the same deer? I am looking for solitude and if possible a decent number of deer to keep me occupied.
Thanks!
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