Management success!

Emily's hunt was one of the funnest hunts I've ever been on. It was just the two of us in some incredible country. I included a write-up I did for a magazine about this management-style hunt so if you're interested. For a better read about her hunt, click on Emily's Blog. I also included captions on the photos. I couldn't be more proud of Emily.

Readying the nest

Emily glassing the lower country

Opening morning. Emily checking out her 3-point from 1,000 yards

Heavy, elusive buck...did I mention he was a management buck?

Glassing some bucks, notice the shed antler Emily spotted just left of my left elbow

Emily's tall 3-point opening morning (we passed him in the morning)

3x4 companion to Emily's buck

Emily's shed

Another shed

Right after the shot



All smiles



She broke his heart

caping the buck back at camp

home sweet home

Nice rack Emily!!!

4x4 buck that lived to pass his seed.

My family has always enjoyed spending time in Utah’s Paunsaugunt unit. For us, the main draw is the tremendous red-rock scenery and, of course, the chance at seeing great bucks. I’ve been building bonus points for years hoping to one day have the chance to set up base camp and hunt these bucks, though according to the draw odd statistics I’ve still got over a decade before I’ll see my trophy tag.

My wife, Emily, who is always up for a good camp and a fun hunt, was getting anxious to deer hunt Utah so she explored her options with her eight non-resident points. She realized it could be years and years before she could enjoy a Paunsaugunt rifle hunt for trophy bucks and although she loves to hunt big bucks, she doesn’t measure the success of a hunt in antler inches. We looked into several hunts that she nearly had enough points for including the rifle Book Cliffs, Oak Creek, and the management hunt on the “Paunsy”. After weighing out what we felt were positives and negatives with each hunt, it was a no-brainer...the Paunsaugunt management hunt looked to be a great hunt choice for Emily! 

A legal buck on a management hunt must have 3 points or less on one antler, while the other antler can have any amount of points. Both the Paunsaugunt and the Henry Mountains units have very high buck:doe ratios as well as a high number of mature bucks with non-trophy antlers. The intent of Utah’s management buck hunts is two-fold: to remove these excess smaller-antlered mature bucks while protecting the larger-antlered mature bucks in the population as well as provide more opportunity to hunt on Utah’s premier deer units. To make more opportunity available for youth and senior hunters, 30% of the management permits are allocated to youth and 30% to seniors and the remaining 40% to hunters of all ages. By removing these older-class bucks with “non-trophy” antlers, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) hopes to preserve more trophy bucks (and possibly their genetics) as well as provide more room for does, which will make an overall healthier population.

As I read through the state’s reasoning behind the management hunts I could see the rationalization for these management hunts but wasn’t certain if this culling approach would benefit the overall deer herd as anticipated. I was certain Emily loved the idea as she waited impatiently for the draw results. As luck would have it, Emily drew the tag and at once started flipping through my archives of buck photos looking at different management bucks. Her excitement was contagious and I found myself getting more amped up about a big 3-point than any 4x4 buck!

Before the hunt I spoke with biologists and hunters alike as to their judgment of the management hunts. Most I spoke with supported the hunts; however, some folks disagreed with the strategy and felt that the abundant “inferior” antler gene cannot be fixed by management hunts. One friend feels the high percentage of smaller-antlered mature bucks is due to recent poor habitat conditions and only when the habitat/forage is in better conditions, the antler quality will also increase. I have read some studies from whitetail farms that showed substantial antler growth in “inferior” bucks when provided with supplemental nutrition; however, 2010 was a great year for moisture in southern Utah and northern Arizona (just take a look at the 2010 strip bucks!!!) and still most mature bucks seem to be management bucks on the Paunsaugunt unit.

The UDWR, in particular biologist Dustin Schaible, did a good job trying to help those hunters that had drawn Paunsaugunt management tags harvest only mature management bucks so the younger bucks are not removed before realizing their full antler potential. The UDWR requires a mandatory on-line training to better understand the objective of these hunts and help hunters identify mature bucks vs. young bucks. In this on-line information, the UDWR states the “bucks that are three years and older –and have 3 points or less– are unlikely to have additional points since they have already realized their growth potential.” I would agree with the statement in general although there are always exceptions to every rule.

November arrived and we were thrilled to finally set-up base camp on the Paunsaugunt with a buck tag! I had all summer to remind myself that this was Emily’s hunt and I wasn’t going to tell her what to shoot, or more importantly, what not to shoot. She was going to make those decisions. My job was to help locate deer and determine if they were legal management bucks and have fun! This was to be a relaxing hunt without some of the big pressures that can come with trophy hunts.

As we rolled into a camp, we were greeted by a beautiful 170” class 4x4 buck. There was no let-down upon seeing the big buck, as we knew we were part of a hunt that would help allow these bucks with trophy potential survive and spread their seed. We pulled out the camera and snapped some great shots of the big typical.

The hunt was short; much shorter than either of us wanted it to be, but sometimes the moment just feels right and you pull the trigger. We spotted several management bucks the first morning including a heavy 25” buck with tremendous back forks. We tried our best to cut the distance and connect with the buck but it just didn’t work. Earlier that morning we had found a great tall 3-point buck, which after our failed attempt on the heavy buck Emily decided she wanted to “get a better look at”. I know her definition of “getting a better look at” and it means she wants to kill that buck...and she did. She shot 371 yards splitting the buck’s heart with her trusty .257 Weatherby Magnum.

What an experience. What a hunt. Sitting alongside my wife listening to her animatedly recount how the hunt played out and her sadness that it had ended so quickly, I realized these management hunts aren’t a failure at all. To see my wife have such a positive experience made for one of the most rewarding hunts I’ve ever been on. The buck that she ended up taking was a true management buck aged at 5 yrs old. This buck would most likely never grow record-book antlers and trophy tag holders would have passed up all day long, but to a woman hunter that waited 8 years to leave the children at grandma’s to spend some quality time in the field with her husband, and to experience a hunt with very little hunting pressure, the chance to see lots of bucks, and to be able to do this in such infamous country, it was a memory that made our record books.

On the way home, Emily asked what other hunts she can apply for next year. Thanks to the positive experience she had on the management hunt, she is hooked on mule deer hunting for life. I wonder how many other hunters, young or old, have had similar positive experiences from the management hunts?  Most feedback I’ve heard from other hunters has been very positive.

As far as the benefits these hunts would provide to the deer herd? I’m convinced as long as hunters are taking older-class bucks, these hunts can’t hurt the overall deer herd. Plain and simple, the management hunts cull some of the less desirable bucks that would not be taken otherwise, provides more opportunities, as well as move hunters through the bonus point system quicker which benefit all deer hunters applying in Utah. Not that I would be an advocate, but I can’t help but wonder what the make-up of the Paunsaugunt would look like if there were only management bucks tags and no premium trophy tags allocated for a few years?

There are hunters that may wonder why one would put in for a hunt where you cannot kill your dream buck and would have to settle for a mediocre mature buck. This management hunt probably isn’t for you. But if you have children, a spouse, or a friend that haven’t had good opportunities to experience good mule deer hunting, this may be the hunt for them. I don’t think you would be sorry. Completely content with her hunt and buck, Emily said, “This was the best hunt of my life; one I never want to forget. And one that will forever remain the hunt that all hunts hereafter will be compared to.” I can’t wait to go back.