unit 7 mule deer

[jefftrucker12]

i have 7e late bull elk and uint 7 general deer hunt. i have spent a ton of time in the lower elevation junipers locating elk but have seen few deer in the down low. ive been thinking it would be better to hunt the junipers since there is 800 tags for the gen deer hunt and am thinking all the spots i know with good deer populations are gunna be filled with other hunters/road drivers.

 

would you guys hunt the junipers even tho you haven't seen many deer or hunt the areas that are more popular up in the pines?

 

i know there are some big bucks in the junipers but they are hard to glass in the thick stuff. i have been getting on top of the big cinder hills and glassing down in the flats in between hills. should i be glassing the tops of the hills instead of glassing from them?

[jefftrucker12]

any help guys? i glassed last weekend and glassed up elk but no deer. about half a mile down the road from where i was glassing 4 does ran across the road back up the hill i was glassing from as i drove back home. I hiked up the hill a couple days later in the middle of the week and found tons of fresh deer track going up and down the hill but no scat.

 

also there was alot of deer tracks in the road in the fresh mud last weekend but for some reason cannot find these dang deer. With the amount of track ive seen you would think the deer would be everywhere

[Basser15]

The deer densities down there are much lower but they are there. I've seen some nice bucks in those junipers but they don't come around very often. If you want to get up into the pines you will see a lot more deer, but like you said, a lot more hunters.

[wackycouesaddict]

i had this for my first deer tag seven years ago and wat i member was chasing bucks on the top of the cedar hills . we seen some good bucks but i never conected. when scouting we werre in the pines and seen lots of deer but when season opened there were tons of people in there and didnt see any deer. so we moved out to the cedars and would hike up the hills till we cut tracks and fallow them. (early snow that year) i dont know if that helps at all. i would be on those hills looking for the deer. maybe try still hunting them

[jefftrucker12]

thats where i was today wakycouesaddict. ive kicked up some doe during the summer off the cinder cones but havent seen any up on this particular hill since then. i will go check out some others tommarow and sunday.

 

thanks for the info guys.

[jefftrucker12]

how cold and how much snow does it usually take to push the deer off the peaks and down low?

[D&B Hunters]

I have hunted that unit since 1987,i have taken some very nice deer,elk from that unit. Its nothing like the last twenty years.Game and fish keep the deer population down with all the permits they offer. its total bullshit.Ive seen this unit go from a huge buck unit to a small horn,low number buck unit. cedars are good but you and every brother will be all over the cedars. for elk and deer go as high as possible.Thats where all your big elk and bigger deer, will be hidding out. My son took a nice bull archery. And we just got back from my wifes elk hunt rifle bull nice six by.HIGHER IS BIGGER AND BETTER.

[kaibabkiller]

Its been a few years since Ive hunted 7, we used to glass deer and elk off of Deadman mesa, but we almost always tagged out way up high on the north side of the San Fransiscos well away from any roads.

[Macks238]

I am having similar issues in unit 7 for the late rifle mule deer hunt. I am seeing big bulls, but few deer. I have seen a bachelor herd near the Williams corner, mostly small stuff. I caught one coming across Highway 64 recently as well, looked like a nice buck. He was crossing from 10 into 7, not sure where he resides yet. Talked to some elk hunters who say they saw 100+ bunched together off of Spring Valley road-I would assume mostly doe.

 

I shot a nice 4x4 3 years ago in 7. I found him in the junipers. I didn't see a single decent buck in the pines. I noticed that year that there were very few hunters in the juniper areas. Juniper hills are the way to go if you're not picky about seeing a lot of game. My buck was the only good buck I saw that year-saw him twice and the second time got the shot. My plan is walking the flats at first light to catch them at feed and then hike the cedar mesas mid morning.

 

Here's a question for everyone: Where are the drinking from in the junipers? Most of the tanks are mud as of this week.

 

Going out tonight again-I'll keep you posted!

[Bisbee]

I am having similar issues in unit 7 for the late rifle mule deer hunt. I am seeing big bulls, but few deer. I have seen a bachelor herd near the Williams corner, mostly small stuff. I caught one coming across Highway 64 recently as well, looked like a nice buck. He was crossing from 10 into 7, not sure where he resides yet. Talked to some elk hunters who say they saw 100+ bunched together off of Spring Valley road-I would assume mostly doe.

 

I shot a nice 4x4 3 years ago in 7. I found him in the junipers. I didn't see a single decent buck in the pines. I noticed that year that there were very few hunters in the juniper areas. Juniper hills are the way to go if you're not picky about seeing a lot of game. My buck was the only good buck I saw that year-saw him twice and the second time got the shot. My plan is walking the flats at first light to catch them at feed and then hike the cedar mesas mid morning.

 

Here's a question for everyone: Where are the drinking from in the junipers? Most of the tanks are mud as of this week.

 

Going out tonight again-I'll keep you posted!

They were drinking from puddles last weekend. I bet you already know that.

Where were you guys seeing elk in 7W? We hunted mulies last weekend in 7W. The deer were up high but, the hunters were mostly roadbound. We saw a few elk but not as much as other years any reports will be appreciated.

[Macks238]

I am having similar issues in unit 7 for the late rifle mule deer hunt. I am seeing big bulls, but few deer. I have seen a bachelor herd near the Williams corner, mostly small stuff. I caught one coming across Highway 64 recently as well, looked like a nice buck. He was crossing from 10 into 7, not sure where he resides yet. Talked to some elk hunters who say they saw 100+ bunched together off of Spring Valley road-I would assume mostly doe.

 

I shot a nice 4x4 3 years ago in 7. I found him in the junipers. I didn't see a single decent buck in the pines. I noticed that year that there were very few hunters in the juniper areas. Juniper hills are the way to go if you're not picky about seeing a lot of game. My buck was the only good buck I saw that year-saw him twice and the second time got the shot. My plan is walking the flats at first light to catch them at feed and then hike the cedar mesas mid morning.

 

Here's a question for everyone: Where are the drinking from in the junipers? Most of the tanks are mud as of this week.

 

Going out tonight again-I'll keep you posted!

They were drinking from puddles last weekend. I bet you already know that.

Where were you guys seeing elk in 7W? We hunted mulies last weekend in 7W. The deer were up high but, the hunters were mostly roadbound. We saw a few elk but not as much as other years any reports will be appreciated.

 

 

Saw 6 bulls on opening morning, at least two nice 6x6. I was in elk all morning. They were still bugling (Oct 28th) that morning, but since then have been silent. That was in the hills just west of Cowboy Tank. I had glassed up a nice bull the week before the opener in the same area. Saw elk in and around Buck Mountain on the 30th. I only laid eyes on cows, don't know if they had a bull with them.

 

Also, they rutted hard on the North side of Red Mountain. I hiked through there two different times looking for deer. Trees are shredded everywhere, lots of big bull sign. I didn't see any bodies, though, don't know if they've moved on. There isn't any water in that immediate area, so probably wouldn't be worth pursuing unless we get some rain/snow.

 

I haven't laid eyes on a buck yet. Still looking, seeing does in the pines but that's it. Most of the areas with junipers where I normally scout bigger bucks didn't get any water. Any ideas?

[Bisbee]

I am having similar issues in unit 7 for the late rifle mule deer hunt. I am seeing big bulls, but few deer. I have seen a bachelor herd near the Williams corner, mostly small stuff. I caught one coming across Highway 64 recently as well, looked like a nice buck. He was crossing from 10 into 7, not sure where he resides yet. Talked to some elk hunters who say they saw 100+ bunched together off of Spring Valley road-I would assume mostly doe.

 

I shot a nice 4x4 3 years ago in 7. I found him in the junipers. I didn't see a single decent buck in the pines. I noticed that year that there were very few hunters in the juniper areas. Juniper hills are the way to go if you're not picky about seeing a lot of game. My buck was the only good buck I saw that year-saw him twice and the second time got the shot. My plan is walking the flats at first light to catch them at feed and then hike the cedar mesas mid morning.

 

Here's a question for everyone: Where are the drinking from in the junipers? Most of the tanks are mud as of this week.

 

Going out tonight again-I'll keep you posted!

They were drinking from puddles last weekend. I bet you already know that.

Where were you guys seeing elk in 7W? We hunted mulies last weekend in 7W. The deer were up high but, the hunters were mostly roadbound. We saw a few elk but not as much as other years any reports will be appreciated.

 

 

Saw 6 bulls on opening morning, at least two nice 6x6. I was in elk all morning. They were still bugling (Oct 28th) that morning, but since then have been silent. That was in the hills just west of Cowboy Tank. I had glassed up a nice bull the week before the opener in the same area. Saw elk in and around Buck Mountain on the 30th. I only laid eyes on cows, don't know if they had a bull with them.

 

Also, they rutted hard on the North side of Red Mountain. I hiked through there two different times looking for deer. Trees are shredded everywhere, lots of big bull sign. I didn't see any bodies, though, don't know if they've moved on. There isn't any water in that immediate area, so probably wouldn't be worth pursuing unless we get some rain/snow.

 

I haven't laid eyes on a buck yet. Still looking, seeing does in the pines but that's it. Most of the areas with junipers where I normally scout bigger bucks didn't get any water. Any ideas?

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