patrkyhntr

I have hunted all of the species mentioned here, and in my opinion, the hardest trophy to harvest is a whitetail buck with the bow and arrow right here in Pennsylvania. Our deer wake up nervous and don't take many naps. They are as high strung as a secretary with pms and twenty cups of coffee in her system.

On the other hand, if you are talking about the species you would have to be in the best shape to hunt, my opinion changes a bit. Flip a coin between mountain goat and sheep (Dall comes to mind). A backpack hunt for two weeks is darned tough, and you better not be fat and overweight.

At the age of 62 (in two weeks), I can still hunt most of the species out there, but there is one I won't tackle. That is polar bear. The weather is just too harsh, and I like having all my fingers and toes. Polar bear gets my vote as the toughest to hunt, even though you might not have to be in as good shape as you do to hunt sheep or goat.

j3k2c1

Nyflyer-
I have hunted whitetails in Pa- centre county- and in one afternoon saw around 25 bucks-13 spike/forkhorns-1or 2 small 7 or 8 pointers and many 6 pointers.
this year in the scofield/knuckwoodard area I only saw 6 bucks and 3 were after dark. Where in the Manti/lasalle did you hunt? Yes this also is the most heavily populated area for deer in Utah other than the Paunsagunt or Kaibab (or CWMU ranches). I am willing to bet that 80% of the bucks that you saw were spikes/fork horns. You might have seen 1-2 trophy mulies (4x4 or 24") but then you would be very lucky. And hate to break it to you, but just looked on the Pa Division of Natural resources web page and the results so far for the hunt show a 46% success rate on bucks, so look up your facts please.

patrkyhntr

You might try that yourself, j3. In Pa last year, we had nearly a million licensed hunters. The BUCK kill was estimated at 175,000. That would be a 20% success rate or perhaps a bit less. Of the half million whitetails we harvested, 2/3 were does or antlerless male fawns, referred to as antlerless deer by our blame commission. To get your 50% success rate, you have to include does and fawns, and assume that only one deer was killed per successful hunter.

What NY was talking about was the success rate among those nearly a million hunters. Some of us take three or more deer per year. The huge majority of that million hunters take none. I suspect his 10% figure is very close to being accurate. In most of the state this year, we were permitted one buck (with antler restriction of either three or four points on one antler) and two doe tags.

In my camp in south central Pa., six hunters harvested four deer. I took three of them. Lest you think I am bragging, I'm not. I am the only one who is retired. I hunt almost every day I'm not off hunting something in another state. Your hunting out west is great compared to what we have.

nyflyer

Thank You patrkyhnt you took my thunder but you hit the nail on the head. Some more examples. Our camp in north central has 12 to 18 guys a year. we take two deer (usally on the first day). In the last 20 years only 5 times did we shoot more than 2 deer. 4 times we killed a 3rd deer, and one year we managed 7 deer over the two week buck season. We have never done that before or since in the 74 years that this camp has been here. To prove that it's not from a lack of deer. we hold a bear camp the week before the buck season opens and we count between 15 to 25 different bucks in three days on a 950 acre piece of property. doing the math for the last 20 yrs. We kill 2.25 bucks per year with an average of 15 hunters in camp. That = 15% per year on private land. Most of PA's hunters hunt public land and don't fair nearly this well. In fact in PA the average deer hunter shoots a BUCK once every 10 years. With a hunting time of three days.

Runningun

You guys think you have it rough.... Ha HA In my living room I can sit for hours upon hours and not so much as see a deer, I can make endless trips to my Fridge and not so much as see a pile of deer crap! 0% success rate. I tell you what I do not wether to laugh or sit and cry.

OregunHntr

Come on out west and try the Blacktail Deer for something tough to hunt.

All I ever hear is Whitetail, whitetail, whitetail. Buncha Whinners! Come on out
here and try a real deer hunt for Blacktails, they will have you pulling your
hair out. Thats' why I aint got much left up top anymore!

jjt

the 3 hardest hunts i have tried

1. takeing a 30" muley (maybee next year)
2. spot and stalk black bear (maybee next year)
3. takeing over a 300 point bull elk (maybee next year)

all on public land in the mountains of western wyoming

j3k2c1

Well if you put in 3 days I am sure that shooting a buck would be a long shot. I do think that all of us need to take into account of the different hunting methods we do for our different species as well. so I am eating a bit of crow with the does/fawns included. but just for curiousity sake, how many bucks were mature that you saw on the manti/lasalle ny?

nyflyer

The first time I went I saw 8 3x3's or better and 10 or more young bucks. The second trip I saw 5 3x3 or better and 5 young bucks. This was the bow season in Aug. and Sept.

j3k2c1

What area of the manti lasalle?