Is the legendary Region G dead?

Dos Perros said:
It takes a hard winter like this to thin out the genetically weaker animals, leaving the overall population with better genetic potential. Now you've got a landscape thick with great forage and little peer competition. The region will be fire again, just takes time. Look at the Gunnison basin for a comparison.
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I dont know that using the Gunnison basin for comparison is the best thing to do here. Its been 15 yrs since the bad winterkill in the Gunnison, and its still not even close to what it was prior to the 2007-08 winter.
 
It is very possible for recovery However, nature management is key to nature existence.
 
You have to go back a lot longer than the early 2000's for the history of the Gunnison Valley boom and bust B&C muley bucks in that area. Take a look at how many B&C bucks came out of the Gunnision Valley prior to the 2000's. There hardly are any! The reason....the Gunnison Valley's winter range is relatively high elevation. Hardly any of those deer winter outside the GV and are somewhat landlocked. The snow is often extremely deep and temperatures among the coldest in Colorado.

The short period of time in the 2000's when outrageous B&C bucks were coming out of GV units was immediately after the CPW converted to all draw for deer and there were quite a few mild winters in a row. Yep, the GV has some of the best muley genetics in the World but if bucks can't live long enough it's a moot point! With the current CPW policy of the increase in tags plus rut hunting dates definitely don't help!

All the stars may never align again in the GV due to the severe winters of that herd. Obviously, there is the chance it may never happen again in our lifetimes?

Looking at it from the outside in, I think Utah has its own problems. I can almost guarantee it's likely a combination of things. Every state.....and region within each state is different and likely have their own select problems.
 
Not to get off topic but there have been some absolute studs being taken between Wamsutter and Bairoil last 2 years.
 
After all the bad years, I tend to notice more twins and triplets the following year. There is no doe hunting, so hunting does not impact herd growth much. Gonna see a few gaps in buck quality in the years to come, but the genetics didn't disappear.
 
Interesting to see all the region G experts on this thread who dont live anywhere close..Since I live here, here is my 2 cents. . This has been the worst year for horn growth I have seen. Every buck seems 2-3 weeks behind where they should be. They are running out of time, and at this point, I doubt many will just all the sudden explode. I think this year will be very sub-par in terms of quality due to the deer putting so much nutrition back into their bodies recovering from winter, horns got put on the back burner. . Every friend i know who has been hitting the hills hard, has said the exact same thing. . Now a NR might see a 175" buck and think thats great, but to me that doesnt even get a second thought. I will eat my deer tag no problem like I have done in years past, if I dont find something "special" to chase. . Now I have seen more young deer than i thought I would, which gives me a little hope for the future. But, for anyone who thinks Western Wy will have multiple mild winters in a row, good luck. There is a reason I own snowmobiles. I believe this past winter will change the way Western WY gets looked at and managed for the next decade to come.
 
mntnguide said:
Interesting to see all the region G experts on this thread who dont live anywhere close..Since I live here, here is my 2 cents. . This has been the worst year for horn growth I have seen. Every buck seems 2-3 weeks behind where they should be. They are running out of time, and at this point, I doubt many will just all the sudden explode. I think this year will be very sub-par in terms of quality due to the deer putting so much nutrition back into their bodies recovering from winter, horns got put on the back burner. . Every friend i know who has been hitting the hills hard, has said the exact same thing. . Now a NR might see a 175" buck and think thats great, but to me that doesnt even get a second thought. I will eat my deer tag no problem like I have done in years past, if I dont find something "special" to chase. . Now I have seen more young deer than i thought I would, which gives me a little hope for the future. But, for anyone who thinks Western Wy will have multiple mild winters in a row, good luck. There is a reason I own snowmobiles. I believe this past winter will change the way Western WY gets looked at and managed for the next decade to come.
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I have also lived here my whole life and you nailed this on the head. Everything is behind. And I feel like it’s been spotty with deer. Some areas I have been I haven’t seen much and other areas have been fine.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I've been keeping track of various hunters I know who are scouting G & H. Consistently getting reports of 15-25 bucks per weekend. Generally better numbers on the east side where they could have migrated out towards Pinedale, Farson, Red Desert, etc. More spotty on the west side of the regions, but still bucks to be found.

I personally have found two different bucks in the middle of July this year that have migrated 6+ miles up the mountain after that date. Growth is so late and there's so much feed that keeps critters spread out, I don't know what to think.

I say the only data point worth a darn before we say how many we lost is what shows up on the winter range this December.
 
I've traveled extensively through g as a local who lives in the area.

I've seen tons of fawns and does. Seen quite a few bucks. Whitetail are plentiful. Sure there has been loss, but I'm seeing somewhat normalcy where I hunt and live.

I think the western part of the state and the southern portions are of concern.
 
j_volt said:
I am pretty dumb. Does the late growth turn into later velvet stripping?
-the dumbass who could have drawn H last year but his friend wanted to wait until 2023 and then that friend backed out
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Man, I'm not sure. The high country just got a hard frost yesterday, and some plants are curing out, so I could see a world where they'll be earlier to shed their velvet. I just don't have enough experience under my belt to really say. @robby denning ? @Travis Hobbs ?
 
Jaden Bales said:
Man, I'm not sure. The high country just got a hard frost yesterday, and some plants are curing out, so I could see a world where they'll be earlier to shed their velvet. I just don't have enough experience under my belt to really say. @robby denning ? @Travis Hobbs ?
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I don’t know for sure, but it seems they (but it follows a bell curve) seem to rub between Sept 5 and 10. Guess we can compare this year to thone dates.
 
Jaden Bales said:
Man, I'm not sure. The high country just got a hard frost yesterday, and some plants are curing out, so I could see a world where they'll be earlier to shed their velvet. I just don't have enough experience under my belt to really say. @robby denning ? @Travis Hobbs ?
Click to expand...

I don't know, but I'd bet it's a photo period influenced thing.

I know lots of things in animals are, not positive that antler growth is, but wool growth is so it would make sense.
 
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