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Outdoor Life republished its 1961 story “Buckskin Bonanza,” describing a mule deer hunting camp on Utah’s West Tavaputs Plateau. The report says 23 hunters took 46 deer and recounts a buck described as record-book caliber, but the supplied excerpt does not provide details verifying that tally or the buck’s record status.
Outdoor Life republished a September 1961 report about a mule deer camp on Utah’s West Tavaputs Plateau, recalling a season in which 23 hunters reportedly took 46 deer. The story, titled “Buckskin Bonanza,” also describes exceptionally large bucks and a trophy the headline characterizes as a record-book buck; the supplied excerpt does not establish the animal’s formal record status.
The article is an archive republication, not a report of a current hunting season. Its opening account follows the writer scouting in snow before Utah’s season opened. He says he tracked a large buck, then spotted several more deer nearby. Although he carried a rifle, he wrote that the season was still two days away and he did not shoot.
The writer traced the hunting opportunity to the Range Valley Ranch, a cattle operation on the plateau co-owned by Ray “Budge” Wilcox and his sons Don and Waldo. The 1961 story says the ranch hosted hunters and provided services including meals, lodging, transportation and guides. Its description of a camp involving 23 hunters and 46 deer presents a striking harvest figure, though the available source excerpt does not detail how the total was recorded or over what precise period.
The report also puts the camp in the context of Utah’s deer hunting at the time. The writer cited a state game magazine’s report that 128,000 deer were harvested in 1959, which he described as the largest state total in the nation. He was particularly interested in the reported number of trophy heads and set out to scout the Tavaputs country after hearing about it from local ranchers and a bush pilot.
What the Camp’s Harvest Shows
The republication offers a historical snapshot of mule deer hunting and ranch-hosted camps in Utah, rather than evidence about present-day deer numbers or hunting conditions. Its reported total of 46 deer for 23 hunters helps explain why the original writer portrayed the plateau as a remarkable destination, but it should be read as a figure from a 1961 account, not a current benchmark.
The story also documents how access to remote hunting country could depend on local knowledge and private ranch operations. The writer learned about the area through a pilot and rancher, then relied on the Wilcox family for lodging, transport and scouting. That account gives readers a concrete view of how guided hunting trips were organized at the time.
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How Tavaputs Entered the Story
The article says the writer first took notice of Utah after reading about the state’s 1959 deer harvest. On a later trip to the Green River country, bush pilot Jim Hurst pointed out the Tavaputs Plateau as strong deer country. Hurst then introduced the writer to Ray “Budge” Wilcox, whose family operated the Range Valley Ranch. The writer corresponded with Wilcox through the summer and arrived a week before the season to scout.
The camp stood within a remote landscape in northeastern Utah. The supplied account describes the ranch’s winter operation in a canyon around 8,000 feet in elevation and explains that the ranchers also hosted hunters for a fee. The original story appeared in Outdoor Life’s September 1961 issue; the publication’s archive page is dated October 14, 2026.
“That’s great deer country. The best I’ve ever found anywhere.”
— Jim Hurst, as quoted in the 1961 report
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What the Archive Excerpt Leaves Open
The supplied material does not include the full account’s documentation for the 23-hunter, 46-deer tally, including the dates covered, the method used to count animals or whether every hunter’s harvest was included. It also does not give the buck’s measurements, scoring organization or record-book entry. The headline’s description of a record-book buck is therefore not independently verifiable from this excerpt.
The story’s historical statistics and descriptions should not be taken as a picture of current wildlife conditions. The source provides no present-day population estimate, current harvest data or information about how access to the ranch has changed since 1961. The republication date is known, but the material does not say whether Outdoor Life added new reporting or commentary beyond the archived account.
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The Full Archive Account
Readers seeking the complete narrative can consult Outdoor Life’s archived “Buckskin Bonanza,” which contains more of the original camp account than the excerpt supplied here. The material provides no announced follow-up reporting or new development about the ranch, the hunters or the deer population.
For current hunting conditions, readers would need more recent information from Utah wildlife authorities and the relevant land managers. The 1961 report is useful as a historical account, but it cannot establish present-day seasons, access rules, harvest totals or deer abundance.
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Key Questions
What is the news development?
Outdoor Life republished an archived 1961 story about a mule deer camp on Utah’s West Tavaputs Plateau. It is a historical feature, not a report of a new hunt.
How many hunters and deer did the story report?
The story’s headline reports 23 hunters and 46 deer. The supplied excerpt does not explain the counting method or the precise dates covered.
Was the buck officially entered in a record book?
The headline calls it a record-book buck, but the supplied material gives no score, record organization or entry details to verify that description.
Where was the camp?
The account centers on the West Tavaputs Plateau in northeastern Utah and the Range Valley Ranch, operated by the Wilcox family.
Does this report describe current deer hunting conditions?
No. It recounts events and figures from 1961. The source does not provide current population, harvest, season or access information.
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