Hello Montana, Thanks for that. Its because of a great group of people like yourself that are willing to teach/pass along some of what they have learned in years past. I understand that big bucks are hard to come by, but I am excited to see that some of you have been able to consistently see some mature deer once you figured out some of there areas and habits, some may laugh at me but that's alright, I typically don't measure the whitetail I have harvested, I can guess but our goal has always been a 3 yr old or older, we see what we feel is a mature deer and if we decide to take the shot and everything goes correctly it is over quickly and Thank the Lord for providing this opportunity and harvest. I am only guessing here but I am thinking that a mature mule deer like stated above to be 160+ would be considered a 5 year old or is that older yet? I do not know how fast the mule deer grow.I really appreciate your approach to this. I was in the same boat for a lot of years. And then it clicked, and now I am able to harvest a quality buck every year. As JimP said, those big big bucks are very far and few between. But if expectations can be in the 160 + range, one can have a blast chasing those deer.
Here are my thoughts.... though “flat land” can hold bigger deer, remote scouting is about impossible. Been there done that. So therefore I would say it’s essential to move into the hills. I can pretty much look at any map and move into new country and find bigger deer. Step 2... you have to be in country that holds deer. Lots of deer. Reason I think lots of deer is because to harvest a mature deer, it’s going to take time. If you are not seeing any deer then you are more likely to pull the trigger once you see something decent. But if you are seeing decent deer on a daily basis it’s enough motivation to keep you going and keep your finger off of the trigger. Step 3... just touched base on it. Time. Including travel time, you really need 10 days when not hunting a home state. It goes by sooooo fast. Last. You have to enjoy the time and find value in the hunt itself. Be willing to eat the tag and still be satisfied.
im happy to visit over the phone too if you’d like.
How did you learn your map reading skills, trial and error? Step 2 makes sense to me, I just need to do some more research and figure out the areas that hold a lot of deer. Step 3 my favorite, I absolutely love the experience and what I have been able to see while out West... I do get frustrated at times, but then you wake and go out and see how lucky we truly are in the USA.
"My favorite pic from this years Nebraska trip sunrise on the sandhills" I would appreciate being able to speak with you sometime, send me a PM and lets talk some day soon.
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