I've only been chasing Mule deer the past three years. Concentrate on Nebraska's Sandhill region...absolutely love the area. And while my Uncle has a ranch in the Sandhills, I would never dream of asking permission...their tradition is a "family deer camp" for rifle season.
So I hunt public land. It's long walks, lots of hunting pressure, dragging deer out by myself. NE tags are over the counter and pretty inexpensive. I've seen followings license plates in the parking lots: Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Kansas, Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, and even Oregon. When ask out of state hunters why they come to Nebraska, they often say tags are cheap, and there is nothing like the Sandhills in their states.
There are loads of ranchers / guides in the area who offer Mule deer hunts...starting around $2,500 and up. And I've seen some real bruisers in backs of trucks. I'd rather do it myself via public land. The deer aren't as big, but the reward of doing it myself is oh so gratifying!
It's not back-country hunting: I stay in a hotel, get a hot shower every night, and hot meal when i want one. But it is long days...leaving hotel around 3:30 AM for the hour plus drive to land. The hike in is 2-3 miles minimum. I'm back at hotel around 8 PM. Dragging or packing deer out in the hilly, sandy soil is back-breaking.
And it's not like any Mule deer hunting I've read and researched. Food is plentiful, and windmills / stock-tanks are scattered through the land for summer grazing cattle. It's kind of like finding a needle in a haystack...strike that, it's like finding a needle in a hay-field.
EHD pummeled Nebraska in recent years and I've seen very few Mule deer in my hunting areas. Thankfully this ~2.5 year old jogged by me just after sunrise. I was able to out-flank him and get a shot @ around 100 yards. He didn't go far
I would love to hunt Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, or Montana some day. But for now, I'll stick with my Nebraska Sandhills and chase the small ones. Some pictures...
Night sky, about an hour after sunset.
More night sky...this time with a truck passing on highway (long exposure).
More pictures coming in next post
So I hunt public land. It's long walks, lots of hunting pressure, dragging deer out by myself. NE tags are over the counter and pretty inexpensive. I've seen followings license plates in the parking lots: Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Kansas, Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, and even Oregon. When ask out of state hunters why they come to Nebraska, they often say tags are cheap, and there is nothing like the Sandhills in their states.
There are loads of ranchers / guides in the area who offer Mule deer hunts...starting around $2,500 and up. And I've seen some real bruisers in backs of trucks. I'd rather do it myself via public land. The deer aren't as big, but the reward of doing it myself is oh so gratifying!
It's not back-country hunting: I stay in a hotel, get a hot shower every night, and hot meal when i want one. But it is long days...leaving hotel around 3:30 AM for the hour plus drive to land. The hike in is 2-3 miles minimum. I'm back at hotel around 8 PM. Dragging or packing deer out in the hilly, sandy soil is back-breaking.
And it's not like any Mule deer hunting I've read and researched. Food is plentiful, and windmills / stock-tanks are scattered through the land for summer grazing cattle. It's kind of like finding a needle in a haystack...strike that, it's like finding a needle in a hay-field.
EHD pummeled Nebraska in recent years and I've seen very few Mule deer in my hunting areas. Thankfully this ~2.5 year old jogged by me just after sunrise. I was able to out-flank him and get a shot @ around 100 yards. He didn't go far
I would love to hunt Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, or Montana some day. But for now, I'll stick with my Nebraska Sandhills and chase the small ones. Some pictures...
Night sky, about an hour after sunset.
More night sky...this time with a truck passing on highway (long exposure).
More pictures coming in next post
