General Western Mule Deer questions

[Musket Man]

The issue with NE is the deer are not as big, the public parcels are not as big (so you have deer right across the line on private most of the time), its not "Western" style hunting, and the Nov rifle hunt is a crazy circus.

Top that with a major blue tongue, EHD or whatever it was outbreak and now they have lost 1/2 their herd in some places and the fire a couple years ago drove some animals off public.

Im headed out there the first of May to turkey hunt so I am anxious to see what the fire aftermath looks like.

I agree, its just a place where you can get an otc tag in the time frame the OP was looking for although IDK where he is from or how far he wants to travel. I thought I might try it some time since its otc and dec is kinda off season and a good time for me to get away.

 

[AT Hiker]

Yea, the Dec muzzy hunt is intriguing. I honestly think it would be a hunt to separate the men from the boys. I bet Dec can throw in some nasty weather out there.

 

[Alabama]

Yea, the Dec muzzy hunt is intriguing. I honestly think it would be a hunt to separate the men from the boys. I bet Dec can throw in some nasty weather out there.

Yeah unless you love below zero hunting I would go early Dec. It can get downright brutal. Or at least it feels that way to me, but I'm from south Alabama and it only snows 1 out of every 4 years here on average. The wind is what makes it so tough.

 

[NE69]

Hey MM, you should try the muzzy season. I would really be willing to trade a muzzy mule deer hunt for a place to call wolves. Couple buddies and I so want to take a wolf. We are pretty accomplished coyote hunters. PM me if your interested. So far we don't have much EHD died off in this area and our mule deer are doing well. Better chance at a trophy today than 25 years ago. The mule deer conservation plan is the best thing we have going and it shows a big improvement in quality of bucks.

 

[gonhunting247]

I'd say try to grab a leftover MT general deer tag or a OTC Northern ID deer tag. Both will get you into late Nov.
You might even get lucky and get a wolf too! Good luck and have a blast!

 

[Jason Dawes]

Depending on how much time you have you may want to look at Montana. The non-resident surplus tags go on sale starting May 5th. They aren't cheap but definitely cheaper than hiring a guide and November is a great time to hunt around here, especially if you want to pack in and get away from roads.

 

[Jason Dawes]

I would suggest that you look into purchasing a non-resident surplus tag for Montana! It sounds like you had some time in November which would be the ideal time for some back country elk hunting here. I think the tags go on sale starting May 5th. Long hikes or short, you should be able to get into some elk. A good garmin and some good boots could get you in the right place.