Mule deer rookie,, hunting mcelvie NE...2017.

[The last savage]

Any of you veterans have any knowledge of the mcelvie NF in ne..?I'm going bow,diy,solo,,truck type camping.. Taking ATV.i have about 3 week's to hunt..I've been doing a lot of map ,gps, Google Earth. Searching...Any information is appreciated..Basics.. not asking where to go or your spot, simply some one who's had there boots on the ground there..I live too far away to prescout .Thx guys

 

[mallardsx2]

If you have three weeks to hunt. You have time to scout for two weeks. Please let us know what you find.

 

[nebowhunter]

I Haven't been out there for years. But Hunting archery you will not have a lot of people running around. It's a ton of wide open space. Mule Deer populations are currently on the rise in Nebraska. If I were going to start Blind on this hunt, I would start around Merrit Reservoir. Get high as you can and glass as much as you can. Also would consentrate where the Public and private meet. may not be as big of deal during the archery season. Good Luck!

 

[The last savage]

Thx fellas

 

[Daubs]

I've spent a lot of time at McKelvie and Valentine Refuge since 2011.

Pros:
- Beautiful, wide open spaces. I absolutely love the Sandhills, and will keep hunting this area!
- Not a lot of hunting pressure (I hunt only rifle season...hunters i've talked to complain about all the hunting pressure. But I started deer hunting in Missouri, where public land deer hunters would set up just 50-75 yards from one another. It's all a matter of perspective. You should be good to go during bow season)
- Forrest service prohibited vehicles and ATV's from going "off-road." Back in the day, anyone could drive anywhere they wanted, over hills, off-roads, you name it. I'm told it was pretty crazy at McKelvie with people blasting around on ATV's chasing deer. It's strictly walk-in now, which keeps many away from McKelvie and Valentine Refuge. Leave your ATV at home...all the roads/trails at McKelvie are accessible with your truck. I've driven all of them.

Con's:
- Disease hit that area HARD in ~2012, especially the Mule Deer.
- Huge area (100,000+ acres), and windmills (water sources) throughout...makes it hard to pattern deer. Western hunters say find the water source, and Mule deer will eventually show up...well, at McKelvie, there are 60+ windmills.

I agree with nebowhunter, start around Merritt Reservoir. You can hunt Merritt wildlife management area as well. I've not had great success hunting McKelvie and Valentine Refuge, but I'll keep going back. Cousins live in Valentine, so it's great to see them...and spend some much needed quality time alone in the Sandhills. Good Luck!

Last year hunting was slow, so I packed my DSLR along and got some pictures : )

 

[hunttrap]

Ive hunted that area. On average, I would be prepared to walk 10-15 miles per day; up and down, up and down, up and down. Of course that depends on if you find a good herd or buck to watch and pattern. I would also get a GPS and learn how to use that. Its easy to get turned around out there, especially on cloudy days or during rain/snow. I would not expect to see a ton of deer. There are deer there, but in my experience they can be far and few between. The disease that hit that area was devastating to the mule deer herd. Yes they are recovering and there are harvestable numbers, but there still isn't a whole lot of deer.