Congrats on the 231 tag my man... You have struck Nevada gold... If you are speaking of an archery tag, then the deer will be on a fairly predictable routine in velvet. The country is extremely thick pinion juniper country. It will be hot during the day and around 40 in the mornings.
The monsoons will be in full swing... Lots of thunderstorms! For the most part, the bucks will be bachelored up and in old burns and Chainings. If you are not familiar, Chainings are NDOW programs to restore habitat where pinion and old growth sage have taken over. The Chainings clear it all away in sections and the deer love to use them. The bad part is that everyone else with a tag will be looking at them too.
You will need a set of 15X56's on a tripod and a killer spotting scope to be as effective as possible. The deer will absolutely be bedded up within an hour or so after first light, so it's gonna be tough to make your time count. The big bucks will go into the pj's really quick and the smaller bucks will stay out later.
You will easily see 160-170 bucks to go after but if you're wanting to hunt a 190 or better, they are few... Stack your odds by looking at the edges of old burns and the Chainings. There are a few springs there and I am not familiar with them, however, the bucks will be watering regularly, so keep this in mind.
Look for service berry and choke cherry bushes, as this is a primary food source. Also, you will want to focus on the higher rolling ridges versus the bottoms. There are big bucks in the bottoms that feed out into the sage flats at last light but trying to be in the right place at the right time will frustrate anyone for a lifetime. They come out too late to make a play... Trust me... Unless you have a month for the hunt and a month to scout, leave this option out.
There will be good deer higher and I hope you have a great hunt. Good luck!
