New to the forum. Interested in hunting mule deer and elk

[rambler563]

Hi to all. I am new to the forum. This seems to be the best forum for the western states. I live in Georgia and have been hunting for about 20 years now. I have hunted Kansas, Arkansas, and Louisiana mostly for waterfowl. All DIY on public land. So, I am fairly familiar with crowds and how to hunt around them. Now I am wanting to hunt mule deer and elk DIY on public land. I have no experience in hunting these animals. Only deer, hogs, and turkey here in GA but I feel that I am a good hunter/outdoorsman. I have limited on turkeys for 11 years in a row, which seems to be challenging in these swamps haha. So with that being said what states should I look into for elk and mule deer on the same hunt. I have looked into all of the draw and unit situations for several states. Its all a little over whelming. Idaho seems to have the most OTC tags with the least amount of hunters. That could just be my perception. I am not looking to kill record animals, just respectable public land animals. My main focus seems to be on Idaho, but any and all advice will be appreciated. PMs are preffered

 

[BigBy1]

I grew up in Idaho, still own land there! My brothers are out huntin' elk and muley's this week.
I have hunted in several western states. Idaho is probably the most misunderstood of them all. The way they manage their herds,
in my opinion, is suspect at best. They have everything set up in zones, and in each zone they have various types of tags. These things can be very conflicting.
If I were you, and this is only my opinion, I would put in for a general elk license, and a zone Mule deer license in WYOMING!
It's a draw so if your really set on going you can go on the website and check the drawing odds in certain areas and even spend the extra $ to buy the special NR license offered.... that increases your chances to almost 100%.
Wyoming has a better opportunity to see and shoot more game. Practice shooting at 300-400yds... get comfortable at those distances and you'll double your chances... blah blah blah... Hope this helps. See ya on the ridge top..By.

 

[Eberle]

Welcome to the forum! Do you plan on hunting rifle or archery?

 

[xtreme]

I may go to Idaho to hunt but it won't be mule deer. I am planning to hunt wolf there. If you are willing to hunt that far from Georgia, then why not Utah. Colorado would be my next choice, after that would be Nebraska. My best deer have come from Colorado, but the most fun has been Nebraska. I would just start hunting where I could and apply for points where I could. Maybe study point creep which will keep you from hunting in some cases. Deer are recovering in a lot of units in Colorado and there are quality deer but like everywhere else, license is hard to come by in the better units. The type of weapon could make a big difference. Usually archery takes less points, then black powder, followed by rifle. I will archery hunt elk in 2014 with 4 points in Colorado. Four points plus archery opens a lot of good units for me.
Welcome to the forum and good luck