North Dakota Anyone? :)

Prerylyon

Veteran member
Apr 25, 2016
1,334
511
52
Cedar Rapids, IA
I guess I did not realize the challenges in getting a non-res mulie tag in Nodak, more tags being available aside. 😆 Still good to see the deer doing better in an area.

For me, other states are likely easier options.

Regards,

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337Z using Tapatalk
 

CrimsonArrow

Very Active Member
Feb 21, 2011
857
363
Minnesota
Muley numbers have increased quickly the last few years, but my opinion is that buck to doe ratios are way too low. Either the nddow is still handing out too many rifle tags or poaching is taking a toll on the bucks. As far as the chances of taking a 150-170 buck as someone stated, there's a few there, but not many that big.
 
Aug 5, 2012
102
0
West & East ND
No mule deer here, move along.

Haha but it is honestly a sort of hidden thing here with most residents not realizing the type of hunting available in the western 1/3 of the state. Of course the oil fields out there don't help anyone but the road hunters so getting way off the roads can be hard but no one really uses those roads cept hunters and a few oil guys.

I'm very new to the western bow hunting thing but I passed on several 130 class deer this year in ND, and whiffed it on a few bigger ones. Saw 2 bucks that would have broke 170 easily, but of course that's at 800 yards and closing to 50 is another story I learned quickly.
 

LCH

Very Active Member
Jun 28, 2015
774
246
Southern Indiana
No mule deer here, move along.

Haha but it is honestly a sort of hidden thing here with most residents not realizing the type of hunting available in the western 1/3 of the state. Of course the oil fields out there don't help anyone but the road hunters so getting way off the roads can be hard but no one really uses those roads cept hunters and a few oil guys.

I'm very new to the western bow hunting thing but I passed on several 130 class deer this year in ND, and whiffed it on a few bigger ones. Saw 2 bucks that would have broke 170 easily, but of course that's at 800 yards and closing to 50 is another story I learned quickly.
How tough is it getting to 50 yards? I know around here, it would be an exercise in futility to attempt to stalk a mature whitetail within bow range. I've only hunted mulies with a rifle, and while I've learned that they aren't nearly as weary as whitetails, it seems like a mature buck would still be a pretty tough target.

I know some of you guys do it every year, but you're probably sneakier than I am..
 

NE69

Active Member
Jan 6, 2013
372
59
66
Southwest Nebraska
Getting in to bow range is only half of it. Still have to make the movement to get the shot off, and a mature muley is so different from a 2 1/2 year old. I hunted two older bucks last year, they went into a huge cornfield before sun up, and didn't come out till after sundown. And always in a different spot. That only changed as the rut started, and then it was a guess as to where I might locate them. The open country I hunt, if I'm within less than a mile with the pickup, they already know I'm there. Similar to a whitetail in the open grass country, they are tough. Coyotes are the same, I have stalked up on a sleeping coyote with a bow after spotting from a distance. They can go from being asleep on their back to a dead run in a split second. North Dakota I haven't been able to draw, hope to some day. I love to hunt that type of terrain as it is what I grew up in hunting.
 

dirtytough

Member
Feb 15, 2012
56
0
Washington
A couple of the problems I run into stalking bucks in ND. To many deer. Just a ton of eyes to get by. It's windy a lot, and the deer bed down out of the wind. So a stalk from behind them a lot of times is upwind from them. Once it snows lots of times it melts then freezes and is super loud.

Here is a video of some ND bucks. Shoot it isn't working. I'll try from the computer later.
 
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dirtytough

Member
Feb 15, 2012
56
0
Washington
Sorry for the shakey video. It was windy and the buck was right at a mile. This is a pretty nice typical 4x4. Really good fronts, and decent backs.
[video=vimeo;181270950]https://vimeo.com/181270950[/video]
 

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