Public Land High Country Mule Deer Hunt

[JakeP2015]

Hello All,

I have made it my goal to go on a self guided public land high country mule deer hunt. I have no experience when it comes to mule deer hunts and I was hoping to get some help. Are there any recommendations as to what state would be best as well as the area? Also, is there any other information that I would absolutely have to know to be able to make this hunt possible.

Best,

Jake

 

[johnsd16]

Jake, sounds like a good goal, and with some research and planning you will have a great time I bet. There is a new member sub-forum for introductions and to say a little about yourself/background/experience. Its a good place to start on the forum to gain some traction.

Best state and area are going to be a wide range of answers. It sounds like you don't have points in any states so that may make WY a little tougher for a sought after unit, but for high country you can look at many areas in WY, CO, and also western MT, all with no points. There are opportunities in others as well like ID, and UT (points in UT). These are general thoughts based on my own research for such a hunt in the next 3-4 years, as I have not done a high country hunt.

Must knows
1. plan a lot
2. make a scouting trip or 3 if you can to learn the area and locate some bucks as early high country hunts will have bucks in summer patterns still especially in velvet
3. be in outstanding shape/condition
4. Anticipate issues with altitude (though it doesn't say where you are from in your profile)

 

[Horsenhike]

Be realistic. Any hunting experience? Any time spent at high elevations?

I have a couple friends who learned the hard way that high altitude hunting is a brutal game for the uninitiated.

 

[LaHunter]

A subscription to the Eastman's Hunting Journal along with this forum was a huge help for me when I first started planning my first hunting trip out west. The old saying of "You don't know what you don't know" is very true. The MRS (Member's Research Section) in the magazine or the electronic subscription is a valuable tool to help you decide on which state and which areas within a specific state. Each state has advantages and disadvantages, so the 'best' for you may not be 'best' for someone else.

Since you have never hunted out west, I am assuming you live a pretty good distance from mule deer country. Travel logistics are something you will have to plan for as well.

Hang around and ask specific questions for better info. Questions about clothing, gear, optics, rifles, trucks, tents, boots, physical training, etc will usually produce some solid feedback. There is a lot of great guys with a ton of western hunting experience on here. Questions about hunting locations usually gets 'crickets', especially from a 'new guy'. Hang around and search old threads and you can learn a lot.
Good Luck and welcome

 

[spotnstalk1]

Jake,

This is a big bite. As others have eluded to, what is your background? You mention no experience with mule deer hunts. I assume you have no experience with high country hunts at all? The good news is, you can totally pull this off if you're willing to step outside your comfort zone a little, invest in some information, and work like crazy.

1. Get information. I recommend either "Backcountry Bowhunting" by Cam Hanes, or "Public Land Mulies" by David Long for books to read asap. Also, search through hundreds of forum threads on this site.
2. Get the right gear. High country respects no one. Are you backpack hunting? Hiking from a camp in the bottom each day? Pack animals? Cliche of "get the best you can afford" is obvious here. Start with quality boots, I prefer Crispi from my experience. Then work you way up from there, depending on how you will hunt.
3. Optics, optics, optics, optics. I love a 10x bino setup with a large spotting scope setup in tandem. Both with adapters to attach to a tripod back and forth. This is crucial for a "high country" hunt, especially if it's early season or mule deer in general that aren't bugling like elk, for example.
4. Physically prepare for battle. Pretend you are training to fight Connor McGregor in UFC. J/k but seriously, the high country is no joke. If the weather and the deer don't beat you, your body definitely will if you're not prepared (ultimately it will be your mind that will beat you when it convinces you to go home because this hunt is physically "killing" you). I like to do as much strength training with weights in the winter spring months as possible. Then transition to more cardio training as spring/summer roll around. Sign up for a race, biathlon, 5K, 10K, marathon, whatever. Something to get you in tip top shape, if you aren't already.
5. Make at LEAST one scouting trip this summer. Unless you choose an area you've hunted/been in before, this is crucial so you don't waste valuable hunting/vacation days learning the area and "finding where the deer are." Try to take a weekend and do a bonsai trip. This should help assimilate you physically with where you need to be as well. PLUS, huge bonus is testing out any high country gear you may have never used before. i.e. knowing how to operate your cook stove in the dark, finding water, setting up and finding your tent in the dark, etc etc.

As for a state or area, tough to say. If I had 0 points and was just trying to hunt next year, my first choice would be my home state. That is usually your best odds to draw a quality tag right away. We don't know where you live though. So, i'll assume you're not living in a western state, in which case, I'd try my luck at maybe Colorado or Idaho. idaho has some OTC options and I think the payoff can be big if you're willing to hit the backcountry. Utah will be tough to draw. NV will be tough. Montana I think has OTC or general tag options that are easier to draw I think? idk, not familiar with Montana as much. Wyoming will be tough to draw a backcountry unit with no points. Maybe someone else has better information that will help with a state but i'd bet Idaho or Montana for a high country/backcountry hunt on year 1? Be prepared to deal with bears in both states. Take necessary precautions to hang food, keep a clean camp, carry bear spray/weapon possibly.

To be honest, i'm jealous. I look forward to seeing your adventure unfold this year. Good luck!

 

[hskrhntr]

Jake, good for you for going for it. I was in your shoes two years ago. Here's a link to my post about what I learned on my first solo, pack in, high country mule deer hunt. I went again this year and I can tell you that I was VERY thankful to have these lessons learned...

http://forum.eastmans.com/showthread.php/12995-For-the-first-timers

The hardest part to prepare for is the mental challenge. I took two first timers with me this year and they were overwhelmed, like I was my first time. It is hard to stay focused. I don't know where you're from or how you normally hunt, but if you're like me and normally hunt whitetails from a stand in a Midwestern state, the mountains will be a harder hunt than you ever imagined. I'm not saying this to discourage you, you just need to be as mentally prepared as possible for what you're biting off. Good luck to you!!!

 

[Slugz]

SPS1,
Great post. Spot on. That right there is what makes Eastmans Forum the best.

 

[Tim McCoy]

Jake, you've been given great advice. I am guessing you don't live at altitude and may not have experience at altitude? If so, familiarizing yourself with altitude related issues is another factor to consider. I live at about 250 feet, just under 21% O2, last year I hunted a bunch between 9-11k, just over 14% approx. avg. O2. Until I acclimated, I had decent conditioning but could not get fuel to the muscles to recover very fast. Helpless feeling. After 6 days, I was like the energizer bunny, I'm almost 60 so that was part of it too. In my 30's, seems I acclimated after 3-4 days, who knows, but age does not help way up there IMO. Be aware of altitude sickness too.

http://www.higherpeak.com/altitudechart.html

http://www.princeton.edu/~oa/safety/altitude.html