Bowhunter_60,
I have extreme empathy for you. Were I an orthopedic nightmare, it'd be a vast improvement. I'll leave it at I've had more surgeries than I'd like to disclose.
Approach your disability realistically. In western states you've identified, mule deer bucks can easily reach 250 pounds. And that's 250 pounds of dead weight. I know that I couldn't move 250 pounds of dead weight. I shot a 900+ pound 374 bull elk in '14. There was no way I was going to do a darn thing with that beast by myself. BTW, thanks again, Umpqua. Your advice was invaluable. When we meet, dinner's on me.
Without bonus points, you won't be hunting in good areas...with a few exceptions. You have to learn where to find those exceptions. You must also consider the most areas of the Rockies are not hunter friendly. The hunter friendly areas have most hunter pressure, and are almost always least productive.
I have a pretty darn good mule deer unit that I have wired after 30 years' hunting it. I'm also trying to draw a premium tag. Were I to draw into a premium mule deer area, I'd hire a guide. My advice is to consider drawing into a premium unit a once-in-a-lifetime hunt. If it's a once-in-a-lifetime hunt, my advice is to hire a professional guide. A buck in the 27" and larger range will not be easy to find. Even with the best guide available, there are no guarantees.
Considering your disability, the best advice I can give you is do a lot of research. Then hire the best possible guide. Umpqua put me on to an excellent guide who was a consummate professional and a great guy. A few days before my hunt, my orthopedic surgeon injected the heck outta me with cortisone. My guide, whom I believe was more bighorn ram than human, pushed me to the extreme edge of my pain threshold. The fact that I had to hunt at the brink of physical exhaustion and at the extreme edge of my pain threshold made that hunt the best of my life. As important, had I tried it alone, there would have been no way I'd of shot that huge beast because there would have been no way I could have moved it.
So here's my advice considering your disability and your starting sans advantage of bonus points. Pick a few states that have huge species of what you want hanging on your wall. Call fish and game agencies of those states. Ask which areas are most difficult to draw. There's a reason some units are most difficult to draw. Start accumulating bonus points for those units. The reality will almost certainly be that, considering your age, you'll probably will have to go with units that are easier to draw.
Big species get that way by being smart. Unless you draw rut hunts, you're going to have to go where they are. That means walking/hiking/stalking for miles. When you get to where a 4x4 250+ pound mature mule deer buck beds and you kill him, how the heck are you gonna field dress him and get him back to your vehicle? The reality is you ain't. Hence, the best investment you'll make is hiring a professional.
I'm closing in on 60. I know that because of my surgically repaired joints that I don't have many more rigorous seasons remaining. Now I'm looking for quality hunts. If I don't get into the premium mule deer area I want, and Umpqua knows which one it is, I'll be forced to make a reality-based decision. My bull elk guide has told me that with reasonable certainty he can put me on a very good mule deer buck. I have enough bonus points now to draw his unit. If I don't draw the premium area I really want, I might just have to go with what might just be my realistic option.
One final thought: Mother Nature is always controlling. Drawing in the best area will accord you better probability of success, but that's not guaranteed. Hunting in the best area with the best guide does not guarantee success. If Mother Nature has other plans, you might have to compromise your expectations. Guides want you to kill the biggest species possible. But if they've move out of an area, you will probably have to settle for less than the biggest.
My way of approaching hunting now is I'd rather have one great hunt a year than many that aren't productive. DIY hunts can be rewarding, but they can also be a nightmare. Keep in mind that if you kill an animal, you have legal and ethical responsibility to get it out. I know my limitations. In the area I hunt mule deer, I know that I can quarter the largest buck in it and get it out. But then again, I am extremely familiar with that unit. Even though that's true, I'm considering hiring a guide this year if I'm drawn for my general season buck area. Were I to kill a huge buck, and there are huge bucks in that area, and were I to suffer another severe orthopedic injury field dressing it and packing it out, the consequences would be harsh.
One last very important point: I used to hunt with a 7MM Rem Mag (I'm going back to my .270 Win). It will shoot a whole lot father than I'm capable. The reality is under absolutely perfect conditions (solid rifle rest, no wind, no other animals in path of bullet) 400 yards is maximum I'd shoot in the Rockies. And I'd shoot at 400 yards only if I were absolutely unable to close distance. I'd rather shoot at a 100 yards than farther. At 9000' elevation, air is thin. You might just find yourself with labored breathing making breakfast. Hence, holding a rifle still for a shot might be wishful thinking. So a good shooting stick might be a wise investment.
In case I forgot: the best advice I can give to you is hire a guide. You'll be glad you did.
Here's a thought that I've just had. I think that the best way of assessing any adventure is whether I'd do it again. I'd hunt with Black Timber Outfitters again in a New York second.
I wish you absolute success with your injuries and your hunts.
Take care,
SS
And, I'm not really well-versed in the strategies for drawings and units.
