I have an old book from the Wyoming Game and Fish entitled "The Mule Deer of Wyoming". It is the 3rd Edition. I don't know if it has been updated or discontinued. It describes 3 different mule deer herds in the Cody area. The Clarks Fork Herd is identified as a separate herd with a population of 4,700 animals. The North Fork Shoshone Herd is identified as a separate herd with a population of 2,700. The South Fork of the Shoshone Herd is identified as a separate herd with a population of 5,200. The book was published before the wolf experiment and the increasing population of grizzly bears. Again, I have no idea if this publication has been updated or discontinued.
I spend a lot of time in the Cody backcountry during the Spring, Summer and Fall. My time is spent hiking for the most part. I can range out as far as 5-8 miles from any roads depending on the terrain. By early July, most of the mule deer bucks have disappeared into the high country where I lose contact with them. This year, I saw two mature bucks in October during the hunting season. The first buck was at least 8 1/2 miles from the nearest road living at about 10,000 ft. He was an old timer with a cow head and a pot belly. He was living alone. He was a tall and heavy 4x4 but did not seem particularly wide. His head size might have fooled me with regard to his width. I did not take him despite having the opportunity to do so. Later in October after a good storm, I ran across another mature buck at least 5 miles from the pickup. He was with a single doe and was hidden very well. I decided to shoot him. I would estimate he was a 5 year old buck. He was 24" wide and extremely heavy with 4 points on each side with decent eye guards. He grosses around 170 with a net in the 165 range.
Over the 16 years I have hunted public land in the Cody area, I have seen about 6 mule bucks on the hoof in the 170 to 190 inch range. I was lucky enough to harvest a 185 4x4 typical a few years ago. Hunting mule deer on public land in the Cody area involves knowledge of two things. First, if you know where they hang during the early part of October, you may be able to take one on his summer range. These bucks are way back in and no where near a road. Second, by late October and November you usually need a weather event to trigger the migration out of the high country. If such an event takes place, you need to know where the migration trails are and watch them. If the mule deer rut is triggered before the season ends, you may be lucky enough to see a large buck chasing does. The two largest bucks I have ever seen hunting the Cody area, one in 106 and the other in 111, were rutting with does around the last couple of days of the season in November. This was before the Game and Fish shut down the Sunlight-Crandall season for November unless you held a LE 105 tag. I did not take either of these two bucks. One was the biggest typical I have ever seen alive. I have hunted G&H and this buck was better than any typical I ever saw in those areas.
In 2013 and 2014, I provided 5 non-resident hunters with some information when they were lucky enough to draw the LE late season 105, 106 and 109 deer tags. The guys in 2013 took a couple of typical bucks (4x4 and 3x4)in the 160 to 170 range. The three hunters in 2014 all took non-typical bucks in that same size range or even a little bigger.
My belief is you have to hunt the Cody area very hard to take anything above a 160 inch mule deer during the general season. They exist but are usually located in very steep and remote locations.
just sayin...mh
