THE BEST OF 270 MULE DEER!!

RUTTNBUCKS · May 9, 2011

WELL, I KNOW IT IS ONLY MAY BUT JUNE IS AROUND THE CORNER AND I AM DREAMING ABOUT HUNTING AS USUAL. LIKE MOST I DREAM OF DRAWING ONE OF IF NOT THE MOST COVETED DEER TAGS IN THE COUNTRY. YES I BELIEVE UNIT 270 HOLDS SOME OF THE BEST ODDS OF KILLING A 200 PLUS INCH BUCK THAN ANYWHERE. SO HERE IS YOUR CHANCE TO POST PICTURES OF BUCKS THAT YOU KNOW FOR SURE WERE KILLED IN 270. I WILL TRY AND ROUND UP SOME OF MY PICTURES. LETS SEE EM.

36moose · May 9, 2011

are you a local guy that has some insider info or just a dreamer. have followed some other posts and talked to people that hit that unit hard and could not top 180. it seems it is living on past hype.after the big fire the regrowth helped grow some great bucks but poaching,predators blah blah blah have knocked it down quite a bit. i think there are better places with 1% draw odds than 270.

mtmuley · May 9, 2011

It definitely isn't what it used to be. A guy with knowledge of the country and that has the time to hunt it hard would do well. The hype keeps people from applying for other good areas though. I like that! mtmuley

RUTTNBUCKS · May 10, 2011

I would agree that there has been a decline in the past, 04-06 in stud bucks and when I say studs I meen 195 plus. Which is also why I asked for the best of the unit, I know of several in the last couple years that broke the 200 inch mark in which I am trying to get photos posted. Last year a 12 year old boy drew the tag and his dad asked if I could direct them anywhere they only had one weekend to hunt and that was it, the boy shot a 178 in buck from the road. I dont know many units anywhere that you can do that. is it always that easy I dont think so, but it holds alot of big deer if one knows how to hunt hard and smart. Now this year could be different we have had a hard winter and if it is just a dream of mine, well I its a good dream anyway.

muledeernuts · May 11, 2011

If you go to the boone and crockett trophy watch page on their web-site you can follow down the list and see a couple bucks from the last few years. I actually had the list at my house but couldn't find it last night. Everyone knows its not what it used to be as soon as they cut the permits from 150 to 45 or so. Either way a 180 class mule deer in MT is a stud. most people go a lifetime and maybe get one that big.. maybe! Find the horn Goose!

Randy11 · May 11, 2011

45 tags are given out, and 200 or so bucks are killed in there every year. Theres still tons of potential, but theres just not many mature bucks. Also, a good majority of the bucks that do get mature live down in the bottom on private.

I know the unit fairly well, and have never applied there. It's still a good tag, but not as good as the odds show.

JohnColter · May 12, 2011

Randy, are you implying that 155 bucks are poached each year? This was my first year EVER putting in for a mule deer permit and I put in for the 270 tag. I figured my odds were so low anyhow.

JohnColter · May 12, 2011

LAST EDITED ON May-12-11 AT 08:55AM (MST)[p]What are the draw areas everyone thinks are better? I am familiar with only one other draw area, the Bridgers. I've seen good bucks there but I'd rather take my chances on some general units elsewhere.

RUTTNBUCKS · May 12, 2011

Lima peaks has a draw with alright bucks, drummond has a alright area and the other one that I know of is the snowcrest range. And once again the only one that I put in for is 270 the other units dont have as high of potential. thats my opinion anyway.

Randy11 · May 12, 2011

>Randy, are you implying that 155
>bucks are poached each year?
>This was my first year
>EVER putting in for a
>mule deer permit and I
>put in for the 270
>tag. I figured my odds
>were so low anyhow.

Poached/tribal kills.

The quality/odds ration is messed up in every special permit area I've been in. There just aren't enough good units to go around considering how many people apply. There's honestly maybe four 'trophy' units in the state that I'd sacrifice my general tag to hunt.

The way I look at 270 is this- You have a one percent chance at drawing, and then maybe a ten-twenty percent chance of killing a booner even when you have your tag. The odds are probably three times better at killing a book MT bighorn, or a book muley in a general unit than you do a book buck in 270, to put it in perspective.

Likewise, a unit with say ten percent draw odds might have a five percent chance of killing a booner. Better odds.

It makes sense if you don't care about hunting any of the lesser units, and are ok with the general units or whitetail.

Personally, I'd rather hunt general most years, and a slightly better unit every now and then.

That said, if I ever get the supertag, I'll be hunting 270.
hows that for going in circles

mtmuley · May 12, 2011

There's a lot of places in the Root to find a big buck. Until things change, a lot of 270 permit holders are gonna be disappointed. I live here and I wouldn't and don't apply. mtmuley

RockyDog · May 13, 2011

yearround Indians are blasting alot of the best bucks in 270, ive seen it for myself. they are selling racks to some unscrupilous taxi up in hippytown, i mean missoula.