General Western Mule Deer questions

[glennw89]

Greetings. The elk hunt I was planning for late September is looking uncertain due to changing circumstances. All is not lost however - a window of opportunity in mid November to early December has emerged. I know that many states have open rifle seasons during this time period, but I'm pretty ignorant about the details at this point. Any input on the following questions would be appreciated.

My criteria for the hunt is pretty simple. I would much prefer to backpack in a more "wilderness" setting, would like access to lots of public land where pressure isn't going to be too heavy, and trophy size isn't really that important to me. I will have at least one hunting partner with me, maximum of two.

Which states should I target to meet the criteria above? Any input appreciated.

 

[mntman]

well since all draw deadlines have passed, except for NV that I know of, you just limited yourself to leftover tags, or general tags in the states that have them. Unless you want to spend some money on a voucher, but I would assume most of the good ones if not all have already been bought for this year.

MT, CO are options, I don't know much about the WY tag situation but there may be some options there for you.

Mntman

"Hunting is where you prove yourself"


Let me guess, you drive a 1 ton with oak trees for smoke stacks, 12" lift kit and 40" tires to pull a single place lawn mower trailer?

 

[sagebrush]

LAST EDITED ON Apr-17-14 AT 09:28PM (MST)[p]NV is always an option. Look through the statistics and you can find some of the easier tags to draw. The deadline to apply via internet is 11PM Apr 21, so you need to get cracking.

AZ deer application is open until June. Same thing there, look through the statistics for some of the easier to draw tags. Unit 41 is pretty easy to draw and has several wilderness areas. Unit 36B is also very easy to draw but I can't recall any wilderness. Most of the units along the Mexican border are easy draws and most have wilderness options.

Landowner vouchers in NM can be affordable and the deer hunting is pretty good for non-trophy type bucks.

 

[Sierra]

Idaho may be the ticket for you. Their app deadline isn't for a while, so you have time to research a unit and apply.

 

[Vanilla]

Mid-Nov to early December in the more northern states might be fairly difficult for a backpacking excursion due to weather.

 

[Sierra]

Good point Vanilla. I didn't see the dates when i recommended Idaho.

 

[nripepi]

Would the Montana Missouri Breaks fit everything he is asking for? Are there still permits available to buy?

You can hunt it late in November, can hunt it remotely, mid-size bucks...season ends November 30th.

 

[AspenAdventures]

Unit 66 in Idaho is rugged, has wilderness, has rifle hunts, you can get away from people.


"The penalty good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." - Plato

 

[AspenAdventures]

And you can buy a tag over the counter.

"The penalty good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." - Plato