Scouting Advice

[MB1988]

Hey Everyone,

I'm a newbie here to the forum and a newbie to muley hunting here over the last year. I grew up in Northern Minnesota hunting whitetails my whole life and just recently crossed the river a couple of years ago and moved to North Dakota which sparked my interest in chasing mule deer. I went out a couple of times last archery season to the badlands with no success but it definitely amplified my obsession with wanting to tag one 10x.

That being said, my buddy and I have decided to take our dads out to Wyoming this coming fall as surprise birthday presents for them as they have never hunted mule deer in their life either. We are currently in the planning stage for taking a scouting trip out there but want to be able to make it worth our drive out. Right now we are thinking either sometime in June or sometime in August to make the 12+ hour trek so we obviously want to optimize our time when we go.

We've talked with a biologist out there who gave us a little bit of advice telling us that September would be the best time to be scouting because the deer aren't really going to move much from their home territory from September to October. However in my mind, I really wouldn't think they'd move a whole lot from August to September and as of right now September isn't really in the books for us.

Would anyone we willing to give us any advice as to when the better time to head out that direction scouting may be being its quite hike for us?

Thanks!

 

[boomer]

August would definitely be better than June. Bucks can be pretty tough to judge in June as they still have a lot of growth to come. It would also help if you gave us a general idea of where you are planning to hunt. There is a big difference between hunting the high country in western Wyoming as compared to some of the lower country.

 

[MB1988]

We're hoping to get into Region M possibly in that Bighorn Mountains area. I guess being we've never been there before, so I'm not sure what technically qualifies as high country just yet.

 

[elktaker]

LAST EDITED ON May-15-18 AT 10:07PM (MST)[p]Scouting closer to the season will be much better. In early August bucks will have close to full grown antlers which will help you two ways. 1: you can judge them better and 2: they typically stay in the open more to protect their velvet. Typically, I see deer in the same area (summer range) until mid-October unless you get a lot of snow but once they rub their velvet they are harder to locate and start bedding in thicker cover.

Do not forget that you cannot hunt wilderness as a non-resident without a guide or a resident with you, so you have to plan around that. I beleive the highest elevation in the Bighorn NF is designated wilderness.

 

[arns]

I've hunted muleys my hole life and they will pretty much stay in the same area from the end of May to the end of August
But once they rub their velvet off they completely change their patterns.I would wait until sometime in September.They will stay in that area until the rut in November.But that also depends on how much pressure and weather they get.

 

[ByeByeObamas]

Go where other dudes won't 2 h4s before daylight. Watch the wind.

 

[goforbroke]

Make sure to get antelope tags!! Deer hunting a general left over unit can be frustrating and not successful. Antelope are much more plentiful and easier to find. You will still be trying to find them on public land, but is a very enjoyable hunt, especially for youth and older gentlemans

 

[ICMDEER]

I feel like August is the best month to find bucks. They don't generally move much from then till late October. I agree on the antelope; get those licenses if you can.

Not sure of the type of country you'll hunt or the physical condition of everyone, but being in shape and having good optics are keys to seeing critters and having a successful hunt. Get a good spotting scope, put it on a good fluid head tripod and get to a high vantage point before daylight. Look farther away than you think is possible in Minnesota. Most people look with the sun at your back, but I prefer to look into some shadows if you can. Seems like many of the bigger bucks live in the shadows.

Stop in your hunt area and visit with people. Most Wyoming folks are pretty friendly and helpful. You'll get some good ideas from them, especially if you come in August and they know you are bringing you dads.

Best of luck.

 

[MB1988]

It's been a couple of days since I could get to this, but I really appreciate all of the advice! Thank you and best of luck to you all in the upcoming season!

 

[fatrooster]

Late July and August are the best times to scout. As stated above, the bucks will stay out in the open more due to not wanting to damage the velvet but when they rub off the velvet in late August or September they are harder to find. Normally they will still be in the general area but have moved into the trees and thicker brush. I suggest getting David Long's book "The Edge" to learn more about mule deer. fatrooster