Rookie hunter w NV 141-145 archery tag

Long time lurker and first time poster. Yes you read correctly, I'm greener than grass but have a resident archery mule deer tag in my pocket.

I've got the archery aspect of the hunt covered luckily but that's about it.

I killed two whitetail does at a buddies ranch from a tree stand in Oct as my first hunting experience. Then I got my ass kick wandering around in circles on the Arizona OTC hunt in Jan. I found out quick I suck at finding desert mule deer.

I'm planning to hunt the diamond mountain range north of eureka.
I know nothing about the area but I'm planning to make one or two scouting trips before the season and then get out there a few days before the opener as a scout/hunt.

From what I've read I need to get up high and glass and/or find a col or saddle with good sign to ambush from. At this stage of my minute hunting career any buck is a good buck so I'll take any opportunity I get.

couple questions I was hoping to get some help with.

I can imagine I'll see next to no one on my scouting trips but whats the pressure look like during the archery season?

This sounds stupid but are rattle snakes an issue during the august season?

while I have no desire to "road hunt" I am planning to truck camp and hike in from there. How's access w a 4x4 pickup ??

Any random advice you might want to throw my way I'll happily accept.

thanks in advance for any and all assistance.

YES, DURING THE ARCHERY SEASON RATTLERS ARE A REALITY. GET YOURSELF A PAIR OF KEVLAR LEGGINS...???????..YD.

There's a road on the north end, west side, that can get you fairly high. But it has been a long time since I've been on it and over time, sometimes the old dirt roads can really go to crap and turn into atv trails. There were some good bucks in there, and wild horses. Most of the other roads, there ain't many, don't get very high. Its some steep country.

I drew this tag as well, so maybe I'll see you up there.


>Then I got my ass
>kick wandering around in circles
>on the Arizona OTC hunt
>in Jan. I found
>out quick I suck at
>finding desert mule deer.

With mule deer, using quality glass instead of walking around is key. There very well may have been deer during your AZ hunt, but depending on hunting pressure, they may have busted out of there long before you ever saw them.

Get up high (between 8,500' - 10,000') and be on the glass well before the sun rises. This is when you will catch them eating. Once the sun touches them, they're like vampires, they want out of it so they will bed down in the shade. From experience, they don't typically bed far from where they just ate. You will typically find lots of scat in this area.

Also, they don't tend to stay in this bedding area for too long. Within 30 mins to an hour or so, they will usually move to a second spot that provides a better view of the valley below them as well as predators trying to stalk them. They like to be encased in material in order to feel safe, and by material, I mean they prefer to be surrounded by large rocks, huge sagebrush or a big pinyon pine or juniper tree.

They will typically stay within the vicinity of this second bedding area for the rest of the day, then they get active again when the sun starts to set (dinner time).

As you plan your stalk, always account for the wind and their position. If you snap a twig and they hear you or they spot you, hold still like a statue and they will *usually* lose interest. If they smell you, doesn't matter if they see or hear you, almost always the game is over. Time to start from scratch.


>I can imagine I'll see next
>to no one on my
>scouting trips but whats the
>pressure look like during the
>archery season?

It will be my first time hunting this unit as well, but if it's anything like Area 17 (which I hunted last year during archery season), the only people you will run into will be at camp and nearby trailheads. Once you hike 2-3 miles away from your car, you should be alone on that mountain...again if it's anything like Area 17.


>This sounds stupid but are rattle
>snakes an issue during the
>august season?

I have seen them a number of times on hiking trips but I've been lucky and have yet to run into a rattler during my hunting trips. I'm always on the lookout, however, as sometimes during my stalks, I'm belly crawling in thick sagebrush. Also watch where you put your hands as you climb the mountain. They love to sun on the rocks

Good luck out there! I plan on a scouting trip or two in late July so I'll share notes with you then.

Hunted it twice, once with a tag, once with a friend.

Bucks were high, near the top both times.

First time we packed to near the top for 6 days and we're in big bucks daily.

Second time hunted from the truck.

Both were rifle hunts. If I was doing the archery, I would do it via backpack..

That is a steep mountain.

The optics comments were accurate. The second hunt we started hiking 2.5 hours before shooting time. Weren?t as high as I wanted to be at shooting time. My buddy didn't see one good buck, and missed the second good buck.

Took us 5+ hours to get to the top of Diamond Peak.

Got down right at dark. There was a guide, sitting in his truck, Swarovski spotter mounted in the window. Said, ?I'm not taking a hunter up there unless I see something worth killin.?

I started spending money on optics the following year.

Good luck!

My experience in NV, if you find mountain mahogany, you will find mule deer. Sit more, walk less. You will see 100X as many deer on your butt as you will on your feet. They will be very easy to spot while they are still in their red summer coat and in velvet. Your scouting will give you an idea how many bucks are in the area. Much more difficult to find when they grow out their gray winter coat and get hard horned. You are up for some serious fun.

"You can fly a helicopter to the top of Everest and say you've been there. The problem with that is you were an a$$hole when you started and you're still an a$$hole when you get back.
Its the climb that makes you a different person". - Yvon Chouinard

Wow !!! I'm stunned by all the amazing info I've received in just the short time my post has been up.

Thanks everyone for all the informative feedback. Definitely keep it coming I love learning and hearing about different perspectives.

Beers are on me should our paths ever cross.. Really looking forward to taking my first trip up there to check out the area and thanks again for all the info

My girlfriend drew a muzzy tag a few years ago and we went up that road mentioned on the north end we found a few bucks for her to chase right along the roads.

I wanted to bring this thread back to life now that I was able to make a scouting trip to the area.

Well you guys weren't exaggerating with the steepness of the those mountains.

I drove both sides of the diamonds finding what side "roads" I could and couldn't get my truck on. I spent an evening and morning in the Roberts creek Mt area too doing the same.

Other than jumping a doe on a low sage hillside while hiking back to my truck I didn't see a single deer under 9k in elevation. It was really cool watching them feed their way up the basin and then disappear into sage bush bed to only reappear an hour later. Saw a lot of feral horses and even a young bull elk (I thought I was hallucinating but after a little research there is a small population in that area)

I'm in pretty good shape but couldn't imagine trying to day hunt that ridge line for numerous days in a row. Its starting to look a lot more like a backpack hunt to me. Being that there is a lot more water up there than I thought the backpacking in aspect feels a lot more doable. Even still getting away for the roads/two tracks feels impossible. No matter where I was i was able to clearly see a road or 2 track most of which weren't marked on the maps.

if anyone is interested in comparing notes, strategies, or maybe even partnering up drop me a message.

>if anyone is interested in comparing
>notes, strategies, or maybe even
>partnering up drop me a
>message.

PM sent

I have an archery tag as well. I am local to and hunt 141. I prefer to hunt area 15, for a couple different reasons, but also like 14.

I have found one good buck, and have him on trail camera. I have been out scouting a few times, and have found deer. Found a couple small bucks this evening.

I look high and low for deer.

One thing that is constant, is water. They are close to water. Like, within 1/4 mile of water at most.

Problem that I have found this year is that there is water running now in areas that are typically dry by mid June. The deer are a lot more scattered than I am used to.

Feed this year is greener than I have ever seen it. Thick, and hides the deer well.

I am camping out starting the 8th for the opening weekend, and then will hunt as I can for the rest of the season.

My daughter also has an area 15 junior tag, and plans to hunt archery as well.


Good luck all.

I have found deer from 5500 feet to 9000 feet.

mevertsen,

Looks like the moisture this year has changed things a bit and this season will be challenging in different ways. Still though, your news is very encouraging.

Especially seeing deer at 5500'. I will be out there scouting in a few days.

Good luck!

Last time I hunted it, there is a metal box on top of Diamond Peak for hikers to leave notes to one another. We took a break up there one afternoon. I read all of the notes. I was surprised at all of the previous hikers that had spotted elk on that mountain.

That was over 10 years ago so I'm no longer surprised at elk sightings in the Diamonds.

Side bar: I first learned of the Nevada ?High Points? from that box. High point in every county in Nevada. For the last 10 years that has been on my bucket list. I retire in December so next summer it happens (ain?t getting any younger). I bought a book about the Nevada high points and it's sitting right here.

In the last year I also learned about the California 14,000ers. A new goal I have but that one is going to be more challenging I think.

I have that same area for archery, I am new to the area as well. I was out scouting 4th of July weekend and didn't see anything besides a few doe. Hopefully it's better starting the 10th.

How did everyone do? We ended up filling one tag. Lots of small bucks, but never saw anything big.

Tag soup for me. Saw a ton of deer lots of young bucks down low and a couple mature ones around the tops.

Lots of blown stalks and learned lessons.

Outside of tipping one over I couldn't really ask for a better first mule deer hunt ( I guess cooler weather would been nice lol) I'll without a doubt be back next year.

As much as I loved the 2am wake up and 2,000? hike up to the glassing point I'm looking forward to being lazy sitting in a tree stand on doe patrol lol.

I killed a 20" 2x3 on the second day. My first archery buck. The pics are father down.

Tag soup here as well. Made it out there only twice, one to scout and the other to hunt. Next time I will carve out more time on the schedule.

>I killed a 20" 2x3 on
>the second day. My first
>archery buck. The pics are
>father down.

Congrats on your first archery buck!! I'll get my first next year even if I have to quite my job to make enough time lol.

>I killed a 20" 2x3 on
>the second day. My first
>archery buck. The pics are
>father down.


Congrats !!

Wow elk!!
Where did you see them?
I have hunted the north west side of the Diamond Mountain range. But have never seen any sign of elk.