Midwest Mule Deer Hunters

WiscoKid · Oct 25, 2016

Hey guys, love the site, I'm looking for some information from other Midwesterners like myself. I'm pretty new to mule deer hunting. I harvested a nice 4x4 in Wyoming a few years back near Kaycee (rifle) and shot a 3x3 each of the last two years in South Dakota with my bow. Bowhunting is where my passion lies, but planning the hunts from Wisconsin gets to be difficult. I have my eye on Nebraska, or Arizona late season and am trying to gather information. What resources do you guys find to be the best, and how do you decide how much good mule deer country to drive through in order to find "great" mule deer country. Really, I'd be happy hunting 150s anywhere in the country. Any advice or tips are greatly appreciated

Deer · Oct 25, 2016

Private land most any state will get you what you're looking for

huntertj · Oct 25, 2016

Where are you from in WI? I live in St. Paul, MN. It's very difficult to plan hunts out west. I've been hunting WY and SD for the last 20+ years. From what I've seen and heard, the place to go is western NE with a muzzleloader. There are very few hunters and the landowners seem to be willing to allow hunters on. Not the bowhunt your looking for, but a great option.

Feel free to PM me for my info about SD and WY.

T-

WestNDMuleys · Oct 26, 2016

LAST EDITED ON Oct-26-16 AT 08:39AM (MST)[p]Coming from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to North Dakota has been amazing. It can be tough to get a non resident muley tag even for archery. But a lot of guys apply for MT rifle muleys with very good odds of drawing. Also I have made a trip and intend to go again to Arizona in January for some late hunting for muleys.

mntman · Oct 26, 2016

not sure what you are asking but here I go...

If you mean you have picked a state/unit and are expecting to draw it or did. I scout as much of the unit as possible. Sure that will be tough being from back East and hunting 4 states away. However, it should be attempted. Even if you show up multiple days early and scout that is better than nothing.
I look to get away from people, if that means walking up a steep mountain to gain access to a basin, walking long distance, going down into a nasty hole next to road, picking my way through severe blow down. What ever it takes, I look first at getting away from others.

I really hate thinking I found a great spot only to have a bunch of other hunters show up, so I do my best to minimize that. Once I found that spot then I start trying to understand why the animals are there (food, water, security) or will be there (hunting pressure).
Figuring that out will help you figure out your next step.

In regards to scouting and not being able to cause you live 1000 miles away, an easy answer to that is pick a unit you can draw every year and don't change. As you hunt you scout and over time you will learn it.
If you "chase" success (internet stories/pictures) you will never learn a unit and always be 2 steps behind.

Mntman

"Hunting is where you prove yourself"

go4steelhd · Oct 26, 2016

Are you set on a bow hunt? I would pick one state and hunt the same unit each year. Then you will learn where the deer are and there habits in season. People may throw stones about my next statement, but I would not come over and scout until just before season. If you have seven days to hunt spend three days scouting before the opener and then hunt four days. I've had great success with this on out of state hunts. Now if the unit was three hours from my house I would make lots of scouting

You stated you would go anywhere to hunt 150" bucks.
1. Eastern Montana rifle during the rut.
2. Wyoming pick a region you can draw every year
3. Idaho OTC
All of these will provide the opportunity you are looking for. You will have to learn the area, and the deer habits for success. Also pick one type of terrain and learn how to hunt it. Weather its high county, desert, or hunting the rut.

When I first started hunting out of state I would just pick an area with public access and a high number of animals harvested. And then go hunt. Now my hunting has changed a bit, I'm more interested in a trophy then high success so this has changed the areas that I hunt. And I generally rifle hunt.

WiscoKid · Oct 26, 2016

Thanks for the advice guys, it wasnt actually a post for specific spots etc, but like I said, I've gotten to know my spot in SD and have seen good deer (130-140) and some giant whitetails. Of course everyone talks about Utah or Idaho Or western Wyoming Colorado.... It's just do I drive through the Dakota's or through Nebraska (states that can hold big deer) just to get to these "holy grail" states and was wondering how you guys justify it

mntman · Oct 26, 2016

That depends on what type of hunt do you want or can do. I like the scenery that comes with the hunt too. With that in mind I'd hunt the mountains of CO 110 times out of a hundred over NE. That is just me though.

Getting away from it all/people is half the fun, the fewer people I see the more fun I have. Not knocking hunting in the flats, I grew up in MN hunting whitey and try to go back when I can and still love it.

Mntman

"Hunting is where you prove yourself"