we are not so much interested in a trophy but a place with a good herd
Just about anyplace in the west has mule deer herds. It's being able to find a buck during hunting season that's difficult. You can kill a buck within 50 miles of downtown LA -the way the crow flies- but you will work for it and it won't be much over 125lbs. The San Gabriel Mountains has lots of deer, bear, & mountain lions. But they're straight up & straight down. They are more rugged than the Rocky Mountains. But you can hunt deer in the morning and spend the rest of the day at Disneyland.
Deer Hunting San Gabriel Mountains Thanks for the info. Not real sure that it's any help though. Let me clarify a little bit so you don't have to waste anymore time. DA is asking about the starting place for a DIY hunt. A state that.
A) Has a mule deer herd
B) Sells over the counter buck tags or has a group / party application
C) Preferably with public land
I will go ahead and tell you CA, OR, and WA are not on the list. Thanks for suggesting Dsneyland but Disneyworld is much superior.
Using that criteria, I would suggest you take a look at the southern 1/2 of Idaho as your first choice. Not all units are OTC, but many are. It's some neat country and the deer can be found at many elevations as well. Lots of public land. Another bonus, if you see one, you can instead use that buck tag on a wolf or black bear!
UT also meets that criteria, but IMO, the deer hunting for the OTC units is way worse and the season's very short making for lots of pressure.
Used to MT wasn't really OTC, but it was this year as they had leftover tags. I will be going back to MT someday, but I'm hoping for a couple of mild winters before doing that.
