Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Nebraska Mule Deer

am in the beginning stages of planning a mule deer hunt, and Nebraska looks like it might be a solid choice. What I am confused about is the difference in OTC tags. I see where there is a Deer Tag at about $240 bucks, then a Mule and Whitetail Deer Buck Tag at about $600.

What exactly do I need if I want to drive to Nebraska and hunt a mule deer buck on public land?

When I was hunting there, the statewide deer tag is an unlimited tag and more expensive. The Pine Ridge or whatever unit deer tag you are thinking about is the less expensive one but has a cap to the number available

A while ago I checked into the Pine Ridge area of Nebraska around Chadron. As I recall, there can be heavy pressure on public lands, and meat care options are limited.

I always wanted to hunt this state. I have yet to do it, something always come up.
Hunt someplace else or do something else.
The SandHills and big deer. Sounds good to me.

Heck, big deer any place is a good thing.
Take care

I'm in the same boat as you. I got a tag in the platte unit. I'll be going in blind, should be interesting

I hunted the Chadron Pine Ridge area for many years, only one Mule Deer per license. You can buy more deer tags, up to three but only one Mule Deer per year. The Mule deer are normally out in the fields/grass land. But not always, shot a few in the wood as well. Also shot White Tails out on the prairie. A mix, more White Tails than Mule Deer.

I guess what is considered a large deer is relative, the deer in the Pine Ridge area went about 120 to 200. Mulie's are a bit larger. Compared to the Northern Minnesota White Tails I grew up on that is a normal to small deer.

The state-wide tags are more expensive, but give you more options as to location. The specific unit tags will do just fine, as long as you are going to that area, only. Public land in Nebraska gets hit pretty hard, but also produces some great deer on occasion. There are some real big deer here, but most are closely guarded by landowners that either lease their land to an outfitter, or is hunted by friends and family. The land south of Valentine is good public hunting, as is the Halsey National Forest. I have never hunted either, but know people that have killed deer, or knew someone, who killed deer there.

Been a resident and deer hunter in Ne. since 1976.
Public land hunting is usually very crowded, lots of people with handfuls of tags and looking to take home a pickup load of deer for winter meat.Anything remotely looking like a deer will be shot,almost nothing will be passed up.
Not saying you can't find some quality hunting on private land but there might be a substantial fee.In the eastern regions you have to know somebody and it will probably take a bribe to find a place to hunt.Any landowner has sons or grand sons, daughters or grand daughters and they get first dibs.I did not have a place to hunt for the last 15 years until finally coercing a distant friend into letting me hunt his 40 acre pasture.Rifle season was spent on this pasture and only seeing a couple of does and small bucks,had hunters next door on two sides. So it's not a rosey picture. Good Luck!

Sent you a pm with some info...but if you go on their website you can a free booklet that shows public land and private land enrolled in their hunter access programs.

I wish you luck, liliysdad. Hunting the sandhills of Nebraska is on my bucket list.

I'm especially fired up every time I see one of the hunting shows where they are spot and stalk hunting with DeerMeadow outfitters. Those guys kill some big bucks.

A friend and I hunted the Sandhills area for years but we found ranchers amenable to a trespass fee best bet. As mentioned the public areas were hammered. We haven’t been back since ‘14 when pickin’s were very slim due to blue tongue which hit in ‘13 knocking out up to 60% of the whitetail herd there. Mule deer seemed to less affected by it but seemed to be the minority species anyway. I expect in five years the herd has recovered or close to it. I certainly hope so.

There was a large public hunting area south of Valentine and just to the east of the major highway running south out of town. But it was a walk-in area (or by horseback) only at that time. It always looked to me like a trophy deer area (relatively speaking) 3-5 miles in as over the years and over the seasons we never saw vehicles at the trailhead thus doubt it was hunted hard much. We talked about walking it in every year but always found a rancher for a trespass fee. And took very nice deer.

NE gets kudo’s IMO for relatively, easy, non-resident tag accessibility (as opposed to SD for instance) without PP or a draw, and a hunt that’s over the rut in mid-November.

NE deer hunts were some of my best and most memorable in 2012 and in years previous.

Vehicles are not allowed in most of the public areas now and that means a lot of walking. Good boots and layered clothes are critical. Expect snow the second half of the week. Expect a lot of other shooters.

The deer populations are up and down due to disease, and some years it has not been very good at all.

I usually buy a buck tag (either white tail or mulie) and two doe tags.

I have ruined two trucks in those hills.