Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting DIY Mule Deer

Okay, my neighbor and I got the bright idea that we want to do a DIY mule deer hunt next fall.

We are curious to know what the easiest and probably the most economical way to go about doing so would be for tags, licenses, units, etc. I am not so concerned with tagging a trophy as I am having a good time and the possibility of taking home a nice animal.

I am sure this has been discussed but I am having a hard time with pulling anything in the Search for this.

We haven't really ironed out any major details yet but right now we are looking at driving out. Maybe looking at doing a camp and hunting from there. I think we would prefer to avoid lodging fees.

Any help with starting points, states/units to look at, or other general tips are basically what I am looking for.

Just a start, Colorado is draw only for muleys unless there a few leftover tags. Good luck!
P.S. I didn't draw this year or last.

You're kinda late to the ball game for this fall. If you you want to go now, I'd vote Nebraska Pine Ridge. It's probably the cheapest route too, at $209 for a tag.
For areas that do not require preference points, I think Colorado is a better bet than a lot of other places. Wyoming would be my next bet, then maybe Idaho. Idaho won't require any kind of a draw to hunt most of the state.

That is why I said next fall.

Okay, so Nebraska, followed by Wyoming and Idaho?

Any specific units that I should be looking at?

In Nebraska, the Pine Ridge is the only place to consider with significant public land and the only one I'll give away. Tags are first come first served, and don't typically sell out till opening day.

You really should not rule out applying for a limited tag. It's a foreign language, not rocket science. And wouldn't you feel better in a foreign country knowing the language?

If you're willing to apply, Colorado has a lot of very good hunting for 0 points and would be my pick.

This may help with an overview of what the west has to offer:
http://www.biggamehunt.net/sections/Elk/Nonresidents-Guide-to-Western-Hunting-02081010.html

Definitely a can-do. Lots of public land out west.

Wyoming has BLM, Forest Service and Wilderness areas - non residents are not to hunt the Wilderness areas without a Wyoming guide. There's still a LOT of public land available.

Applying for non-resident tags out west can get expensive, no doubt. Be prepared for mountain weather - elevations can be high. For example I hunted at 9,000 - 11,000' one year in Wyoming. Even last year my buddy and I were over 8,000' for mule deer. Give yourself a few days to get used to the altitude.

Might want to bring a fly rod or light spinning gear too.

Good shelter is important. You need somewhere warm, dry and comfortable to retreat into when the weather hits.

Just some random thoughts pinging around in my head...

Regards, Guy

My first question is how much is your budget? If you can find access (lease/trespass fees) you can hunt in Texas this year.

Unless you want to purchase a landowner voucher which both of you guys could do this year.

To the OP, do you want to hunt archery, muzzleloader or rifle? I am assuming you want to hunt the high country. There are so many possibilities I would start with looking at season dates and deciding which weapon you want to use. There are quite a few tags you can draw with 0 points, even with a rifle.

Drum

War Eagle,

Also what size mule deer are you an d your buddy looking for? If it is any legal buck, you have a lot of options. If you are looking for a B&C trophy, you will need to do something else entirely. For something between those two extremes there are other options.

Is next fall 2010 or 2011?

jim

Yeah, here are a few points that probably would help in the suggestions:

We are looking to rifle hunt. I haven't touched a bow in 4 years.

We definitely are NOT looking for trophy animals. I will be happy with a legal buck, I doubt he would differ in this either. Consider this a "get our feet wet" trip with higher aspirations possibly for later years.

Budget is a little trickier. I haven't spoken with him about this yet but it will definitely be a tight budget. But on the same token, I really don't know what to figure for as I haven't started looking at tags, licenses or fuel yet as I don't know what state we will be deciding on either. This post was my "feeler" to gauge a starting point to get things moving on assessing budget, time, and other variables.

Next fall is 2011.

I really appreciate the tips everybody is dropping. Let's see if we can get a few more to help iron this out further.

Figure around $350-$400 for most deer tags in most western states when you factor in a general hunting license for the states that require it:
I summarized the costs and application processes in that article I linked to in the first post.
Mileage calculations are tough, but if you figure on driving 4,000 miles round trip you're probably looking at $1,000.

Flying out and renting a truck won't be much cheaper, but it will save you a few days of driving.

Now, if we assume you don't or want any new gear, that'll help, but you can use the gear in future hunts.

No motels will help, but you may need them on the drive out, plus meals.

Anyway, it will be tough to do for much less than $1,500-$1,700. Probably closer to $2,000, but you will be able to split most expenses with a partner. If you've got the vehicle, add in an extra guy or two, and your costs may plummet.

I'd buy a preference point for Wyoming this year, then apply next year for a unit you are likely to draw with plenty of public land and the type of terrain you'd like to hunt.

Might want to get a copy of "Public Land Mulies" by David Long.

Pretty doggone good book about mule deer hunting, do-it-yourself hunts, and a good write-up on several different states offering good hunting. The book is avail through Eastmans' Hunting Journal.

Regards, Guy

War Eagle,

I subscribe to Eastmans Hunting Journal, and I recommend you give it a shot too.

The tip above for the Wyoming point is a good one: you can buy a point this year and use it in the draws next year.

jim

Carl, Guy, Jim, thanks for the mention of the preference point and the book. I will make it a point to look for it.

Exbiologist, that is pretty much the breakdown I was hoping for. I figure I should be able to do $2k relatively easy. Much more and I may have a hard time. I know I will have at least one partner and possibly his son along for the trip too. That should especially help with driving and fuel costs. With three man driving shifts we ought to be able to avoid hotels along the way.

We will definitely drive out. Neither of us want to deal with the possibility of lost rifles while flying or having to ship any meat back if we are successful.

If I were just wanting to have a lot of fun and have a good chance to kill a buck I'd probably put E Montana at the top of my list.

One thing you should be prepared for is putting up some money up front on a chance of getting draw most places will refund money but not all of it or all of them.

If you wanna kill forkies go to SE idaho

War Eagle:

Since you plan on driving you will have to get some lodging along the way. If you have a camper or trailer or can borrow one, you can eliminate the cost of lodging. A camper makes camping a lot easier but it limits the roads that you can drive. I have a small travel trailer which I can disconnect for driving rougher roads. Or you can rent a popup camper trailer fairly inexpensively. It might be about the same as paying for motels.

Mountain air is very different from what you may be used to. It is thin and dry. There is simply less air to breathe than you may be accustomed to. Altitude sickness is a very real concern if you are coming from low elevation. Pulmonary edema and cerebral edema are both killers but they are rare below 14,000� elevation. The most common form is Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), the least severe type. Its� most common symptoms are headaches and nausea. But it can also result in lassitude, loss of appetite and periodic breathing.

The best preventative for AMS is for you to be in good cardiovascular condition before you come here. It�s really endurance breathing that you need to develop. Good exercises for this are stair climbing, jogging, basketball, racket ball, high altitude hiking, bicycling and swimming. It�s also a good idea for you to arrive a couple days early and then take it easy for the first few days, to give your body time to adjust. Also try to develop a technique called pressure breathing. Essentially you generate a rhythm between your body effort and your lungs so that you have air before you need it. If you wait until you need the air then you are always out of breath.

The low humidity has several negative effects that your body may not be accustomed to. With every breath you humidify the air that you breathe. So you are constantly losing body moisture and you don�t realize it and dehydration is a very real concern. Also your perspiration evaporates so rapidly that you often don�t realize that you are sweating. Dehydration is also associated with AMS. Drink lots of liquids even when you are not thirsty, at least 3 quarts a day. By the way, alcohol and caffeine are not good liquids for this as they are both diuretics and you will eventually be even more dehydrated.

The dry air also creates some extreme temperature variations. It�s common for night time lows to be around zero and day time highs to be in the 60s. This means that you can be hypothermic in the morning and experience heat exhaustion in the afternoon of the same day. Short afternoon storms are common and these often drop the temperature by 30 degrees. When combined with some wind and some sweaty clothes, that can be deadly if you don�t react properly.

Experienced mountain hikers dress in many thin layers and don�t use one big coat. That way they can adapt their clothing to a changing environment. When you sit down to rest, put on a jacket or sweater right away. Don�t wait to get cold. It�s too hard to warm up again. Try to avoid cotton clothing. It's deadly in cold wet weather because it soaks up water like a sponge and encourages hypothermia. Wool and wool/synthetic blends, polypropylene and polyester fleece are best because they are quiet and keep you warm even when wet.

Heat exhaustion results in headache, dizziness, weakness and fainting. It can also result in coma and death. It�s more common in high humidity environments but it happens in the mountains too. Mostly in people who have big body mass and high thermal inertia. In other words if you are over weight, then you are more susceptible to heat exhaustion. I�ve also seen it in people who are not over weight but they were big people. They have big bone and muscle structures so they don�t dissipate heat readily. If you start feeling like you are going to faint, then sit down in the shade, drink some water, rub a wet bandanna on your neck and head. Dunk your head in a stream if one�s convenient. Rest for a while and you most likely will recover quickly. Then don�t over exert yourself until it�s cooler.

You need to bring strong hiking boots with lug soles and good ankle support. Lightweight hiking boots just won't do the job. Also try to bring some extra boots because boots will soon be soaked from walking through melting snow. Gaiters and good bees wax waterproofing will delay the soaking process so they�re a good idea. But ultimately your boots will become so soaked and frozen in the morning that you need to change them. They will dry out after a couple of days in the cook tent.

Buy the USGS, USFS and BLM maps and memorize them. That way you will at least know the major lay of the land and you will feel more comfortable. Otherwise you will feel like you are always lost.

Organize yourself and your gear. You are responsible for packing your own backpack and keeping your tent tidy. Nobody�s going to do it for you. Your mother is not here. Bring just the minimum gear that you are sure that you will need. It�s easier to stay organized if you have less to keep track of. Put everything in stuff sacks, one sack for each type of stuff. You need to know where everything is all the time so you can quickly switch your gear for the type hunting that day. You don�t want to be the guy that everybody is always waiting on. You should be able to get everything into a backpack, a large gear bag and a rifle case. If you have more luggage than that, then you are bringing too much stuff.

When backpacking, lightweight is absolutely essential. Leave that big flashlight and those books and that big heavy coat at base camp. Before you come, put everything in your pack. Then put it on your back. Then take everything out one at a time and ask yourself if you really need to carry that on your back for several miles.

KC

KC has it pretty much covered. I like to bring along a saline nasal spray. You cant believe how dry is is out there. I actually have gotten a bloody nose. Also take a variety of clothes. It might be 80 one day and 20 the next.

We are from Michigan, and we hunt in Wyoming. We drive out (1200) mile one way, pay a trespass fee, and haul a fifth wheel. It cost us about $1500.

Denny

Yup. When I hunt Wyoming it's about 800 miles from my home in Washington. I drive because I avoid airlines whenever possible. With two of us driving, 800 miles is just a good long haul, no big deal.

I've hunted from a motel, and have also hunted from a tent. Either way has advantages. One thing that I encountered not far from Yellowstone was an area known for grizzly bear danger. Tents and soft-side campers were not allowed at the campsites - had to be a hard shell camper - because of the bear danger. Interesting, because a hunter can pack in from there a few miles deeper into the mountains and camp in a tent of course. Still, it was interesting.

$2000 or so is plenty for a do-it-yourself trip, complete. Dang, I'm not hunting out of state this year, and now this thread has really got me wound up about it!

Regards, Guy