Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Steens Mountain mule deer hunting

I'm tossing this out there in hopes that someone who has hunted this unit will respond. I will be rifle hunting it this fall. Thank you!

Jeff--hi, I've only hunted the Maupin Unit, I hear the Steens is a great unit. Good luck, hunt hard and be safe!

Have hiked out in the Steens and chased chukar. saw some nice bucks.

Been a few years.Dig out maps and see if I can remember any specific areas terrain.

Beautiful and remote country

Isn't that near where Claude Dallas went to live after being released from prison for killing the ID COs Pogue and Elms back in 1981?

Jeff

I don't know.

I do know where there's a cabin that two brothers holed up in in the 50's to wait for the end of the world!

I have spent a bunch of days elk hunting in the steens. Durring the deer rut. There are a few nice bucks. If I had the tag, I would hunt the south half right in the center. Away from roads up in the aspen. Good luck.

Good luck Jeff. Better practice your long range shooting skills.....Need some pointers

Here's one I can give you.....Watch out for rattle snakes!!!

I will say this once. Park at the Wildhorse Lake overview. Then.................................................................... There are springs nearby where one can acquire water. Camp in the large rocks there, exercise your binos and spotting scope, and do not move from that site until you have the buck of choice spotted. In all probability, one will not have to leave camp to score. The end.

We used to hunt Mulies in the Steens before the draw started. We still hunt Antelope there. There's a "road" from the hamlet of Diamond to Fish Lake that goes thru some awfully pretty country. Fish Lake used to have CA Golden trout -- don't know if it still does. Good memories.

That road takes one up the western side of McCoy Creek. Good country, but due to road access it's heavily hunted the first weekend. Upside is there is great fishing in McCoy for pan sized trout. About 4 days into the season though, one can have that conuntry pretty much to themselves. One can see some big boys tucking into the canyon aspen thickets, and also bedding down in the expansive plains of mountain big sagebrush. A good spot for some archery elk hunting too. Just be sure to brings ones pack frame and wear out the binos and spotting scope.

My son had an opportunity at monster there about 4 yrs ago (second weekend) about a mile up from the mouth of Dingle Creek. We were not quick enough about getting the stalk going and bucky came out of his bed and skipped out just as we were getting to "peek over rock." The wife got to watch it all fall apart from camp, as we did not have a sufficient repertoire of international signs for her to communicate the goings on. Buck and hunters unknowingly passed one another with about 150 yds of separation.

he last time I was in the Steens we camped on McCoy Creek. The road going to it seems to get worse each time I go. Nowdays, it's better suited to a CJ5 than my 4 door pickup. In the early days, we could cross McCoy and go up the other side. Not any more. Not far from where that road takes off and still heading toward Fish Lake is Moon Hill, where I've camped at least a dozen times, mostly hunting Antelope. In the old days, 8-10 or so of us would put in, one or two would draw and we'd all go on the trip. There's a road at Moon Hill that will take you to French Glen (eventually) and we used to see Mulies on that drive quite often. Beautiful country. About 20 years ago my wife and I got snowed in during the second weekend of Deer season. Even with chains, it's tough to get around in the gumbo soil. We let it melt/dry out and got out out 2 days late. Great trip!

Yes, the weather gods can do unexpected things on the Steens. Been snowed in and snowed out a couple of seasons, had bed liners blown out of pickups and down the east rim, and had rains make the roads near impassable. A neat piece of country and fun to hunt since it went limited entry.

Totally agree. We hunted sage grouse in the snow in early September. Also arrived at Mann Lake in April after a night at the Fields motel to see every tent flattened and soaked with the previous occupants seeking refuge inside their rigs!

We experienced that one once. Our Northface was the only tent standing, but we had moved the rig to the upwind side as the blow began.

Wonder how that 346,000 acre Holloway fire north of Denio NV will affect the hunting?

No affect on the Steens unit at all, but the Trout Creek unit is near completely blackend. Applied for the Trout Creeks this year and glad now that we did not draw. I think the state will give the preference points back to those that drew the Trout Creeks.

I have a bull elk tag on the Nevada Idaho border. Hope it don't burn up.

Congrats Jeff... that is supposed to be one of the premier places..

I have drawn White Horse unit several times and loved it..

came home empty, but had some fantastic experiences.. and loved being in that isolated corner of the State....

Loved both White Horse and Snake River unit...

have driven around in the Steens just looking around..

should be a memorable hunt.... hopefully you'll take some photos to post..

I hunted Sheep in the upper Owyhee Unit in 2006 -- I remember we were concerned about range fires causing problems nearly right up to the opening. More beautiful, empty country. There was lots of evidence of recent fires.

I think it was in 2000 or 2001 when I was hunting Antelope in the Steens Unit and C130s (4 of them) were continously dropping retardant nearby. They were coming out of K Falls or Lakeview (can't remember). We finally moved to a new spot as there would have been no way to get away from a quick moving fire.

Another time we were napping down in McCoy Creek when thick smoke enveloped us. We left in a hurry -- Visibility is very limited in that drainage.