A little help

[Matt990]

Names Matt new to the forum here and new to backcountry hunting. I have always been obsessed with it but playing football all through high school and college limited my falls to chasing pheasant and ducks here in northern CA with spring pig hunts thrown in. Now being out of college and able to financially put it all together I am attempting to jump in head first. I would love to plan what would be a solo mule deer hunt for 2015. I have a OTC elk hunt in eastern Oregon set up for mid september but getting a mule deer in the freezer would be awesome. I know that drawing a tag in Nevada first try is not likely but figured it is worth a shot. I have read through draw odds and unit maps for the state but would appreciate some guidance from someone who has experienced it. No one in my family hunts or has the desire for a backcountry DIY work your ass off hunt. I would prefer archery but am open to rifle, somewhere in western NV would be ideal so i could cut travel time and spend more time in the field (busy time of year at work). I am in shape to pull it off and very serious about getting into the backcountry. NOT looking for a trophy to put on the wall just the opportunity to learn and if possible get a shot. With that being said I would greatly appreciate any and all help or advice. THank you for the time.

 

[COSA]

Speaking from experience, get some time in the field. NV is tough to draw for a Nonresident and expensive to buy a non refundable license. I would suggest an over the counter hunt in South Central Idaho or Region H Special tag in Wyoming if you want to hunt this year.

 

[1hoda]

Matt, glad you are making time to hunt and I wish you the very best of luck and great experience. I'm not familiar with your areas, but as for backcountry hunting - good gear is key to being safe and comfortable. Look at a lot of gear, find some friends who have items you are considering and look at it, ask questions, and maybe even try it. I tend to buy a piece of gear with the idea I'm going to use it 10 -20 years and then divide the total cost by the number of years I think I'll get out of it - it makes the high cost of good dear more digestable. As the old saying goes - you get what you pay for. My years leading up to geezer status has taught me boots, backpacks, and tents are the most important pieces of gear for me.

 

[Matt990]

Thank you for the replies I know these kind of threads pop up all the time and can get redundant.

COSA
I have looked into a OTC Idaho hunt and put in for Nevada points only I know you have to buy the non res license but I have been putting money away with all of this in mind. Nevada is just nice because i can be in Reno in 3 hours opposed to Idaho.

1hoda
Thank you for the advice I have been watching all of the deals online buying items over time starting to have what i think a solid set up with the only thing not sale watching for is a pack saved up enough for a Stone Glacier and will be ordering shortly. I too like to go with the buy it once way of thinking.

If I do not draw I am putting in for some California zones and if all else fails I will be hitting B zone with the rest of California haha.

 

[WestDan]

Ha, you can fall back to CA deer but I'd really try to hunt out of state for muleys. Being a CA resident myself, most out of state deer hunting is better. An idaho drive from you up in NorCal wouldn't be too bad. I drove there this year from southern CA. With nevada tags harder to draw, I'd put in for points and try to hunt a decent opportunity spot out of state to get some experience under the belt and check out some new areas. Muleys are really only in the X zones here and those are likely everyday deer for other states. There are probably some tags you can get first year in a couple states if you do some research. Check out a couple different states and see what the draw odds and success rates are.

SG is a great pack! I have the sky 5100

 

[Matt990]

WestDan, yeah i would rather not have to rely on CA as my only deer option i will still make weekend trips here but want to get out of state as well. Ill keep digging through draw odds and see if i can make it work. Also i have been trying to decide between the 5100 and the 7400, the 20 dollar price difference has me leaning towards the extra space. Do you ever wish yo had more?

 

[WestDan]

I can fit a lot in the 5100 and for me it's great for up to a week. It really depends if you like to carry a lot of stuff or not. You can use the load shelf to carry more stuff into camp as well (I carry food that won't be coming out). If you see yourself doing a longer 7-10 day pack in trip, you should probably get the 7400, but again that depends on how you pack. Seeing how both packs compress down fairly easily and work in bivy mode, I might just go with the 7400 if you have any concerns about space limitations.

 

[_Nick_]

Personally, I'd hunt close to home and as much as you can. A lot of my first season was spent just trying to learn all about muley behavior and getting my gear all dialed in. If you care less about the quality of the area and spend more time out there, you'll end up being a better hunter for it (but in CA the odds are you won't get a deer immediately for those efforts). So maybe in addition to an out of state hunt you should still apply for CA B zone archery and try to find deer and get some stalks in. My $.02.

 

[kickemall]

Non resident early archery in NV. shouldn't be that tough to draw with no points. Area 102 (Rubies) usually always has tags left for the second draw. Since you want to stay west I would try 171-173 or 161-163. You should be able to draw one of those, especially 171-73 (called area 17) and both have wilderness areas. Arc Dome in 17 and Table Mtn. in 16. Don't rule out non wilderness in those areas because they get light pressure during archery and have bucks. Similar to what Nick posted above, if you don't draw a tag or just don't want to spend the money to learn, just go to one of those areas and scout. You'll learn the country some, learn your gear, find where the bucks hang and its nice country to just spend time in. Be ready for thunder showers in the Nv. mtns. during early archery. Good luck.

 

[good2eat]

You might take a look at Oregon for Mulies - there are a few units that you would have a high likelihood of getting a tag.

Take a look at the 2014 stats for non-resident applications vs tags drawn here:

http://www.dfw.state.or.us/resource...nts/reports/docs/2014 Hunt Summary Report.pdf

 

[WRO]

Buy a nonresident deer tag when you go on your deer hunt, if your not concerned size. I've never had a problem finding a meat buck.