Early archery in Nevada

[IAhunter515]

Hey everyone, I was lucky enough to draw an early archery tag for mulie in NV this year. I've been doing research on my own so far but wanted to reach out and see if anyone had any experience hunting the 101-109 areas. I'll be driving in from Iowa and plan to arrive a few days before the opener to scout as much as possible.

I may have a buddy tagging along but it's looking like I may be solo. If I am I'll have an extra week to hunt.

I've hunted whitetail for most my life but this will be first hunting opportunity out west so I'm open to any and all insights.

Thanks in advance and good luck to everyone this year!

 

[Braaap]

It’s gonna be super hot and you’ll need to gain some elevation. There’s a good amount of deer so I don’t think you’ll need too many scouting days. This is gonna be a tough hunt coming from Iowa. You won’t be alone even if you hike in/up a long ways.

 

[IAhunter515]

Thanks. The heat is definitely a concern . I've been watching the temps around Elko for reference. What elevation ranges could I be seeing deer at?

 

[Braaap]

Being honest and not meant to discourage you but this is a very difficult hunt for your first western hunt. Deer will be way way up high. It will be noticeably cooler that high but still hot. It’s a backpack hunt if you hunt the main units.

 

[RockAndSage]

Congrats on the tag. Best advice: read through any thread in the Mule Deer section with more than a couple of pages of posts, going back several years. It's an absolute gold mine.

Couple of key points:

1) Don't worry about hunting water - they'll go days without watering, and will often be miles from the nearest spring. Focus finding the herds in places they feel secure, close to their food. They need that daily.

2) About the only gear purchase you can make that will give you a genuine advantage are really good binos that you can spend hours glassing with. The higher the quality, the longer you can stay in the glass without getting eye-fatigue.

3) Hunt the shade. That's where they'll be from just after sunup to just before sundown. Do not go back to camp mid-day - keep hunting with your optics, all day. You'll have a chance to see them move from first-bed to second-bed around 10am, give or take an hour on either side. You'll also see them stand up for 1-5 minutes at the height of the sun to move a few feet as the shade moves from the sun's transit.

4) Never skyline yourself - it's a beacon to mule deer, even for a microsecond. Duck down below the brush line, crawl if you have to, and set up your glassing spot so there's no way you can be silhouetted against the sky.

5) Glass 5x more in one spot than you think you should - looking for tiny flickers of movement and deer parts. Tines, ears, hooves, tails, etc. When you think you've overglassed a spot...move 15 feet and do it again. Just that little shift can get you big differences in perspective and visibility.

6) Never give up a sunrise - be in-place well before sun up. Same with sunsets. Stay until you have no visible light. If nothing else, you'll have a lead for the next day.

7) The sun is brutal here - high elevation, clear skies, dry air. I don't leave my truck without at least half a gallon of water on me, and that's for short trips. Day hiking for scouting it's a gallon across a couple of different containers, sometimes more if I've got a hard hike ahead to get to a particular spot. Bring sun screen, lip balm, and long-sleeve clothing that can also cover your neck in one way or another.

 

[Turkeygetpwnd38]

Deer will be highly visible in the morning, look as high as the mountain goes. Getting to them and getting a shot is an entire different story, especially for a beginner. Don’t be discouraged though, go after those big, high ones and see what you have in the tank.

If that doesn’t work, look for mid elevation springs, typically smaller bucks will come water there during the day. Find and pattern them, set up an ambush.

Great advice above about sunrise being your best opportunity for spotting deer. Also, the heat, be prepared. I got stuck on a stalk on a high open face. I got burns on my arms and hands from the rock. If I didn’t have gloves, I would have been screwed.