First trip west

[ILrutaddict]

Hello all. I’ve made the decision to follow a dream and start my western hunting career. I’ve grown up hunting whitetail in Illinois and the deer rut here is my Super Bowl, however I’ve always wanted to go west to chase mule deer and this is the year. Bought the GOHUNT insider subscription to start doing some research on units. I’m pretty much set on Colorado. It will be a solo hunt and I plan on camping from the truck in case I need to move and scout different areas. I’m starting my e-scouting journey but I think the hardest part so far is understanding where I’ll be able to park/camp and access different units. This will be a 0 point hunt just to get out there and get some experience. I have ZERO expectations of a monster buck or shooting a buck period. My main goal is to glass up some deer and watch their patterns and behaviors. So far I’m thinking units 9/19/191, 20, and 39/46. Trying to stay on the eastern side of the mountains for travel sake, and trying to avoid getting too close to big cities. So here’s the question/s, what tips would you go back and give yourself as a first time mule deer hunter? Am I on the right track? I know there’s a million things that I will learn on this first trip but that’s what I’m going for. Any tips/help would be awesome. Sincerely -another nonresident white tailer that’s excited to be a rookie again.

 

[TimberHunter]

Keep in mind that while 39/46 may not look close to a large town, Denver is not far.

I’ve never hunted whitetail but from what I’ve heard, many whitetail hunters struggle when they come out west, both physically and mentally. Keep in mind that your physical and mental game will likely need to be elevated compared to whitetail hunting. Just a different game

Picking a unit can be tricky, at some point you’ll just need to pick one and go with it.

You say you want to learn about mule deer on a 0 point unit. That is definitely possible but it can also be tricky. Last fall I went to a new to me CO unit that took 0 points and spotted only 13 mule deer in 3 days of hunting (not road hunting). Some of which were glassed up 2-3 miles away


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[ILrutaddict]

I appreciate the quick reply! Yes I think the mental game will be different for sure. Mature whitetail deer can fool a man to the point of near insanity. The difference now is I have an animal just as smart that I have no history with, no home range identified, and far more ground that he can cover. Not to mention I have far less time to get it all done! It will be tasking for sure. As far as the physical part of it goes I’m pretty confident. I’m in my early 30’s, work out regularly, and have a clean bill of health. I haven’t done much at higher altitudes though so I will just have to see how my body reacts. And yes, I’m now kicking myself that I didn’t start buying preference points when I was a teenager. My plan now is to go out this year to get a feel for it, and then hunt every other year while trying my luck on leftover/reissue tags as well. I like the hunt often approach thus gaining experience and building a database. All great points and more food for thought, thanks!

 

[EdP]

I don't have much experience with MD but this is what I learned from a guided hunt in Wy compared to my years of eastern WT hunting. Plan to cover more ground, worry (a lot) less about stealth. Mule deer are not near as skittish as whitetail. Get elevation, glass a lot. Be prepared for 400-500 yd shots to increase your opportunities.

 

[Wapiti1]

Which season you hunt will dictate how you approach it. Zero points usually means 2nd season. That is a tough season to be mule deer hunting.

Here is a quick rundown of what mountain mule deer bucks do:
Aug/Sept they are high at or above treeline, on ridge tops, etc.
Late Sept and into Oct they move down into the timber, rub the velvet off and prep for the rut. Now they are hard to find. Glassing them up is at the very beginning and end of shooting light, and you need to be in your glassing spot an hour, at least, before. Focus on edges of meadows, burns, clearcuts, vegetation changes. They are moving to bedding by light, so glassing the middle isn't usually productive.
Oct the doe move lower and the migration is on. The bucks don't follow, except for the little guys. You'll see fork horns with the does. Any buck 3 years and older is up higher, generally speaking. Early to mid Nov the older bucks start to move where the doe are, but it is slow with no snow. Late Nov, they are cruising the does and the rut is on.

This is for mountain deer, for prairie deer or farm country deer, scrap this and just glass your ass off.

The CO website has mapping that shows migration routes. Use that to narrow down the canyons you pay attention to. This might be the only predictable pattern of mule deer. They migrate the same route and winter in the same area year over year. Call the biologist and find out what the preferred browse and food is when you will be there, then research those plants "where do they grow on a mountain".

I'll assume 2nd season tag. Glass super early and super late paying attention to edges. Still hunt through the day in the timber. Work slow, use your glass in the timber a lot. Deer will be in some odd places as well. Don't overlook some weird country, put glass on it and see. If you get fresh snow, use it to track the deer.

You might just bump into a buck on the road and get a chance, drive past a 100 yards park and sneak back. You can stop the truck at the deer, but if you touch the door handle he's gone. Pay attention to CO's firearms unloaded in a moving vehicle law and follow it. First thing they check if you see a possum cop.

That's how I approach them in a new area. It's a lot of hiking with little to show for it for the first several days. Get the bird license and shoot grouse.

Jeremy

 

[ILrutaddict]

I don't have much experience with MD but this is what I learned from a guided hunt in Wy compared to my years of eastern WT hunting. Plan to cover more ground, worry (a lot) less about stealth. Mule deer are not near as skittish as whitetail. Get elevation, glass a lot. Be prepared for 400-500 yd shots to increase your opportunities.

I don't have much experience with MD but this is what I learned from a guided hunt in Wy compared to my years of eastern WT hunting. Plan to cover more ground, worry (a lot) less about stealth. Mule deer are not near as skittish as whitetail. Get elevation, glass a lot. Be prepared for 400-500 yd shots to increase your opportunities.

Yeah im definitely going to dedicate more time to shooting this summer. I’ve got the room I just never have pushed a rifle that far yet. The less-stealth needed aspect is something that’s really going to play with my head, and it’s going to be hard to break my whitetail thinking until I actually have eyes on mule deer and see how they react. Thanks for the reply!

 

[Scoutfan]

Make sure you have good boots and glass.

 

[Taco John]

Starting a western hunting lifestyle now, is kinda like hustling out to California next week to get in on the 1849 gold rush.

 

[ILrutaddict]

Which season you hunt will dictate how you approach it. Zero points usually means 2nd season. That is a tough season to be mule deer hunting.

Here is a quick rundown of what mountain mule deer bucks do:
Aug/Sept they are high at or above treeline, on ridge tops, etc.
Late Sept and into Oct they move down into the timber, rub the velvet off and prep for the rut. Now they are hard to find. Glassing them up is at the very beginning and end of shooting light, and you need to be in your glassing spot an hour, at least, before. Focus on edges of meadows, burns, clearcuts, vegetation changes. They are moving to bedding by light, so glassing the middle isn't usually productive.
Oct the doe move lower and the migration is on. The bucks don't follow, except for the little guys. You'll see fork horns with the does. Any buck 3 years and older is up higher, generally speaking. Early to mid Nov the older bucks start to move where the doe are, but it is slow with no snow. Late Nov, they are cruising the does and the rut is on.

This is for mountain deer, for prairie deer or farm country deer, scrap this and just glass your ass off.

The CO website has mapping that shows migration routes. Use that to narrow down the canyons you pay attention to. This might be the only predictable pattern of mule deer. They migrate the same route and winter in the same area year over year. Call the biologist and find out what the preferred browse and food is when you will be there, then research those plants "where do they grow on a mountain".

I'll assume 2nd season tag. Glass super early and super late paying attention to edges. Still hunt through the day in the timber. Work slow, use your glass in the timber a lot. Deer will be in some odd places as well. Don't overlook some weird country, put glass on it and see. If you get fresh snow, use it to track the deer.

You might just bump into a buck on the road and get a chance, drive past a 100 yards park and sneak back. You can stop the truck at the deer, but if you touch the door handle he's gone. Pay attention to CO's firearms unloaded in a moving vehicle law and follow it. First thing they check if you see a possum cop.

That's how I approach them in a new area. It's a lot of hiking with little to show for it for the first several days. Get the bird license and shoot grouse.

Jeremy

That’s a hell of a write up, man thanks so much! Yes I’m either looking at a 2nd or 3rd season rifle tag in most of the units I’m looking at. I think my next step is to talk to the biologist for whatever unit I decide to go with. I think one thing I’m starting to notice is the power of paying a little more attention to the spots that people are driving by. Anyways, I’ll be reading through your reply for a long time to come and I can’t overstate how helpful it is. Thanks again

 

[ILrutaddict]

Make sure you have good boots and glass.

Noted! Have Danner pronghorns that I currently use and love, and I’ve just started researching spotting scopes. That’s a whole other rabbit hole. Thanks for the reply!

 

[ILrutaddict]

Starting a western hunting lifestyle now, is kinda like hustling out to California next week to get in on the 1849 gold rush.

I agree, it’s going to be like drinking from a firehose. But I don’t need the western lifestyle, I just need to learn how to effectively hunt their mule deer! Lol I agree there is much to learn, but I think that challenge of putting myself in a whole new scenario is what makes it exciting. Thanks for the reply!

 

[Scoutfan]

Noted! Have Danner pronghorns that I currently use and love, and I’ve just started researching spotting scopes. That’s a whole other rabbit hole. Thanks for the reply!

You might do some more reading on here about glassing with binoculars. For finding game I would take a really good pair of binoculars over a decent binoculars& spotter combo.

 

[ILrutaddict]

You might do some more reading on here about glassing with binoculars. For finding game I would take a really good pair of binoculars over a decent binoculars& spotter combo.

I will definitely check through the forums. If I can get away with binos only I’d be thrilled!

 

[RockAndSage]

Here are a couple of quick links that have a ton of info in them, a lot of which is helping guys new to mule deer and western hunting similar to yourself. Overall, doing your research as you are now is critical - have a plan, have a process, and learn as much as you can both before you head out and while you're in the field:

Beginner CO 3rd Season - Recap / Questions

Background: I got in to big game hunting with whitetails during Covid. I have always been a bird hunter, but jumped in to a new hobby and immediately caught the bug with bow hunting. Unfortunately between work and personal life I have yet to string together a full hunting season (from...

rokslide.com

Where are the bucks?

Hey guys, I am a fairly new hunter that has been trying to figure out the game in Southern California D Zones which are brutal. This is my 5th season, I've been successful for 2 of them and shot a buck with my bow and wasn't able to recover that deer another season. i have a great area of...

rokslide.com

 

[Wapiti1]

I will definitely check through the forums. If I can get away with binos only I’d be thrilled!

You can. A good pair of 10X42's will get you through a hunt. It's better to go and learn before spending the money on a spotter. A spotter means, a scope, a tripod, and a tripod head. The tripod and head aren't a bad idea now to use with the binocs.

If you don't have binocs, I'd suggest you not fall into the super spendy trap. Budget 500-800, and get a name brand, like Nikon HG, Leica Trinovid, Zeiss Conquest, Maven. Look for sales, or buy used. Those will be all you need for a long time. A rangefinder is required. Distance estimation in the west is extremely difficult if you haven't spent time out there.
Jeremy

 

[ILrutaddict]

Here are a couple of quick links that have a ton of info in them, a lot of which is helping guys new to mule deer and western hunting similar to yourself. Overall, doing your research as you are now is critical - have a plan, have a process, and learn as much as you can both before you head out and while you're in the field:

Beginner CO 3rd Season - Recap / Questions

Background: I got in to big game hunting with whitetails during Covid. I have always been a bird hunter, but jumped in to a new hobby and immediately caught the bug with bow hunting. Unfortunately between work and personal life I have yet to string together a full hunting season (from...

rokslide.com

Where are the bucks?

Hey guys, I am a fairly new hunter that has been trying to figure out the game in Southern California D Zones which are brutal. This is my 5th season, I've been successful for 2 of them and shot a buck with my bow and wasn't able to recover that deer another season. i have a great area of...

rokslide.com

Thanks a bunch! The overwhelming amount of information that I feel like I need to be prepared is immense. I’m trying to gather as much as I can and put the best plan together before I actually step foot out in mule deer country. I appreciate the help! Thanks again

 

[ILrutaddict]

You can. A good pair of 10X42's will get you through a hunt. It's better to go and learn before spending the money on a spotter. A spotter means, a scope, a tripod, and a tripod head. The tripod and head aren't a bad idea now to use with the binocs.

If you don't have binocs, I'd suggest you not fall into the super spendy trap. Budget 500-800, and get a name brand, like Nikon HG, Leica Trinovid, Zeiss Conquest, Maven. Look for sales, or buy used. Those will be all you need for a long time. A rangefinder is required. Distance estimation in the west is extremely difficult if you haven't spent time out there.
Jeremy

Awesome, I’ve got a vortex rangefinder that’s been great to me. As far as optics go I only carry a vortex monocular due to its small size. It’s been very handy for short distance scouting and a nice companion for archery hunting whitetail. Your recommendations for binoculars should set me in the right direction. Thanks for the advice!