First true mule deer hunt upcoming

[Jacob Chapman]

I'm heading to Wyoming with a buddy this fall to chase after mule deer with our bows.

I've lost 13# since we decided to go, lost 6% body fat percentage and have been mindful of my eating habits along with hitting the gym 5 days per week. I'm excited to continue on my fitness journey, with the goal of being under 15% body fat percentage by the time we leave.

I went back to my old standard Easton Axis arrows, put the Iron Will HIT and collar on there. Have some IW Wide heads that i'll use for my Iowa whitetails, going to order a half dozen or so 125 grain solid blades for my trip out West. Also ordered a Carter Evolution 20 resistance activated release, excited to start practicing with it more now that it's getting decent outside.

My wife will be joining me at TAC in South Dakota, i'm lined up for the Sitka course which will hopefully give me the opportunity to practice shot angles/distances that I don't get to simulate much at all here in Iowa.

Just mainly wanted to put this out there to help keep myself accountable on my fitness journey.

If you have any tips for a first time mule deer hunter, i'd love to hear them- or any stories would be good too.

Thanks!

 

[KHNC]

How many points do you have? Or are you hunting public?

 

[Jacob Chapman]

I don't have any points, we are both buying the "special" draw deal-not expecting a stellar unit of course just mainly looking for the adventure, hoping to find a decent representative of the species.

We'll be hunting public

 

[robby denning]

I'm heading to Wyoming with a buddy this fall to chase after mule deer with our bows.

I've lost 13# since we decided to go, lost 6% body fat percentage and have been mindful of my eating habits along with hitting the gym 5 days per week. I'm excited to continue on my fitness journey, with the goal of being under 15% body fat percentage by the time we leave.

I went back to my old standard Easton Axis arrows, put the Iron Will HIT and collar on there. Have some IW Wide heads that i'll use for my Iowa whitetails, going to order a half dozen or so 125 grain solid blades for my trip out West. Also ordered a Carter Evolution 20 resistance activated release, excited to start practicing with it more now that it's getting decent outside.

My wife will be joining me at TAC in South Dakota, i'm lined up for the Sitka course which will hopefully give me the opportunity to practice shot angles/distances that I don't get to simulate much at all here in Iowa.

Just mainly wanted to put this out there to help keep myself accountable on my fitness journey.

If you have any tips for a first time mule deer hunter, i'd love to hear them- or any stories would be good too.

Thanks!

Good job getting ready! I’d recommend David Long‘s /Mike Duplan book “the edge“ there’s a lot of content in there about archery hunting mule deer. And of course Dwight Schu’s classic


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[KHNC]

I don't have any points, we are both buying the "special" draw deal-not expecting a stellar unit of course just mainly looking for the adventure, hoping to find a decent representative of the species.

We'll be hunting public

Hope it works out. Not sure what areas you have a good chance of drawing with zero , but special helps for sure!

 

[Steve O]

Good job getting ready! I’d recommend David Long‘s /Mike Duplan book “the edge“ there’s a lot of content in there about archery hunting mule deer. And of course Dwight Schu’s classic


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And along with that gem, David Long’s first book AND Robby Denning’s “Hunting Big Mule Deer” are both full of good information.

 

[Jacob Chapman]

Good job getting ready! I’d recommend David Long‘s /Mike Duplan book “the edge“ there’s a lot of content in there about archery hunting mule deer. And of course Dwight Schu’s classic


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Thanks Mr. Denning!

I'll check out David and Mike's book! I've got Dwight's book, read through that a couple of times, and am on my 3rd time reading through yours as well.

 

[robby denning]

And along with that gem, David Long’s first book AND Robby Denning’s “Hunting Big Mule Deer” are both full of good information.

Thank You Steve
I usually don’t recommend mine as first choice for archery hunters, but it does have all the basics of spotting, stalking, and moving in deer country. I just likeed how DAvid laid out the specifics of stalking.

 

[Jaden Bales]

Excited for you man! You're putting in the work, for sure. AND doing the research? Doesn't get much better than just going for it and learning along the way. Hope you keep us updated along the way.

 

[Steve O]

Thank You Steve
I usually don’t recommend mine as first choice for archery hunters, but it does have all the basics of spotting, stalking, and moving in deer country. I just likeed how DAvid laid out the specifics of stalking.

Yes you are a modest man. I need to order a couple more, I gave mine to a friend in the same situation as Jake.

 

[Jacob Chapman]

Hope it works out. Not sure what areas you have a good chance of drawing with zero , but special helps for sure!

There aren't many, but I did find a couple zones/units that if we choose the special draw we can get close to guarantee (for this year).

Thanks!

 

[Beagle001]

I am still a rookie myself, but one thing I believe would have helped me more, is set your standards a little lower and go on every stalk you can. Even if you get in and can’t get yourself to pull the trigger, the skills will help immensely

 

[hoyt-guy]

One thing I would add to the fitness side of things as you get closer to your upcoming hunt, is to make sure you start hiking or walking with some weight on your back. I keep my cardio up year round & I take my fitness pretty serious, especially on the weeks/months leading up to a hunt. I went on a bear hunt in the bob marshall this past Sept, and the weeks leading up to this hunt, I started walking on the treadmill on an incline with my hunting pack on & some weight in it. This helped a ton. Usually I get out west, and I pack in with a bunch of weight on my back, and then the next day my legs & back are shot. This soreness seems to always hang with me the rest of the week & it sucks. Being I put in the prep work to get my legs & back used to carrying the weight, I didn't shock my body that first day for once on this hunt. I felt great all week, and am definitely going to do this again before this falls hunts. Good luck to you guys this fall! Keep us updated on how it goes.

 

[Bull_n_heat]

I am still a rookie myself, but one thing I believe would have helped me more, is set your standards a little lower and go on every stalk you can. Even if you get in and can’t get yourself to pull the trigger, the skills will help immensely

Definitely here. Stalk to practice stalking... just see if you can resist the urge to kill everything you can stalk

 

[Chanimal]

Good luck! Those lifestyle changes will have positive impacts on the rest of your life!

 

[adowney15]

You're gonna be in shape which is really helpful, and being able to shoot is a must. But as you have gathered from others already read and learn as much as you possibly can about the species you're hunting and especially where you are hunting them. Being in great shape is an awesome start, but having patience and hunting with tact and purpose will help you finish the hunt with and animal in the back! Best of luck! I have hunted some units in Wyoming a bit and have found some luck so shoot me a message and I'll help if I can once you find out what you draw.

 

[LuvsFixedBlades]

I'm heading to Wyoming with a buddy this fall to chase after mule deer with our bows.

I've lost 13# since we decided to go, lost 6% body fat percentage and have been mindful of my eating habits along with hitting the gym 5 days per week. I'm excited to continue on my fitness journey, with the goal of being under 15% body fat percentage by the time we leave.

I went back to my old standard Easton Axis arrows, put the Iron Will HIT and collar on there. Have some IW Wide heads that i'll use for my Iowa whitetails, going to order a half dozen or so 125 grain solid blades for my trip out West. Also ordered a Carter Evolution 20 resistance activated release, excited to start practicing with it more now that it's getting decent outside.

My wife will be joining me at TAC in South Dakota, i'm lined up for the Sitka course which will hopefully give me the opportunity to practice shot angles/distances that I don't get to simulate much at all here in Iowa.

Just mainly wanted to put this out there to help keep myself accountable on my fitness journey.

If you have any tips for a first time mule deer hunter, i'd love to hear them- or any stories would be good too.

Thanks!

Congratulations. Way to get after it man! It matters.
If you have specific questions, PM me. I exclusively bowhunt and have killed a pile of high country mule deer. If you haven't already pulled the trigger on the IW fixed blades for muley's, I highly recommend going vented vs. solids for muley's. It's always windy in the mountains and the vented blades drift a lot less. I've been shooting IW's for almost 6 years.

 

[Jacob Chapman]

One thing I would add to the fitness side of things as you get closer to your upcoming hunt, is to make sure you start hiking or walking with some weight on your back. I keep my cardio up year round & I take my fitness pretty serious, especially on the weeks/months leading up to a hunt. I went on a bear hunt in the bob marshall this past Sept, and the weeks leading up to this hunt, I started walking on the treadmill on an incline with my hunting pack on & some weight in it. This helped a ton. Usually I get out west, and I pack in with a bunch of weight on my back, and then the next day my legs & back are shot. This soreness seems to always hang with me the rest of the week & it sucks. Being I put in the prep work to get my legs & back used to carrying the weight, I didn't shock my body that first day for once on this hunt. I felt great all week, and am definitely going to do this again before this falls hunts. Good luck to you guys this fall! Keep us updated on how it goes.

It’s finally starting to get nice out which is great, there’s a couple football stadiums for steps and some relatively good hills close, planned on putting weight in my pack here very soon and hiking a bunch with it