For me, nothing tops hunting mule deer in the open plains and sage country of eastern Montana, especially during the rut. After six years of hunting the SE portion of the state with moderate success on medium-sized bucks, this year I am heading to some country I haven't hunted for close to a decade. I won't be heading out for the opener choosing instead to wait for the rut, but still can't help getting fired up. The Montana season is kind of bittersweet, we get 5 weeks of hunting, with at least a couple weeks of good rut hunting at the end. We also can hunt most of the state on general, over-the-counter tags. BUT it all comes at a cost...good bucks on public land seem to have become fewer and farther between, at least in the SE portion, and the winter of 2011-12 didn't help matters at all. Attached are pictures of the only two I have shot in the last six seasons,and they are my smallest MT muleys to date (the 3x4 grosses about 155 and the 4x4 grosses about 165).
Anyway, good luck to all MT hunters this season!
Anyway, good luck to all MT hunters this season!
