Info needed! Help me learn

[guitarpreston]

I drew my first mule deer tag and I am looking for resources to learn. Books, pods, etc. I have Valerie’s Geists mule deer country I’m going to start reading next, and I know Robby wrote a mule deer hunting book. Anything you would recommend for me to learn more about them? Unfortunately I’m an easy 8 hours from mule deer country and can’t easily put boots on the ground watching them. Nothing replaces that but anything helps.
Thanks!

 

[Justin_Tree]

I think podcasts are a great resource. The Rokcast has a lot of great episodes on mule deer biology. The “hunt backcountry” has some gems if you go back through the archives, especially early on. Eastmans elevated has a few as well that can be helpful. Good luck

 

[guitarpreston]

I think podcasts are a great resource. The Rokcast has a lot of great episodes on mule deer biology. The “hunt backcountry” has some gems if you go back through the archives, especially early on. Eastmans elevated has a few as well that can be helpful. Good luck

I've been binging podcasts every chance I get, rokcast, cliff gray, Remi Warren, go hunt, and several others.

 

[Beagle001]

Plenty of podcasts out there, and search YouTube for related muley hunts. Either by season or state or terrain. Watch where deer are bedded- location, face, vegetation. That’s more info than you will glean from the hunters, no offense to them.

 

[street]

Don't let YouTube fool you, expect to get kicked in the shorts on your first. But you're doing the right thing. Good luck! Pm me if your tags in CO, I can try to help.

 

[Ucsdryder]

@robby denning might chime in here, he has a book on hunting mule deer. Definitely check it out, it’s called Hunting Big Mule Deer.

 

[wildwilderness]

I drew my first mule deer tag and I am looking for resources to learn. Books, pods, etc. I have Valerie’s Geists mule deer country I’m going to start reading next, and I know Robby wrote a mule deer hunting book. Anything you would recommend for me to learn more about them? Unfortunately I’m an easy 8 hours from mule deer country and can’t easily put boots on the ground watching them. Nothing replaces that but anything helps.
Thanks!

8 hrs drive isn’t much for a weekend, especially if it’s a long one.

Get as much BOG as possible, mainly to learn the unit, roads, glassing points, areas of interest, closest gas, ice, food etc and a myriad of other things you can’t learn from e-scouting.

 

[huntnful]

8 hrs drive isn’t much for a weekend, especially if it’s a long one.

Get as much BOG as possible, mainly to learn the unit, roads, glassing points, areas of interest, closest gas, ice, food etc and a myriad of other things you can’t learn from e-scouting.

100% agree with this as well. I drove 15 hours twice last year just to scout my unit, but it was a good tag. It depends how bad you want to be successful, or if you just want to go hunting and hopefully see something.

But everyone has different situations. Best advice I can give if you aren't going to physically scout is...

1. Stay mobile until you find deer. Don't be afraid to pack up and move if you decide to pack in somewhere either.

2. Get high and glass

3. Look for sign while you're moving through country and add pieces to the puzzle of what deer are doing in there and how they're utilizing the terrain.

 

[CarterHunt]

Thank you @guitarpreston for starting this thread. I'm also a first time mule deer hunter and will be hunting CO archery this fall. Question for those of you guys who do a lot of high country summer scouting about timing:

Seems people suggest scouting in late July or August. However, 4th of July week is the only time I can get up to my unit and scout this summer. Is that too early to put much stock into where bucks are/aren't? I'd hate to mentally cross off a good spot where deer will be the first week of September just by mistiming my scouting trip.

I know that navigating the unit, practicing my glassing skills, and just being in the backcountry for those few extra days will be valuable - but curious if you guys that are scouting a lot see bucks in the same spots in early July as you do later in the summer/early Sept.

 

[huntnful]

Thank you @guitarpreston for starting this thread. I'm also a first time mule deer hunter and will be hunting CO archery this fall. Question for those of you guys who do a lot of high country summer scouting about timing:

Seems people suggest scouting in late July or August. However, 4th of July week is the only time I can get up to my unit and scout this summer. Is that too early to put much stock into where bucks are/aren't? I'd hate to mentally cross off a good spot where deer will be the first week of September just by mistiming my scouting trip.

I know that navigating the unit, practicing my glassing skills, and just being in the backcountry for those few extra days will be valuable - but curious if you guys that are scouting a lot see bucks in the same spots in early July as you do later in the summer/early Sept.

I videod a buck in the high country on July 10th. I killed him on September 25th, 100 yards away from where I found him in early
July.

If the snow is gone or even just patchy up on the peaks in early July, I think most of the bucks will be in there. A few more may show up over time, but most of them should be up there.

 

[guitarpreston]

8 hrs drive isn’t much for a weekend, especially if it’s a long one.

Get as much BOG as possible, mainly to learn the unit, roads, glassing points, areas of interest, closest gas, ice, food etc and a myriad of other things you can’t learn from e-scouting.

Should have clarified, 8 hours gets me to Texas desert mule deer country, it’s about 16 to the unit I am hunting in Colorado

 

[huntnful]

Should have clarified, 8 hours gets me to Texas desert mule deer country, it’s about 16 to the unit I am hunting in Colorado

If you are just after any ol buck, you’ll honestly be fine. Go to the big high country, find good vantages E-scouting, get to those vantages and glass. Red haired velvet mule deer are extremely easy to spot against a green forage backdrop.

Just go 2 days early (or earlier) to the hunt and consider that your scouting

 

[RockAndSage]

Here are a few recent threads similar to yours where a lot of good information has been shared by Roksliders:

Teach Me

Chasing Big Muleys and Mental Endurance

Mule Deer What To Look For?

Mule Deer and Water (E-Scouting)

Utah General Deer Tips and Tactics

 

[ropeup79]

Thank you @guitarpreston for starting this thread. I'm also a first time mule deer hunter and will be hunting CO archery this fall. Question for those of you guys who do a lot of high country summer scouting about timing:

Seems people suggest scouting in late July or August. However, 4th of July week is the only time I can get up to my unit and scout this summer. Is that too early to put much stock into where bucks are/aren't? I'd hate to mentally cross off a good spot where deer will be the first week of September just by mistiming my scouting trip.

I know that navigating the unit, practicing my glassing skills, and just being in the backcountry for those few extra days will be valuable - but curious if you guys that are scouting a lot see bucks in the same spots in early July as you do later in the summer/early Sept.

I’ve found bucks in early September using the same beds as in early July. Hunting pressure, weather, and food/water availability will affect how long they stay in summer mode.

 

[clarkbnd]

I've spent countless hours on youtube and listening to podcast... sure doesn't mean I'm an expert coming from NC but it has helped me when I do get out west.

 

[Idahobugler]

Give yourself a day or two in the country before the hunt. Adjust to the altitude if you’re not use to it. Get some boots on the ground before it opens and enjoy it.

 

[poboy2214]

I've been binging podcasts every chance I get, rokcast, cliff gray, Remi Warren, go hunt, and several others.

Cliff gray has some great YouTube videos as well