Montana Mule Deer - First timer

[James0822]

So after this thread I am curious if the OP actually ended up applying and if so drew a tag??

I appreciate all the insight on the subject, its kind of an eye opener.

 

[TheWhitetailNut]

It's one thing for a Montana resident to shoot a smaller deer. It's totally another for a guy to pay $900 and drive many miles to shoot an immature buck.

It's no different. Hunters hunt. Miles and dollars matter not.

 

[Tired03]

Looking at applying for a general tag for mule deer with some friends coming from the midwest this fall. Not trophy hunting but looking for opportunity, is it better to hunt the east or west side of Montana. Does elevation factor much in to where they hang out? Just trying to get an idea of logistics and where we should think about if I'm only able to e-scout. TIA.

I have hunted eastern and central Montana for mule deer. I have found if there is snow on the ground you will have little to no trouble spotting deer from the truck. If there is no snow we typically pick the highest point off the road and hike up and glass. If we don't see anything we move the truck down the road. Not the most thrilling back country style hunting but we filled all 5 tags with some pretty decent bucks both trips. I have not hunted the higher elevations in the west but I have done some hiking out there. We saw a lot of forkys at lower elevations and very few deer at higher.

 

[rustneversleeps]

Not the most thrilling back country style hunting but we filled all 5 tags with some pretty decent bucks both trips.

What do you consider decent?

 

[Tired03]

What do you consider decent

bigger than 130. Keep in mind this is coming from a guy whose only hunted white tail in Michigan for most of his life, so most any mule deer looks huge haha.

 

[FunkEyeMissed]

I'm a little tired of the "they give out tags for it, so you can go ahead and do it" mentality that Montana hunters have. Frankly, at a certain point the onus is on us to stop shooting mule deer in areas that are suffering, even if there are tags available. It's clear that FWP is failing the resource. There are BMA landowners who are choosing not to participate because of declining numbers, essentially giving up free money. I wish Montana residents would follow suit. I do have more sympathy for out of state folks who don't have a reason or opportunity to tune into the mule deer conversation happening in the state.

@judders87 come shoot a whitetail. There's too many in the mountains and they're outcompeting mule deer in winter range in a lot of areas.

Where do I find these mountain white-tails lol. First year targeting them as a sw MT resident and struggling to find the higher elevation white tails. I see plenty in the river bottoms and Ag fields but struggle to glass any up in the “foothills” of the wilderness areas I hunt.

Should I be targeting big stands of coniferous timber for cover or smaller dense brush patches?