Nevada silver state mule deer tag

[Nickjohn44]

Great idea. I would offer to help if I wasn't having a baby in nine days. If we get some summer moisture the antler growth will be awesome!

Well congrats on the baby

 

[RockAndSage]

Great idea. I would offer to help if I wasn't having a baby in nine days. If we get some summer moisture the antler growth will be awesome!

Hey, congrats to you too man, hope all goes well for your wife and you!

 

[Ridge Reaper]

You should call Greg Krogh or Taylor Price. I would highly encourage you to at least give them a call and talk to them. Both 1st class outfitters and as standup as they come. I’ve hunted with Greg, personally. You won’t find better company in the Nevada deer country nor better folks at finding the biggest critters in SE Nevada.

 

[Nickjohn44]

You should call Greg Krogh or Taylor Price. I would highly encourage you to at least give them a call and talk to them. Both 1st class outfitters and as standup as they come. I’ve hunted with Greg, personally. You won’t find better company in the Nevada deer country nor better folks at finding the biggest critters in SE Nevada.

Ok i wouldnt mind calling a few outfitters and see what tbey have to say. Thanks for the info

 

[Dioni A]

@Nickjohn44 If you're not already a member of epic outdoors it would definitely be worth the money to join just to be able to pick Jason Carter and Adam Bronson's brain. I've been a member for a couple years now and feel like they are an incredible resource. You'd be hard pressed to find a pair of guys who've killed more 200-in bucks so willing to help you with something like this.

 

[HuntandFly]

Taylor Price who owns Price Trophy Hunts is on a tear for killing big bucks right now, including a couple of huge statewide bucks. It’s at least worth reaching out to see what he might be able to do for you

 

[Happy Antelope]

Thats awesome, congrats. A good friend drew the Silver State Sheep tag a few years ack and shot a toad.

Paul

 

[Nickjohn44]

@Nickjohn44 If you're not already a member of epic outdoors it would definitely be worth the money to join just to be able to pick Jason Carter and Adam Bronson's brain. I've been a member for a couple years now and feel like they are an incredible resource. You'd be hard pressed to find a pair of guys who've killed more 200-in bucks so willing to help you with something like this.

Ive listened to a handful of their podcasts and youre rifht about all the 200s they've killed. I think it would be worth it to join as well

 

[Nickjohn44]

Taylor Price who owns Price Trophy Hunts is on a tear for killing big bucks right now, including a couple of huge statewide bucks. It’s at least worth reaching out to see what he might be able to do for you

Ok thanks for the info, hes been mentioned a couple times to me

 

[MuleDeerMike]

Tagging along. Congrats Nick!

 

[Idahohillboy]

Thank you very much. As much as I'd love to hire an outfitter, i just simply cant afford that and will have to go the diy route

I would hunt 242 - 241 archery muzzy rifle if that does not work out roll North to the later units that are open into Nov. if you do not have a muzzy I epuld grab one. I would really not focus to much on 081 though that unit is suffering hunted it last two years and best buck buck I saw was high 180s. If it were me take the fall off work or save your money by not scouting and hire a guide be the best 5k to 7k you ever spent. Price Trophy hunts or Greg Krogh.. steer clear of Mossback

 

[Idahohillboy]

Ok thanks for the info, hes been mentioned a couple times to me

Aaron Chenney and Taylor both solid dudes.

 

[Nickjohn44]

Aaron Chenney and Taylor both solid dudes.

I spoke with taylor already seems like a great guy. I dont have to worry about buying a muzzy cause i get to use a rifle from aug 1st- dec 31st on this tag. Ill be taking a ton of time off for this tag. When scouting 241,242 are people still looking high or down in the flats?

 

[RockAndSage]

I spoke with taylor already seems like a great guy. I dont have to worry about buying a muzzy cause i get to use a rifle from aug 1st- dec 31st on this tag. Ill be taking a ton of time off for this tag. When scouting 241,242 are people still looking high or down in the flats?

I haven't hunted 241 or 242, so take this for what it's worth, but you can find big bucks both high and in the lower parts. Regardless, I'd focus on finding their food first, and hunt the shade around that - bigger bucks will generally want a good view too, and to take advantage of any thermals they can, so look in the shade around the base of rimrock, cliffs, and even knolls. Anything with a little height, but big bucks also aren't exclusive to that. Desert muleys are masters at hunting the shade, especially in flatter and more open areas - that means you need to be too.

A really good example of this in open ground is that a slight fold in the land or "dry" drainage will still gather subsurface water flows and retain it longer than the surrounding desert, so the growth in those little folds is often a little taller than everything around it, sometimes significantly so - but you may entirely miss the terrain feature when glassing because it just blends in with the brush tops. You need to use OnX or topo maps to find those little folds the most efficiently - and especially in pre-season scouting, get your boots into them to see if you can turn up any tracks. People put way, way too much stock in just glassing - it's a waste of time if there are no deer, and the only way to truly know if there are deer in an area is to find their tracks. This is especially important in areas with more cougars than it should have, or if one moves into a location for awhile - I've repeatedly found absolutely killer deer feed/habitat in some remote Nevada locations, only to find zero deer sign...but do find cougar sign. This seems increasingly common the closer you get to CA.

Keep in mind that muleys don't need much height to get the shade they have to have - they can lie down in 18inch sage and just disappear (but will get up again as the shade shifts with the movement of the sun, which is why midday glassing is still very useful). What a lot of people don't realize though, is that in some of this low lying sage country, it's not uncommon for deer to have multigenerational, decades-old beds that are often dug down even a foot or more into the dirt, to maximize that shade. You pull a big buck out of some of those places, and another one will move in within a couple of years, using the same exact bed.

So, hunt the food, hunt the shade, look high at the base of rocks and cliffs, and get your boots into low-lying folds while scouting.

If you really want to do this hunt right, I'd also suggest you plan on putting at least half of your days off into pre-season scouting - they're far easier to glass up in their reddish coats from now through August, and are both out in the open more and often grouped up together in bachelor herds. But once they go hard-horn they also go grey ghost, and the big ones especially go loner and get deeper into the brush than they do while in velvet. But especially in the desert, there's rarely much migration, so wherever you find them in the summer they will almost certainly be nearby through October.

 

[Nickjohn44]

I haven't hunted 241 or 242, so take this for what it's worth, but you can find big bucks both high and in the lower parts. Regardless, I'd focus on finding their food first, and hunt the shade around that - bigger bucks will generally want a good view too, and to take advantage of any thermals they can, so look in the shade around the base of rimrock, cliffs, and even knolls. Anything with a little height, but big bucks also aren't exclusive to that. Desert muleys are masters at hunting the shade, especially in flatter and more open areas - that means you need to be too.

A really good example of this in open ground is that a slight fold in the land or "dry" drainage will still gather subsurface water flows and retain it longer than the surrounding desert, so the growth in those little folds is often a little taller than everything around it, sometimes significantly so - but you may entirely miss the terrain feature when glassing because it just blends in with the brush tops. You need to use OnX or topo maps to find those little folds the most efficiently - and especially in pre-season scouting, get your boots into them to see if you can turn up any tracks. People put way, way too much stock in just glassing - it's a waste of time if there are no deer, and the only way to truly know if there are deer in an area is to find their tracks. This is especially important in areas with more cougars than it should have, or if one moves into a location for awhile - I've repeatedly found absolutely killer deer feed/habitat in some remote Nevada locations, only to find zero deer sign...but do find cougar sign. This seems increasingly common the closer you get to CA.

Keep in mind that muleys don't need much height to get the shade they have to have - they can lie down in 18inch sage and just disappear (but will get up again as the shade shifts with the movement of the sun, which is why midday glassing is still very useful). What a lot of people don't realize though, is that in some of this low lying sage country, it's not uncommon for deer to have multigenerational, decades-old beds that are often dug down even a foot or more into the dirt, to maximize that shade. You pull a big buck out of some of those places, and another one will move in within a couple of years, using the same exact bed.

So, hunt the food, hunt the shade, look high at the base of rocks and cliffs, and get your boots into low-lying folds while scouting.

If you really want to do this hunt right, I'd also suggest you plan on putting at least half of your days off into pre-season scouting - they're far easier to glass up in their reddish coats from now through August, and are both out in the open more and often grouped up together in bachelor herds. But once they go hard-horn they also go grey ghost, and the big ones especially go loner and get deeper into the brush than they do while in velvet. But especially in the desert, there's rarely much migration, so wherever you find them in the summer they will almost certainly be nearby through October.

I appreciate all the advice. The desert is something I've got little experience in. Ive hunted the montana breaks but spend most my time in the high country of idaho and washington. This will definitely be a lot to take on but ill give it hell.

 

[RockAndSage]

I appreciate all the advice. The desert is something I've got little experience in. Ive hunted the montana breaks but spend most my time in the high country of idaho and washington. This will definitely be a lot to take on but ill give it hell.

Good luck man. Keep us posted. I think there are a lot of us who are excited for you that you got that tag, and would love to hear how things go, scouting trips included.

 

[Idahohillboy]

I spoke with taylor already seems like a great guy. I dont have to worry about buying a muzzy cause i get to use a rifle from aug 1st- dec 31st on this tag. Ill be taking a ton of time off for this tag. When scouting 241,242 are people still looking high or down in the flats?

Pm me yout number I will give you some info. I hunted it extensively and quite a few NV units.

 

[David Gough]

Recently received the news that im the lucky guy holding the silver state mule deer tag for 2024. Any advice or input on where to start?

A little birdy told me you filled your tag. Want to share?

 

[Nickjohn44]

A little birdy told me you filled your tag. Want to share?

A little birdy told me you filled your tag. Want to share?

A little birdy told me you filled your tag. Want to share?

A little birdy told me you filled your tag. Want to share?

Oh come on now, talking to birds cant be healthy

 

[David Gough]

Oh come on now, talking to birds cant be healthy

It has pros and cons.