Tactics for newbie going in “blind”…being mobile, when to move, etc?

[Macintosh]

I may or may not draw this tag this year, so…

Going into a unit with zero foot scouting, as a novice mule deer hunter (ie dont have a “feel” for what “should be” or “looks” good), for a week-ish+ long season. Its concurrent with an elk season that opens before the deer season, so there IS pressure, not ridiculous but for sure “plenty” of hunting pressure. Much of the area is roaded, but also with some areas that arent super accessible without some work. High mountains that transition down to lower elevation deserty-scrub/sage. Season dates are mid october. Goals are 1) fun 2) explore and learn, 3) maybe shoot a deer, generally I dont have high standards. I’ve never hunted for mule deer, only whitetails, antelope and elk. I will of course escout ahead of getting there.

Without any real intel on specific areas or even elevation zones to focus on beyond what is on game dept websites, plan is to NOT backpack way into a remote basin and hunt it. Rather, plan is to basecamp at the road to start and do day trips and some driving into different areas to get a sense of where any deer numbers are (elevation, habitat type, etc), possibly some single-night overnights. Use this to feel-out where some deer are, and then focus on a smaller area after that either from a closer base camp or via backpack.

I would love to hear peoples thoughts on:
-how good or bad this plan is in general
-any variation on that plan or tips you think would be helpful
-tips for making the most out of a necessarily short “scouting hunt”, ie how long do you give an area before giving up on it, what are you specifically looking for (aside from a giant buck) to give an area more time, etc.
-knowing im not after a BIG deer, what, if any weight you give to seeing doe groups or non-shooter bucks.
-any other tips or ideas you think could make the hunt more fun.

Thanks

 

[tjv66]

Same situation here for me. Looking at my first western mule deer hunt this year. I’ll be out hunting middle of November. Curious to see others ideas because I am looking at a similar plan.

 

[huntnful]

Your plan is excellent actually. Pick a good glassing spot or two at top elevations. Give it an evening and a morning.

Repeat that 2000’ lower.

Repeat that another 2000’ lower.

You should find them. There should be residents deer at all the elevations, but one maybe have more activity than the others.

Be behind the glass at FIRST LIGHT. Not just sun up. Take a break in the middle of the day if need be. And then glass until DARK.

 

[Macintosh]

Thanks @huntnful thats super helpful. As Im escouting and looking for zones to check out and vantage points, any words of wisdom? Im at the stage where Im really just trying to find vantages that afford a big view of a large area at an elevation zone, that arent crazy-obvious next to a road….but Im not really factoring in terrain, vegetation type (other than opening vs timber or “has vegetation”), aspect, etc yet. When escouting do you look for xx features first and then try to find a spot to glass it from, or do you try to find the biggest glassing vantage and use that to home in on the next level of features that define where deer are, ie water, aspect, etc?

Any specific tips for breaks type terrain versus mountains? One of the likely zones i have keyed into is mostly vegetated draws where the more timbered mountains transition to the sage below, that doesnt seem to have stereotypical “glassing knobs”, or “timbered slopes with openings where deer feed”. Do you park yourself on the rim of a draw and look for deer traveling up and down the length of a brushy draw?

 

[Ckat]

Don’t overlook talking to the local Forest Service station (in person). We hunted a unit that we were very familiar with years ago. Heavy archery and ML elk pressure moved the deer out of all the country we were accustomed to finding them. Day 3, we swallowed our pride and went to the FS station. One of the rangers gave us an area where he had seen deer recently. It was actually an area that we thought was too small/accessible to hold anything. We went in and tagged 3 nice (for the area) bucks in two days!

 

[huntnful]

Thanks @huntnful thats super helpful. As Im escouting and looking for zones to check out and vantage points, any words of wisdom? Im at the stage where Im really just trying to find vantages that afford a big view of a large area at an elevation zone, that arent crazy-obvious next to a road….but Im not really factoring in terrain, vegetation type (other than opening vs timber or “has vegetation”), aspect, etc yet. When escouting do you look for xx features first and then try to find a spot to glass it from, or do you try to find the biggest glassing vantage and use that to home in on the next level of features that define where deer are, ie water, aspect, etc?

Any specific tips for breaks type terrain versus mountains? One of the likely zones i have keyed into is mostly vegetated draws where the more timbered mountains transition to the sage below, that doesnt seem to have stereotypical “glassing knobs”, or “timbered slopes with openings where deer feed”. Do you park yourself on the rim of a draw and look for deer traveling up and down the length of a brushy draw?

I like where different types of vegetation meet. Generally more open country.

Not dense timber with some openings. More so lots of openings with some timber/cover.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

This is my general approach for hunting in new country and has worked on a variety of species:
* Setup to glass before first light and glass through mid-morning.
* Re-assess current setup. If I'm still finding new animals, I will likely stay and glass until dark. Animals do move throughout the day even if it is to stretch, use the toilet, get back in the shade, etc; take advantage of other hunters going back to camp. If I'm not finding anything, I'll go hit the trails or washes (desert mule deer) looking for fresh sign for two-three hours.
* In the early afternoon, I'll go back to the AM spot and glass until dark.
*** I may glass from a different spot in the PM and the following AM while hitting the original spot that next afternoon. (ex: Spot A - Mon AM/ Tues PM, Spot B - Mon PM/Tues AM).
* If I find no game after two glassing sessions I moving on to a new spot. This new spot does not need to be far away.

Two last pieces of guidance: Always 1) look right under you when glassing and 2) look very closely at the vegetation along the roads and hiking trails.

 

[Robertmadson]

Your plan is excellent actually. Pick a good glassing spot or two at top elevations. Give it an evening and a morning.

Repeat that 2000’ lower.

Repeat that another 2000’ lower.

You should find them. There should be residents deer at all the elevations, but one maybe have more activity than the others.

Be behind the glass at FIRST LIGHT. Not just sun up. Take a break in the middle of the day if need be. And then glass until DARK.L

Your plan is excellent actually. Pick a good glassing spot or two at top elevations. Give it an evening and a morning.

Repeat that 2000’ lower.

Repeat that another 2000’ lower.

You should find them. There should be residents deer at all the elevations, but one maybe have more activity than the others.

Be behind the glass at FIRST LIGHT. Not just sun up. Take a break in the middle of the day if need be. And then glass until DARK.

THIS! I've used this tactic with elk, and it's pretty bulletproof. Just know that once you find the animals, there's always the chance that over the course of a few days, they may shift elevations again.... and then you're back to square one.

 

[Clownbuster]

I would commit to 3 day spike camps and give every 1 mile of ridge three days of glassing before deciding to move on to a new ridge/area. Bigger bucks will not hardly move from a spot that holds cover, feed and security during light.

 

[Macintosh]

I would commit to 3 day spike camps and give every 1 mile of ridge three days of glassing before deciding to move on to a new ridge/area. Bigger bucks will not hardly move from a spot that holds cover, feed and security during light.

The season is like 10 days long. 3 day spike camps with an afternoon to come out, and then go back in the next AM, means a maximum of 3 camps, more likely 2. Given that I would be arriving never even having been in the unit, let alone specific basins or sub-areas within the unit, this seems like putting a lot of eggs in just a couple “baskets”. Given this would you still go this way, would you shorten to 2-day camps, etc?

 

[gonhunting247]

It probably goes unsaid, but don't forget to look for sign. You don't always have to see the deer first thing to know you are in a good location. I'm not saying to go busting through areas to find sign, but definetly be aware of fresh tracks, scat, signs of browsing, beds, fresh rubs ect. during your hikes in/out, during the slow parts of the day and even while driving to each area.