best mule deer units in montana

*Illustration by Robert Neaves courtesy of Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Characteristics of a mule deer CAUTION! Located outside of Laramie this hunt is a bit rough, but nothing like the rugged hunts in the northwest portion of the state. In early June a successful applicant can request a BMA guide that will be delivered around the end of July. The area consistently produces exceptional trophy mule deer, which are the priority on this hunt. Thanks to Toprut, I can better strategize my big game applications with access to detailed unit profile information, hunt quotas, draw odds, harvest info, and more. He had two suggestions for hunters who approach drawing an elk tag in different ways in the state. The ranch is located within the Ochoco Unit and is home to a several stable mule deer herds. Both state and federally managed public lands sprawl across thousands upon thousands of acres of prime habitat. So that is 7 permits skimmed off the top immediately for residents. The sound of a bugling bull elk or the sight of two monster 6x6s fighting for mountain dominance is a memory that will stay with a hunter for a lifetime. We've Ranked All Mule Deer Hunting States by Entries Per Square Mile of Total Land Mass. Sergio Alcazar, owner of ALC Global Adventures, has lived in and hunted Colorado for 24 years. Most of the state is managed to maximize hunter opportunity each fall. If I could recommend one vital piece of gear that greatly helped us out on our hunt it would be the use of, 4-8 We Talk Walleyes and Walleye Tournaments and Gear for Days. The journals of Meriwether Lewis, co-captain of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, contain detailed descriptions of the country through which they passed new lands teaming with elk, deer and antelope. So youre probably wondering, how is it possible that zero nonresidents drew this tag in 2018? Over the last 25+ years, this trip has proven to be a favorite for WTA clients. The restaurant is open early for breakfast and stays open for a late dinner. Publisher of Petersen's HUNTING magazine, Kevin Steele is at the Steiner Optics booth with Alberto Corbetta to discuss the Predator 4 and Predator 8. This is isnt a review of gear we used on our hunt but rather a summary of how we planned our DIY hunt and some pointers that may help someone looking to do some mule deer hunting in Montana. Rifle deer hunts are conducted throughout the two week controlled season. Lydia Decaria, license sales representative with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, said Pronghorn Area 73, north of Casper, is very popular with hunters because it has huge tracts of Bureau of Land Management property. Our parent company, Flyway Media, offers hunting guide website design options. We publish book and magazines, along with producing videos, DVDs, and TV programs. Archers typically find the best success in the cool hours around daylight and sunset. This has already been seen in the recently completed Wyoming elk draw where many areas saw huge gains in point creep with possibly even more to come for next year. Kevin Steele stops by the Taurus booth to speak with Cody Osborn about the all new Raging Hunter platform from Taurus International. Region R, The West side of the Bighorns is a mule deer producing factory on a good year. We also a bad mule deer population. Montana Mule Deer Draw There are a handful of good limited-entry units, and most of them give a hunter a good hunt for an average buck. This hunt can be had with only about six or seven points. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Just a thought. Sep 25, 2013 #5 M mtmuley Well-known member Joined Jan 11, 2009 Messages 11,557 Location montana Magazines, TV shows and pics of big bucks with the unit displayed don't help either. The Region H hunt can be a very good hunt on the right year for really good bucks. 5 Comments The guys are , Bow hunt public land mule deer with Brian Barney on this episode of Beyond the , Darby is beautiful we stayed there right before all this Corona virus shut us all down but I dont think I would waste my time applying for such a limited hunt with such bad odds there has to be some better sleeper units if you do your research. He said it might take only one point to draw a tag in the first rifle season, and some might draw with zero points. This is a very solid hunt in my opinion for only one or two preference points. This is a very solid hunt in my opinion for the meager three or four point spend. Our editors have hand-picked these essential pieces of gear to make you a more successful hunter when you hit the game trails this season. Public land is not a problem here. Our area has a very impressive Mule Deer population, which leads to a very high success rate of 4 X 4 bucks. Guy Eastman, Editor-In-Chief Make sure you pay attention to the new regulations as there are a number of changes from 2021. This county should have its own chapter in the record books with over 100 B&C entries for mule deer. This area is mountainous and does contain about 25% wilderness at the very top of the unit. This hunt area is the other limited quota hunt unit inside the general Region G area. Publisher, Kevin Steele is with Brett Marquardt from Streamlight Inc. discussing the new Streamlight Pro Tac 2.0, the latest edition in the Pro Tac series. The Region H hunt can be a very good hunt on the right year for really good bucks. At Silver Spur Outfitters, we have many years of experience and have been in business since 1993. Our Eastern Montana mule deer hunts are on exclusive and private Montana ranch land and hunting properties. A couple of these units will close the mule deer season early on November 13th. Remember nonresidents are allocated up to 10% of the tags in an area. Eastmans and Huntinfool have that covered. We have an extremely limited number of very high-demand mule deer tags available for hunters during the January rut. amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; This hunt unit sits smack dab in the middle of the famed Carbon County, one of the best trophy producing buck counties in the entire country, and this area sits in the best big buck country in the second best big buck county in the state, what more could you ask for? Hunters have a legitimate chance at shooting a B&C pronghorn in all GMUs that have a huntable population. Man with all yhe points I have for deer and elk I may be screwed. RAB, As phutch30 stated there are good mule deer numbers in the Breaks, but one thing to keep in mind about the Breaks is the FWP - Biologist have issued a lot of elk permits over the last few years (both antlerless and A9/B12). Eastmans Publishing, Inc. is a multimedia corporation whose roots are grounded in the ethics of fair chase hunting. This is a very limited, late season hunt with hunt dates during most of the month of November. Tags #myhuntstory Archery backpack hunting big game hunting bow hunting deer hunting Eastmans Eastmans' Bowhunting Journals Eastmans' Hunting Journal Eastmans' Hunting Journals Guy Eastman Hunting Mule Deer Hunting Mule deer. amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit"; John Vore, game-management bureau chief for the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks department, reported some hunters tag huge mule deer bucks using boats to access the Missouri River Breaks area where the river separates regions 4 and 7 in the state. Unlock the secrets of limited license lotteries and discover drawing and harvest trends to create a better hunt planning strategy. Alcazar recommended units 7 and 8 in the north-central part of the state, near the Wyoming border, for hunters looking for areas with lots of public land and good potential for trophies. . Being small in size, they are easy to hunt. The .300 Remington Ultra Mag. Toprut has always been the most reliable data that I use to make calculated moves for my hunt portfolio. Writers Note: This Montana mule deer on the cover was taken at 502 yards. We shootbrownelk: Big fines, mandatory jail time and loss of licenses. Needless to say, hunting mule deer in Wyoming in its current capacity is going to probably be less than ideal. Our goal is to provide the best fair chase Colorado Elk Hunting and Trophy Mule Deer Hunting available. The adventure is big. Looking at maps sent to us by the state we found what looked to be really large areas of BLM land (Bureau of Land Management) that were accessible by vehicle. It sported horns measuring more than 17 inches. I know that is a lot of doom and gloom for area 270 especially if you are a nonresident. We have guided and unguided hunts. I lost count at 450 phone call attempts to register the morning the 2 we really wanted became available. The Big Sandy, late hunt is a true wildcard hunt with some very solid big buck potential. In 2021, three of the five total non-resident deer permits available in units 261-50 and 270-50 were drawn by non-resident landowners. Although the numbers are down here from the objective by about 25%, the big buck potential here should be very, very good this year. Utah has six limited-entry units where trophy quality can be amazing, and a bonus-points system is used, rather than preference points, meaning half the tags in each unit are given to the top points holders and half are awarded in a random draw. Max points will be required for a chance at this hunt and nearly every hunter (89%) on this hunt walks away with a buck by the end of the season. Montana made a lot of changes to the deer regulations, with goal being to simplify them. My partner passed on a good deer the first day and we spent the majority of the rest of our hunt trying to find that deer. Max points are a must to apply for this hunt. Kali Parmley of Gun Dog Magazine talks to George Thompson from Benelli USA about the new features from the Benelli line in 2023. The northeastern portion of the state has the highest number of pronghorn and provides an opportunity to see a large number of animals during the hunt, while still providing an opportunity at a trophy buck. This hunt has been getting better and better each year and now seems to be producing some very consistent results as of the late. Consult with Hunters Who Have Hunted in Your Unit, Join Now! Montana mule deer herds are showing a small improvement in quality, but herds are stable to declining in most areas of the state. Few places in the hunting world command the attention of mule deer enthusiasts like Eagle County, Colorado. When signed up to access a Type 2 BMA, each hunter must sign in the previous day at a designated sign in trailer (sometimes MILES away from the actual ranch you will be hunting) to get your window pass. Eastmans Publishing, Inc. is a holding company engaged in publishing. Wyomings Elk Area 7, south of Casper, is a large unit with lots of elk and is about half public land. The most likely areas to produce a record-book pronghorn are GMUs 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 46, 47, and 48. This hunt is generally booked after the hunter has secured a permit. Hunting districts south of the Missouri offer the best drawing odds. So in 2018, all four of the nonresident tags went to landowners. They also provide transportation to and from the airport if needed. That is 16,660 above the 2020 population estimate and slightly above the 10-year average of 202,033. is the caliber that currently holds one of the long range distance records for . Get up above the ATV trails and leave the mule deer call in the pack. The answer is landowners. Following in the footsteps of his father, Guy has taken up the reins and is now at the helm of the Eastmans Hunting Journal and the Eastmans Bowhunting Journal. This is an extremely hard tag to draw with sheep like draw odds. Our 2nd ranch sign in trailer ended up approximately 30 miles from the ranch and in the opposite direction of where we had lodged. Colorado. My best MT bucks came from heavily timbered units that have limited glassing opportunities. Professional outfitters' and guides' services are also available throughout the region, providing expert services to out-of-state hunters. We applied as a party and were successful in drawing our Either Species/Either Sex tags. Although the thought of the 90/10 proposal could be very difficult to comprehend for most of you at this point, I really do think if it does in fact happen for deer, elk and antelope, I would be very surprised if it happened before the 2024 hunting season. Colorado is king of the mule deer, and Eagle County is the king of Colorado mule deer. Unfortunately, Montana has been giving out so many mule deer doe tags that they have put a hurt on the mule deer population. Drawing a long-awaited tagor lucking out with a lotto-like winin a coveted area can be the second biggest hunting thrill of the year for most hunters. The downside of hunting the rut is that most of the mature bucks are harvested every season while they are more vulnerable as they are out chasing does. Lets all try to make the best of it. Toprut allows me to find the tags and hunts that others miss or overlook. If they want a true limited entry trophy type hunt they need to get rid of the cow and spike hunters. Desert Ghosts: Hunting the Elusive Coues Deer, Predator Hunting with .17 Caliber Rifle: Pros and Cons, The Only Three Guns You Need to Go Hunting, Venison Backstrap with Sweet & Spicy Peach Relish Recipe, Tested Tough - Modern Zeiss Sports Optics. Although a big buck here would be a very tall order, a fun hunt with limited pressure is what this hunt should offer up on a somewhat later season experience. This general hunt region consists of a big, rugged region adjacent to the famed Region G area we spoke about above. Wyoming offers large expanses of public land, mostly in the western part of the state, and produces lots of record-book bucks. As you can imagine 270-50 has the highest number of landowner applicants for any deer permit and by far the highest for nonresidents. This hunt is one of only two limited quota hunts inside the Region G zone where 15 lucky applicants will hunt for big rut staged high country deer during the final two weeks of the month of October. The same is true for those interested in hunting archery seasons. However, by looking at all point levels from 1-16, multiple applicants drew permits in just about every point level from 0-16. They further broke that number down into each region as follows: region 1 with 6,055; region 2 with 9,551; region 3 with 43,025; region 4 with 58,082; region 5 with 32,103; region 6 with 67,994; and region 7 with 77,140. Habitat stamps cost $10.00 and you must have one to hunt anything in Colorado. This hunt should take 12 to 14 points to draw this year. Only a limited number of tags are given out annually for this area. And the data backs this statement up as according to the Game and Fish Department the mule deer herd in Wyoming, statewide, is nearly 30% below objective levels. 2. Colorado Corner Crossing Here We Go Again, 10 Most Common Big Game Violations Part 8 Hunter Trespassing, To Feed Or Not To Feed. Unit 22 is open for archery hunting late August to mid September and then December through the end of January. A lot of hunters only hunt or glass in the early mornings and evenings. Go on More Hunts with Better Information, Join Huntin' Fool Today! A lot of large bucks stay nocturnal during the general rifle season, making them very hard to find. The breakdown of whitetail per region is as follows: region 1 with 69,094; region 2 with 37,747; region 3 with 23,745; region 4 with 32,657; region 5 with 14,917; region 6 with 14,311; and region 7 with 20,343. Over the past years we have taken many trophy deer with both a gun and bow. This hunt should take 12 to 14 points to draw this year. Zero in 2018 and two nonresidents drew in 2019. And in the evening, glass until it's too dark to see, you'll understand and appreciate the term "coming out of the woodwork". Some of our hunting areas include vast open ridges with . With that said, I hope these choices help you out and this year is what it is. The Missouri Breaks also hold modest numbers of whitetails, particularly in creek bottoms containing deciduous cover. This is a very limited, late season hunt with hunt dates during most of the month of November. Anyone have input on Idaho unit 59a for mule deer? Montana Rivers and Ridges Outfitter offers a late season 4 Day trophy Mule Deer hunt on the beautiful prairie of Eastern Montana. 14,019 Views. Too late. amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit"; Check em out! One change that took place for 2022 is a handful of mule deer units that used to be unlimited went to general. Diamond Outfitters has secured quite literally, the most legendary properties in all of Sonora! Again, pay close attention to the regulations to make sure you are properly licensed to hunt mule deer. 28-Oct-08. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. They also tend to offer less public hunting ground. They open up for call-in registration at different times. My partner passed on a good deer the first day and we spent the majority of the rest of our hunt trying to find that deer. The key indicators of a rebound are all lining up for the future on this hunt. The best thing about Montana Whitetails is that Keith and Bob are bowhunters and understand the quarry and the strategy to harvest big bucks. Today, antelope are a perennial favorite among big-game hunters who stalk the prairie speedsters on the open plains on both the north and south sides of the Mighty Mo. Give a Gift Harvest is generally limited to 180" bucks and larger, but our goal for each client is to get a 190 . Since we pride our hunters and offer great quality hunting guides, we are 100% fair chase. The application for antelope licenses is June 1. Subscriber Services. Unit 102 has been a desirable hunter destination for trophy mule deer in Wyoming over the past two decades. The open country provides endless glassing opportunities and the gentle rolling hills allow for fairly easy hiking. Somebody please post up the best trophy mule deer hunting in Montana so anyone that is smart enough to work the google can pull up this thread! amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; Regions G and H are the most popular and talked about deer units in Wyoming; however, there are other good units as well. A lot of large bucks stay nocturnal during the general rifle season, making them very hard to find. Montana Though relatively few in number, Missouri Breaks bucks can achieve notable size. Kevin Steele from Petersen's HUNTING speaks to Jordan Egli of Burris Optics about the all-new Veracity PH Riflescope. This is just another example. As for general-season units, Jones suggested hunters take a look at Pine Valley in the southwest corner of the state, the four Oquirrh/Stansbury units west of Salt Lake City, and Zion on the southern border. Today, all of these species (except bison) are still found in robust numbers in Missouri River Country and provide modern-day hunters with the same challenges for making meat and memories as they did members of the famed expedition. The 2021 mule deer population estimate is the lowest since 2014. The deadline for nonresident applications for archery and rifle elk licenses is March 15. I have been very hard on this hunt in the past, however the recent historical data here is very positive, particularly when compared to everything else currently going wrong in Wyoming. 2023 Outdoor Sportsman Group. This will cause massive demand on the system this year and next with high point holders forcibly pushed to cash in their points before the change which will cause huge gains in point creep for deer, elk and antelope inside the Wyoming point system. This place has it all, comfortable camp, good guiding, good food and Shield River trout fishing, it's just a great week. Each fall, hunters from all over the country, and around the world, set their sights on the mountains, valleys, and wide-open spaces of the West in search of adventure, camaraderie, a world-class trophy, and the opportunity to fill the freezer with lean protein. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. All Petersen's Hunting subscribers now have digital access to their magazine content.