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Jinxed by mother nature "again"(wyoming trip)

pa ridge-runner

New member
Joined
Aug 23, 2003
Messages
24
Location
Pennsylvania -pocono mtns
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Well I returned home yesterday from my mule deer hunt.Two years in a row now I have gone to Wyoming in quest of my first mule deer.It seems that I have been taking 80+ degree weather in my suitcase!!
After hunting 6 days three of us did not see one mulie buck.Plenty of does but not one buck.
The hot weather has kept most of the deer in the shade and out of sight.
I was thinking it was ME but after talking to the locals and the nearby meat processors the fact is just that the weather was too hot.Thier business was only one eighth of normal.The very day I arrived(10-16) it was 83.Til the day I left it was 82.(10-23)
Last year I was out the end of sept and went with an outfitter that said it was the hottest he had seen in 20 years.Great weather to swim in but not good for deer movement.I feel snake bit!
The deer came out of the woodwork just before dark and were back in hiding by first light.Where did we hunt??
We hunted s.w. of Gillette in the deep draws near the Powder river for 3 days,then shifted to the Big Horn mtns near Buffalo for 3 days.I enjoyed
the trip and the hunt very much,love that country,but no success hurts too.Still have an empty spot on the wall for that mule deer
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Was wondering how the rest of you did?
Steiny;How was your hunt north of Gillette??
We did go to Weston for one day but the heat was just too much to stay out in.Better luck next year,I hope.
 
Sorry about your luck PA. Obviously Wyoming sucks for deer and people should not even apply there anymore.
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I hope you haven't given up hope and give it another whirl next year.
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Wow, reading again, 18 hunter days and no bucks seen.
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Are you sure you guys left camp?
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That is unbelievable. How many deer did you see during the trip? Did you see any dead ones? How was the pressure on the public land in the Powder R. Breaks?

<FONT COLOR="#800080" SIZE="1">[ 10-24-2003 10:34: Message edited by: mtmiller ]</font>
 
Hi mtmiller,
A few more words about the wyo trip.As far as hunting pressure in the powder river breaks I would have to say that I saw only a handfull of hunters in a vast area.The deer seemed to be there but they didnt like to come out of hiding during the day.Most of the deer activity seemed to be near water or greener grasses.I saw roughly 60 deer in 5 days of which only one was a very small Y buck.We did see one really nice buck on the way out one morn that was a 5x4 but it was still dark then.
We hunted the Kaycee area one afternoon and saw many bucks on private ranches after dark also.
In the powder river area I walked many of the ravine bottoms and there was a heck of alot of deer sign,but no activity.
I enjoyed hunting that area very much and would try it again.
I did intend to hunt Montana this past year but believe the price for a license there is too much.I'm not sure when or if I will ever get another chance to get that mulie trophy.I'm 55 now and the knee's arent getting any stronger.I wish I had been able to get out west at a younger age but was unable to because of responsibilities to my family.I will take a few weeks and ponder if I will return again.I do believe that a fella CAN do a DIY hunt and be successfull.One thing that you can't do is count on ideal weather conditions.Hot weather is anything but ideal.If I'd wanted to go swimming it would have been great!!
I am always amused by the number of different game animals and critters I see when hunting the west.We saw badgers,snakes.many antelope,foxes,prairie dogs,coyotes,elk,bobcat,many different grouse,jackrabbits,cottontails,many different birds,etc that I cant see here in Pa.
I wish I could have taken a decent buck but the memories of my trip will last my lifetime!
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I still have deer hunting here in my home state and I plan on hunting New York state also.I will keep you all posted and GOOD Luck to everyone here.
 
Seems like the weather is biting everyone in the ass this year. Hope you decide to do another western hunt for that mulie you are looking for. If you do, I wish you the very best on your next trip. Good luck with your season back there.
 
Hey pa ridge-runner thanx for sharing your thoughts, they were well recieved. Have another go mate, you'll get that buck..ds
 
I bet this means there will be some better bucks next year If only 1/8 th of the normal amount of bucks were killed. Oh man cant wait for the winter range. Its usually easier to find bucks in hot weather in qaukie patches that have a spring in them. Thats always the first place I would look when the weather has been hot for a period of time.

later, MM
 
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