targetpanic
Well-known member
In 2016 I decided it was time to start planning an adventure out West. Mule deer have always intrigued me and the colors of their face look great on the wall. I started doing a lot of research into outfitters...there was no way I was going to be able to swing the cost of an outfitted hunt. I asked Wendy if she was interested in going on the hunt and she was. Also my buddy Shawn was on board as well. A lot of people looked at me like I was crazy when I said we were going to go DIY. I spent a lot of time researching the pros and cons of each state. I spent a ton of time reading on forums like this one. We decided Montana was going to fit the bill quite nicely. In the Fall of 2017 we bought a preference point as the # of NR applying for the tags seemed to be going up every year and we were set on going in the Fall of 2018.
For our first trip we decided that we were looking for good representative animals, they didn't have to be world class animals. We also decided that flying was the better option for us and we would stay in a motel at night. These things all added a little bit to the cost of the hunt but it just made the most sense for us.
Planning continued into early 2018 and we applied for our tags along with purchasing another preference point, all but guaranteeing that we would draw our tags.
The place we decided to stay was nearly booked, so our dates were determined by their schedule more than ours.
Our schedule was set and all that was left to do was make sure we had the right gear for the trip.
For our first trip we decided that we were looking for good representative animals, they didn't have to be world class animals. We also decided that flying was the better option for us and we would stay in a motel at night. These things all added a little bit to the cost of the hunt but it just made the most sense for us.
Planning continued into early 2018 and we applied for our tags along with purchasing another preference point, all but guaranteeing that we would draw our tags.
The place we decided to stay was nearly booked, so our dates were determined by their schedule more than ours.
Our schedule was set and all that was left to do was make sure we had the right gear for the trip.