Planning Nebraska Sandhills Muley Hunt

Chase McGill

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Sep 27, 2020
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Hey y’all. Me and my best friend are looking to try something new this year or next. Been doing CO elk for a while and love it, but just want something different. A friend suggested a Nebraska Sandhills hunt. Wondered if anyone here had done one and had any suggestions for us. Open to all suggestions/advice.. archery or rifle, units, stuff to pack specific to the landscape, how to avoid other hunters since the units are much smaller than the west, etc. also not opposed to a guide on public if anyone knows one. Thanks!
 
Instead of going guided I would consider paying a landowner a trespass fee. Make some calls to locals and try to line up some access.
Nebraska folks have always been very friendly to me when inquiring about access , even if they say no. Never hurts to ask .
 
Ok great idea. Thanks man. My buddy has turkey hunted there with a local so he might know some people we could call. Appreciate it
 
After a visit to the sandhills you will never be the same. Most never come back for a second trip.

Mule deer hunting is like anything else in life.

You can pick any 2. Good, Fast, Cheap. Can't have all 3.
Good and Fast, but it won't be cheap. This is buying landowner tags, paying trespass fees, hiring outfitter.
Good and Cheap, but it won't be Fast, This is waiting several years to draw a good tag in Colorado, Wyoming, etc..
Fast and Cheap, but it won't be Good, This is Nebraska public land mule deer hunting, OTC colorado elk, etc.

Everyone does the same thing when starting out trying to figure out how to kill a mule deer for the least $, planning, and effort. Nebraska tags are cheap, essentially OTC, and you can't get more than a mile or 2 from a road so people think it's a "bargain" when in reality it's not a good place to hunt mule deer for the most part unless you are on private land as there are just not a lot of mule deer there and the public is hunted hard by all the cheapskates and residents.

If you have been doing CO elk I'd recommend finding a unit you can elk hunt every year and draw a deer tag every few years or possibly find come adjacent units you could hunt since you already know the area. Landowner tags are a good way to cut in line and take a tag that was once for residents if you don't want to wait.
 
After a visit to the sandhills you will never be the same. Most never come back for a second trip.

Mule deer hunting is like anything else in life.

You can pick any 2. Good, Fast, Cheap. Can't have all 3.
Good and Fast, but it won't be cheap. This is buying landowner tags, paying trespass fees, hiring outfitter.
Good and Cheap, but it won't be Fast, This is waiting several years to draw a good tag in Colorado, Wyoming, etc..
Fast and Cheap, but it won't be Good, This is Nebraska public land mule deer hunting, OTC colorado elk, etc.

Everyone does the same thing when starting out trying to figure out how to kill a mule deer for the least $, planning, and effort. Nebraska tags are cheap, essentially OTC, and you can't get more than a mile or 2 from a road so people think it's a "bargain" when in reality it's not a good place to hunt mule deer for the most part unless you are on private land as there are just not a lot of mule deer there and the public is hunted hard by all the cheapskates and residents.

If you have been doing CO elk I'd recommend finding a unit you can elk hunt every year and draw a deer tag every few years or possibly find come adjacent units you could hunt since you already know the area. Landowner tags are a good way to cut in line and take a tag that was once for residents if you don't want to wait.
That’s some very good advice.
 
After a visit to the sandhills you will never be the same. Most never come back for a second trip.

Mule deer hunting is like anything else in life.

You can pick any 2. Good, Fast, Cheap. Can't have all 3.
Good and Fast, but it won't be cheap. This is buying landowner tags, paying trespass fees, hiring outfitter.
Good and Cheap, but it won't be Fast, This is waiting several years to draw a good tag in Colorado, Wyoming, etc..
Fast and Cheap, but it won't be Good, This is Nebraska public land mule deer hunting, OTC colorado elk, etc.

Everyone does the same thing when starting out trying to figure out how to kill a mule deer for the least $, planning, and effort. Nebraska tags are cheap, essentially OTC, and you can't get more than a mile or 2 from a road so people think it's a "bargain" when in reality it's not a good place to hunt mule deer for the most part unless you are on private land as there are just not a lot of mule deer there and the public is hunted hard by all the cheapskates and residents.

If you have been doing CO elk I'd recommend finding a unit you can elk hunt every year and draw a deer tag every few years or possibly find come adjacent units you could hunt since you already know the area. Landowner tags are a good way to cut in line and take a tag that was once for residents if you don't want to wait.
Thanks man! We’ve been hunting unit 62 in CO. I’ve harvested some decent bulls there through years but never drew a deer tag. When I was younger, the deer were everywhere. My dad has taken some great bucks, but the past 4 or 5 times we’ve gone (over the course of 10 years or so) the deer population there has dwindled to nothing. Didn’t see a single muley on our elk hunt this year. Apparently the cats were pretty hard on em so our buddy out there said to not even bother with a deer tag this past year. I guess that, and the urge to hunt some new terrain and scenery sparked the idea for Sandhills. I’ll keep looking elsewhere and be on the lookout for an in on private land. Thanks for the advice!
 
A few buddies and I have mule deer hunted the Sandhills. In 4 trips there has been close to 9 killed. 4 bucks and 5 does with 2 of those bucks being in the 150’s. Definitely good deer there if you are willing to put in work. All trips have been 3-4 days so it’s doable.
 
I copied this from a Nebraska.gov post.


Some simply call it deer season. In Nebraska, we love deer season. From mule deer to whitetail, no matter how you prefer to take your shot, Nebraska has an over-the-counter permit for you. That’s right, no lotteries here, just easy access to public land and thousands of trophy-quality deer. Plus, with $8 youth permits, Nebraska is the perfect place for young hunters. Here in Nebraska, we make it easy to get into the stand. Explore this page and start planning your Nebraska deer hunt.

This just doesn’t say quality hunting to me. No idea where the OP is from, but I’m not going to load up and take a long drive for something like that.
 
There is no question more asked on the internet than the OP.

And yet , there is nothing more rare than a follow-up post with exaltations of joy, and satisfaction from our epic NE deer hunt.


There's a reason for that.



The unlimited otc rifle hunt is centered on the rut.

Going forward the landowners now get to rifle hunt the weekend before rifle season starts. So any mature deer will now be hiding, and nocturnal when your chance to hunt comes.


Almost zero public land.

Unlimited otc tags for all weapons , and seasons.


And torrential numbers of nr hunters all of whom think they're just going to out work the others.


The chamber of commerce thanks you though.
 

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