where to go?

[semo hunter]

My cousin and i enjoy taking hunting trips to new locationsfor different game.We live in southeast Missouri and enjoy the challenge of taking on new territory. One of the trips we have always wanted to take is a mule deer hunt. We want to go on public land without an outfitter. We dont have a clue on which states are best for getting tags or have the best hunting. We are researching now for the 2012 season.We would really appreciate the help.

 

[Big Fin]

Most public land in mule deer country - NV, CO, ID, UT.

Easiest tags to draw - ID (first come, first served for general tag), CO if you are willing to hunt earlier seasons and don't need a glory unit.

Build points for NV and UT, if they are in your plans. It will take a while, as will better CO and WY units.

Hunt archery and most every tag gets five times less difficult to draw.

Good luck.

 

[semo hunter]

Thanks for the reply. Was looking for somewhere in the upper mid west and we want to gun hunt.How is the hunting in the Dakotas or maybe NE. We farm and we are usually finished cutting beans around the first week of Nov. We just didnt know if there was a state in the mid west that sold tags over th counter. If we apply for a tag it may work out where we cant even use it if we have a long harvest season.Sorry to be so difficult and we appreciate all the help.

 

[silverado11]

Montana is a great place to hunt as well, I was able to draw a tag on my first try, I guess i was lucky. We went 4 for 4 on public land as well.

 

[semo hunter]

Thanks silverado thats awesome. We are just trying to learn as much as we can . We are very green when it comes to a mule deer hunt. We turkey hunt Tenn every spring. Whitetail hunt missouri ,illinoisand Kentuckyevery fall and have been to Tx the last 10 years every Jan. A mule deer hunt has been a dream of ours for years. We just didnt want to wait till the last min to get things together. We both enjoy the show and watch faithfully.Today is the first time ever on this site and i just had to become a member. Seems to be alot of hunters just like my cousin and i.Thanks again for all your help.

 

[wyoming556]

Nebraska has OTC tags for mule deer for bow, gun, and muzzleloader. Oklahoma has a few pieces of public where mule deer are with OTC tags. If your planning for next year you might try a Wyoming mule deer and antelope hunt.

 

[silverado11]

You can send me a pvt message if you need more info, I believe the dead line date for Montana is 3-15-12, so keep that date in mind if you are thinking about putting in for a license.

 

[jlmatthew]

The nice thing about Colorado is you never know where/what GMU a B&C class deer is going to come out of, just about every county has produced them. Anywhere west of the divide will have good numbers, even during our little downturn

 

[worm]

Units 6 and 7 in NV! I lived in SE Missouri for ten years but I have been in NV for the last three years. I strongly recommend the early archery hunt.

 

[norcalhunter]

Worm - Do residents have different unit numbers in NV? I hunted 101-108 last year and some residents referred to it as unit 10. I don't see 6 or 7 is that the units in the 60's and 70's?

 

[worm]

I guess I've been here long enough to forget about the confusion. 101-108 is called 10 by the residents. 6 would be all of the 06... units except for 065. 065 is very hard to draw. 7 would be all of the 07.. units. So when you apply if you look at all of the units that you are applying for it might make a little bit more since. 6 is my favorite. My daughter got her buck in 7 this year.Mountain city highway runs north of Elko to Idaho. Basically 6 is on the west side of it and most of 7 is on the east side. To make it more confusing the other big game units are the same numbers but are grouped differently if that makes any sense. For an example there is an elk area you can apply for that is units 061 and 071 combined. If someone kills an animal in unit 6 when you ask them where they killed it they will say 6 not 062, 063, 064. Yes it's confusing for non residents.

 

[norcalhunter]

Thanks for clearing that up.