I am probably heading out to Montana this Fall to hunt Mule Deer for the first time. The area I am considering is in the Southeastern portion of the state.....South of the Yellowstone River and the towns of Forsyth/Hysham. My understanding is that we will be hunting a series of ranches with alot of walking and glassing the sandstone buttes.

Can anyone give me a general idea of the size of Mule Deer that come out of this area on average....? Top end???
In your estimation what should I be looking for?

Thanks for your help.

Regards,
Dave

Dave
Depends on the ranch.
There are some that have some good deer.Some places a 24"
4x4 would be good.
If you are on a better ranch, a deer in the 180 class is not
out of the question.

Jeff

mule deer in montana CAN get up above 300 pounds. i would guess that 250-275 is considered "pretty darn good." some of the more experienced people here could offer more in the way of specifics.

Dave,

I tried to e-mail you about bears but your mail is full. Amyway I just researched some ranches in the Miles City and Billings area. If you can hold your fire for a little while you should be able to take a 23-24" wide deer with a nice tall rack and good fork depth. On these ranches several bucks are killed that go 26-28" every year.

If you haven't booked anything yet we still have some openings but 2004 but the deadline for permit application is fast approaching so you need to move quickly.

These are great hunts and very reasonably priced.

Good Hunting,

Mark

David: I have Hunted that area since 1969. Back then even non-residents could shoot 2 Buck Mule Deer each year. The limit for many years now though has been one Buck Muley or Whitetail and some additional tags for doe/fawn.

Lots of Varmints in that area and I hope you can take some time to harvest some Coyote, Prairie Dogs and Badgers. Do not shoot a Bobcat though as non-residents are not allowed to harvest them.

I am already planning my annual Mule Deer Hunt for that area this fall. Let me extend to you this tip! The new moon will be November 12th! This is the exact date on which the more mature Mule Deer Bucks start coming from their remote haunts to stay with the does at night and into the morning! The dark nights for the next several days will be an excellent time to get first crack at the now pre-rut/rutting Mulies! The peak of the rut is a tad later but I GUARANTEE that on November 12th the mature loners will be lingering with the ladies til well after first light! Last year the Hunting was very good for Mulies in SE Montana and I took a very nice 4 1/2 year old 4X4 Mulie with 25" spread and thick bases (and it had eyeguards). Many of my friends think it is the best Mulie I have taken for some time. It would be at the taxidermist right now but a recent freezer malfunction ruined the cape! Damn!

I have a close friend that took a dandy 31" Mulie over east there last year. It was her first ever Mulie as she usually Hunts Whitetails here in SW Montana.

My good friend from Washington and I were Hunting over thataway year before last and he took a 28 1/2" wide 6X7 Mulie. Also a splendid deer for SE Montana. His best ever Muley!

I try not to start firing until I am sure the Mulie is close to 24" spread and am happy with anything in that range. If the winterkill is minimal to moderate then there will be lots of Deer come the October 24th 2,004 opener.

I will be doing a lot of Varminting in the area this spring/summer and if you can remember to re-inquire of me I will let you know how the herds look. Of course by then you will be committed for the license! But it may give you an idea as to how much time to dedicate to your Mulie Hunt. If winterkill is larger then more time would be advisable!

In 2,002 I saw a 30"+ Mulie while helping a friend on a limited permit Bull Elk Hunt up near the Missouri in eastern Montana. I Hunted that Muley for 3 days but never got him. I went back to that spot on the opener in 2,003 and saw about 15 smaller 4X4's (21" to 22" spreads). I did not see the big one again though! The season in the area I Hunted that big Deer closed on November 17th! 99% of the Deer closures in Montana though will be on November 28th this year as will be the case in your area.

Myself and 3 friends killed our Deer in 2,003 during only 3 1/2 days of Hunting during the rut! I killed mine on November 17th. I would allow at least for 10 days of Hunting if not 14!

If you are going for the first time ever anywhere for Mulies then bone up on judging width of spread. This is easy to do. I am becoming pretty adept (after 42 years of Hunting Mule Deer) at judging the 4 1/2 year old Mulie Bucks just from body size (neck and chest) and walking posture during the rut. 4 1/2 year old plus Mule Deer Bucks compromise only about 2% of the total herd. They are quite rare to see except during the rut or sometimes on the opening day. They get scarce real quick and stay that way til rut time. Anyway a 24" wide Mulie will sure look great on your wall there in New Hampshire! I would try for a 24" Mulie and settle for a 22" 4X4 (not counting eyeguards).

Best of luck to you on your Hunt! There should also be Sharptails, Pheasants and some Sage Grouse in that area to Hunt.

I hunt a little further east where there are hordes of Turkeys! I am not really up on the Turkeys in the area you are gonna Hunt.

Hold into the wind

VarmintGuy

As you can see from previous posts, you'll likely be able to get one in the 24" 4x4 class if you spend several days. I agree with Varmint Guy, hunt as many days as you can. One of the most successful methods of getting big deer is making sure you don't shoot small(er) ones. I'd give yourself a minimum width/height/etc. and don't take anything less until your last day or two. If you spot some decent ones and no one messes with them (good luck with THAT) they should be around when and if you return to that area.

There are some really nice ones out there, but they are not all over the place. Last year I hunted south of where you are talking about several times and saw quite a few 20"+ deer and one dandy that was just too far away.

Regardless, your going to be on a fantastic, classic mule deer hunt in an area of the country with very few people. Few things are more enjoyable than packing your grub, gun and binos and walking the rims and benches in Eastern Montana looking for mulies. A walnut stocked, blued barrel .270 (any action will do) with a leather sling makes things just about right. Hope you have a wonderful time.

VarmitGuy,

Thanks for the great information! Much appreciated! You wouldn't want to tell me where you saw that 30+ inch mule deer......would you!!! I have been to this part of Montana before to hunt whitetails but, I have yet to do a spot and stalk in those sand stone buttes. I am looking foward to walking, glassing and generally covering some ground in the wide open spaces!! I will certainly be a departure from tracking and still hunting Maine & New Hampshire.

mt Al,

I like your description of the hunt very much! A 7mm Rem Mag rather than a 270win will have to do but, other than that I am good to go! Lets hope the big mulies cooperate...

Mark,

I already have plans to hunt with a friend of mine who is a guide. If it's not a problem please resend the bear hunt info. as my computer was having hardware problems which I finally sorted out. The bear hunt is/was a backup hunt if the mule deer hunt falls through. In any event I will most probably make black bear a priority next year.

Thanks to all who offered advice!!!

Regards,
Dave

David: I first saw that monster, heavy, wide, thick horned Muley on a penninsula on the north side of the Missouri River. I have dreamnt about him many times since first seeing him. I was about 3/4 of a mile from him and watching two 22" 4X4 Mulies just below me come up from water when I first saw him with my naked eye! I could tell even before I got my binoculars on him that he was a real trophy! Massive muscular shoulders and dark neck mane really made him quite an impressive sight. I got the spotting scope on him and watched him travel along - he had obviously been spooked by two Elk Hunters on horseback and the Muley kept looking back over his shoulders at the way he had come from. I watched him for 20 minutes until he bedded down behind a scrubby Cedar tree. I had to make a circle to get at his position without him seeing me and about an hour later I crept up to a ridge overlooking that Cedar and he was gone! To say I was disappointed would have been an understatement! I went down and found his tracks and the direction he had left and Hunted him the rest of that day and the next two full days. My partner eventually killed a 7X7 Bull Elk and we had to leave with that load of meat.
I am sure that big Deer is still in that area as it is walk in or horse in Hunting only and like I said the season closes early there, on November 17th!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy