I got back from spending 8 days in Montana mule deer hunting.

The first five days was spent looking for a bigger buck then I last shot.

The last three was spent looking for buck to shoot.

I saw deer every day most days saw a buck of some type.

I had a opportunity at 4 bucks two were passed, one the stalk was blown by a flock of sharp tails just as I was getting to position to shoot.

The 4th killed on the last day was a fork horn

At about 50 yards a bang flop.

30 minutes before I killed the fork horn we saw a very big buck but he was moving at 500 yards.

Of my two friends one killed a nice 3x3 after a first round miss and the other missed shots on two every nice bucks.

The first shots he missed was at 247 yards 4 times as it stood there.

He has very limited practice at shooting pass 100 yards and probably never had to shoot in the kind of winds you get in the west.

That day it was 15 to 20 with higher gusts.

The other shot was missed at 40 yards as it stood there looking at him.

Practice is the key if one wants to be a good shot.

Just taking your rifle and shooting it at a 100 yards. Just doesn't cut in the field.

Both are learning that hunting deer in the wide open spaces of the west is a different then then big woods hunting.

I was shooting my Rem 700 300WM with 180BT they were using a Ruger MK1 06 and a Browning A bolt 06 both with 165gr factory loads.

quote:

Originally posted by just-a-hunter:
Sounds like you all had fun.

Congrats.

Todd

Yes we did covered a lot of new ground.

I'd have booted any one of my kids [including the girls] in the ass if they whiffed a standing still broadside shot at either of those distances.[even in a 20mph wind]

it sounds like you had a 'typical' western type hunt though.

quote:

Originally posted by Lamar:
I'd have booted any one of my kids [including the girls] in the ass if they whiffed a standing still broadside shot at either of those distances.[even in a 20mph wind]

it sounds like you had a 'typical' western type hunt though.

Don't worry a thoroughly hard time was given.

oh,, I can imagine.. LOL.
sounds like you had a good area to hunt.

Thing is , Muleys in Montana when it comes to really good buck is tough as lots of these leases are overshot a bit every year and older bucks are simply not there and then timing for good buck? Last two weeks in November is your ticket

quote:

when it comes to really good buck is tough as lots of these leases are overshot

These were public land bucks.

Same thing for most part
And I don’t mean to preach, just stating the fact as I have hunted many of those areas off and on for decades

The areas we drove through that had large sections of private lands.

Had lots of deer and some fine and a few really big bucks.

If they were leased I do not know.


I seen a couple real nice bucks and one monster on land open to the public. But haven't been able to connect.

We shot some decent bucks over the years that were slightly above average for the area.

We would like to shoot a really big buck but it is not priority with us.

Having a safe, fun interesting hunt is and that is what we had

Montana is one of the few States that allow basically unlimited access to rutting mule deer through the Thanksgiving weekend. The results are completely predictable- very skewed sex ratios with an almost total absence of 4 plus year old males. There are a very small handful of limited entry areas that still have the goods and, of course, properly managed private property.

Yep, no big bucks in Montana, nothing to see here, please keep driving to Idaho.








All public land bucks in general units from southwest MT to the front range. It isn't like hunting Colorado, but they aren't the ghosts they are made out to be.

Jeremy

might as well come here.
apparently we need the money, and the gas stations love y'all re-filling the pickup truck each morning as the 6am conga line starts forming for the local canyons.

40 years ago MT FWP set their standard: Mediocrity for all. What other State manages mule deer like this- pretty much unlimited hunting in the rut? The answer is not one. You bucks are impressive. But the 180s are, for the most part, long gone. It is simply indefensible to say that a 40 to 1 sex ratio is acceptable anywhere. FWP biologists have been "caught" taking 50% of the fawn crop and converting those into the sex ratios to save face. Bureaucratic Inertia is a terrible thing. There is a reason NM,CO,WY,NV,AZ,UT,ID,and ND do not allow hunting Mulies in the rut on their winter range.

quote:

It is simply indefensible to say that a 40 to 1 sex ratio is acceptable anywhere

At least some of the herds we saw was more then that. Lots of does and few bucks,

It's early in the year to know the ratio in an area. You really can't tell until they are out on the winter range, IMO. The little bucks stay with mom all year, the bigger guys move a lot.

Eastern MT has always had skewed ratios. Western MT depends on the unit and terrain. Some units are fair, others are bad.

I'm not defending the FWP, just saying it isn't all bad.

I'm glad you had a fun hunt there.

Jeremy

In Montana most Mule deer are on their winter range by 11/10. Certainly the case this year with our 4th pretty major storm. So we get to POUND them for a solid 3 weeks.

quote:

Originally posted by Lamar:
might as well come here.
apparently we need the money, and the gas stations love y'all re-filling the pickup truck each morning as the 6am conga line starts forming for the local canyons.

Ha ha... And, I'll bet the majority have Utah plates

quote:

Originally posted by Jason P:

quote:

Originally posted by Lamar:
might as well come here.
apparently we need the money, and the gas stations love y'all re-filling the pickup truck each morning as the 6am conga line starts forming for the local canyons.

Ha ha... And, I'll bet the majority have Utah plates

Cache Valley doesn't have much of a winter range left...