yep do it in the west for blacktails and mulies.

best advice i can give you is to GET IN SHAPE..... when your on your feet and walking around (assuming it will be in mountains, not flat land)... sometimes you end up walking much further than you think due to no deer being in the area you have topo'd. work on the in shape part and you can and will enjoy the hunting much more.

second: for a beginner i would recommend getting some things high end, but the others are not necessary.

high end: good pair of boots, good socks, lightweight sleeping bag and pad, good layering system of clothes to keep you cool and/or warm.

low end: backpack doesn't have to be high end, a decent camelbak commander (ebay for about $40) will work fine for 3 days, cooking items, purifying system (pump or iodine pills), flash light and head lamp (cheaper walmart ones for $15 work well for me), cooking stove, and all other misc. items.

if you want to get into backpacking or even know more about it then i recommend getting Camern Hanes new book about backpacking mule deer hunting....it will teach you a lot of and really help.