HuntingNet.com Forums - View Single Post - Eastern MT Mulies?
View Single Post
Old 01-06-2012, 07:35 PM
  #2  
AK Jeff
Fork Horn
 
AK Jeff's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Fairbanks, Alaska
Posts: 419
Default

Originally Posted by salukipv1
Anyone have any eastern, southeast MT mule deer experience?

I've heard trophy quality is pretty terrible, but considering coming back during gun season to try to get one. (well a couple)

How hard would it be to get a decent 4x4? 150" 160" ??

This would be public land, or some block management.

Any help/suggestions/knowledge appreciated, trying to get a plan/ideas for 2012 together...

Thoughts on opening day vs. any other time period?

Also thought about getting an antelope tag too just in case I would spot a nice antelope while mulie hunting, although I suspect good mulies are in different areas from good antelope, and not looking to just take any antelope, ie I'd want something nice/wall hanger or nothing. I'd be less disconcerting for a mulie buck though, still would want to put him on the wall though.
For starters whoever told you the trophy quality of mule deer in Region 7 was terrible doesn't know their butt from a hole in the ground. There's some great trophy mulies there, probably some of the best in the state, but like any area there's certain places that have none and some have a bunch. The Diamond Cross has a lot of trophy mulies...the Crow Res, not very many at all. Bottom line you can't pigeon hole an area as huge as Region 7. Your odds of getting that dandy 4x4???...pick a number between 0 and 100%.

There's plenty of places you can find both mulies and antelope in R7. Some places that are so timbered you'd be surprised to find antelope and others that are so flat and wide open that you'd be surprised to see mulies.

The one thing you want to take into account is that eastern and northern MT were absolutely hammered last winter and there were huge die offs of both deer and antelope. There are still quite a few animals overall, but some areas have had drastic reductions in tag allocations. It will likely take several years before populations as a whole rebound to the pre-2010 numbers. So far this winter has been very beneficial to big game numbers.
AK Jeff is offline