First time mule deer hunt
 

Hello all!

Hunting mule deer is something that's always been on my bucket list, but its kind of hard to do in North Carolina. I'm wondering if anyone had to pointers on what states are the easiest to get tags in, should I look for an outfitter or try to DIY, what outfitters have y'all used if any? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

The number one thing to increase your odds of success is acquiring 1-2 preference points. This will enable you to draw a tag for a much better area than you will hunt with 0 points thereby making a DIY hunt with high odds for success possible. Colorado and Wyoming tags are all draw. Nebraska has OTC Muley tags and some heavily hunted public land in the NW part of the state.

Thank you for advise! I've always been told the southeast part Colorado has some REALLY nice mule deer but pretty hard to get tags for. I have a few friends that elk hunt around Gunnison, unit 54 I believe. I've seen some pictures of several huge bucks!

Most of SE Colorado is private so that would require an outfitter for access and the better units will require 5-18 points. The gunnison basin is out of reach for deer for 10+years especially with last years winterkill and huge tag reductions.

It sounds like you know a great deal about Colorado! What are some other states I should look into? Any ideas?

Colorado is tops for mule deer and good hunts are available for 1-2 points. Other states include Wyoming, Montana, Utah and Idaho it really depends on what type of hunt you're looking for.

I would like to rifle hunt the first time, not really set any particular state. I don't mind waiting a year or two to accumulate a few points,if it helps me hunt a little better area.

you can MOST times draw a tag on a an Indian reservation hunt on the FIRST TRY!
as most I know of do it on a first come first service like deal
so IF you apply the EXACT day the open, you tend to get the tags
MOST reservations all for either guided or NON guided hunts too.
I tend to do what I call SEMI guided hunts, I hire a guide to show me where boundary lines are and where I can and CANNOT hunt, and then go do it myself
and I do it this way as many of the reservations don't have very clear marked boundary lines, and fines for NOT being on right area's can be BIG
good news is they have tens of thousands of acres you CAN be on.
YOU can then also try and time things and put in for a STATE tag, and possibly turn a hunt into a two buck hunt if your lucky enough to draw a STATE tag in there lottery's!

Most reservations also have EITHER or tags, so that opens the odds up on hunt leading to a kill, as if a HUGE whitetail come out and your willing, you can KILL it , or wait for that mule deer you REALLY wanted,
to me its just a NICE option to have when your traveling very far(about 1700 miles for me to get out there 1 way)
and then pending when you time your hunt, you can add other things to your hunt, pronghorn, upland game, waterfowl(things to do if you tag out early I call them)
plus most hunts allow for many different type of weapons, so if you want to bow hunt, or rifle , or muzzleloader, you can! most hunt happen during the rut too, or can be weeks ahead or after if you like, they tend to have rather LONG seasons in my experience!
I highly recommend looking into Indian reservation hunts,
SD might be your closest with mule deer and good odds IMO!

That's a great idea! I'm gonna do some research! Thanks for the advice!

Western Mule Deer
 

My only advice is to take either a .270 Win or .25-‘06 on your muley hunt.

Nothing better than using traditional Western cartridges for poppin’ your cherry.

So you're saying my 7mm Rem Mag which has taken a huge number of mulies shouldn't be used on mulies? Nor should the good old 30-06, which predates both the 270 and the 25-06?

As to the OP, good mule deer hunts can be had in a number of western states. I am a CO native but now live in TX. My nod would go to CO for mulies but I have also taken them in WY, MT, UT, and NE. It really comes down to what you want and when you want to hunt. Different states have different season. It may also be worth your time to look at the TX panhandle. They take some really good mulies there by Amarillo but you would have to be guided since it is private land. I believe the going rate for mule deer hunts there are about $3500.

One piece of advice for a first time mule deer hunter is don't expect a monster with a 30 inch spread. Such deer have never been common. The spread on the ears of a mulie is about 22 inches so if a buck is carrying 4 points to a side and is wider than his ears then I'd shoot it if it was my first hunt. Such a buck makes any whitetail look small since the rack will probably be as tall as it is wide. Big old mossy horned deer of any species don't come around that often no matter what the magazines say.

I've had a few people tell me that! I would to buy a new rifle, but it is a pretty good excuse to tell the wife...

I'm putting in for Wyoming preference points. I'm going to build up enough to draw a good unit. And go for a big one when I finally go.

I don't hunt for antlers with whitetail. But I'd like a big muley someday.

-Jake

Thank you for the tips and advice! I plan on taking my 300 win mag, it a rifle I'm very comfortable with. I would to hunt CO one day, I'm gonna start buying preference points this year. Maybe in a few years be able to go again.

I went to Wyoming last week with my Uncle, Mom, and brother. We each got a buck. Mine and Mom were Mule Deer and brother was whitetail. My uncle did not draw a general deer tag( first time since he has been going since 1989). We go to Cody Wyoming. Tons of deer and are everywhere. Highly encourage you to check it out. Plenty of public land and Mulies are not really hard to get, they are actually pretty dumb. Check out my write up my post. Will be lengthy but stories are what we enjoy.

I didn’t say anything about what shouldn’t be used on Mulies.

I’m always looking for an excuse to buy a new rifle. You already have a .300 Win Mag .... both a .25-‘06 and a .270 Win are “different” enough that you just might get away with it. :-)

While lots of calibers and cartridges can do the job, nothing screams “Mule Deer!” to me quite like a .25-‘06 or .270 Winchester. Classic Western cartridges, by all means. Either would make the experience for an Eastern hunter just a little bit cooler.

I’m planning to take a 6.5 Creedmoor on my next combo Mule Deer / Elk hunt next season. I just need to get an accurate load worked up using a bullet I like for both critters. If I don’t, I will probably take the .25-06 or .270 Win.

257 Weatherby Magnum is a great all around gun for the west. From Antelope, whitetail or Mule deer, elk, and bear you can’t go wrong! That’s what I used and really the only rifle I use besides my 6.8 for hogs at night back at home in Florida. I would highly recommend that caliber! I reload my ammunition. Yes, some factory round are expensive, but reloading helps with that cost dramatically. I have a Remington 700 CDL SF. Shoots wonderful!