Sorry I didn't get right back to you, but I just got back from a 12 day hunt in eastern MT. I took a new personal record - a whitetail buck that'll score 141 net, a heavy-horned 10-pointer.

I think whitetail meat is superior to muley, all else being equal. Realize that 50 people will read this and scream that muley is better eating than whitetails! It depends very much on what they eat, and muleys are usually fine eating, too.

On a lot of land in northern ID, you're going to find muleys and whitetails in the same areas, so you could just go hunting and shoot whatever is legal.

The key is catching the F & G guys at the right time of year, and if you do they'll be quite helpful. They get really busy through hunting season, and in spring when they're doing aerial surveys. When you call, ask them right off if this is a good time to talk, and if not when is a good time. Tell them you're a new hunter, and that'll help them respond to you. They generally like fairly specific questions. In other words, do a little homework and actually write down your questions before hand. Get that DeLorme's map of ID, with topos of the entire state (I have one myself even though I live in MT). Pick out some Nat'l Forest areas that look accessible, depending on how far you're willing to haul a deer out and what type of rig you drive. Then cross-reference those areas with your hunting regs. Call F & G with questions like, okay, unit 16 has 150 doe tags available and unit 17 has 500 doe tags. Does this mean there's that many more deer in unit 17, or is there some other reason why so many doe tags are available there?

Keep an eye out for another hunter in your area, some guys don't mind taking a protege under their wing, and that would be a real boon to you if the guy is an ethical hunter.

I didn't mean to totally turn you off on hunting magazines. I read them all the time. Just realize that everything you read may not be worth the paper it's written on. I think there are 3 pillars of learning for any hunter: one, what you yourself observe; two, what you learn from other hunters (in conversation or reading magazines); and three, scientific writing on the animal you're after.

So, keep a hunting journal, and look for other hunters to mix with, whether on this board or in person. If you're near Boise, you should be able to get into the BSU library and get hold of publications like the Journal of Wildlife Management. If you're a reader, you can find all kinds of science that's been conducted on deer. In my opinion, scientific findings are about 10 times more valuable than what you hear or read from other hunters.

One book I'd recommend is put out by the Wildlife Institute. The book is one of those 20-pounders, about 900 pages. It has collected the best of the best of scientific writing about whitetails over the past 50 years or so. The title is White-tailed Deer: Ecology and Management, edited by Lowell K. Halls. Read what interests you, and you'll learn lots about whitetails. I got it from my local library on interlibrary loan, where they got it shipped in from some library halfway across the country for $1. This book is one of a series, I know they also did a similar book on elk, and may have one on muleys.

Again, I really hope you will stick with this pursuit and find your bliss in the hunting woods.

Well, I thought an update may be in order. 2 full seasons have passed and another is nearly upon me as I write this. Thanks again to everyone who posted advice. I really appreciate it.

I went the entire first season and never even saw a buck. I saw some nice ones in season 2 but never had a chance at them. Now season 3 is here and I am totally determined to get a buck this year. I told my wife that I'm leaving on opening day and not coming back till I get my buck (she just laughs at me).

I've learned a lot in the last couple years but still fill like a novice to the sport.I've met some cool people that have taught me a lot as well.

This'll be the year!

Matt

welcome to the greatest addition know to human, wait til you get tobe one on one with a turkey,my advise is the wind,use it to your advantage,good luck, hunt hard and hunt safe,