2022 MT Mule Deer Hunt

[targetpanic]

We just got back from our Montana mule deer hunt. This was our 3rd trip out there. Same 3 of us went as the other trips; my buddy Shawn, my wife Wendy and myself (another Shawn).
We picked up my buddy on Saturday 10/22 at 3:30am to head to the airport. Flights were crazy expensive this year. We flew from Hartford to Dallas to Billings. Everything seemed to go smooth while checking in and on the flights. We had 1h 45 min layover in DFW. When we got to Billings around 1:30pm local time 2 out of the 4 bags showed up...you can probably guess which 2 pieces of luggage didn't show up. The Rifle cases were nowhere to be found. The AA crew were hopeful that they would show up on the next flight which landed at 11:30 that night . Also, since they were firearms they would not deliver them to us. So we could either hang around the airport for 10hrs or we would have to come back the next morning. We decided to grab the rental truck, hit Walmart and pick up our food/supplies for the week and drive the 2.5hrs to the house we rented. We were all exhausted by the time we got everything settled into the house.
Sunday - Early the next morning Shawn and I drove 2.5hrs back to Billings, gathered up our bags, and drove 2.5hours back to the house in a rain/snow/freezing rain mixture.
It was around noon by the time we had all our gear together and got in the truck to scout out some new areas in the National Forest. We wanted to try and find some new areas closer to where we were staying this year as opposed to the areas we have hunted in the past (which were closer to where we stayed in years past). The rental was a 4wd Ram 1500 crew cab but the ground clearance and factory tires left a lot to be desired. We were limited to staying on the "main" roads through the NF. Late in the day we found a promising looking area that we would start at the next morning.
Monday - We woke up to 3" of snow, 22 degrees and wind blowing like a SOB 50mph gusts that were supposed to let up later in the day. We drove the new road and glassed at all likely locations trying to get familiar with the lay of the land. We found a group of 5 bull elk and 3 muley does and 2 coyotes but not much else to show for it. We checked out some other areas late morning/midday and noticed the lack of tracks anywhere and headed back to the new road for the afternoon hunt. It was fairly slow and we saw 1 muley doe, Shawn saw a bull elk and wendy and I jumped a herd of 12 calves/calfs and a big 6pt bull out of a ditch.

 

[targetpanic]

Tuesday - We really wanted to get back into an area that we have hunted in and seen lots of deer in the past but the roads were just too sloppy for the truck. We knew it needed another day to dry out and hopefully freeze up overnight. Instead we went into a different part of the forest that we hunted in the past. We got in there late but finally found the area we were looking for. Wendy and I saw 5 muley does, 3 whitetail does and another nice bull elk. We drove out to a few new areas and checked them out. We ended up in a spot for the afternoon that didn't really interest us but it was getting late in the afternoon and it was our best option in the area. Shawn passed up a small muley buck this afternoon.

 

[targetpanic]

Wednesday - Today was the day we would get back into our "favorite spot". We have done well, spent a lot of time and seen a lot of deer in this area in the past. The roads had finally dried up "enough" and had frozen a bit over night. It took a while to get back in there and was later than we would have liked but we made it without issues.
We parked the truck and walked out onto a glassing point that I picked out last time we were out there. It's an up and down and up and down .75 mile walk. Shawn broke off to a finger ridge about 2/3 of the way out and Wendy and I continued to our destination. Once we got there I had her go over the hill to look over some area I couldn't see. She wasn't out of sight for 2 minutes when I did my first cursory glass and saw 3 mule deer bucks walking across the face of a ridge across the valley. The 1st was a small 4pt, the 2nd looked to be much bigger with dark antlers and the 3rd was bigger than the other 2. They were 600yds and feeding their way across the ridge towards private. I ran out to the next finger ridge and ranged the area at 460yds. I got my shooting sticks under the forearm, my pack was under my trigger finger arm, dialed up the magnification and dialed the range on the scope. I could only see the small 4pt. Looking at OnX he was somewhere between 30-60yds off private and about to go into the brush. I spotted the dark racked buck about 10yds to his left but he was obscured by some brush. He had a big 4x4 frame but small crabby forks. He finally turned broadside in the open, and I started to settle the crosshairs. before I could start pulling the trigger he took a step into the brush. I watched the 2 of them through my binos and doubted I would get another shot. I was also realizing that without having a spotter there I would have no clue where the bullet hit (or missed) and the deer would likely disappear over the ridge as soon as I shot, so I wouldn't be able to see how they reacted or even a direction of travel. Just about that time the biggest of the 3 stepped up onto the ridge where the dark horned buck was right before. He gave me a shot, but I just wasn't comfortable enough to pull the trigger. Eventually he fed over the ridge. I figured they would bed down over the ridge or on the private. Wendy and Shawn made it over to me and we came up with a game plan for the afternoon. There was another road that we hoped we could drive that would bring us out towards where the deer disappeared...but it was all mud and we damn near got the truck stuck on flat ground. Plan B was to walk out on a different ridge to glass across private to the backside of the ridge and into the basin where they disappeared. We got out there and located the 3 bucks immediately feeding down in some red brush 665yds away on the private. They eventually fed back into the basin and into the trees. While trying to relocate them we found 2 10pt whitetails (140ish" and 125ish") around 850-900yds away and saw 5 other muley does. We decided to leave them all back in that basin and try to get in there early the next morning and set up closer. For the afternoon we tried another new spot and Wendy and I saw 6 muley does.

 

[targetpanic]

Thursday - Was a BUST. we got down where I wanted to watch the ridge from and didn't see anything. Around 10:00 we moved up to a bench to look into the basin where we last saw the deer and didn't see a damn thing. Shawn saw 3 muley does that morning and a small whitetail buck and doe a little later on. We were down in the dumps. We really thought this was our best chance for success. There was no reason for those 5 bucks to leave that area but we just could not turn them up. We dejectedly walked back to the truck. We only had an afternoon and a morning hunt left. That afternoon Wendy and I hunted the other side of the road where there was quite a bit of glassable terrain. I had really just started glassing and looked back to glass behind me to the right and saw a buck walking towards me. it was a small muley forkhorn that we passed on and right behind him was a muley spike who also got a free pass. At the same time Shawn had walked out a trail and was glassing over some country when a smallish 3pt Muley buck and a doe jumped up from the red brush below him. He could not get a shot at the buck. A bit later on Wendy glassed up a mule deer that she "thought she could see antlers on" but he was "way over there". She was handholding her 10x42 Nikon Monarchs and way over there was the base of a big hill that was only 1000yds away. It seems the buck fed down the spine of the ridge onto the backside of it before we could relocate it. I told her if she thought she could see antlers at that distance it was probably a good one. and that way over there was still in play to make a move on a deer. Before dark I glassed up another big bull elk walking through the trees. I took my eyes out of the binos for a second and was never able to relocate him.





Friday - we could only hunt until noon. We went back into the same area. I found a new ridge to walk out and glass from that is an easier walk and easier to get down off of if necessary to make a play on something. If we ever go back that will be my favorite glassing spot. We saw 1 muley doe and another nice bull elk with a cow. Shawn saw 5 or 6 muley does. And just like that our trip was over. We spent the afternoon packing up, cleaning up and drinking whatever beer we had left in the house before flying home Saturday.
It was another great trip with Wendy and 1 of my best friends. I was sick at the beginning of the week and Shawn and Wendy both caught the sinus bug that I had by the end of the week. We hunt our hardest, and we do it all on our own. The deer numbers were way down from previous years in the National Forest and when we were driving by private there were no bucks to be found around any of the big doe groups (too early yet?). We saw more elk than we ever have. Hopefully we go back in a couple years but we have also been building Deer, pronghorn and elk points in WY that we will probably use up first.

 

[rogerthat]

You guys did great considering how far deer numbers are down in that area this year.

 

[8andcounting]

Still sounds like a good time great write up

 

[Pagosa]

Thursday - Was a BUST. we got down where I wanted to watch the ridge from and didn't see anything. Around 10:00 we moved up to a bench to look into the basin where we last saw the deer and didn't see a damn thing. Shawn saw 3 muley does that morning and a small whitetail buck and doe a little later on. We were down in the dumps. We really thought this was our best chance for success. There was no reason for those 5 bucks to leave that area but we just could not turn them up. We dejectedly walked back to the truck. We only had an afternoon and a morning hunt left. That afternoon Wendy and I hunted the other side of the road where there was quite a bit of glassable terrain. I had really just started glassing and looked back to glass behind me to the right and saw a buck walking towards me. it was a small muley forkhorn that we passed on and right behind him was a muley spike who also got a free pass. At the same time Shawn had walked out a trail and was glassing over some country when a smallish 3pt Muley buck and a doe jumped up from the red brush below him. He could not get a shot at the buck. A bit later on Wendy glassed up a mule deer that she "thought she could see antlers on" but he was "way over there". She was handholding her 10x42 Nikon Monarchs and way over there was the base of a big hill that was only 1000yds away. It seems the buck fed down the spine of the ridge onto the backside of it before we could relocate it. I told her if she thought she could see antlers at that distance it was probably a good one. and that way over there was still in play to make a move on a deer. Before
View attachment 247753
Friday - we could only hunt until noon. We went back into the same area. I found a new ridge to walk out and glass from that is an easier walk and easier to get down off of if necessary to make a play on something. If we ever go back that will be my favorite glassing spot. We saw 1 muley doe and another nice bull elk with a cow. Shawn saw 5 or 6 muley does. And just like that our trip was over. We spent the afternoon packing up, cleaning up and drinking whatever beer we had left in the house before flying home Saturday.
It was another great trip with Wendy and 1 of my best friends. I was sick at the beginning of the week and Shawn and Wendy both caught the sinus bug that I had by the end of the week. We hunt our hardest, and we do it all on our own. The deer numbers were way down from previous years in the National Forest and when we were driving by private there were no bucks to be found around any of the big doe groups (too early yet?). We saw more elk than we ever have. Hopefully we go back in a couple years but we have also been building Deer, pronghorn and elk points in WY that we will probably use up

Sounds like a great trip, maybe try a different part of the state and go for whitetails which can be more plentiful in certain areas. The range conditions look amazing so hopefully the deer numbers improve

 

[elkocd]

Just spent the last week in the breaks. Lots of little bucks running around the first week of the season, but no big bucks. Then with the pressure they kinda dissapeared and there was no sign of the rut starting to bring the bucks back out of hiding. Hopefully the weather next week will bring them out.

 

[D4570]

Hopefully the weather next week will bring them out.

The weather has little to do with the rut.
It's all sun/moon and time of year.
Deer still rut in warms parts of the world.

 

[8andcounting]

The weather has little to do with the rut.
It's all sun/moon and time of year.
Deer still rut in warms parts of the world.

Weather has tons to do with how much they are on their feet during the day even during the rut. Rut is daytime/moon driven yes , but 80 and sunny and rut will seem like it’s not on as heavy as 20 degrees and cold cuz they’ll be on their feet more. I hear this same bs every year yet when a cold front comes during the rut I see more deer . Shocking

 

[BuzzH]

Weather has tons to do with how much they are on their feet during the day even during the rut. Rut is daytime/moon driven yes , but 80 and sunny and rut will seem like it’s not on as heavy as 20 degrees and cold cuz they’ll be on their feet more. I hear this same bs every year yet when a cold front comes during the rut I see more deer . Shocking

You see more deer, elk, etc. when the weather is colder in July and August too.

Rut is controlled by photoperiod.

 

[elkocd]

The weather has little to do with the rut.
It's all sun/moon and time of year.
Deer still rut in warms parts of the world.

Not to be a smart ass, but I guess you inserted "rut" into what I actually said. "Hopefully the weather next week will bring them out."

I don't clame to be a great deer hunter, but pretty sure temps close to 0 deg will have the deer on their feet and moving more during the day. I could be wrong, but it's just a thought.

Did see 8 bucks this am in a new spot, but nothing over a 20" 3x3.

 

[8andcounting]

Not to be a smart ass, but I guess you inserted "rut" into what I actually said. "Hopefully the weather next week will bring them out."

I don't clame to be a great deer hunter, but pretty sure temps close to 0 deg will have the deer on their feet and moving more during the day. I could be wrong, but it's just a thought.

Did see 8 bucks this am in a new spot, but nothing over a 20" 3x3.

Exactly my point

 

[kingderek]

Cool write-up, glad you guys had a good time.

 

[BradA]

Yeah I just got back from hunting Montana for two weeks, my outcome was very similar to yours. Wish I would have been where you were to have filled my elk tag. Not sure if you were just hunting deer or elk and deer? And if you were in a unit that was general for elk or not. Much the less I wish i would have seen what you did for elk. I seen some elk but they were all on private and then I seen and passed on a number of bucks and towards the end of the hunt found and shot a respectable whitetail plus it was my first whitetail.

 

[targetpanic]

Yeah I just got back from hunting Montana for two weeks, my outcome was very similar to yours. Wish I would have been where you were to have filled my elk tag. Not sure if you were just hunting deer or elk and deer? And if you were in a unit that was general for elk or not. Much the less I wish i would have seen what you did for elk. I seen some elk but they were all on private and then I seen and passed on a number of bucks and towards the end of the hunt found and shot a respectable whitetail plus it was my first whitetail.

It was not a general unit. Congrats on the whitetail!

 

[BradA]

It was not a general unit. Congrats on the whitetail!

Thank you