NA deer slam

[rmyoung1]

So lately I've been a little obsessed with the idea of pursuing the North American deer slam. I'd like to do it self-guided on publicly accessible lands. Finishing that quest would be something I think I'd be pretty proud of when I reach the end of my hunting career.

Who out there in the Hunt Talk world has done this? Any advice for someone wanting to get started?

 

[1_pointer]

IIRC, this has come up in the past and some of it depends on how you define the 'Slam'. Me, I define it as the species as listed by B&C. I think it's very doable for a DIY on public lands and may be one of the few 'slams' that can be done without breaking the bank. I'm short a Coues and a Columbia blacktail. I've started getting points for Coues in AZ and put in for tags in NM all the while reasearching opportunities in CA and OR for the blacktail. My pard is only short the Columbia, so that'll probably be the one we go after first.

My advice is to go on cheaper/easier to draw hunts for the more common species (whitetail & mule deer), while getting points/saving money for the trips for the others. Sitka blacktails will cost some money and take some research, but IME aren't all that difficult once you cover those hurdles. I got mine on Kodiak without a guide, but did employ the services of a transporter. He drove the boat and cooked the grub.

 

[rmyoung1]

1-pter, thanks for the input. The five species as defined by B&C is what I'm after. I grew up hunting mulies in MT on public lands. Haven't taken a public land whitetail though. I do have 6 pts in AZ so hopefully a nice Coues hunt is in my not-too-distant future. That's awesome that your Sitka blacktail was on Kodiak. I'd like to go there and hunt those deer there. The blacktail is the one that gives me the most confusion. I know hardly anything about hunting on the west coast.

 

[rmyoung1]

Found the related thread from a few months back on this very topic. Sorry about the repeat

 

['Ike']

I'll be trying to finish up mine this year (Archery)...Planned hunt to POW for Sitka and WA for my Whitetail...When done, mine would be Archery and all 'West' coast and AZ! Plus I have a bonus and that being the Columbian Whitetail (OR) when they first became available in 06...

 

[dalbo]

It sounds like a worthwhile and achievable goal.

On a side note, I wonder if anyone has completed the slam with a vehicle. As in roadkill.

There was a DPS officer here that was a buffalo and bighorn sheep short of the AZ big game slam with his patol car.

 

[jryoung]

There's a lot of good opportunities to fill your Columbian BT tag in Northern CA. Some REALLY, good stuff on private land, but for public good places to start are the Snowy Mountain, Yolla Bolly, and Trinity Wildernesses.

There are good patches on NF as well as sparser patches of BLM, but in general there is good opportunity on public land in northern CA.

 

[rmyoung1]

I'll be trying to finish up mine this year (Archery)...Planned hunt to POW for Sitka and WA for my Whitetail...When done, mine would be Archery and all 'West' coast and AZ! Plus I have a bonus and that being the Columbian Whitetail (OR) when they first became available in 06...

Wow that's cool. Congratulations

 

[rmyoung1]

There's a lot of good opportunities to fill your Columbian BT tag in Northern CA. Some REALLY, good stuff on private land, but for public good places to start are the Snowy Mountain, Yolla Bolly, and Trinity Wildernesses.

There are good patches on NF as well as sparser patches of BLM, but in general there is good opportunity on public land in northern CA.

Thanks a lot for the info. I'll have to look into those places especially the Trinity Wilderness. I prefer hunting within wilderness boundaries so that sounds like it might be right up my alley. Thank you

 

[jryoung]

Snowy and Yolla Bolly are wilderness areas too. I'm hoping to hunt the YB this year.

 

[rmyoung1]

Oh. Ha ha. I'm really showing my CA ignorance. Thanks again, though.

And while I'm buying a CA hunting license I figure I might as well draw that lone nonresident sheep tag.

 

[jryoung]

We have something like 4x as much wilderness as any other state in the lower 48. Some great areas in the general otc units. I wish one of the public land TV guys would come showcase some of these great areas...but I guess they just keep drawing the premium tags.

 

[slamdmini]

ive lived in ca my whole life, and ive never hunted big game here, but this year i am. ive scouted two days so far and have come across a lot of deer, a lot of good bucks, and 3 very good bucks. most people dont think of ca as having a lot wilderness/mountain areas or whatever u wanna call it, but the terrain ive scouted is every bit as steep/rugged as what ive hunted in out of state. if u can get access to a private ranch u would be golden, but theres plenty of public land as well. i just dont kno why i havent hunted here before?

 

[HighDesertSage]

Don't forget about the CA mule deer, Burro Mule deer, Inyo mule deer, Desert Mule deer, and columbian whitetails. Hey a guy can dream right?

 

[HighDesertSage]

Oh and the southern mule deer. All of those except the Columbian whitetail can be harvested right here in CA

 

['Ike']

Oh and the southern mule deer. All of those except the Columbian whitetail can be harvested right here in CA

I was going to say, you'll have to go to Oregon for the Columbian Whitetail...Columbian Blacktail's we have...

 

[big28hunter]

I've taken whitetail, mule, and sitka, and have a coues deer in November in a Southern Arizona unit. I plan on hunting Columbia blacktails within the next couple of years. Best of luck on your quest!

 

[rmyoung1]

I've taken whitetail, mule, and sitka, and have a coues deer in November in a Southern Arizona unit. I plan on hunting Columbia blacktails within the next couple of years. Best of luck on your quest!

Let us know how your coues hunt goes. You're getting close! Best of luck.

 

[skimerhorn]

What about a sika deer from md?

 

[orion23]

i completed my deer slam a couple years ago and i was pretty proud of that. probably the only slam this guy will ever get.

I was fortunate enough to grow up in oregon with blacktails and muleys, then moved to idaho with the whitetails. the sitkas on Kokiak was a little spendy but you can (or could) shoot up to three deer. then AZ and old mexico coues deer. definitely the easiest slam to do IMO. you can buy leftover tags in AZ for coues and shoot decent bucks. check out AZEXTREMEGUIDES (may not be spelled that way but they have a website) they are affordable and basically just help you find the bucks. great guys. coues deer are really hard to spot so i would recommend it.

next i would like to get the columbian whitetail over in western oregon. its not recognized but not a lot of guys have killed one.

good luck.