Teach me about Wyoming mule deer

[sigpros]

I have never hunted mule deer before. My son will be a senior next year and I want to take him on a lot of trips next year before he heads to the Air Force. I already have a sage grouse hunt in the planning stages and would like to add a few other hunts. One being a mule deer hunt. I know the deer have been hit hard due to winter kill but hope to be able to find a unit where he could get on a deer. We would be able to average PP at 7 each. I honestly don't care if I get one or not. I took him to Wyoming antelope hunting a couple years ago and we had fun no antelope but he did get a whitetail doe. Any ideas on which part of the state to look at? Also general tag vs a unit tag? Feel free to PM I am also not against a whitetail hunt but would like him to be able to get a mule deer.

Thanks guys for any tips

 

[manitou1]

If you really want a muley buck you should opt for an outfitted hunt.
Public land mule deer bucks are getting harder and harder, even for residents.

 

[wytex]

We have some bucks still around for the DIY folks but they are harder to find these days.
Going to take some boot leather and patience but it can be done.
Season timing may be a factor to consider.

 

[Fred Rogers]

At 7 PP's you should be able to find a good unit for some mulies. No guarantees on anything huge in any unit these days though.

 

[sigpros]

Thank you guys. I want to get him a chance at a mulie, it could be our last big hunt for a few years. That is the reason I am trying to get a jump on narrowing down some spots. I will be headed to elk unit 100 in the morning so I could check out some areas out around there

 

[Steiny77]

If you come from whitetail country (like me), just getting out and hunting in good mule deer country is enough reward. Always amazes me how the hay fields fill up with mulies in the evenings, then at daylight they disappear into the foothills to bed down. Not unusual to see 100 or more in one of those hay fields, however the big bucks rarely expose themselves during daylight. Seeing that many animals at once is pretty impressive if you're from whitetail country.

If you're not real picky and looking to just kill a meat buck, the hunting can be very fun. You might just get lucky too and run across a big one too.
I've hunted WY about ten times as a non resident DIY and we always killed some deer, some years quality was better than others, but anybody that wanted to usually brought home meat.

 

[dodgermax]

You would need to apply for a region R tag. It's good for area 41,46,47,50,51,52 and 53. You do not have to declare which unit to hunt, you have access to all in the region. It looks like it takes 2 points to draw this tag. You can buy preference point for this year. I believe most of this country if fairly open so main tactics would be spot and stalk with long glassing sessions.

 

[Kentucky04]

If you come from whitetail country (like me), just getting out and hunting in good mule deer country is enough reward. Always amazes me how the hay fields fill up with mulies in the evenings, then at daylight they disappear into the foothills to bed down. Not unusual to see 100 or more in one of those hay fields, however the big bucks rarely expose themselves during daylight. Seeing that many animals at once is pretty impressive if you're from whitetail country.

If you're not real picky and looking to just kill a meat buck, the hunting can be very fun. You might just get lucky too and run across a big one too.
I've hunted WY about ten times as a non resident DIY and we always killed some deer, some years quality was better than others, but anybody that wanted to usually brought home meat.

Is it common to see that amount of deer, are they different regions of the state that are better? Not asking for unit but north, south, central, southwest?

 

[ismith]

Is it common to see that amount of deer, are they different regions of the state that are better? Not asking for unit but north, south, central, southwest?

Welcome to Hunt Talk!

 

[Kentucky04]

Welcome to Hunt Talk!

Thanks and yeah I understand the gate keeping of units. I am trying to make enough somewhat useful comments to make a post about researching units, or even the basics of research tools. Every unit I seemed to think look decent has apparently become a dud...

 

[ismith]

Thanks and yeah I understand the gate keeping of units. I am trying to make enough somewhat useful comments to make a post about researching units, or even the basics of research tools. Every unit I seemed to think look decent has apparently become a dud...

I wouldn’t really call it gate keeping. The truth is, the easy stuff is gone. If you want to hunt buck that would have been considered “ok” as little as ten years ago you better be prepared to shell out some cash.

 

[Kentucky04]

I wouldn’t really call it gate keeping. The truth is, the easy stuff is gone. If you want to hunt buck that would have been considered “ok” as little as ten years ago you better be prepared to shell out some cash.

Is it really that bad? I have heard about the winter wipeouts, but didn't know it was that horrendous. Gatekeeping might not have been the best word, but what I thought of to describe as long time lurker here