Mule deer tips

[crazysccrmd]

I plan to hunt for mule deer this year with a buddy of mine. Neither of us have ever hunted them or spent much time on the east side of the state. I have an area picked out to scout and hopefully hunt from but am looking for some advice what to expect. What is the weather like in the cascade slopes between 3000-6000' during October? Is glassing from a high position and stalking to within range the best method generally? What type of terrain/vegetation should attract and hold mulies usually? I'm open to any tips that will help us out.

[Eli346]

 Good glass; spotting scope, scope, and binos are a must and bring your patience. I've found spot and stalk to be the best for me.

[njdmb]

Be ready to cover a lot of ground. Both with your glass and your feet. Spot and stalk can be one of the most exciting things you do while hunting. Terrain will vary some by what part of the state your in. Where I hunt, the steeper and more brushy it is, the more deer it will hold. Good luck to you.

[huntnphool]

Quality glass is your friend.

[crazysccrmd]

Quality glass is your friend.

I have a great pair of Steiner 7x50s, but they probably weigh close to three pounds. My only others are a much lighter and more compact pair of Orion 8x25s, but they are just ok optics. Still have to decide which to take, and what rifle I want to use. Good thing this hunt isn't happening for a few months.

[ICEMAN]

Ditch the compact binocs IMHO...

Get over there now to preview access roads, trails, etc... You should also be able to find some trails, migratory trails, and hopefully not a bunch of winter killed carcasses. My fav muley area has been hit hard by wolves.

[crazysccrmd]

I wish I could get over there now, still in Afghanistan. I'll be scouting around that area starting in August but for now I'm stuck looking at topo maps and google earth satellite images.

[ICEMAN]

Oh, craaap, now I understand. Deployed protecing us.

Well, take care of yourself for sure. Thanks for serving and protecting my family. God speed!

Heck, get a couple of guys on here to scout for you!!!

[Skyvalhunter]

One thing to be aware of is you go over and scout it a little or none, and it looks good on maps or Google earth. Then opening day comes and you have a ton of hunters in the area you thought was to yourself. Thats why its good to check out an area during the season. Alot of times hunters just hunt the first weekend and head home. But chances are the further you get from the roads the less people you will run into. Some places the extra pressure can work to your advantage.

[ICEMAN]

Great points Keith. Some years we have had extra traffic of hunters nearby, and we bail into the deepest draws and other areas requiring more sweat and tears to get into and out of....  Better hunting for sure.

[crazysccrmd]

I'm in good shape, as is my hunting partner (we're both Scouts), so putting some miles through rough terrain isn't a deal breaker. I'm trying to find an area I can get the truck back as far as possible on 5 digit or 4x4 rated forest service roads. We plan to camp out for the whole season (or until we connect with game) and should have plenty of time to move around if there's too many hunters. Since I've never been over there it's pretty hard to tell what would be a good area or attract a large crowd. Any pointers on areas to specifically avoid if we're looking for a less crowded hunt?

[Jimmy33]

First of all...thanks for your service. Although spot and stalk can be very effective, I like to still hunt mulies through thick stands of timber preferably during a hard rain or windy day. The weather will conceal my movement a little while I tiptoe through the woods always glassing ahead. I went to this type of hunting because I used to bow hunt but recently went to hunting with a 44 magnum pistol. This type of hunting affords me the challenge of getting close to the deer. Mule deer bucks love to bed in areas of intense blow down with an escape route directly above them. Hunt the top thirds of the ridge and stay slow and quite. This has been effective for me. Good luck.

[crazysccrmd]

Thanks for the reply. We've been looking at GMU 245/246/250 area inside the national forest boundaries. Any suggestions on areas to avoid that get overcrowded? Like I said before, we want to get as far out on lower traffic FS roads and then pack out into the surrounding area.

[muleracks]

Once you get away from the roads you won't see many (if any) hunters.  GMU 245 and 246 offers some good backcountry access trails into some good country.  GMU 250 is all roaded but you can still hunt down some ridges or drainages and find a little solitude.  The early migrators will pass through 246 and 245 first so, if we get a good early snow, those units can be great. 

80% of the deer in these units are migratory and only enter 247 and 250 for their winter range and to find does which migrated earlier.  October is a little early for the rut so I would hunt higher; like you mentioned 245 or 246 or even 244.

[crazysccrmd]

How is the Mad Lake area, roughly east of Chikamin Ridge and west of Tyee Ridge? Elevation around 6000' and terrain isn't as steep as the surrounding areas. Doesn't look like there is a lot of close road access but there are a number of trails shown on the USFS topo.

[crazysccrmd]

How much of a concern are snakes in the area? Like I said before, my time spent on the east side has pretty much been confined to the Yakima Training Center and the Gorge for concerts when I was younger.

[muleracks]

Snakes are nothing to worry about even in the summer but nonexistent (above ground) in October; at least in the area you mentioned.

The Chikamin/Mad Lake country is well trailed and open for motorized and mountain bikes so access is pretty easy.  If the deer are starting to move (snow at 5000 feet), you might do well to look at migration routes such as passes on a ridge such as hiking up trail # 1539 to meet the deer coming down the Chiwawa River.

Rather than looking for easy country to walk through, I would seek out the most rugged, vertical ground you can find.  Either "still hunt" or just sit there and glass.

[huntnnw]

Dont be to concentrated on gettin farther in on roads and deadend type roads..plenty have the same mentality. Some of the least hunted places are right on some main FS roads that hunters drive by all day..no trailheads..may require some heavy hiking, but u can access basins and areas void of trails and roads

[crazysccrmd]

I didn't notice those were motorcycle trails. I would rather hunt without the extra noise so I'll keep that area as a backup idea and start looking again.