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Broadus, MT..................The Mule Deer Capital of the World.Just do a search on Powder River mule deer......................
If you decide to pull the trigger on some MT deer tags hit me up with a pm. I will point you in a good direction. Idaho is a bit tougher nut to crack than Montana. Montana is simple, drive until the land starts to flatten out, find public land, shoot 4pt Idaho is steep, deep, and the deer densities aren't near as high as a lot of places. Lots of chocolate antlered monsters come from there but they are hard earned usually.
Step one: put the WA state line in your rearview mirror. Seriously, start with the state wildlife agencies' websites. Application periods are pretty early in some states, for example nonresident elk in Wyoming closes January 31. Decide what you want to hunt, and where. It is much less intimidating to learn one specific area than to try to consider all of the possibilities. I'd suggest Oregon or Idaho to get your feet wet. Pick a decent public land area with a decent success rate and decent draw odds (some are OTC, but not many).If cash is tight, consider a dry run - pick up a small game license, or just go camp and fish in the summer. This way you wont drop $500-1000 on a big game license and tag combo in unfamiliar area. Some states offer very inexpensive doe tags, as another option.Lastly, when you go, LEARN the regulations pertinent to what you will be doing in the selected state. DON'T assume what is legal at home is legal where you are going. For simplicity, I would start with large public land areas; odds to hunt them are tougher, but you won't run afoul of private property. What are the orange requirements? Tagging? Evidence of sex? Hunter safety required? Carrying hunter safety card required? Is it a stand-alone license, or do you need specific tags? Most states will have a list of most-common violations. When I worked in Wyoming, as an example, you needed a big game license for each animal, but no requirement for a "hunting package" or hunting license. You also needed a conservation stamp, and if born after January 1, 1966, required to carry on your person your hunter safety card. To shoot forest grouse, you need to have an upland bird license. etc.