Just wanted to express my appreciation to the OP as well at the advice that follows from DoubleLung and others. These detailed "stories of the hunt" regardless of how the hunt pans out are part of the joy of hunting for me and this one was particularly enjoyable as the photos allowed me to be "in the moment" as the journey unfolded.
My own hunt was unsuccessful, but like some others, I've concluded that beating the mule deer have taken in recent years requires some recovery years behind them before the hunting picks up again. Being on the western side of the cascades, I'm thinking to focus my time and efforts on that old ghost, the blacktail for a season or two before burning time out east to hunting mule deer again. Certainly, the scouting is much more accessible which should lead to a more productive hunt when that time arrives again.
I've come to believe it's determination and effort that get you access to the knowledge to hunt deer in lean times and even then, hopefully the wisdom to know whether pulling the trigger is really worth it in the long run.
