Mule Deer Fanatic

What do suppose this buck would score?

On March 24, New Mexico sent out a letter, informing hunters of a change in the application date. I’m sure many hunters were caught unaware. I was, and I apologize to you, the subscribers. The new date was March 28 and is now past. We will watch this a little closer next year. Better Luck Next Year.

New Mexico claims they moved the date forward to allow hunters to take advantage of the lower license costs, since April 1 (April Fools Day) begins the 2011 licence year. Fees are $290 and $375 for standard and quality tags, respectively.  These fees do not include the Habitat stamp. Anyone applying for any public draw deer license, must pay the full license fee plus the nonrefundable application fee when applying. Unsuccessful applicants will receive refunds for the license fee. The new nonrefundable application fees are $20 for nonresidents.

The Mule Deer drawing is subject to a quota system.  78 percent of the licenses go to New Mexico residents, 12 percent to nonresidents who’ve contracted with an outfitter and 10 percent to nonresidents who have not contracted with an outfitter .

Note that it is necessary to have reported your harvest for the prior year or your application gets rejected. This is a sign of things to come.

How do they get so big on that desert diet?

Apply for a Colorado deer tag by April 5, 2011. The cost is $344 for Non-residents including a $3 non-refundable fee and a $10 habitat stamp.

Apply here: http://wildlife.state.co.us/ShopDOW/AppsAndLicenses/

Preference points are earned automatically when you don’t draw your first-choice hunt. You may also apply for just a preference point by selecting it as you first-choice option along with submitting your license fees. Preference points cost $25.

March 15 is the deadline for applying for a deer hunt in Wyoming.  You may apply online. Fees must be paid in advance. There are three prices to keep in mind: 1) Special Deer – $566; 2) Regular Deer – $326; and 3) Preference Point – $40. Each price includes a non-refundable application fee of $14. Add $40 to the price of application fees if you want a preference point for not drawing. Forty percent of tags are reserved for applicants who pay the higher fee. Seventy-five percent of available draw tags are allocated to individuals with the highest preference points; 25% are available for random drawing using random numbers assigned to applicants. Preference points may be purchased between July 1 and September 30. If you don’t apply for two consecutive years, you lose your preference points. DRAWING A LICENSE AS A SECOND OR THIRD CHOICE DOES NOT CAUSE PREFERENCE POINTS TO BE DELETED FROM YOUR ACCOUNT.

I wouldn’t pass this one up…

Utah                  March 3

Wyoming           March 15

New Mexico     March 28

Colorado           April 6

Nevada              April 18

Kansas              April 29

Oregon              May 15

Washington       May 26

California           June 1

Montana           June 1

Idaho                June 5

Arizona             June 8

South Dakota    July 23

Fast facts about Oregon’s mule deer

• The estimated 2009 Oregon mule deer population of 216,154 is below the statewide management objective of 344,900 animals.
• Mule deer (found east of the Cascades) and black-tailed deer (west of the Cascades) are the same species but different sub-species of deer.
• Deer have a smaller digestive track than elk or cattle, so their forage needs to be of higher nutritional quality.
• Mule deer breed once per year, in late fall, and does generally produce two fawns.
• In 2008, about 70,000 people went deer hunting in eastern Oregon, generating almost $22 million for the economy.

Ranches, farms and other private lands provide winter range and other important habitat for mule deer.

The Utah Deer Application Deadline is March 3, 2011.

Go to the “States” tab for more info.

Good Luck on the Draw