Mule Deer Fanatic

MEGABUCKS Hunting Store

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The Mule Deer Hunt is coming up soon. HURRY and get your HUNTING GRUB

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Buy in bulk and save money.

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Oregon has a hunter access map through google. Here is the link:

More than 50 percent of Oregon’s land is public. Hunters can use the access map to locate private lands where ODFW has established cooperative management agreements with landowners to provide hunting access to the public.

The map provides online links to harvest statistics and regional hunting reports. It provides the size and a description of the area.  Special regulations, such as mandatory hunter check-in and check-out, are noted.

This report comes from the chief of Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, Quentin Kujala.

The rifle season starts October 26 and about 160,000 hunters are expected. Locals are praying for snow to drive the deer into the low country.

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Region 1 — Northwestern Montana

Near Kalispell and the surrounding area, white-tailed deer herds are stable and experienced a normal winter in the east half of the region and a harder winter along the Idaho border. White-tailed deer are plentiful in the Swan Valley, the Salish Range and the Lower Clark Fork Valley. Hunting access is good but involves stalking game in heavy coniferous habitats. Mule deers populations are slowly increasing with good fawn production. Hot spots for mule deer include the Cabinet and West Cabinet mountains, the high country of the Lower Clark Fork, the Whitefish Range and the subalpine areas of the Mission and Swan mountain ranges. Mule deer hunters typically are more successful at the higher altitudes.

Region 2 — Western Montana

Near Missoula and the surrounding area, mule and white-tailed deer numbers are trending upward. Mule deer are being seen at lower elevations in numbers not seen in the past 30 years. Hunters can take advantage of additional whitetail permits, and if the weather cooperates, the season has the potential to be very good.

Region 3 — Southwestern Montana

In the areas near Bozeman and north of Yellowstone National Park, mule deer recruitment in general was moderate to good. In some cases, numbers are healthy but remain below historic highs.

Region 4 — Central Montana

Hunting near Great Falls and the surrounding area reflect ample opportunities for both white-tailed deer and mule deer. Mule deer populations are stable and reflect strong overwinter adult survival but declining fawn production and survival. White-tailed deer and mule deer are present on both private and public lands. Signs are pointing toward a good deer hunting season this year but somewhat diminished opportunities in the succeeding year owing to poor fawn survival.

Region 5 — Southcentral Montana

In Billings and the surrounding area, deer populations remain high, with a good distribution of older age bucks available. Mule deer numbers are higher than last year in many hunting districts. Hunters can expect significantly reduced white-tailed deer numbers along the Musselshell River between Melstone and Roundup and adjacent areas due to a blue tongue outbreak in August and September of 2007. White-tailed deer numbers continue to grow in most other areas of Region 5. Hunters are encouraged to enquire about surplus whitetail “B” licenses and access opportunities at FWP’s Region 5 office in Billings.

Region 6 — Northeastern Montana

Mule deer and white-tailed deer numbers are very high in Glasgow and the surrounding area. Mule deer populations have mostly recovered from the low levels earlier in the decade and are exceeding population objectives in many hunting districts. General-tag deer hunters on public land should see plenty of bucks and does in habitats as geographically disparate as the Bears Paw Mountains and the Richland County breaks. White-tailed deer numbers are also quite high, and where access is secured through Block Management, hunting on private land should be very good.

Region 7 — Eastern Montana

In Miles City and the surrounding area, both species of deer wintered well and benefitted from abundant spring forage. Populations along the Yellowstone River, between Glendive and Sidney, are 20-30 percent above the long-term average. The ratio of white-tailed deer bucks to does is 40 bucks per 100 does. White-tailed populations along the Yellowstone River between Miles City and Hysham showed some mortality due to last fall’s, blue tonguee disease. Mule deer populations are about 17 percent above the long-term average, with a good percentage of mature adults. Hunters should find ample opportunity to harvest mule deer.

Are you just itching to get out there and do some deer hunting? October 11 marks the begining of the Washington State rifle deer hunt. According to reports, the bowhunters have had a good time of it. You rifle hunters get out there and find us a big buck. We always appreciate stories and pictures to go with them. Go to our contact page or send your stories and pictures to: foremleader@muledeerfantic.com

CLICK:  WASHINTON REGS for Washington State hunting Regs.

Saturday, September 27, marks the opening assault on Texas Mule Deer as bowhunters take to the woods and hills. Mule Deer numbers are up according to some reports. I’m not sure there is any state that can match Texas in terms of the number of bowhunters, so get out there early and shoot a big buck. You’ll likely be competing with 99,999 other hunters, but then Texas is a big place.

  Happy Hunting and May the Force be with You.

I have wondered why there are lots of acorns some years, and none other years. Acorns are reportedly important to mule deer in building fat reserves for winter. I have also wondered why some years the muley bucks grow very good antlers and other years, they don’t.

My observation for this year is that there are almost no acorns, at least in northern Arizona and southern Utah, and that it is a good horn-growing year.

I believe I know why there are no acorns. We had an early, warm spring – followed by a late hard frost. Since then, we have had a wet fall. I believe this weather pattern is also responsible for the good antlers we have been seeing. It has been quite a few years since I have seen so many big, heavy antlered bucks in general.

So, I will say to you rifle hunters: Don’t shoot the first buck you see. There are not a lot of bucks, but there are some good ones.

The bucks are also in very good shape already in spite of a lack of acorns.

August is upon us. The first opportunity to go after the monster mulies is nigh. Did you get a tag? Nowadays it can be harder, much harder to get a tag than to get a trophy buck (once you have the tag, of course).

If you are like me, you have applied for all the tags you can afford in either time or money. I applied for mule deer tags in five states, along with elk, moose, antelope, turkey, and javelina. So far, the only tag I’ve obtained is a turkey tag.

My old standby, has been Arizona over-the-counter archery deer. As of this year, Arizona has messed that up. I can get an archery tag but not for a good unit.

Utah archery deer has also been a last-ditch opportunity. The archery tags sold out quite early this year – sooner than I was willing to commit. With surrounding states reducing mule deer hunting opportunity, Utah will have more demand for their over-the-counter tags.

Get out the bow if you haven’t already. The hunt will be here before you can blink. Get in shape, if you need to do that. Take a crash course. Buy your hunting grub in bulk. It will save you money.

Best of luck to you in 2008 and, as always

May the Force be with you.

Arizona does not accept online or telephone applications, and you must have a license first – so hurry. June 10 is the deadline.
Link to buy license: Click ARIZONA GAME AND FISHLink to get application: Click ARIZONA HUNT APPLICATION Note: The good archery areas are by draw starting this year.

Buying a License Online or by Telephone

Hunting and fishing licenses are no longer available online or by telephone. The department suspended online and telephone sales on May 21, 2007 because it could not resolve concerns that its online and telephone service provider could adequately perform under its contract. The department apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause to our customers. We hope to offer license sales online and by telephone sometime in the future.

More Info: Click ARIZONA AGENCIES 

Oregon does not have online applications yet and the deadline for applying is May 15, so get your Mule Deer tag application in the mail. You must purchase a license before applying. Oregon is also implementing mandatory reporting this year. Go HERE for more information.

CLICK: MONTANA APPLICATION for more info

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CLICK: MULE DEER WEBSITES for website links