Copyright 2023 Eastmans' Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved, The Most Coveted Deer Permit in Montana that You Will Never Draw, Statistically, the most coveted deer permit in, So youre probably wondering, how is it possible that zero nonresidents drew this tag in 2018? The best mule deer numbers are found southeast of the Panhandle region of Idaho. The downside is there are unlimited permission slips and limit to how many hunters have access each day. The top states for record mule deer are Colorado, Utah and Idaho. Again, pay close attention to the regulations to make sure you are properly licensed to hunt mule deer. Thanks to Toprut, I can better strategize my big game applications with access to detailed unit profile information, hunt quotas, draw odds, harvest info, and more. Almost feels like a time share that well never get to use. Then you have the, Colorado Corner Crossing Here We Go Again, 10 Most Common Big Game Violations Part 8 Hunter Trespassing, To Feed Or Not To Feed. 20. Hunter success here can be a bit spotty with an average of 57% success but if a hunter is in good shape and hunts hard, a big buck could be possible here. Give a Gift May 25, 2022 Hunting districts south of the Missouri offer the best drawing odds. Hopefully, some of what I have learned can help you if your itch to hunt out of state gets to the point where you need to try it. The type 2s were crawling with other hunters and the quality of deer we saw on these properties was not what we were after. Sand Hill country GMUs 31, 32, and 33 in the southeast corner of the state also are capable of producing B&C bucks. is the caliber that currently holds one of the long range distance records for . Access is getting harder to come by as many landowners in the area have grown tired of being asked for permission to hunt their land. This has already been seen in the recently completed Wyoming elk draw where many areas saw huge gains in point creep with possibly even more to come for next year. Whether the tag in your pocket leads you to a comfortable lodge for a guided hunt on private land, a DIY spike camp deep in backcountry wilderness, or somewhere in between, hunting the West will grab you by the soul and easily can become a year-round obsession. We also develop and sell products such as apparel, hats and artwork. Hunters can expect to see 75-100 deer a day and as many as 10 bucks. This hunt is one of only two limited quota hunts inside the Region G zone where 15 lucky applicants will hunt for big rut staged high country deer during the final two weeks of the month of October. With a mild winter and wet spring, I really think there could be some gems in these hills for those who hunt hard this fall. But if youre hell-bent on hunting deer in area 270, you better buy at least 160 acres because that is your best chance at a permit in area 270 in the near future. Sergio Alcazar, owner of ALC Global Adventures, has lived in and hunted Colorado for 24 years. The average deer we take in this unit scores around 180 inches gross. Regions G and H are the most popular and talked about deer units in Wyoming; however, there are other good units as well. This hunt should take about five or six points to draw this year with a random draw of about 10% for those with less than five points. On the south side of the reservoir, whitetails are found along the Musselshell River as it meanders toward the Missouri. Kevin Steele of Petersen's HUNTING is with Dawn Wehunt of Rock River Arms INC. learning about the new Ascendant platform. They open up for call-in registration at different times. My wife and I are finally entering a drawing for a mule deer hunt in Montana. Are you a hunting outfitter? Restrict a few more units to QDM, that is make a few units similar to how the Boyz East of the Mississippi did it, they know what a mature whitetail is and dont shoot 2 year olds. This fervent praise for the landscape occurred not in the mountains but on the eastern plains, along the banks of the Missouri River. Here are some key points when breaking down BMAs: There are 2 types: Type 2 must be signed up and registered beforehand. Kevin Steele, Publisher of Petersen's HUNTING talks with JJ Reich of HEVI-Shot about the new offerings for 2023. Give a Gift The Pole Mountain, on forest hunt, is probably the definition of a sleeper hunt unit. The more popular areas for whitetail are along the river systems and large agricultural areas throughout the eastern part of the state. I think if they cut the quota for nonresidents, maybe theres somebody out there who can put together a class action law suit to get are money back. Neither of us had ever hunted this area before or knew any landowners. Desert Ghosts: Hunting the Elusive Coues Deer, Six Great Lever-Gun Hunts for North America, What To Do When Your Rifle Breaks While On a Hunt, Federal Terminal Ascent Hunting Bullet: Field Review, The Only Three Guns You Need to Go Hunting, Tested Tough - Modern Zeiss Sports Optics, Professional outfitters' and guides' services, trip planning materials are available on the Missouri River Country website. It sported horns measuring more than 17 inches. Idaho runs a close second to Colorado when it comes to mule deer hunting. Being able to hunt these deer during the rut with a rifle gives our clients and amazing edge to harvest a nice mature Mule deer buck. With plenty of deer, a good buck here can be a tough endeavor, but they are here if you know where to look. Archery and muzzleloader tags in those units will require fewer points.. If you find yourself in the burn my points now camp, here are what I feel are the best mule deer hunts Wyoming has to offer, at this point anyway. Elk thrive amidst this cover. New Mexico, Socorro County117 pronghorn in B&C records 13. Each year we see and possibly harvest bucks that score 190+ B&C including some that score over 200 B&C inches. - Dan Alleman D.D.S., Camphill, PA. In units 250, 261, 262, & 270 the State only issues a limited number of tags . Over the last three years, all non-resident permits were drawn by non-resident landowners in unit 261, and 7 out of 12 tags for unit 270 were drawn by non-resident landowners. Any special permit that a non-resident landowner draws will count against the 10% non-resident quota for that unit. NO SPAM! The breakdown of whitetail per region is as follows: region 1 with 69,094; region 2 with 37,747; region 3 with 23,745; region 4 with 32,657; region 5 with 14,917; region 6 with 14,311; and region 7 with 20,343. 2022 MONTANA RIVERS AND RIDGES OUTFITTER LLC. So that is 7 permits skimmed off the top immediately for residents. Following in the footsteps of his father, Guy has taken up the reins and is now at the helm of the Eastmans Hunting Journal and the Eastmans Bowhunting Journal. You can easily spot them around in any season. As a result of last year's chronic wasting disease management hunt for white-tailed deer in southwest Montana, biologists observed a 50-percent reduction in white-tailed deer numbers in the Ruby watershed between Sheridan and Twin Bridges, where CWD prevalence was highest. Montanas Block Management Program opens more than 500,000 additional acres of private land to walk-in public hunting in the region, which is home to the highest concentrations of elk in the state, produces huge bulls, and is responsible for approximately 50 percent of the states elk harvest each year. Why do they get this fantastic benefit too?!?!? Go on More Hunts with Better Information, Join Huntin' Fool Today! A type 1 BMA is walk-in access with sign up at designated entrances. amzn_assoc_linkid = "34865c461e195e06ee3f8398a02f30c0"; I have much more to learn about what it takes to continue to have successful mule deer hunting in Montana or any other state that offers Non-residents access to Big Game. , I (Montana resident), drew this tag this year and was wondering how the hunt went for you. Montana Region 7 (made up of districts 700 to 705) in the southeast corner of the state, especially the southern parts of the region, wasnt as affected by the brutal winter of 201112 as other parts of the state and has good numbers of pronghorn in each district, Vore said. Ornoski said elk hunters with patience should consider looking at Arizona units 1, 3A/3C, 9, 10, 23N, and 27, which typically are extremely hard to draw. Kevin Steele from Petersen's HUNTING speaks to Jordan Egli of Burris Optics about the all-new Veracity PH Riflescope. This hunt unit sits smack dab in the middle of the famed Carbon County, one of the best trophy producing buck counties in the entire country, and this area sits in the best big buck country in the second best big buck county in the state, what more could you ask for? I have applied for this tag almost every year for the 25 years I was a resident and a couple years as a nonresident. Today, antelope are a perennial favorite among big-game hunters who stalk the prairie speedsters on the open plains on both the north and south sides of the Mighty Mo. Some large bucks also have been taken in GMU 45 in recent years. Each hunter must also sign out upon completion of their hunt. A good friend with the same luck in the lottery as me decided we were tired of waiting, we need to go hunting. Post-season 2019 counts in the Pioneer Mountains elk . This hunt has been getting better and better each year and now seems to be producing some very consistent results as of the late. If you have max points (16), you have 256 chances in the drawing. Although the thought of the 90/10 proposal could be very difficult to comprehend for most of you at this point, I really do think if it does in fact happen for deer, elk and antelope, I would be very surprised if it happened before the 2024 hunting season. Eastmans Publishing, Inc. is a holding company engaged in publishing. Also, having a SOLID pair of binoculars is very important for finding mule deer. 5. This hunt must be done with a group of three hunters. Jones said the famous Paunsaugunt unit on the southern border with Arizona and the Fillmore/Oak Creek and Vernon units, both in the central part of the state, all produced incredible bucks for hunters in 2018. The best thing about Montana Whitetails is that Keith and Bob are bowhunters and understand the quarry and the strategy to harvest big bucks. Phone: (435) 865-1020, Big Game Combination License (Elk & Deer), Bow and Arrow License (mandatory for all archery hunts), Preference Point Fee for Combination License (optional), Outfitter Preference Point Fee for Combination License (optional but must hunt with an outfitter). Over the past years we have taken many trophy deer with both a gun and bow. If the weather hits just right this hunt can produce some very big bucks held up in the sagebrush waiting for the rut to begin. Tags #myhuntstory backpack hunting Beyond The Grid big game hunting deer hunting Eastmans Eastmans' Bowhunting Journals Eastmans' Hunting Journals Featured Guy Eastman Hunting Mike Eastman Montana Draw Montana Hunting Montna Mule Deer Hunting Mule deer. . The Milk joins the Missouri just below Fort Peck Dam. Some of our hunting areas include vast open ridges with . Hunt mule deer with Ike and Guy Eastman during an October snowstorm. This hunt area is the other limited quota hunt unit inside the general Region G area. The Brow-tined Bull and Antlerless elk hunts (34 HDs) makes a total of 63 unrestricted HDs where you can take any elk on 29 units and all but spikes on the rest. Its name is derived from having large ears that resemble that of a mule's. An objective level that was recently adjusted downward possibly in an effort to make the situation look not quite so bad. Hunter success here can be a bit spotty with an average of 57% success but if a hunter is in good shape and hunts hard, a big buck could be possible here. This area is mountainous and does contain about 25% wilderness at the very top of the unit. This hunt unit sits smack dab in the middle of the famed Carbon County, one of the best trophy producing buck counties in the entire country, and this area sits in the best big buck country in the second best big buck county in the state, what more could you ask for? The deadline for nonresident applications for archery and rifle elk licenses is March 15. In Montana, Region 3 in the southwest corner of the state covers nearly 12 million acres, more than half of which is public land managed by the BLM or Forest Service. Table Mountain Outfitters provides many private leases, which allow you the best opportunity to harvest a trophy animal without the pressure from other deer hunters. It becomes part of that BMA. For some hunters, pursuing elk, mule deer, and pronghorn in the western United States is a future dream; for others its a yearly routine. Arizona, Coconino County128 pronghorn in B&C records 12. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Park's website has a fairly easy " HUNT PLANNER " section that can guide applicants through finding zones and units best suited for their type of hunt as well as draw statistics. Both state and federally managed public lands sprawl across thousands upon thousands of acres of prime habitat. I know the 380 bull tag in Montana is a prime example. Although a big buck here would be a very tall order, a fun hunt with limited pressure is what this hunt should offer up on a somewhat later season experience. We've Ranked All Mule Deer Hunting States by Entries Per Square Mile of Total Land Mass. If awarded we are going to try to stay on the eastern side of the state due to the drive from Louisiana.. . Mule deer hunters should plan to go high in the mountains for the best opportunity at bigger bucks. Reading the bill I took it that way unless I misunderstood it. Get unlimited access to over ten years of historical drawing and harvest data for over 1,700+ hunt units. The 2021 state estimate was 293,950, which is down 34,363 from 2020. Deer hunting can be good at any time during the season, but the last half of November is favored by many resident hunters.