Hunting Mule Deer Between 5,000 and 10,000 Feet

By: Trevor Hubbs

Ask any mule deer hunter and they’ll tell you: elevation matters. Between 5,000 and 10,000 feet, mule deer country shifts dramatically from sagebrush basins to aspen slopes to high-country meadows. Each band of elevation offers unique challenges and opportunities, and hunters who understand how deer use these habitats will have the best chance at success.

Why Elevation Matters

Mule deer are migratory by nature. Their seasonal movements are tied to elevation:

Low to mid-elevation (5,000–7,000 feet): Early-season feeding in sagebrush flats and foothills.
Mid to high elevation (7,000–9,000 feet): Summer and early fall range with diverse forage in mixed forests and meadows.
High elevation (9,000–10,000 feet): Late summer and pre-snow staging areas before deer migrate lower for winter.

For hunters, this means that deer behavior changes with both the calendar and the altitude.

How to Hunt Each Elevation Band

5,000–7,000 Feet: Sage & Foothill Country

Where to Look: Transition zones where sagebrush meets broken terrain, creek bottoms, and draws with scattered cover.
Best Tactic: Long-range glassing. Bucks often feed in open flats but bed in nearby cover.
Pro Tip: Pay attention to water. In drier foothill country, permanent waterholes and tanks concentrate deer activity.

7,000–9,000 Feet: Aspens, Pines, and Meadows

Where to Look: North-facing slopes with shade, aspen pockets near open feeding meadows, and benches with mixed vegetation.
Best Tactic: Morning and evening glassing, then still-hunting or ambushing near travel corridors.
Pro Tip: Pattern daily routines. Deer often bed in timber just above or below feeding areas, making these transition zones productive for ambush setups.

9,000–10,000 Feet: Alpine Edge

Where to Look: Above the tree line in alpine basins, or just below it in krummholz and subalpine meadows.
Best Tactic: Long hikes, high glassing points, and all-day sits on feeding/bedding patterns.
Pro Tip: Use thermals. Bucks bed where rising or falling air currents give them a scent advantage. Plan stalks accordingly.

General Tips for Elevation Hunts

Train for the terrain. Thin air and steep climbs test stamina—physical preparation is half the battle.
Think like a migrator. If deer aren’t where you expect, consider whether they’ve shifted up or down in elevation due to weather, forage, or pressure.
Stay mobile. Elevation hunts require flexibility—sometimes the deer are 500 feet higher or lower than where you left them last week.

Conservation Connection

The wide elevation range mule deer use highlights why habitat connectivity and migration corridors are so critical. Bucks you find at 9,500 feet in September may be at 6,000 feet by December. If those seasonal ranges aren’t linked by healthy habitat, deer survival declines.

The Mule Deer Foundation is working to protect these critical connections through:

Migration Corridor Projects: Restoring and conserving linkages between summer and winter range.
Habitat Work Across Elevations: From sagebrush restoration at 5,000 feet to alpine reseeding projects near 10,000.
Advocacy for Big Game Migration: Partnering with agencies to make sure deer have room to move safely across the landscape.

Closing Thoughts

Hunting mule deer between 5,000 and 10,000 feet is both a challenge and a privilege. Each elevation band offers unique lessons for hunters, and critical habitat for deer. By putting in the scouting work, adjusting tactics by elevation, and supporting MDF’s conservation efforts, hunters can find success in the field while also helping ensure mule deer herds thrive for generations to come.

Good Luck!

As always, good luck this fall everyone and remember to send any success pictures or stories from the field to [email protected] and you could be featured on our website or in our magazine. If this article or any of our articles have helped you become a better hunter or conservation steward, consider becoming a member of the Mule Deer Foundation for only $35 dollars a year. Click here to join: https://muledeer.org/product-category/membership/

Trevor Hubbs

Trevor is the Communications Manager and Editor for the Mule Deer Foundation and Blacktail Deer Foundation. He grew up hunting and fishing the Ozark Mountains for quail, ducks, and bucks. Now he ventures west for mule deer as often as possible.