mule deer hunting
A detour down the Mule Deer Highway known as the Alzeda highway through the most beautiful landscape in the world”
Following the fatal “Frog Fire” in the Modoc National Forest of California in 2015 in which a woodland firefighter was trapped and killed in the line of duty, the U.S. Forest Service and Mule Deer Foundation are beginning a habitat improvement project addressing 11,000 acres of fire fuels reduction and Mule Deer habitat improvement.
Weather, wildlife, wildfires… These are all considerations the Mule Deer Foundation staff biologists taken consideration when planning timelines for projects. We know not all projects will run smoothly and that often times there will be delays, due to factors we cannot control. However, on a recent project close to completion in the Plumas National Forest our resident Mule Deer Foundation biologist was surprised to have work interrupted by…
The Mule Deer Foundation’s habitat improvement project in Montana’s Mule Deer unit 270.
Deer Decoys have been in use for over 6,000 years, since the first humans started creeping up on herds of Bison wearing animal skins. As a species we have always been interested in ways to lure animals closer to us, and increase our chances of success.
How Public Land Prospectors are adding an extra layer of complexity to the Mule Deer Foundation’s habitat work in the Snowy Range of Wyoming”
The plains appear tame as a saddled horse and wild as a mustang in the same instant. Looking out over rolling hills and grazing deer everything seems possible and notching your tag appears a certainty. Hours later on your tenth blown stalk of the day, out of water, and running from a rattling sound under a rock, you are suddenly surrounded by the wild land Hugh Glass crawled across after being mauled by a grizzly 200 years ago.
The Mule Deer Foundation is working with USFS on public land to improve Mule Deer habitat. The East Deer-Lodge Valley Landscape project has been ongoing for 10 years and wraps up this September. The total management area is 47,000 acres. The project area is 40,000 acres.
Hunting in the Backcountry with only what you can carry in on your back can be an incredibly fun way to gain access to pieces of property not easily accessed. However, this self reliance sense of adventure also adds a level of complexity you don’t find when hunting via truck or base camp. Below we break down the Mule Deer Foundations packing list for a backcountry hunt with gear recommendations for each item and encourage you to give it a try for your next tag.
The top 7 mistakes to avoid on your first western Mule Deer Hunt. I made all these mistakes in my western hunting career and dealt with the consequences of those mistakes so you can avoid them yourself this fall.
North America’s Great Plains, including parts of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and beyond; the expansive grasslands and mixed shrub habitats create the ideal habitat for Mule Deer.
We sat down with Hannah Leonard of Sporting Lead-Free to discuss nontoxic ammunition choices for big game hunting. Hannah is a great advocate for conservation and the hunting community. I may not be rushing to fill my gun safe with copper shells tomorrow, but after speaking with her, I am definitely looking into some options.