Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 20 of 25

Thread: Wyoming Mule Deer

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Location
    Kingstree
    Posts
    1,596

    Default Wyoming Mule Deer

    Looks like I'll be in Kaycee Wyoming on Oct. 15th this year chasing Mule Deer in Section Y public land. Can't wait.

    For those that have been out there, give me some tips and pointers. What's the must have items and the items that you think you'll need but can actually leave at the house. We're driving out there and trying to save some room.

    Also, I know the weather out there could be snow / blizzard conditions or actually quite warm. So we're trying to dress and pack according for that as well.

    And planning to go to Yellowstone one of the days out there as well, even though its a 5 hour ride from where we're staying.


    7 days in Wyoming and 2 weeks in KY this year. I'm ready for FALL.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Spartanburg
    Posts
    49,653

    Default

    Nice tag pull. Leftovers went on sale today. I just deleted the email. No sense in getting depressed when I don't have to.

    Good luck and have a blast.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Clarendon County
    Posts
    8,402

    Default

    Awesome...make sure to post up your hunt story afterward!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Moncks Corner
    Posts
    1,264

    Default

    Kaycee, home to Chris LeDoux (RIP). Not much out in that part of Wyoming. If you havent been out there, fill up your fuel tank before you reach half. It may be a while before you see another station. You will need less hunting clothes than you think. You need 1 set of a good base layer, 1 pair of hunting pants/top. Light hunting jacket and a puffy jacket. Good broken in boots are a must. If driving, bring food you like to eat. Not a lot of choices in that part of the state. Section Y is huge with a lot of private land and varied terrain. Trespass fees are an option in the southern section and can be affordable. If hunting public land, you have to have a GPS program with landowner names. That would be #2, right behind boots to me.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Moncks Corner
    Posts
    1,264

    Default

    Wyoming is the windiest place I have ever been so expect that. Good optics and be prepared for long shot opportunities. 500 yard shots in Wyoming are commonplace and often needed.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Spartanburg
    Posts
    6,297

    Default

    Don't forget your range finder, the terrain out there looks a lot different.

    I'll throw this out there. For any of ya'll wanting to shoot long range before you go out west just let me know. I can get us on the range in Clinton.

    Edit: No passion!! Just shooting.... So Labhumper types need not apply.
    Last edited by Tha Dick; 06-22-2021 at 06:20 AM.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Horry County
    Posts
    3,800

    Default

    I hunt all around Kaycee. Go to the Invasion bar while you’re there. Some really cool range war history in that area. Lots of books and movies based on that area. I’ve had the weather be between 70 and 17 on the same hunt and the wind always blows. Be prepared to factor that in to your shooting. If it rains or snows DO NOT get off the gravel roads. You will be there till it dries or freezes.
    You’re there before the rut, so the bucks will only move first couple of hours before light and last couple of hours after. Find broken country with draws that lead to that leads to anything green. Any type of lush vegetation is a magnet. Last year I watched a series if draws that led to a small tank in a bottom that had some green vegetation. An hour before dark every deer within a couple of miles started filtering in to feed on a half acre patch of green grass. I saw 25-30 deer an evening, and passed on a bunch of smaller 3x3s and small 3x4s waiting on a big 3x4 I had seen earlier. Had a shot at him the final evening at about 500, but the wind was gusting 20-25, so I passed. They’ll bed in broken terrain and are damn hard to see even with a spotter. If there is any kind of bluff or little cliff face they can bed against with their face in the wind, that’s where we found them. Also little draws with plum thickets seemed to be a magnet. They rubbed every one of those we found. Be somewhere that you can a long ways see before daylight. You won’t have much morning movement and if you don’t see where they’re going to bed finding them is tough. If you do find one make a to kill him that evening. Hope this helps.
    I put all my hopes on a unit 33 elk tag and whiffed with more points than it took last year. I reapplied for a cow tag last night, so hopefully I’ll be in that area first week of November.
    Must haves are a good range finder, leather gloves cause everything out there has thorns, good navigation of come sort. Go to the county GIS maps and download the county roads map. Just because it’s maintained doesn’t mean it’s public. If you are unsure call and ask the game warden. The locals outfitters hate the DIY crowd and will post public access. Had a couple of encounters with ranchers trying to keep us off some BLM that they had folks paying to hunt. Be prepared to call their bluff and stand your ground if you know you’re right.
    Last edited by FLS; 06-22-2021 at 06:42 AM.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Location
    Kingstree
    Posts
    1,596

    Default

    Great Tips and information. Thanks Guys.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Location
    Kingstree
    Posts
    1,596

    Default

    What size binos do ya'll recommend? Will 8x40s work. I have a big pair of 10X50 Nikons that are a brick to carry and my go to pair is a small compact 8X40s vanguards that are easier to tote. We will have a spotting scope as well.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Gobbler's Knob, GA/ Bamberg,SC
    Posts
    21,442

    Default

    10X in the best quality brand you can afford. Eye strain is real out there if you are glassing all day. Get a good pair of shooting sticks or a bipod. Practice shooting from whatever you decide to use. Burn some powder this summer.
    F**K Cancer

    Just Damn.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Oklahoma
    Posts
    6,322

    Default

    HT;2884594]What size binos do ya'll recommend? Will 8x40s work. I have a big pair of 10X50 Nikons that are a brick to carry and my go to pair is a small compact 8X40s vanguards that are easier to tote. We will have a spotting scope as well.[/QUOTE]

    I know nothing about region Y. I do know mule deer well.
    8x’s are just fine. If you’ve never picked apart sage and rim rock for an ear or tine, 5k dollar Swarovskis aren’t going to help.
    Glassing is key, but look for white. Anything white verify. Cruelest thing ever done in nature is give them white asses.
    Carry a spotting scope. Cheap is fine. Something that can verify square of frame (or lack there of).
    Glass 2 hours after first light, 2 hours before last.
    Middle of the day, jump them up if you didn’t find any bedded in morning. Turn scope down to lowest power. Walk the tops of the draws. Just go super slow. Most decent bucks will give you 2-3 seconds after they stand up. A good buck will bolt immediately. Remember to lead them a bit.
    I never ever leave camp without a tri-pod in sagebrush country. Best tip I can give you is walk around the back yard with rifle slinged and sticks in left hand. Practice opening sticks and then unslinging rifle. I promise you this is a must have skill and way harder than you think. There is absolutely nothing to get a rest on in a hurry without sticks.
    Most important is if this is your first mule deer hunt, prepare to get addicted.
    Quote Originally Posted by trentsmith View Post
    Honestly I don't remember why I don't like you but I do remember that I don't like you.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Location
    Kingstree
    Posts
    1,596

    Default

    Man y’all are great. Thanks again for all the tips and tricks.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Oct 2001
    Location
    Hampton Co., SC
    Posts
    10,123

    Default

    I'm preparing as well but for an archery hunt first week in Sept.
    I'm not worried about the gear or back country living for ten days.
    Shooting everyday....keep stepping it back and punching kill shots and hopefully I'm solid at 80' by then.
    I worry about scouting for two days and encountering another hunter, thermals, and my lack of knowledge hunting that terrain.
    But, I will go hard and swallow the disappointment if that's my path....I'm excited!
    \"I never saw a wild thing feel sorry for itself. A small bird will drop dead frozen from a bough without ever having felt sorry for itself.\" <br />D.H. LAWRENCE

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Horry, SC
    Posts
    5,516

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Calibogue View Post
    I'm preparing as well but for an archery hunt first week in Sept.
    I'm not worried about the gear or back country living for ten days.
    Shooting everyday....keep stepping it back and punching kill shots and hopefully I'm solid at 80' by then.
    I worry about scouting for two days and encountering another hunter, thermals, and my lack of knowledge hunting that terrain.
    But, I will go hard and swallow the disappointment if that's my path....I'm excited!
    Same here, it's taken 3 years but I finally drew a CO archery deer tag. I'm planning on antelope hunting for the first couple days then searching for a mule deer. I need to get to start shooting asap, I've been slacking this summer.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Moncks Corner
    Posts
    1,264

    Default

    There are no bad hunts out west! Enjoy and cherish each moment

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Spartanburg
    Posts
    49,653

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by HT View Post
    Man y’all are great. Thanks again for all the tips and tricks.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    If you're a podcast guy subscribe and listen to Remi Warren. It should be considered continuing education credits for western hunting.

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Pelzer
    Posts
    308

    Default

    An unthought of item, that I found out is a must… tweezers. When you are lying prone to glass or shoot and those cactus get in your elbows, you’ll be glad. Also a good set of shooting sticks or a lightweight shooting bag. Lightweight boots, as your feet will get sore and tired with heavyweight boots. Plus with all the walking, your feet won’t get cold like you’d expect. If you want cell phone coverage, leave the Verizon at home. AT&T is king out there.

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Fort Kickass
    Posts
    50,993

    Default

    I like heavy duty brush snips. As has been mentioned, everything has a briar on it. If you get hung up, it's good to be able to cut yourself out without ripping your clothes or making a ton of racket.
    "Rivers and the inhabitants of the watery elements are for wise men to contemplate and for fools to pass by without consideration" -Izaak Walton

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Carolina Backcountry
    Posts
    12,265

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by ducksmoker View Post
    An unthought of item, that I found out is a must… tweezers. When you are lying prone to glass or shoot and those cactus get in your elbows, you’ll be glad. Also a good set of shooting sticks or a lightweight shooting bag. Lightweight boots, as your feet will get sore and tired with heavyweight boots. Plus with all the walking, your feet won’t get cold like you’d expect. If you want cell phone coverage, leave the Verizon at home. AT&T is king out there.
    Good to know on AT&T. In NM i just cut mine off and used buddies Verizon to call home. We will prob burn our mulie or goat points in WY next year
    "Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs.
    I am haunted by waters" Norman Maclean.

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    The Salt
    Posts
    3,751

    Default

    Best advice I can give you is be in shape.
    If he’s not 100 yards, range him before you shoot.
    Good glass in 10x is essential IMO, I’ve carried a extra pair in 15X before and find myself using them enough to justify the weight in certain cases, but I am also picking apart every little piece. Either that or get a spotting scope with a good FOV.
    Always approach from up top, not below them if you can help it.
    Get a tripod you can shoot off of standing up.
    A leatherman, superglue and electrical tape, if you can't fix it with that it's fubar anyway.
    Last edited by buckpro; 06-23-2021 at 01:17 PM.
    Quote Originally Posted by Glenn View Post
    I'll shoot over a kids head in a blind or long gun one on a turkey in a heart beat. You want to kill stuff around me you gonna earn it.

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •