Wyoming Mule Deer Hunt
- Thread starter rmjames
- Start date
rmjames,
More info needed. Is this your first time hunting, or your first time hunting in Wyoming? What time of year are you going? Is this just you, you and some friends, or with an outfitter?
Just off the top of my head, getting in good physical condition wouldn't be a bad idea. NW Wyoming is pretty big country, with big hills and long distances to cover. And you'll probably be hunting at elevations starting at 5000 feet - the more oxygen you can process the better!
JohnDog
(NW Wyoming memories - Pork Porterhouse with applesauce at the Irma Hotel in Cody - mmmmm - tasty!!)
More info needed. Is this your first time hunting, or your first time hunting in Wyoming? What time of year are you going? Is this just you, you and some friends, or with an outfitter?
Just off the top of my head, getting in good physical condition wouldn't be a bad idea. NW Wyoming is pretty big country, with big hills and long distances to cover. And you'll probably be hunting at elevations starting at 5000 feet - the more oxygen you can process the better!
JohnDog
(NW Wyoming memories - Pork Porterhouse with applesauce at the Irma Hotel in Cody - mmmmm - tasty!!)
Jeff Thomas
New member
First, welcome to TFL! Hope you enjoy it here ... I see this as an incredible, interactive firearms encyclopedia ... around a big, friendly campfire. 
I know diddily about hunting Mule Deer, but I'm learning. Spoke to a friend the other day (a real expert) who gave me the following pointers:
'He recommends good binoculars and a tripod as a start - he says most serious hunters are using 15x60 Docter Optics, or 15x50 Swarovski's. ['Glass and stalk' seems to be the normal rule for Mule Deer.] He recommends I try buying some used ones. For books, he recommends 'Mule Deer - Hunting Today's Trophies' by Van Norman and Carpenter.'
I bought the book, and it is a good read ... available on Amazon.Com. He recommends a .300 Win Mag, but I'll stay out of the rifle discussion ... lots of different opinions on that front, of course.
It will be fun to watch this thread ... I'm looking forward to my own trip, but not this year unfortunately.
Good luck, and have a great time.
Regards from AZ
I know diddily about hunting Mule Deer, but I'm learning. Spoke to a friend the other day (a real expert) who gave me the following pointers:
'He recommends good binoculars and a tripod as a start - he says most serious hunters are using 15x60 Docter Optics, or 15x50 Swarovski's. ['Glass and stalk' seems to be the normal rule for Mule Deer.] He recommends I try buying some used ones. For books, he recommends 'Mule Deer - Hunting Today's Trophies' by Van Norman and Carpenter.'
I bought the book, and it is a good read ... available on Amazon.Com. He recommends a .300 Win Mag, but I'll stay out of the rifle discussion ... lots of different opinions on that front, of course.
It will be fun to watch this thread ... I'm looking forward to my own trip, but not this year unfortunately.
Good luck, and have a great time.
Regards from AZ
Get in shape (you'll have to do better than walking around the block). Packing deer several miles out of deep boonies is not easy. Get to where you can plod around, up, and down, for the better part of a day at a slow-medium pace. The hills will take it out of you. Bring wool pants, wool/fleece/polarguard shirts/sweaters, and, if you got it, a wool mackinaw. You can get by with the sweater and a nylon shell if you're not going through brush. Here in WA, to find deer, you as a rule have to get up into the steep uglies. That being the case, you don't see deer from miles away. I carry 10x Nikon binocs, and they are more than powerful enough. I've initially heard more deer than spotted. No spotting scope. Rifle? easy. bring something that you can shoot. I use a 700 bdl in .280. New? Don't get a magnum. Get a 7x57, .280, .270, '06, .308, or the like. Unless you're going to carry sandbags with you, you probably won't be shooting more than 300 yards anyway. If you do, make damn sure the wind isn't blowing. GPS? probably not. Map/Compass? You bet. Frame Pack? You'd better believe it. That's my take on the situation. Don't go in soft.
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Jerry V.
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Jerry V.
I have had excellent service from Danner boots in elk and mule deer country. My favorite binocs are Swarovski 10x25 Waterproof Compacts. If you are going with a guide, he or she will carry a spotting scope. Topo map and compass are essential in my opinion. I pack along a spare scope and rings ( Leupold 2.5x8 ) which I leave in camp. I have had more than one horsewreck. Best of luck.