what areas do you look for when picking a spot

[fatkid]

okay guys First off I am from ohio and have never even seen a mule deer myself . we all have hunted whitetail since we were old enough to go. I know mule deer are the same but oh so differant . My question is what do you look for on a map that says good area to try? We are hunting SE montana if this helps . do you look for thick tree areas open county or do you try to stay near what farm country there is out there. any help would be great . we have all the maps and a gps card that shows blm and state and natonal areas . I just need some pointers on how to pick 5 or 6 areas to try . we just dont want to spend 2 days driving around out there when we get there

[BKC]

If I was to go into an area that I had never been to and knew nothing about, I would do this. Get two good spotlights and drive the country roads at night, just after dark, and see where the deer are going to and where they are coming from. DO NOT have any firearms in your vehicle! If you get caught doing this with guns, you are screwed! This is legal as long as you are not hunting. Drive slow, do not chase game, and respect private property. I would concentrate around any farm ground that has alfalfa or just good grass and water. Good luck!

[packer58]

Wow, that's a good question fatkid. IMO it is very difficult to locate game based on looking at maps or even google earth. The reason being is that the animals have seasonal movements and what looks good on a map may be devoid of animals during the time frame of your hunt. Maps and GE are great tools for finding secluded areas that limit the amount of hunting presure the animals will recieve. The best think for you to do would get there a few days early and scout it out........lots of glassing and keep moving until you find consentrations of deer or deer sign and then plan your hunt from there.

As far as spotlighting deer as BKC suggested, I would be carefull, it might be legal in Montana, I don't know, but you may have a lot of explaining to do if it's not. Hope this helps a little, good luck.

[Edelweiss]

Big mule deer bucks will have a feeding area, and someplace they chew their cud and overlook their world. Look for south facing cliffs near ares with a lot of feed.

[larrylur]

If I was to go into an area that I had never been to and knew nothing about, I would do this. Get two good spotlights and drive the country roads at night, just after dark, and see where the deer are going to and where they are coming from. DO NOT have any firearms in your vehicle! If you get caught doing this with guns, you are screwed! This is legal as long as you are not hunting. Drive slow, do not chase game, and respect private property. I would concentrate around any farm ground that has alfalfa or just good grass and water. Good luck!

Yikes. Not To sure about the spotlighting tip. Here at home that kind of activity is highly illegal, gun or not. Maybe Montana is different.

For me, the maps showed me areas that were near where I wanted to stay, that were big enough for me to get as deep as I wanted. This does not help but the deer can be anywhere. Trees, rocks, river bottoms, agricultural areas, plains,...anywhere. Pick areas close to where you stay and get out early and stay late. If you don't find deer, move to spot#2.

Talk to people as soon as you get there. Stores, campgrounds, bars..anywhere. Sometimes people love to talk and you can pick up some valuable info.

[RUTTIN]

I would say show up a few days early if you can, and scout. Find a high spot to glass from and let the glass do the work for you.

[Drhorsepower]

I've had better luck on north facing slope. Bucks like to be in the shade

Like everyone else said. Scout a few days before season if possible, get to a high vantage point before light and setup, sit wait glass. Same before dark. Deer are most active 15 minutes when sun comes up and goes down

Good luck man!

[fatkid]

hey guys thanks for the info . does anyone feel that still hunting is worth our time . also how long do you feel is good enough time to set and glass in 1 spot if you are not seeing deer

[NoMoreOldNo7]

hey guys thanks for the info . does anyone feel that still hunting is worth our time . also how long do you feel is good enough time to set and glass in 1 spot if you are not seeing deer

I have heard of guys being successful with still hunting, but the best method I have found is spot and stalk. As for how long to sit in one spot and glass, I would say about 1 -2 hours longer than how long it takes you to get bored. I usually try set up before light and as everyone else has pointed out from a high vantage point. I'll spend most of the morning there unless I don't see anything for a couple hours then move to another close by spot with a different vantage point, maybe the other side of the ridge, maybe around the next bend, whatever the terrain dicates. Then spend a couple hours there. Its amazing how you can watch a ridge line for a couple hours and not see much then suddenly a buck appears out of no where and usually in the area you have been watching the most. It takes a lot of patience to properly check out an area.

Get there a head of time if you can and scout (like whats been suggested) and spend some timechecking out on foot the places you find on google earth or maps. This has been the best approach for me. Good luck, hunting mulies is nothing like hunting whitetails. But 95% of my deer hunting has been for mulies., so I am far from knowing what I'm talking about hunting whitetails

[Drhorsepower]

You need to read mikes book. Hunting high country mule deer. It's a must