CO High Country Mule Deer

[barrettm95]

Hello everyone,

Planning my first DIY high country mule deer hunt in central CO this year. I drew the tag I wanted and have been getting in shape to handle this hunt, however now that I have my unit I need some advice on what to look for. I am 23 years old and this will be a group of three of us, two with tags and one along to help with the glassing and packing.

This will be my first high country mule deer hunt and am struggling at what to look for. I have started with looking into south facing basins/slopes just above tree line that I have some glassing points into. What do yo usually look for in you high country spots? Not looking for exact locations, just looking for what type of features I should be keying in on to start narrowing the unit down into area thats worth my energy. I can share some of my ideas through pms if anyone is willing to shed some light.

I will be hunting archery season and will be there August 30th (day before opener) through September 8th.

Goodluck this season everyone,

 

[Carr5vols]

Which season.

 

[barrettm95]

My apologies, I will be hunting archery season and will be there August 30th (day before opener) through September 8th.

 

[egradyfire]

Disclaimer- I'm no Robby Denning (not even close) and have only been hunting mule deer 5 years. I did exactly what your doing and have found these forums have been great. A lot of the idaho guys were willing to help me out and in turn i'll pass on what ive learned. So what i look for early morning/late evening glassing is grass, green pockets of brush and vegetation outside or in between the tree lines. They are in their summer grounds and focused on 1. surviving and 2. eating. The bucks are generally in bachleor groups, so where you find 1 there may be more. They are generally still out feeding that 20-30 mins before the sun comes up and that time of year they're reddish in color, so they stand out against the backdrop a lot easier. Once you start finding a few your eyes will adjust and they'll pop out a lot better against the backdrop. once it get later in September they turn gray and it's a SOB to fine em. Once they start heading to bed down you really need to slow down the glassing and pick apart the brush and timber. Look for horns, flicking tails, deer getting up to move bedding spots due to sunlight heating them up. I was in your same position 5 years ago and had the same concerns. Once I got out on the mountain and did it, things started making sense (a little).

 

[Raghornkiller]

There's mule deer all over in Colorado but I see more driving down the road than I do back where I elk hunt.If you can find a burn in the mountains you will probably find some mulies regardless of elevation.i have a tag this year and I'm planning on hunting close to the road so I don't cut into my elk hunt too much.

 

[Westx]

High mountain basins with willows, above timberline is where you want to focus on. You'll have roughly 7-11 days to kill a buck before they strip velvet and head into the trees. You shouldn't have any problems locating deer if you are in position in the morning. By that i mean be up on the highest point glassing while the sun is coming up and the deer are feeding. Watch them until they bed. Let the wind solidify and make your stalk. Do your best to stay above them on your stalk. Good luck. It's tough. and there's no one way to do it.

 

[Chris]

You can find them at all elevations, but I usually hunt tree line and above. I’ve found them on every side of the mountain, so don’t always assume they are on the south side. Big bowled basins out of sight of roads usually hold deer, at least in my experience. Glass early and late, and wait for the thermals to be blowing up the mountain.


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[ColoradoV]

Something of note is that there were huge avalanche cycles this year in many places and plenty of roads/trails are and will be closed for quite some time.

A call to the usfs as to what is open/closed and a idea of how you are going to get places is warranted this year.

 

[Codyk315]

I am in the same position you are. Trying to find places above treeline with grass is about like pulling alligator teeth. All I have been seeing is rocks and scree fields all the way down to treeline and the open areas are in the bottoms. Or they are in places amongst trees and doesn't seem like there is any good way to glass them. Not sure if maybe the snow being up there has something to do with it or the maps are out of date or what, but it sure makes it tougher for a rookie! If I hear of something useful I will definitely pass it on to you. Good luck!!

 

[barrettm95]

Thanks for the help everyone!

 

[OFFHNTN]

High mountain basins with willows, above timberline is where you want to focus on. You'll have roughly 7-11 days to kill a buck before they strip velvet and head into the trees. You shouldn't have any problems locating deer if you are in position in the morning. By that i mean be up on the highest point glassing while the sun is coming up and the deer are feeding. Watch them until they bed. Let the wind solidify and make your stalk. Do your best to stay above them on your stalk. Good luck. It's tough. and there's no one way to do it.

Agreed. Good post. Willows are great for feeding and bedding. Get up high and glass.

 

[JKOHL37]

Appreciate all the help on this thread!