Wyoming trophy mule deer hunt

This 53,000-acre ranch limits the deer harvest in order to produce quality bucks. In 2006 this hunt produced nine bucks for 10 hunters, including a 33-incher as well as an 8x7 non-typical that grossed 186 B&C points. The only hunter who did score passed on a drop-tine buck that would have probably scored in the 170s.

If you want to take this hunt in 2008, be sure to apply for a preference point in Wyoming sometime in July or August and send us a 25% deposit. Click here for details on applying for preference points. If you're looking for a chance to take a big muley, this is a hunt to consider. You must apply for a tag by March 15, 2008, to hunt this area. We think that you can almost be assured of drawing a tag if you buy a preference point this year.

A friend and I were hunting together in '03, and I was giving him first crack at the bigger bucks. He hit and lost a big buck the first day, passed up another one that I should have shot, and missed a 30-inch buck toward the end of the hunt before taking a 24-inch-class management buck on the fifth day. I shot a 25-inch management buck the last day. He was 5 1/2 years old but didn't have eyeguards. Since then the lease has changed hands, and the new outfitter is much more conservative, taking approximately half as many hunters.

Wall-hangers are to be had, as I witnessed after the '05 rifle season, when I saw three great bucks during the elk season and several others during four scouting trips in November. Hunters in 2004 killed at least two bucks over 30 inches as well as some high-scoring animals. Hunters on this property in 2005 were self-guided took bucks scoring up to 181 and some bigger animals were seen. All the hunters in 2006 were guided, and only guided hunters will be offered from now on. -- Rich LaRocco.

Hunt MD4563BR

Hunt, guide ratio

Price per person

5 days, 2x1

$5,000 with no trophy fee

5 days, 1x1

$6,500 with no trophy fee

Hunter success

Trophy quality

Depends mostly on the individual hunter's trophy standards. All hunters should see good, representative four-point bucks, but the really big muleys are always a challenge, even on private land. Usually you'll get just one or two chances, and they might be fleeting. The 23- to 26-inch bucks can often be seen from four-wheel-drive roads on the ranch while grazing on low brush, but the bigger bucks usually live in pockets not visible from the roads and stick closer to escape cover.

All hunters should see good, representative four-point bucks in the 160s and 170s, but every year there are several much bigger animals. The ranches in this area have produced several outstanding animals every year. This is the largest ranch in the area. The outfitter saw the two biggest bucks of his life in '05 on the ranch, and he lives in some of the best trophy deer country in Utah. Both survived the season. A bordering ranch produced a 230+ non-typical in '04, and a similar buck was hit and lost in '05.

Licenses

Lodging/meals

Applications are due in Cheyenne on March 15. Drawing odds should be close to 100% because much of the public land was taken out of the unit in 2006. Click here for state license and tag prices.

Ranch house, motorhome, trailer, cabin or motel lodging, depending on which part of the ranch you hunt.

Season

Travel

Rifle hunts are Oct. 1-5 and Oct. 5-9.

Bow hunts are anytime from Sept. 1-20.

Fly to Salt Lake City, rent a car for the 70-mile drive. Some of the guides will pick up a hunter at the airport for $100 extra.

Area

Notes

53,000 private acres in one of Wyoming's best trophy deer regions. Most of the property is in a unit that borders Utah; 17 sections are in an adjacent unit. The 17-section area is covered mostly by sagebrush, bitterbrush, and maplebrush with quaking aspen pockets, some juniper and a few conifers with elevations from 7,000 to 8,000 feet. The southern section is higher in elevation (7,500 to 9,000 feet) and has more cover.

The outfitter is offering only full-service hunts with two hunters per guide. He is not offering 1x1 hunts in order to minimize traffic. Bowhunters are also welcome and should see some huge bucks.

Trophy mule deer on private land in southwestern Wyoming