Long-time Hunts.Net customer Jerry Andersen of California got this 180-class buck on one of our self-guided hunts.
We book self-guided mule deer hunts in Utah, Idaho and Colorado. We're always looking for good properties where hunters can do their own thing or for landowner permits that allow you to hunt quality public units. Typically hunters can do well on average-size bucks, and skilled, persistent hunters have a chance to take an outstanding trophy.
Results in the past three years have varied a great deal, depending on the ranch, hunting dates, hunter expectations and in some cases hunter skill and persistence.
We had some nice bucks taken in 2005. Just as in 2004, some of the bigger animals were taken during the last part of the season on properties that already had been hunted by others.
In 2005 we had customers on new properties in Wyoming, and some fine bucks were taken, but bigger bucks were seen and missed. Hunting parties were assigned to their own territories for the first part of the deer season, and then they were allowed to roam over a larger area. Two parties said there was too much traffic on roads crossing their territories, which included easements for bordering properties. One of those parties left early, and then hunters after them in the same territory killed some excellent bucks, including two scoring in the 180s. Another party stuck it out and all killed bucks, but nothing only one over 25 inches. These territories will be managed differently in 2006. The outfitter is planning to move a couple of access roads and will trade some sections with neighbors to provide a higher quality hunt. In one area he'll reduce pressure and take two or three guided hunters.
Hunts.Net customer Jerry Andersen got a nice buck that scored 180 B&C, but one of the hunters in his party said it was the fourth or fifth biggest one that he had seen during a pre-season scouting trip.
In 2005 I decided to hunt our Utah lease in the Manti range for the first time. The bigger bucks were hanging tight in the timber due to unusually warm weather. One day the thermometer read 77 degrees in the mountains. Still, the other hunters were seeing a few bucks in the 20 to 24-inch category, and a few bigger animals were spotted. Finally on the second-to-last day I spotted a really good buck across a big canyon. He was so far away that I couldn't judge his spread or even count his points, but he had excellent mass, and so I put on a long stalk to put me in position for a shot in the evening. Unfortunately, I spooked a herd of elk during the last part of the stalk, and I never saw that old muley again. I passed a buck the last evening at a distance of only 20 yards because I had determined to take a wall-hanger or nothing.
It's never too early to plan your do-it-yourself hunt. Hunter numbers are limited on each ranch, and they book up early. Also, in Utah you must apply for a tag by the end of January. The deadline in Wyoming is March 15.
We always caution that a self-guided hunt is not for everybody. You need good hunting and map-reading skills and good equipment (including a four-wheel-drive in most cases) and the flexibility to change hunting tactics or areas if the hunting is tough. You also typically need to put together a group of four to 10 hunters. If you think you can put together a group, call me, and I'll try to line you up on a property that you'll enjoy.
All these pictures were takenon unguided hunts that we book or lease.--Rich LaRocco.
This mule deer was taken in September during the Utah blackpowder hunt on a ranch we were billing as an inexpensive self-guided non-trophy hunt. Go figure. Gross-score in the high 190s.
Burke Sorenson and Gabe Chadwick took these bucks on landowner permits in Colorado.
Taken on southeastern Utah ranch.
Rich LaRocco of Hunts.Net admires the buck he tracked down in the fog in northern Utah on the last day of his hunt.
Hunts.Net's Chuck Johnson and the buck he stalked on a Utah property on the last day of the season.
Idaho leases available for deer and elk
This southern Idaho hunt is full in 2008 except for archery. However, you can book a hunt for 2009. You must have a party of four to book a rifle hunt. Pairs are accepted for bow hunts. Elk hunting is good during rifle and bow seasons with most bulls scoring 250 to 330 B&C. Success rates have ranged from 75 to 100 percent in recent years. Most hunters should see muleys scoring 150 or better, and 200-plus bucks are a possibility. Rifle seasons begin Oct. 15, archery Sept. 22-30. Tags are available through August. Cabins and camping sites are available, or you can stay in a hotel 30 minutes away. Ask about Hunt EK4307.
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Kerry Fogerty got this 30-inch 190-class buck on the property we book near Echo, Utah. He and his companion missed a bigger buck and saw another one in this category during their trip.
| Self-guided mule deer hunts |
| States where we offer self-guided muley hunts |
Price |
Idaho: private ranches
Utah: private ranches and landowner permits
Colorado: private ranches and landowner permits
Montana: private ranch |
Varies greatly. Keep in mind that self-guided hunters are competing against outfitters who want the same leases for their guided customers. We've arranged group hunts for as little as $1,000 a person, but the bigger ranches that are lightly hunted are usually $2,500 or more nowadays. |
| Hunter success and trophy size |
Lodging, meals |
| Each ranch and each group varies widely. Hunters who want to ride around in a truck or an ATV and glass off dirt roads typically do very poorly. The bigger bucks are almost entirely nocturnal during most Western rifle seasons and stay in the cover in daylight. Expect to beat the brush to increase your odds. |
Meals and lodging not included on most unguided hunts. Most hunters either camp or stay in an inexpensive motel and buy restaurant meals. Sometimes we can arrange for a wall tent camp to be erected for your party, and sometimes we can arrange for the use of a ranch house or motorhome on the property. |
| Terrain |
Note |
| Varies from foothills with lots of sagebush and various types of buckbrush, to pinyon-juniper habitat, to oakbrush/aspen mixes, to conifer forests and high-elevation basins. Most of the self-guided hunts we book take place on private ranches or on public land accessed through private land. We also can find landowner permits in some of the better public units. |
Self-guided hunts are not for everybody. If you don't have your own ATV or 4WD vehicle, it is NOT practical to rent one for driving on the rough ranch roads that typically exist on these ranches. On some ranches you need to be in excellent physical condition. Deer sightings can vary from very few to a good number with a slight change in weather. Easily discouranged hunters need not apply. |
Another good buck taken on the same hunt Rich and Chuck enjoyed last week.
 Taken on southeastern Utah ranch in the Manti Mountains.
Caution to do-it-yourself mule deer hunters:
Big muleys are not easy to find even on the better ranches. They're smart and use all of their outstanding senses to survive. Do not expect to find a trophy-class deer just by riding around on ranch roads, stopping occasionally to glass. One of our most successful do-it-yourself trophy mule deer customers over the past 20 years is Gary, a contractor who recently moved from southern California to Park City, Utah. Gary has hunted most of the properties where Hunts.Net books unguided mule deer hunts, including the Manti and Echo leases in Utah, both Idaho properties west of Soda Springs, and two of the Wyoming ranches. He consistently either takes a good buck or helps one of his sons, his father or his uncle to kill one. Iasked him to share his insights:
"Big mule deer are a lot harder to hunt than most people think," he said. "You might see a trophy out in the open in September or during the rut after the season, but not very often during rifle season. Mature bucks are pretty nocturnal in October, and the bigger the buck the more nocturnal he is. If you don't happen to be in exactly the right spot during the first few minutes or the last few minutes of the day, spotting and stalking isn't going to work. And if the weather is warm, he'll be bedded before first light and probably won't start moving around until after dark. You'll need to still hunt through the timber, which is almost impossible to do if the weather is hot or dry, or you'll need to put on drives.
"Or you can do what I usually do, and that is to be patient and just keep hunting, glassing into timber during the day and on the edges at morning and evening.
"Just because you're seeing does and small bucks doesn't mean there are no big bucks. The older bucks act totally different than the other deer, and they often hang out in different areas. A lot of times a big one will give you just a moment to take your shot, so you need to be ready all the time.
"I'm prepared to shoot long distanceas, and I carry top-quality optics. A lot of guys show up on trespass-permit hunts, and they don't have good binoculars and they don't have a spotting scope. I would hate to handicap myself that way.
"Most hunters just can't act quickly enough to make a shot count when things are happening fast. If a big buck shows himself at all, it's usually just for a moment, and then he's gone for good.
"A lot of guys just want to drive around on an ATV or in a truck and look for deer. The big bucks hear them coming and hide.
"Some guys think if they don't see a big muley, the big bucks have cleared out of the country and gone somewhere else. My experience is that the bucks are right there -- you're just not seeing them.
"Most of the ranches I've hunted have bordered public land or ranches that get just as much or more hunting pressure, and so the deer really don't have anywhere to go. Instead, they just hide. There are plenty of places for a buck to hide, and with his eight-power eyes, his fantastic ears and his nose, he usually will sense you before you know he's around.
"I figure that I see only about 10 to 20 percent of the bucks that see me, and in a week of hunting I might see only two or three mature bucks. "
"The big ones seldom have antlers that are less than 24 inches wide, and they're usually 26 to 28 inches or so. Bucks over 30 inches wide are rare anywhere, and I don't see one every year in the areas I hunt. I don't worry about spread much. I'm looking for a heavy rack, and I want long points if I can get them.
"On good properties I can usually find at least one shooter in a week, and I've seen several in a day, but that's really rare.
"If you want to be assured of seeing big bucks, you need to go to a game farm or book one of the premium guided hunts where the outfitter can afford to take only two or three hunters per 5,000 acres. I'm not interested in game farm hunting myself, and the premium hunts costs too much now at $6,500 to $10,000. I choose to spend my money and time on trespass permits in good areas. There's no guarantee I'll be able to find what I'm looking for, but I'm confident the kind of buck I want is there, and I like the challenge of matching up my skills against his wariness to see if I can find him."
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