Are there public places to hunt mule deer? Is it possible to hunt without spending a small fortune on fees?

OTC in a AZ and ID, easy draw odds in NM, UT and WY. With a little research it is very doable

Your going to have to draw as a non-resident in western states. Lake Meridith has public hunting for mule deer, from what I hear its crowded though, not sure on numbers of deer either

It was very crowded in '08 when we went!!! Saw a few mule deer doe but nothing with head gear.

Sure, it is. There are plenty of public land hunts available. The question is do you want to hunt mule deer or do you want to kill a monster? If you want to kill a monster without spending years and thousands of travel miles to do it, the price rises quickly.

Do a little studying and find the areas in the west that consistently produce trophy deer and start putting in the drawing with a second choice area too. If you don't draw your area you get a preference point. Stay with it a few years and you will be drawn for a great area. Units 66 and 67 are big deer areas in Colorado for example.

I have friends in CA that hunt near Casper out in public land every year and they do very well. Some years they only get pronghorn tags, but this year all four had mule deer an pronghorn tags. They all scored on 4x4 bucks with one being really nice. They hunt hard and they get back away from where everyone else is at, which I feel is the secret to any public land hunting. It took them years to find this spot, and if you are serious, you need to put in the time to find a good place.

I personally found it cheaper in the long term to pay to hunt on private land. More money to have access to a great place to hunt, but the experience is so much better, and I didn't spend years going to places that didn't have any animals, or where over run with hunters. I actually did do that for many years, but now avoid public land unless it's a very limited draw area.

Yes...the answer...Wyoming....really it's not that bad, if you need contacts, PM me and I can see what I can do for you. It will cost something but a lot less than the guided Colorado or NM hunts usually found in this part of the world...now shooting a 200 class bruiser...well better get to work...

I'm hunting Texas mule deer first time this year...I'm pretty stoked...

Ed

I live in ARIZONA good luck on getting a MULE DEER tag in a good area! Its easy to draw a Coues Whitetail tag down by the border since most hunters I know put in for Mule Deer and if they don't get drawn they put in for the left over deer tags which are almost all in Southern AZ!

I would not mind shooting a mule deer doe... don't care about antlers.. just large meaty things that taste good on a bun, in a stew... etc.. lol

All I care about is the meat. I big rack is cool but a steak on my plate is way cooler. I just got real serious about whitetail hunting in 2010. I used it as my therapy when I came back from my 2nd deployment to Iraq. It calmed me down to sit in the stand in the quiet. Now I am hooked.

if your in it for the meat you might want to look at something other than a mule deer....

Not sure about that, the best venison I, and those who I shared with, have ever eaten came from a mule deer buck.

Alafafa field yes....mountain sage country takes a little more effort.

To the OP NM and CO have decent draw odds for meat type hunts. Cow elk NM is probably the easiest draw

On another site I visit you can buy your own little piece of mule deer heaven in Sanderson, about two hours west of Del Rio. For $63,000 you can purchase 160 acres with a cabin on it.

Wyoming is good and a bunch of public land. South Dakota is another great option as well, lots of public and I'm heading there tomorrow to do just that!

If all you are wanting is a meat hunt, there are lots of opportunities for cow elk out there. Bigger animal, better tasting. If you want to get some shooting in, Wyoming sometimes will issue up to five tags for pronghorn in some areas, some years. I don't think they taste any better or worse then mule deer. Both need seasoning to be edible.

Considering what it will cost for an out of state license and tag, gas money to get there, a place to stay and food, nothing would be cheaper then some of the doe hunts offered here in TX. I've seen axis does for $300 each, sika for about the same. Both are excellent eating!!!! The sheep hunts are also fairly affordable if you are not looking for a trophy. If you think mule deer tastes good, you'll love sheep.

In Texas, sure... you can HUNT them. But if you want to GET one, be prepared to spend some serious cash and time.

Mule deer hunting isn't cheap, but they sure are fun to hunt.

I live in Nevada and hunt muleys almost every year. That being said....

If you are willing to change it up, you can hunt mule deer here every year and cheap. Archery tags here are almost OTC with how many there are issued every year. You have to apply, but chances are you will draw easily.

My first year here, I applied as a nonresident. I drew two premium tags (lope and mule) in great areas, but because I applied for archery and muzzleloader tags. Rifle will have you waiting for a few years.

Total cost in fees will be $360, I think, out the door and ready to hunt. Over 80% of the state is public land and good deer can be found if you put the work into it.

Don't forget W Nebraska and SD.

My dAd and I were just discussing mule lease prices. He wants me to get on his lease with him next year. What's a typical mule lease in Texas cost? They pay 3 grand Split between up to 4 people. He has no idea if it's high or low. It's in the county where the state records come from. I wasn't sure if I should or not at that price.

How big is the ranch?


Less than a grand for any hunting lease is cheap. For mule deer in good country they are giving it away

My dad just said it was 4000 acres. And I was wrong on the price it's 3600

If 4 guys are splitting 3600 it's still a give away

4K acres isn't a lot of land though to support 4 mule deer bucks being killed year in and year out though