Harvesting a mule deer is on my bucket list before I die but I would like to do a DIY hunt. Could be a bow or gun hunt, makes no difference. With that being said, can anyone point me in the right direction, give me pointers on where to try to look at hunting? I have no clue where to start. Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

Jimmy

Are you thinking public or private (Texas) land? And if private, what would your budget be?

Budget and animal quality would be driving factors.

Prefer a public hunt and budget will be whatever it takes to get it done. As far as quality, any mature buck would fill the bill. Not really looking at Texas hunts but might put in for some draw hunts here, never know. I might actually get drawn.

New Mexico has some draw hunts with decent odds if you aren’t looking for a giant. Utah has general deer hunts that can be drawn with 0 points. Colorado has a few good units that can be had with only a few points. Idaho has general deer hunts that you can just buy tags for, but with the recent tough winters, I would wait a few years. Wyoming and Montana will take a few points for a good unit, you can buy points after the draw until September/October in those two states.

I’ll, hopefully, be hunting muley’s in NM and Utah this year, and antelope in Wyoming and Colorado. Not sure I’ll be able to squeeze in an elk hunt or not. If I don’t draw my AZ late season elk tag, i’ll likely be applying for a deer tag in Kansas as well.

Not too late to apply in Wyoming for this fall. Some decent areas can be drawn with 0 PP. Some region tags are pretty good because of the season length.
Look at the Hunt Planner on the website for G&F, you can find draw odds and check the map for public access.
A mature buck can be found almost anywhere with effort.

Mulie Mike..

You should put in for Matador. They do a bow and a gun hunt and you can put in for both. They have antler restrictions and (unless things have changed) you will see bucks that meet the minimum. Awesome place. Plus in my opinion public land in TX is more challenging than public land in any of the other states (not that I've hunted many other states).

Or you could hunt Lake Meredith and not even worry about drawing.