My son drew the youth big bend hunt. Anyone here been on one of the big bend hunts? Didn’t see much through the search function.

Hunted West Texas for Mule Deer for about 10 years.

Had one of the best teach me so I'll pass along what I learned.....


Find a high vantage point and stay parked. Look into the bottoms and on short gravel ridges. People get in a hurry and they pass over deer moving. If there is a deer there, they will be pretty obvious. Most bed down until they stand up to feed. You will be looking at nothing and then boom, one silver dot, then another, then another. They will shine silver, especially when the sun hits them. Typical movement is morning and evening. Deer density is generally low, with only a handful of deer per section, though some areas will hold more than others. Water is a plus but they are not as dependent on water sources as you would think. If you see a decent in the morning and lose him, stay put. He will get back up. If you see a good buck in the evening and lose light, go back the next morning, he will more than likely be within a few hundred yards of where he was the prior day.

Get a good pair of shooting sticks and practice off them.

Other than that, get a good kit together, tire plugs ( thorns and stobs are a real thing) jet boil, water, ramen, toilet paper, leather gloves, etc. plan on hunting all day....I usually didn't come back into camp save for a rare occasion. Also, cell service can be spotty so I recommend an inreach so you can text the manager if you get in a pinch


Good luck and as mentioned, make it a vacation/adventure.

Thank you sir! I appreciate the info.

I hunted archery there last year. I sent you a PM

What are dates?

November 18-21 I believe

It's definitely not going to be the rut. Big mule deer often get pretty stupid during the rut. I would definitely be in my spot before day light and hunt until dark at night especially if it's hot. I would cover alot of ground and be flexible. Getting high and glassing works and then also driving around alot and scouting works too. In my experience mule deer will spook when they see you walking from a half mile away but they generally let you drive right up to them in a truck. They are alot different than WT

My first MD hunt was with a guide. We were looking at MD with binos from his truck and he said 'lets go get one' and I said 'how are we going to get close enough?' He replied 'we will drive right up to them and shoot one.' That was exactly how it went down too.

Thank you for the tips everyone. Do any of you guys have a previous hunt map? I’m curious as to how the units are sectioned out so I can do some google earth scouting.

I would check online.

Hunting MD are not like whitetail. You can find areas that look good and it be completely devoid of any game. Other areas that look marginal will have deer in it.

I have found them standing in old gravel pits and down a road the LO told me not to waste my time on.

My son drew the hunt this year as well and you are right there is not a lot of info out there about hunting the ranch. If anyone has hunted out there and would be willing to share what they learned or tips, I would also like to hear about them.

Hopefully we will see each other. We will be in a brown and tan Ford F250 superduty. Good luck!!!

So to touch on from what I know plus what I’ve heard…

Deer density is on the low side. Park has a bad cat problem, combined with the normal issues mule deer have breeding. Don’t expect deer density to be real high, maybe 2-4 deer per section in many parts, though pockets will hold more deer.

That time of year is pre-rut so bucks will still be in bachelor groups, does will be herded up and older mature bucks will often be solitary.

4 days isn’t a lot of time so in that instance it may may sense to cover some ground; in your hunt unit, creep along the main roads, stop, glass and then keep moving if nothing shows itself after 10 or so minutes.