sick of not drawing!

[arrowdem]

Saw this guy in 4f in 2013 the weekend after deer season closed:

see even a mule deer like this one i would shoot one like this....

 

[Bowhunter13]

3b2has little to no public land for mule deer. There is a little here and there but 4A, 4B,and 4C have lots but they also have lots of applicants. Hard choice.

 

[Bri-guy]

I covered every inch of 4F last fall while pronghorn hunting. Very little public land in the mule deer terrain. I did see some mule deer in the more rugged terrain, including some really nice ones. Most of the deer I saw were whitetails. That Big Gumbo Management area was an oilfield wasteland with VERY little cover. What wasn't drilled on was grazed to the nub. I was really disappointed with that area because I thought it would be miles and miles of open land. I didn't get far off the roads in that spot, so maybe I missed something. There are trails/roads all over in there for the oil rigs.

The land along the little Mo definitely had mule deer, but almost all of that is posted. You also have to remember that every inch of public land gets hit hard from bird hunters.

That being said, there aren't many units you can apply for that give you a chance at a buck with 3 points. So have at it!

 

[arrowdem]

I covered every inch of 4F last fall while pronghorn hunting. Very little public land in the mule deer terrain. I did see some mule deer in the more rugged terrain, including some really nice ones. Most of the deer I saw were whitetails. That Big Gumbo Management area was an oilfield wasteland with VERY little cover. What wasn't drilled on was grazed to the nub. I was really disappointed with that area because I thought it would be miles and miles of open land. I didn't get far off the roads in that spot, so maybe I missed something. There are trails/roads all over in there for the oil rigs.

The land along the little Mo definitely had mule deer, but almost all of that is posted. You also have to remember that every inch of public land gets hit hard from bird hunters.

That being said, there aren't many units you can apply for that give you a chance at a buck with 3 points. So have at it!

thats good info, ya i checked out some of that public land on google maps and it looked like it was just spidered with oil rigger trails.. are you able to drive down any of those now or are they all marked as private land? also if i did decide to hit 4f and head out hiking and stay back there a few nights what are the chances i would be able to leave my pickup somewhere with out it getting destroyed by someone?

 

[Flatrock]

and im 100% ok with that as long as some of the public land actually has some mulie ground you can see public land on the maps all you want but until you are standing right in front of it its pretty hard to see whats actually there, i have no issues getting way back in there off the road and camping out and chasing mule deer, i would actually prefer to do it now while im physically able so if there is good ground out in the middle of those huge tracks of public land im all for it, i just havent been to most of those areas the only area im kinda familiar with is north of killdeer where i used to chase mulies with the bow

There aren't really huge tracts of land in ND where you can get "way back in." Getting into a solid mule deer unit with 3 points is pretty tough. You really need to have some private land access or else live closer so that you can scout the country more and find some deer. I'd recommend taking a scouting trip before you apply if you go into one of the fringe units.

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thats good info, ya i checked out some of that public land on google maps and it looked like it was just spidered with oil rigger trails.. are you able to drive down any of those now or are they all marked as private land? also if i did decide to hit 4f and head out hiking and stay back there a few nights what are the chances i would be able to leave my pickup somewhere with out it getting destroyed by someone?

There really is no reason to pack into an area and camp there for a few days. Just walk in and out each day. There aren't a lot of places where you can get 2 miles from a road. Just camp beside a road.

 

[Bri-guy]

thats good info, ya i checked out some of that public land on google maps and it looked like it was just spidered with oil rigger trails.. are you able to drive down any of those now or are they all marked as private land? also if i did decide to hit 4f and head out hiking and stay back there a few nights what are the chances i would be able to leave my pickup somewhere with out it getting destroyed by someone?

It's not private land, so you can drive down them as long as they are established. I don't know about leaving a vehicle for a few days, but I didn't get too far back in there. What I saw was so barren that I didn't want to waste anymore time. You should check the BLM rules for travel/camping as they are different than the Forest Service grasslands rules.

 

[dean nelson]

There aren't really huge tracts of land in ND where you can get "way back in." Getting into a solid mule deer unit with 3 points is pretty tough. You really need to have some private land access or else live closer so that you can scout the country more and find some deer. I'd recommend taking a scouting trip before you apply if you go into one of the fringe units.

Yeah its a pick your poison type of deal. You really only have three options 1. Good grounds but bad odds 2.good odds but not as good of grounds or 3. Spend $500 or more on an out of state or res tag.

 

[arrowdem]

Yeah its got the lest amount of public ground and the least steep ground. That said there is still allot of public ground and a fair bit of it is good ground. Everything in this pic is public.

looking at 4f public ground on the map it seems like if you get off the road a bit there is some pretty good stuff that looks like this that is public? there has to be some good mule deer hiding out there somewhere?

 

[lunkerslayer]

This could be a reason why north dakota doesn't know exactly how many deer are in ND because of land owners controlling deer herds on their land. My proposal is exactly what north dakota needs on the other thread then what's good for the goose is good for the gander

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I really hope the NDGF addresses non land owners concerns especially also being able to draw for three tags in one year. Gratis, bow, and muzzle

 

[dean nelson]

looking at 4f public ground on the map it seems like if you get off the road a bit there is some pretty good stuff that looks like this that is public? there has to be some good mule deer hiding out there somewhere?

Oh I'm sure there are a fair few. If there are mule deer in the area then there is bound to be some nice ones. Only thing is the more roads and the less steep terrain you have lessens the overall survival rate making big boys less common as they might be else where. But it only takes one and he could be just about anywhere.... Hell this one lived or lives in the wing area.

 

[SDMF]

Hell this one lived or lives in the wing area.

BS!!!!! Based on the trail-cam date and assuming it's a 6-8yr old, that deer won't even be born for 75-77yrs. What's with no snow and green stuff in the background on Valentines day too????????????? I think the above deer is photoshopped.

 

[Kurtr]

This makes me happy I moved from Fargo to Sodak to retain my residence

 

[lunkerslayer]

Kurtr how's bitter lake doing

 

[eyexer]

ND has pretty much became a bowhunters/landowners hunting paradise. Everybody else need not apply. You could see this coming a fair number of years ago. Until the game and fish grow some nuts it'll continue to get worse.

 

[gr8outdoors]

In 22 years of hunting, I've only been denied a buck tag twice. Don't know if it's just lucky or what but I don't even worry about not drawing one.

 

[lunkerslayer]

In 22 years of hunting, I've only been denied a buck tag twice. Don't know if it's just lucky or what but I don't even worry about not drawing one.

Good for you gr8outdoors on getting such good luck on drawing tags in your unit, what if you would be a good old boy from ND with strong conservative values not put in for a tag this year. :;:cheers

 

[gr8outdoors]

Putting in for a doe tag this year. Herd management I guess you could call it. As far as not putting in for a tag, that will never happen as I love spending the time with my dad and siblings. If you want to, call me greedy but I don't tittysprinkles what anyone thinks about how or what I do.:;::::

 

[Mr Nice]

By no means have I hunted all of the west but I've covered a lot of ground out there and I have to agree the spots to hike back in to camp are extremely limited. This hasn't gotten better with all of the oil traffic over the years. To me hiking in to camp needs to be 5 miles or so to make it worth while but that's my 2 cents. You'd also be surprised the deer that overlooked in the grasslands. I'm a firm believer that a majority of units hold quality deer just need to spend the time looking and a little luck never hurts either.

Dont rule out an out of state hunt ether, biggest drawback is the price of the tag. From where you live to western ND is already a five hour drive. What's three more hours to MT or SD and camp out to save money. I've learned a lot more about hunting when I started hunting out of state every year so when I do eventually draw a tag in ND again it may up my odds.

 

[Enslow]

No sense in worrying about tags till the draw in august. Hehe

 

[dean nelson]

BS!!!!! Based on the trail-cam date and assuming it's a 6-8yr old, that deer won't even be born for 75-77yrs. What's with no snow and green stuff in the background on Valentines day too????????????? I think the above deer is photoshopped.

Yep sorry about that! Accidentally got that picture from my scouting mission with Bill and Ted confused with that particular deers great, great, great, great, great grandfather. Will say being many years apart it's amazing how similar they look and how they both used the same ground. Grandpa didn't mind posing for the camera either by the looks of this picture! And of course it's green in the background in 99 didn't you pay any attention to the great Al Gore?!?! There's no such thing as winter in the warm future we are heading for......duh!