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Stand hunting for Mule deer

Have any of you hunted with an outfitter who uses tree stands to hunt mule deer? If so, how did it work out for you and would you recommend them? I am trying to put together a hunt for a group of 4 and one of our group has a bad knee and is unable to spot and stalk.

I've never hunted with an outfitter but have killed muleys out of treestands. If you are sitting a waterhole in dry country or saddle they are using it can be great. Otherwise, muleys aren't as predictable as whitetails. Much depends on time of year and where you're hunting.

Have had some very nice mule deer come by stands in the river bottoms in eastern CO when I was after whitetails during the rut. Not as consistent as whitetails, though.

If you end up hunting out in the sage brush, a pop-up or even just a simple brush blind may work just like for antelope. Find a waterhole near the trees and just hang out.

Shot my biggest mulie from a stand

Saw it work rather well in Peace River Alberta!

Do it every single year... Contact a few outfitters from the state/ area you want to hunt and discuss it with them, most that really know their area can and should be able to get your buddy into some muley's from a stand or blind.

Good Luck!

Scar.

Like Genesis I also shot my biggest buck from a stand.

I've killed about ten from tripods.

Water holes or bait.

I am about the furthest from expert on this subject that you will find, so hopefully this is worth pointing out. You probably want to stay away from outfitters that typically offer high country hunts. Many of those hunts are above treeline, obviously ruling out the "treestand" possibility (there could be possibility for other ground stand sites).

One of these outfitters may tell you that they have this type of option available, but it would definitely not be their bread-and-butter so to speak. If it were me, I would stick to the lower country-type hunt. Having said all that, there may be fewer of the above treeline-type hunts than I realize.

Check with some of the outfitters around the Grand Mesa - Mesa, Collbran, Molina, Cedaredge, Delta down toward Crawford or up toward Rifle if you are looking for a guided hunt. I know there are a lot of hay fields around there that have a lot of good (some awesome) mule deer that come into them. Easy terrain and good opportunities to set up a pop-up blind or maybe a tree stand. Mostly cedar trees around hay fields in that country. Another area to consider would be down around Durango for hayfield mule deer.

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