Thanks for any help guys.
There are some white tails along the Colorado and Blue rivers but that is primarily private land. There is some public access on both, but the odds would be slim to focus on white tails on public land.
Mule deer like the more open country - sage brush down low and tundra up high. A lot of the mule deer bucks tend to spend summers up high above treeline but some will stay down in the lower country year round.
I know that guys kill mule deer out of tree stands and blinds, but I have never tryed it. I use optics to find the deer I want and then stalk in to range to hopefully get a shot. Optics are critical - at a minimum you will want a good set of 8x or 10x binoculars. If you want to consistently find and have opportunities at bigger bucks, you will want a good spotting scope and tripod. You need to pay close attention to where every animal is and use your glass to plan your stalk route to get close. Make sure to pick every aspect of the route and a location to stop moving and set up for the shot.
Sounds like you are probably in decent hiking shape. That will help. Some of the basins I hunt require glassing from over a mile away. When a deer is spotted that I’m going to try a stalk on its over 1,000’ down an then another 1,000’ or more up to get into position.
You have to stay out of sight and have the wind right to get in close enough to get a shot. The high country winds are fickle. The general winds are out of the south west, but that changes due to weather fronts moving through and storms. Some things to watch for are how the wind shifts through the day. On a calmer day the winds will typically be down in the morning and evening but will shift 180 degrees when the surface starts warming to blow upslope - thermals.
Do not go rushing after the first buck you see. Slow down and watch everything going on in the area - where the deer are and how many plus any other wildlife or humans. Mule deer bucks typically travel in bachelor groups in the summer and early fall with up to 16 bucks or more in a general area. To make a good stalk, you need to know where they all are and be able to get in close without bumping one and blowing the whole basin.
Most of the time, bucks will bed out in the open early in the morning with a good vantage to see everything in their area. The bachelor group may be spread out over several hundred yards. I think they do this to get a good idea if anything is amiss in their basin. This is the time that I see most bowhunters blow the stalk - and the basin. If they catch a human moving in toward them, they will blow out - maybe over the ridge and into the next county and hunting unit.
As the sun moves up, they will move into thicker cover in willows or brush for the shade. They will lock down in those tight beds for most of the day. Many times there are holes that they have dished out over many years of bedding under the bushes. In those beds, they are almost invisible but those beds severely limit one of their keenest senses, their eyesight. That will help you to get in range.
If you have paid very close attention from your perch far far away, you can follow your stalk route to get into range of those bedded bucks. I prefer setting up at 20 yards or less. Use your binos as you sneak in and look for antler tips in the brush. Keep the wind in your favor. The thermals will typically hold until late in the day so that typically means getting above them. When they are in their beds, there is typically no shot with a bow.
You may have to wait a long time. Hours. Hopefully, you have not been dumb and left any of your gear (pack, boots, etc) a mile away on the side of the mountain.
Be ready. Keep an arrow knocked and pointed at your buck.
Shoot your buck when he stands up to feed.
Should about cover it. Good luck!
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