I’m fortunate to live in the epicenter of the country’s best mule deer hunting. Central Colorado has high numbers of my favorite big game animal and has long been known for producing trophy quality bucks that, despite some misinformed detractors, are very good table fare.
Colorado has the perfect blend of productive alpine summer range, large aspen groves, and sage-covered winter range. More than any other factor as a do-it-yourself public land...

Words by Steve Reid
Spending time behind your optics can greatly increase your odds of harvesting a buck.  There are three main factors that I focus on to maximize my glassing efforts: good vantage points, good optics, and patience.
Whether I’m hunting sage-covered hills or high alpine basins, I always find a vantage point clear of vegetation, where I can efficiently glass the surrounding landscape.  It’s simple: the more country you can look...

By Joe Elsinger
It’s that time of year again. My second favorite part of deer season, just behind October. Late season.
If you are not one of those hunters who has a carefully tended food plot on an exclusive piece of whitetail deer real estate, do not despair. You can fill your tag too. Here are some tips to finding success late season.
1. Upsize your game
“I don’t have any good bucks around late season so it’s not worth hunting.”
If I had...

Many hunters who live east of the Mississippi River dream of their first western big game hunt, be it calling to bugling elk in the dark timber, stalking pronghorn antelope across the high plains, or glassing rugged desert canyons for mule deer.  But planning such a hunt can be intimidating.
At MeatEater, we get tons of questions from hunters looking for information about first-time, do-it-yourself western hunts. We are happy to provide some...

“The key to mule deer hunting is covering ground. Out west we have a saying, “let your eyes do the walking.” This does not mean you won’t have to put in some foot work, but the most successful mule deer hunters are ones that know how to glass. When looking for mule deer, I get steady and do an initial scan for the ones that stand out. I am generally looking for white butts. This is the easiest thing for the eye to pick up. After that I...