Where 2 go for desert mulies?

[SimonKenton]

Is AZ better than NV for desert mulies? Which is easier to draw a permit in? Never shot BP in really low humidity. Is there anything I need to allow for?

-Ray

 

[bigbore442001]

I am no expert in western hunting but I get the impression that almost all of the west operates under a draw system for all game, deer, bear, antelope and elk.

I get the impression that the state of Texas would be more of a sure thing as far as a hunt is concerned, but you will pay big bucks for it.

 

[Walks Alone]

Actually, NV and AZ both have excellent mulie herds and some serious trophy sized animals always possible almost anywhere. And both have trophy only areas that are much harder to draw tags for. While the real deserts (Mojave, Sonoran) contain fair heards, its the high plains deserts (HPD) where you'll find the best hunting (and of couse in the higher riparian mountains).

NV's big "desert" deer are mostly known from the HPD along the corridor of the central to southern NV/UT border and in the NE area along both sides of Interstate 80. Both are HPD though and mostly sage brush, cedar, pinyon pine and scrub oak.

AZ has some simply awesome mulies on the Arizona Strip (the Kaibab Plateau that runs from the Grand Canyon North Rim to the UT border), but tags are hard to draw there. While its called a HPD, its mainly Ponderosa pine and oak along the central area (road to North Rim), but normal HPD habitat on both sides of that area. Very pretty area.

Don't discount UT either. Some very nice HPD mulies still come out of that state, especially in the SW (ESE of Zion's Park), The Manti-Lasal's in the SE, and around Levan/Salina/Richfield in the center of state.

I hunted these areas (and many others) in all three states (and ID, MT, WY, CO) every year from the mid 1950's until I stopped hunting big game a few years ago. So do know all these areas pretty well, and have took a lot of nice deer, elk and pronghorns over the years from them.

The normally low humidty in the arid SW was made for muzzle loaders, but be prepared for anything from down right hot weather to sleet/snow storms during the hunting seasons on the desert's out west. Can change from one to the other in a very short time, and then back again - even during a single day. And for the most part, a good 4X4 is as necessary as your firearm to get to the best hunting, or to even get back out if a big storm comes in.

HTH

WA

 

[SimonKenton]

What about the Shell Creek Range or the section of the Humboldt Nat. Forrest near Ely? Are they good producers in terms of numbers and trophy quality? I would think most or all of NV is favorable to black powder. Is that about right? I am hoping to be relocated there in a year or two at the most so I won't have to pay for non-resident license, but do residents get preference in special draws?

Ray :hmm:

 

[Walks Alone]

Both areas you listed are included in/bordering the north central part of the HPD corridor I mentioned along the NV/UT border, and join the Interstate 80 corridor also mentioned. At the Schell Creek and Egan Ranges the deer will be mostly high unless weather drives them lower though. Probaly 7500' to over 10,000' and some of that country requires a 4X4.

Sportsworld is a large, well stocked sporting goods store in Ely for any needed local information, licenses, gear or supplies. Wells and Elko/Carlin have a lot more to offer the outdoorsman though if you are looking to relocate anywhere in that general area of the state. Some of the biggest mule deer and elk herds in the NE part of the state are around those towns.

Nevada is a very pro hunting/fishing state with liberal hunting and firearms laws. Has endless public land to use and most landowners still allow access as well. Hunts/draws can change from year to year, but you can get the most up to date information from the NDOW website for what's current.

 

[Goldhunter]

NO, there are no big mulies in UT! Don't even both applying. :grin: :grin:

Just kidding. There are some very good areas here. As big as NV is, the hunting is only good in small parts of the state. Mostly, as was previously stated, along the UT/NV border and the area from Elko - Battle Mtn - Wells. The central part of the state, according to my inlaws that live near Ely, is all desert/old bombing ranges. Not very nice areas. The western part of NV is where the Sierra Nevadas run and it is High Alpine type area. Not sure about hunting opportunities or quality.

 

[Walks Alone]

Nice try Goldhunter! We tried that "no deer in UT" thing 4-5 decades ago to keep the CA hunters in CA. Didn't work then either.

Some of the best deer in UT are still taken where I was born and raised... around Fish Lake. And the trophy areas down southwest (Smiths Mesa and Browse) also produce some very fine deer. Then there's the La Sal's, and... OK, I'll stop. :winking:

 

[Goldhunter]

Ya, I know ALL about Fishlake and Seven Mile. Was born and raised in Glenwood, east of Richfield.

Speaking of NV, have you ever hunted in the Ruby Mountain area, I believe it is NW of Ely?

 

[Walks Alone]

Yep, you DO know it (and rightly so being raised at the base of the dugway). Don't forget to add Boobie Hole and Frying Pan and Rose Meadows, and... :winking: Every hear of "Big Camp" held during deer hunting season's many, many years ago? My family. Richfield/Vermillion were home, but with family cabins and uncle owning Bowery Haven, Fish Lake was it whenever possible between ice out to after hunting seasons. Bet you knew/know a lot of my family - at least my grandpa (started/owned the Little Wonder Cafe for 40 something years) and was a hunting/fishing legend in the area. Everybody called him Pooh if you need a hint. Last time I was there the 1930's picture of him with the record Mack he took from the lake was still hanging in the lodge. Small world.

Been to the Ruby's several times, but not always for hunting and not for a few years. It's an area with limited access though and does not support a large deer or elk herd due to poor reliable water sources in much of the area. Lots of private land you have to gain access through to even get into the higher ranges except from the east side. Deer migrate for water but stay high until late storms force them down into areas easier to get to (after hunting season most years). Even so there is some great trout fishing near there if you know where to go. It's rapidly becoming a summer home area for yuppies I've heard.

 

[Goldhunter]

There are some BIG elk to the east of Ely. Hard to get to, down in the holes, but worth it if you draw a tag. Many of the gas stations in the area display heads from the hey day of Mule Deer hunting. Are you moving to NV or AZ.

 

[Goldhunter]

Oops forgot to answer one of your questions. I don't think Residents get preference. I think they alocate a percentage of the permits to residents and the other, smaller percentage to non-res.

 

[SimonKenton]

That depends on my continued high grades and the American Bar Assoc.! :grin: No I am NOT a weasel (lawyer) paralegals are ferrets and they work for a living. I am looking to gain enough experience to effect a career change and work in the estates field. That's why I said Vegas. There gold in that town.

-Ray

 

[SimonKenton]

If it's much warmer in hunting season that here in the NE, then how do you keep the meat from spoiling?
Then again what about "all the snakes"?

Ray :bow:

 

[Walks Alone]

Some years even up around Fish Lake (8800') for the mid October openner the clear skies and thin air could make it very uncomfortably hot some days. So its mandatory to get the meat cooled off as soon after shot as possible. An old trick that my great grand-dad taught me while very young... skin, wash it down with vinegar (paying particular attention to washing all blood off), wrap in cheese cloth and hang in a breezy, shaded area as soon as reasonably possible after shot. I've shot and taken care of many deer right where they dropped or at the closest tree that'll support their weight. Don't use water, snow, etc and if you don't have vinegar just use dry rags to sop up the blood. Most of the vinegar evaporates quickly and so cools the meat very fast, and has the added benefit of keeping flies away and starting the process of tenderizing the meat. You will not taste it later when the meat is cooked. At Big Camp we always had many deer hanging on the camp pole that way for as long as the entire 9 day season and never lost any meat to spoilage (even on unseasonably hot years at much lower elevations).

I don't pay the snakes much attention on a hunt, never have. Probably because I lived where lots of them are all my life and even now run into dozens of MG's and the other 3 species here every year. I respect them but don't fear them. But getting to lax about them can backfire too as I learned on a deer hunt in the mid 60's. Was hunting Tabby Mountain low in the cedars with a bunch of my family, doing a drive and stepped over a windfall and right onto a large western diamondback. As taught, ground the bugger into the soil with my horsehide cowboy boots (since I was already standing on it) and went on hardly breaking stride. Then found out later when I started to get kind of sick and went back to camp that it had made it through the uppers and got both fangs into my leg. A quick scrub with lye soap and water, a little pine pitch and black salve to draw the poison and I was back out hunting an hour later. Must not have got much venom into me as I never did go to a doctor and finished out the rest of that weeks hunt. Very painful and I felt like I had the flu for a couple of days is all, and only ended up with a little tissue damage (still wear the scars). But I've also taken other family and friends in when serious bites occured. So I guess just be aware if the weather has remained warm the year you come to hunt that the snakes probably haven't all gone down yet. In that area at least you won't encounter the very aggressive Mojave Greens we have where I live now. Other than the occassional sidewinder, the species found in that area would only strike if provoked into it with no other way out, and are really pretty doscile normally. Just don't step or place your hands anyplace without looking first, especially around junk piles, deadfalls and in rocky/rimrock areas and you'll be fine. If its been good and cold before the hunt they may all be in dens by then or at least in the vicinity of them, so your chance of running into any is greatly reduced. Even when denned up, they will venture out on warm days though to soak up some sun, but usually don't go far from the den entrance. Now days very few people bitten by those species ever die if they reamin calm and seek medical help, and that area is close to that kind of help (unlike at Tabby 45 years ago). But the hemorrhagic tissue damage and extreme pain from a serious bite even by these species can be something you'll have to deal with for a very long time. Very few people realize just how extensive and permanent the damage from a bad bite can actually be unless they've seen the results many times like I have.

The MG's we have here are just the opposite. Very aggressive, would rather strike than give an inch and will actually attack with very little provocation. And they have what is considered to be the deadliest venom of all the NA pit vipers. The type A venom in my area is much more lethal than the type B sub types found in MG's farhter south too. Type A has both the hemorrhagic properties most rattlesnake venom has, and neurotoxic properties like in cobra venom. So with the pain, tissue damage and blood clotting common in all our pit vipers, you also loose motor control, the shut down of all organs and bodily functions which usually leads to suffocation in as little as 30 minutes. Big, powerfull snakes with lots of venom, so a serious bite from them in the remote areas of the Mojave can easily be fatal. Luckily for the big game hunters its not that good of hunting on my side of the Mojave at least. But predator and varmint hunting is very good, and that's why I spend so much time out bumping into these bad boys. I am always hunting alone, and many miles from nowhere, so they ALWAYS get the right of way if I have any way to back out of a situation. There is no way I'd survive a serious MG bite out there. But I still don't kill them unless I have no other options. They've certainly earned the respect of a guy who has lived closely with rattlesnakes his entire life though.

 

[Walks Alone]

... That's why I said Vegas. There gold in that town.
-Ray

Not all is gold that appears gold in the Capitol of Sin by any means despite it being an extremely wealthy city. Lots of pluses for sure, but its very rapidly changing, and the already long list of minuses is getting much longer every day.

 

[Goldhunter]

Another option is to investigate the local towns where you are going to hunt and look for a meat processor of some sort. Many have a meat locker and some nice people will let you store the animal there. Not sure if you are going to be locked into haveing them process it for you, but I know many people that do it.

Another option I have seen is to go down to town and get some dry ice. Bone the meat and pack it in coolers with the dry ice. Dry ice lasts a long time. I've seen guys from California that do that, spend a coupel more days hunting (if the other guy still has a tag) and then transport it home, very minimal if no meat spoilage.

I don't worry about the snakes. I am watchful, especially if I am in an area where they live (rocky areas, lots of dead fall). Rattle snakes really like rocky areas, especially cliffs. If I am walking here, I always watch where I place my feet. Especially if stepping off of a pile of rocks. Haven't had any serious run ins yet, however on the archery hunt a few years ago I did about step on three that were sunning them selves on the rocks. Two took off, one stayed to fight. But that was because he was cornered. They gave me a warning rattle about the same time I saw them.

 

[paulvallandigham]

If you can't find dry ice, use bags of ice you can buy at most 7-11s, convenient stores, and even gas stations. I carry a box of the 2-quart ziplock baggies, and put about 10 lbs of ice in each of them, and put them inside the chest cavity, then put the cheeseclothed carcass in plastic garbage bags, more bags of ice on top of the bags, and then a thick wool blanket on top of everything for transportation. If I had large enough coolers, I would skip the plastic bags, and put the meat in them, I still would cover the cooers with the blanket, and leave a bag or two of ice on top of each of the coolers. Cold air goes down, and that ice can keep your cooler cool for many more hours, while you are making a long drive home. If the cooler stays cold, the ice inside also stays cold, and you don't have to replace it as often, if at all.

Just a comment about hanging meat: When you get above 5,000 feet in elevation, the air is thinner, it gets really cold at night, and there just is not much moisture in the air. Bacteria needs food( your deer), moisture( the meat again, but also a lot comes from the air), and temperatures above 40 degrees to work. If the air temperature drops below 40 degrees at night, it kills the bacteria in the air! The reason you can get away with hanging carcasses from a tree in the high country is because it is mid day before the bacteria can reproduce in any numbers that they can drift through the air and find you deer to feed on. With the limited moisture in the air, the air is mostly sterile. Add to that the sun baking the surfaces of the rocks so hot by 3 p.M. that you can cook eggs on them, and bacteria are literally fried and killed during the heat of the day, too.

Don't do those those same things if you are hunting down here on the flats, below 2,000 feet. We have very high relative humidity, and the air is heavy with moisture that makes a perfect place for bacteria to grow, breed, and multiply. Our nights don't get so cold, unless you are in the upper midwest, where the fact that the temperature can stay below 40 degrees most of the day, if not all the days you are hunting makes you fairly safe. However, you generally are not hunting miles from home, or from a meat locker here, either. I do like the idea of using vinegar to remove the blood and dry the carcass after field dressing. I am going to try that with my next kill.