My first out-of-state DIY mule deer hunting road trip, back in the late 1970s, was a complete bust. In my defense, I didn’t have the advantages of Google Earth, mapping apps, a scouting camera or looking up the weather on my smartphone. I basically went in blind, and my results showed it. Though I hunted hard and used some off-beat tactics, I only saw some does and small bucks. While I don’t remember all the specifics, I do recall that I had no idea what I was doing. Today, however, I have a system that works. Here are the seven principles I use to find consistent success on public lands.
1 GATHER KNOWLEDGE
The foundation for any hunt is pre-hunt research and diligent scouting. Your goal is to “shrink your focus.” By that I mean you must shrink the general area of the hunt from a large, unmanageable piece (the entire game
