MuleyMadness Hunting Forums

Getting geared up for a N. Dakota muley and antelope hunt in Medora, N. Dakota. The area is badlands and butts up to the north side of Roosevelt National Forest. I was looking for help with gear choices, camo patterns (predator, Mossy Oak, etc...). I prefer Under Armour or tighter fitting camo. I shoot a 70lb Athens Acc. and am waiting on my 90lb Affliction shooting Easton full metal jackets tipped with Rage two blades. The hunts will only be day hunts, morning/evening after mulies and between time chasing antelope and going back to the camper at night. Any gear ideas would be appreciated such as packs, boots (lots of walking), gps and so on. Hunting tactics and new approaches to help increase the odds of getting quality shots on these animals would be greatly appreciated. I have taken antelope in the past with my bow, missed an elk last year in CO. with my bow but this will be my first mule deer archery hunt. Thanks in advance for any help.

Sept. 10 is the departure date from Indiana to Medora and I know most likely I won't be getting an antelope tag but am really hoping they open up the season this year. We will find out in July I guess...

I hunt in Alberta and where I hunt mule deer it is probably similar badlands areas. I currently have scent locker protec flees treestand camo which is fairly light colored and blends in well. Despite it working fairly good I think I'm goof to get some predator deception brown or fall gray camo for hunting out there. The predator camo on my bow blends in very well out there so I can't see why covering me in it would be a bad idea. For boots I would recommend anything light, comfortable and with good ankle support. With the amount of hiking involved and the terrain being very unpredictable you will want to have some good support but something that won't tire out your feet. I have some lacrosse boots that seem to work good for me. If you are only doing morning/night trips you'll only need a small day pack and a separate pack board if your camp/truck won't be too far away. Just make sure you can carry some water, a little snack, spotting scope if you have one and your other small hunting necessities (knife, tags, calls, scents etc). One thing I've learned about spot and stalk hunts in the badlands areas is to never rush anything and always be aware of your surroundings. If your stalking after a deer 500 yards away don't just focus on that deer as there are so many humps and bumps that deer can be hiding behind that you might not see and can ruin your hunt. Also be sure to take your time and plan out your route to keep yourself covered while stalking in and to keep wind on your side. We usually set up on field edges at the top of ridges and watch the feet move out of the fields and try to find where they bed from there than work on our game plan. Another thing is that if you have a few days in a row out there don't push the area too hard. We have found that you can get some patterns for the deer figured out as long as you don't spook them and let them see you. Your better off leaving a area undesturbed and learning something than getting aggressive and pushing the deer out of the area. If I think of anything else I have learned I will try to share. I'm learning so much more each year that I'm starting to understand that I don't know much. Haha. Here is a pic of my bow on the ground so you can see how the predator blends in.

^^^^Good post!^^^^I can suggest, and will stand by sitka optifade(I don'tknow if they make a tight fitting outfit).....expensive but it's incredible! I hunt the same kind of country........there are soo many good boots, the best thing to do is go and try on as many as you can and see what fits your foot the best! Good luck!

I've read about guys wearing an athletic shoes like cleats out west also. Just throwing that out there to get some thoughts.

Not sure if you are aware but last year antelope season was closed in ND and as far as I know the NDGF as not announced whether of not there will be a season this year. If I had to guess I would say no due to another harsh winter this year but hopefully I am wrong. As far as gear goes my biggest suggestion is good optics, a spotting scope and good binos can save you a lot of time and energy on wasted stalks. Camo wise, anything light. I like Max-1 although it may be actually a little too green. Some other patterns I like are Prairie Ghost and Cabela's Open Country, Mossy Oak Brush isn't bad either. My uncle loves his Predator camo. If you can afford it Sitka Gear is awesome. If you like Under Armour you should like Sitka.

No antelope this year i believe, which is good, because you would spend a thousand dollars in gas just trying to see one. Camowise, I don't think that really matters, but true timber makes great camo at an affordable price! Good glass is a must, and get ready to walk! I'm not sure how hard the deer took it this year, but it wasn't a great winter, that's forsure! Good luck with everything. Make sure your boots are comfortable going up steep slopes, because the terrain is rough in some areas (where the deer are). Also bring gear for 100 degrees and 20 degrees, there has been snow out there in september some years. Best of luck!

PM sent!

Curious to how this hunt went for you. Headed out there soon myself.

Thanks.

Smoked my first muley which was also my first velvet buck. 70 yards down in the creek bottoms with a doe. Don't know about the rest of the great state of N.D. but antelope were everywhere.