Montana Mule Deer rpt , need advise on target locations

Hey Montana hunters

Trying to get some good advise on where to target my 2011 fall mule deer hunt in MT. We are DIY hunters, both by budget and desire to really hunt and not just shoot.

Myself, my bro, and a good bud I grew up hunting Michigan whitetails and finally drew Mule tags for Montana. Orginally we were planning to hunt the Jordan / Circle area, however, now that we have tags, we find out that the winter kill was pretty bad, so we are searching for a location advise. We wil be in Mt from Nov. 5 to the 13/14 depending on success. We are looking for good bucks, not world class, but good solid 4 x 4 with either tall or wide or both head gear. We expect to do some walking to earn our deer, and do not play the road hunt game. Most of the hunts in Michigan are farmland, however in our younger days we went as far as crossing a good size lake to access state ground that was not available via drive in, this effort paid off with several good bucks and little pressure.

Right now for better or worse, we are thinking the southeast corner, say the Broadus - Ashland area. However we are really looking for advise on where we might consider. The game biologist we have talked to suggested region 4 and 5, however we know nothing about these area's. Any pointers or suggestions on how to narrow down and area that will offer good amount of open ground and choice on were to hunt. We plan to bring 1 quad to help bring game out, but will not use it for riding around to scout and disturb game. We would like to zero in on locations over the next couple of weeks so we can make reservations for hotels etc. Also as a last point, we are willing to kick in some $$ to any landowner with good hunting to help them with a access fee etc. Any comments appreciated,

Michigan Hawkeye
Fawn
3,876
waynedevore
You would still be able to have good Muley hunting in the Jordon/Circle areas. If you want to go South East lots of the prime stuff is leased up. The Custer National Forest would be decent. In the central part of the state the Lewis and Clark National forest is a large area with good Muley hunting.
Good Luck.
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I'm in the same boat, hunted near savage last year and both me and my dad killed bruiser bucks, nervous for his year tho with the tough winter. I guess only time will tell.
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There is a ranch south of Miles City called the Cecil Brown Ranch. It is enrolled in Montanas Block Management program. If the weather gets nasty it can be a great place to hunt. If you get enough snow it limits the road hunters and you have a good chance at a nice muley. This ranch also has some nice Whitetails which you can also hunt with your Deer A tag. I would hunt this area Thanksgiving week or the week before. Lewistown isnt a bad area to consider either. Good luck.
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