North Dakota
North Dakota's Badlands hold a surprising number of large mule deer. When hunters think of North Dakota, skies filled by waterfowl and ring-necked pheasants come to mind. And while those images are proper in the eastern two-thirds of the state, there are some surprising numbers of big mule deer bucks in the southwestern one-third of the Peace Garden state.
That's particularly true in the state's Badlands region according to Rock Creek Outdoors outfitter Ron Hartman of Grassy Butte.
"I believe it's a mistake to leave North Dakota out of the picture," said Hartman. "We have the opportunity to see some very good mule deer here. For archery especially, you increase your opportunity for a shot tremendously because of the terrain we have here as compared to the mountains."
Tom Miranda, host of Advantage Adventures and Strategies in the Wild on ESPN2 found out first hand two autumns ago just how good North Dakota mule deer hunting can be as a 180-class giant sauntered into range at 35-yards. Unfortunately for Miranda, his arrow sailed off the mark and the big mulie buck melted away into the stunning Badlands terrain.
While Hartman admits that not every North Dakota mule deer is that big, he says that many are.
"You're going to get opportunities to see plenty of muleys that can make Pope & Young in the 145 range," Hartman said. "You will also find a few that get up there into the 170 range and even a few that might go 180. And of course, like anywhere, there's always a chance to see one of those 190 plus monster mule deer.
"But on average, a hunter who hunts in western North Dakota can expect to have a pretty good chance to see a Pope & Young class mule deer."
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Originally Posted by Jeffro66
