2023 NV Mule Deer Plan
Jarbidge Rifle Hunt
For Jim McLean
HUNT GOAL: QUALITY MULE DEER HUNT
A quality solo hunt while taking home a respectable buck is certainly an attainable goal for the 2023 mule deer hunting season with a lot of effort and a little patience. Some areas closer to the main roads will see high pressure on the hunting opener and the weekends, but likely will still hold deer since it is not an over-the-counter license and there are good deer numbers here. If one section of your unit isn’t holding what you are looking for, pull up stakes and move to another part of the unit to make it happen.
As much as physical preparation is important, persistence behind the glass is key.
IMPORTANT GEAR CHECK
Optics: Binoculars, Tripod, Binocular Mount, & Spotting Scope
Snow-Prepared Gear: Warm Sleeping Bag & Pad With Good R-Value, Quality Layers, Gore-Tex Mountain Boots
Kill Kit: Game Bags, Quality Knife, & Plenty of Cordage For Hanging Meat
HUNT WAYPOINT LEGEND
Fishing Hole Pins:
Good mule deer habitat is like a good fishing hole, even the best spots won’t always have something in there, but they are eventually the types of spots where you find a trophy.
Glass and check the edge habitats and brush pockets near these pins in prime time. Spend more time glassing into the shaded brush in the middle of the day here, especially where a buck may be interested in rebedding between 10am and 2pm when the sun hits new parts of the mountain.
Glassing Pins:
The binoculars say it all. These are master vantage points for glassing prime habitat. Spend a significant amount of time seated and looking into edge and brush habitats through your optics on a tripod at these places.
Parking Pins:
These pins signify parking spots that are close to good glassing knobs. When you park, you will need to find the best vantage nearby for sitting down, sometimes a little bit of a hike away, and glassing with your tripod for entire mornings or evenings if you have a lot of habitats to look over.
