NW Nebraska DIY hunt

[Floridahunter01]

I'll take any thoughts anyone may have on hunting public land in the Pine Ridge Region of Nebraska. I'll be heading up for the November rifle hunt and it'll be my first out west (coming from FL, this is out west lol) so I know there are a lot of learning curves ahead. I've read a lot of the older posts but haven't found many recent ones (last 2 years "ish"). At the moment I'll probably be staying in a cabin or hotel rather than camping. Also, I'd love a Mulie, but I'm open to WT as well. I'm just hoping for a great experience and maybe a shot at a decent buck (remembering here that a decent buck for a Florida boy is much smaller than most other areas of the country).

I'm in shape, so hiking into more remote areas won't be a problem, but I'm struggling to find many areas that aren't all that close to roads. Obviously sitting in Florida and looking at GIS maps can be deceiving, so I'll take any pointers one may have. I'd prefer to be as far from pressure as possible, but in my research, it appears that may be difficult. So are there any areas to stay away from or focus on?

That being said, currently I'm contemplating on focusing either in the Fort Robinson/Soldier Creek areas or potentially Metcalf WMA. However I'm not locked in on anything at the moment, just wanting any insight that someone wishes to give. I'll be arriving 2 days early to start scouting and will probably continue to do so over the weekend, then hunt hard monday-Thurs.

Thanks, Charlie

 

[Deleted member 107796]

Just a note that in Nov we're all at the mercy of the weather gods, so be ready with chains and whatever else you may need.

 

[Idahobuckeye]

If your wanting a Muley buck in Nov. Find the does once your find them the boys will be close. Mule deer bucks become almost the dumbest animals I've seen when they are in full blown rut. Once they get in the mood everything else disapears it seems. Find the ladies and just wait the boys will be there!

 

[Floridahunter01]

CO_guy - So get a rental truck w/ chains. Got it, thanks!

 

[Taco John]

Bring business cards, you're going to meet hundreds of people from all over the country.

 

[Floridahunter01]

Taco John - Any thoughts on which area receives the least pressure?

 

[Taco John]

There isn't enough room to get away from the pressure.

The public areas are so small everything with a few years experience gets bounced to the private land in short order. Usually during archery season.



Lots try it, few return.

 

[parker300]

Just food for thought I know a group of 10 guys who stay at Fort Rob every year and have for 20+ years. The last 10 years they have averaged 1 buck a year 16 years ago there were plenty of mulies but fears of a chronic wasting disease they gave out free unlimited doe permits. you can imagine what happened they still haven't recovered. If you get one you will have earned it. Be prepared for weather it can be -10 plus 30mph winds or 85 and so dry you can make deer jerky on your hood.

 

[Floridahunter01]

Thanks parker.. I'm willing to earn it physically, trying to narrow down areas to focus on with the least amount of road access is what's getting me. This trip came about as a 40th bday present to myself to get out west on a spot/stalk hunt. I'm a cop, so paying big for a guided trip is pretty much out of the question at the moment. Plus, I wanted to test myself. I waited too long to get in on some of the draws in other states due to scheduling and not knowing if i could make it happen. Finally i was able to confirm the time off, so Pine Ridge was the pick. I'll be thrilled to see beautiful country, wildlife, test myself, and maybe get a shot at a buck. I'll prob purchase a doe permit to at least get some good meat on the table just in case. I appreciate your input, the weather will also likely be a big test. But i'm looking forward to it.

 

[parker300]

You can get a whitetail only doe permit

 

[obiwanbartobi]

I will be up there with my 3 sons for our first Nebraska hunt. Going to spend a day and a half just scouting before the season maybe we will see you there.

 

[parker300]

Good luck every one I just spent 5 days up there antelope hunting and saw atotal of 3 mule deer a doe and two fawns in areas that we used to shoot nice mule deer after driving 400 miles in the grasslands I would say you had better go to the national Forest

 

[Floridahunter01]

I see posts where people inquire about things leading up to a hunt, but few posts or results after the hunt, so here goes.

I now understand and have a respect for why people don't mention locations or even vague descriptions (for the most part) of where decent options are to hunt in the Pine Ridge. So out of respect for them (and future hunts I go on there) I will keep it to minimum as well. I stayed at Ft. Robinson and hunted in that general area. It was a great location to be based out of.

Pressure: There definitely were a lot of people there. I found areas to minimize the affect, however, those same areas also seemed to have lower deer population (I don't think they've rebounded yet after the hard winter last year). In previous posts and articles I researched, a lot of guys said if you can get a couple miles away from roads then you get away from most hunters. So, that's what I did. However, I still saw hunters each hunt for the most part. That being the case, if you struggle with the thought of being around other hunters, this area may not be for you. I also didn't locate many areas that you could get 4+ miles away from a road. There will be pressure from other hunters, period. I managed to deal with it.

Whitetail vs. Muley: I saw many more WT's and hunted/scouted 5 different management areas/locations. I did see some mule deer but they were only in one select area that I hunted.

Weather: for the most part it was nice. lows in the high 20's (low 30s) and highs in the 40s and 50s (61 one day). Opening day didn't call for rain yet it rained (drizzled) the bulk of the day, 30+ mph winds, and was overall miserable to hunt in. But I did it and saw deer and passed up a couple small WT bucks. I see how quick it can change and was fortunate to be prepared.

Overall: What a beautiful place. I can't wait to come back. I had 3 goals when I got here. Take my first Muley buck - I did, a nice (for Florida boy) 3x3 out to his ears (no brow tines, not sure when they come in on muleys); have a successful stalk - I did on what looked to be a WT doe but ended up being a small WT spike so I passed; take a longer range (300+) shot to harvest a deer - I did not get the opportunity on what I thought would be a successful or safe shot. I passed on several ok WT bucks at close range and was able to harvest a WT doe along with the Muley buck. If you're looking for an affordable hunt in a beautiful place and can tolerate other hunters, this place is phenomenal. Of the hunters I spoke with, all were courteous and we all seemed to show respect for each other. I'll be back.

If you have questions don't hesitate to message me, I help where I can (again, short of going into specific locations).

 

[bsfl]

Let's see some pictures! Whereabouts in FL?