Best Spots to find a Trophy

Doug Burris' World record Mule Deer

It seems like everyone who hunts mule deer believes that the next world record will come from the ridge behind their house. Wouldn’t it be wonderful. This might be truer than you think. It takes a lot of tire rubber and shoe leather to locate and harvest trophy animals. To paraphrase Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, "there is no place like home."
Just in case your interested, here are the facts on where a hunter has the best chance at harvesting a truly huge buck. This is the short list, the very best counties in the very best states to take a Boone & Crockett mule deer.


Colorado
The west slope of the Rockies has put more mule deer in the book than any other state. Almost 2:1 over any other state. ( 471 total entries ) The greatest Mule Deer of them all was killed in the San Juan Mountains by Doug Burris in 1972. Here are the top producing counties.
County:
Eagle..............................51 B&C Entries
Mesa..............................50 B&C Entries
Montrose.......................32 B&C Entries
Gunnison.......................30 B&C Entries
　
Idaho
Idaho ranks second in producing record mule deer. ( 264 total entries ) though huge bucks have been taken throughout the entire length of Idaho, the southeast region is clearly the top producer. The odds of killing a book buck are almost 20:1 better in the Snake and Caribou Mountain Ranges than in any other part of the state. Adams County has put more bucks in the book than any other, but has only produced two entries in the past 20 years
County:
Adams..........................26 B&C Entries
Bonneville....................24 B&C Entries
Caribou........................14 B&C Entries

Utah
With 189 entries Utah ranks third in top producing states. Kane County’s northern portion of the fabled Kaibab National Forest is the top area in the state. The Fishlake region, though often over looked, has produced some wonderful heads also.
County:
Kane............................25 B&C Entries
Utah............................15 B&C Entries
Summit.......................13 B&C Entries


New Mexico
Rio Arriba County is the number one county in America in record book mule deer (113). Total entries for the entire state is 130. If you plan on hunting in New Mexico, why would you want to be anywhere else. However, the vast majority of these have come from the Jicarilla Indian Reservation. Trophy mule deer management is what the Jicarilla Apache reservation is known for. Relatively low harvest levels allow many bucks to reach maturity of 5-7 years of age.
County:
Rio Arriba....................113 B&C Entries

Arizona
Arizona comes in at number 5 with 108 B&C entries. The world famous Kaibab herd is found here in Coconino County. The hunting is great, but the odds of getting drawn are about 2%. The quality of deer in the Kaibab is so great that it is well worth the effort to put your name in the draw.
County:
Cocnino......................75 B&C Entries
mohave......................21 B&C Entries


Montana
Northwestern Montana is your best odds for great deer in the "Big Sky State". This is heavy timber country and some of the toughest mule deer hunting on the continent. The area is know for it’s heavy bucks (300 pound deer are common). The racks are thick and heavy, but generally don’t have the wide spread associated with other regions.
County
Missoula..................6 B&C Entries
Lincoln....................5 B&C Entries
Flathead.................5 B&C Entries
Ravalli....................5 B&C Entries

Nevada
Since more 40" spread deer have come from Nevada than any other state, it’s hard to believe that only 44 deer are in the book form Nevada,. At one time the world record buck came form Elko County. Though low in deer numbers, Nevada is still the hunters best odds in finding a buck with a spread over 30 inches. The areas adjoining the Kaibab have been producing best in recent years.
County:
Elko.......................20 B&C Entries
Lincoln...................8 B&C Entries

That’s the long and the short of it. Finding trophy mule deer is a long and difficult task at best. Be sure to allow yourself plenty of time for both scouting and hunting. Don’t overlook your own backyard, outstanding mule deer can be found throughout their entire range.
Good Luck and good hunting,
Jim