Leupold BX-4 Rangefinding Binoculars

western Nebraska muzzleloader

VAspeedgoat

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I am on a quest to try and find a western hunt that I can take my family on. Obviously school and jobs play a major tole in timing. I was looking at the Nebraska website and saw that there is a muzzleloader hunt most of December for deer. This would be the absolute best time for me on the farm and my wife and kids with school. It seemed like tags would be easy but I was curious to get a hunters prrspective on things.

What are the deer numbers like after rifle season has alreadt been?

Are the deer super skidish or have they calmed down a bit since the rifle season?

Obviously weather is now a major player, but how will it effect deer hunting/ deer begavior?

Any other thoughts would be appreciated especially if this is not a good hunt to take kids along. Thanks on advanced.
 
I live here in Western Nebraska and when I’ve been out and around the deer here in December they have seemed to kindof calmed down but still skidish Whitetail deer are always skittish but the mule deer seem to let you get a little bit closer. Seems to be a lot more deer activity with the snow on the ground but with the rut during December it’s a little difficult to find the big mature Bucks the numbers after rifle are good from what I’ve seen. Best of luck to you.
 
I'm wondering if they yard up with good snowfall? I know some farmers in middle of the state that have big problems with "yarded "whitetails over winter.
Mule deer not so much for the "yarded up" problem.
They rut in Dec. over there? We have hunted whitetails in Nov that were rutting in Nebraska, haven't hunted mulies though.
Sounds like you're contact for info is right here,Rashryan03.
Good luck, I've found Nebraska folks are very nice, unless your team is playing theirs on Saturday, lol. Where some red when asking for access.
 
I have a couple buddies that do this hunt and they always come home with deer. If it's cold and there's snow the whitetails will be grouped up and close to fields. Seems to be good numbers of whitetails, there a little skittish but not terrible.
 
I hunt western Nebraska during the muzzleloader season, the deer are more skittish after rifle season, but that's not to say you can't get on them. I spend most of my time on a glassing knob watching until I find deer. My experience in December has been that if you find one, you usually find the entire herd, especially if snow is on the ground. Most of my Nebraska deer tags are punched during the December muzzleloader season.
 
Skittish? That's their middle name.

By the time you get to December they've been pounded hard for 3 months.


Go on private land if you want a decent chance.


But even there, if you sit on a high hill and watch you'll see deer evacuating stage left at the sound of a four wheeler a mile away.


So you have to have your A game, .............unless you can get on a private food source, then your odds go up.
 
Thanks for the replies so far and the pm's I've gotten. They have all been helpful. I had never thought about engine noise much but that is a factor for sure. I guess it may be like the old adage, the best time to hunt is when you can. The biggest factor for me is to set a level of expectation for the kids. Thanks again.
 
I can't speak to the landowner lists, but they do have a really good hunt atlas they put out. Some nice walk-in areas too. We hit these up mainly after pheasants once our late season antelope hunt was done, but there were some deer around. I had luck knocking on a couple doors that locals suggested to me when I went out after late season doe antelope last year. For what it's worth, we went right after Thanksgiving. I was actually told to do that because the locals were much more apt to allow access after rifle deer was over. I'm heading back that way during their gun deer hunt in November. Hopefully I'll have some better insight into the public areas after that. I'll be there for the week of craziness.
 

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