Alpine Mule Deer

Hunting Far-Away Bucks in Secluded Basins

- Jason Brooks

As seen through a spotting scope, the white-haired billy stood out against the sheer granite cliffs. “Just another mountain goat,” I said to my hunting partner. “Take a look at that far opening. I think I see a nice buck bedded down,” he said. Sure enough, about 1,000 feet above the billy on a far alpine slope was a mule deer enjoying a mid-September’s nap in the sun. Throughout the summer and into the early fall, mule deer are known to head into the upper reaches of mountain ranges. The feed is plentiful, and until the last snowfields disappear, the deer have a way to cool off and keep biting flies and other annoying bugs away. Water is usually plentiful at higher elevations, and the nights are cool. Yet it is the remoteness that the deer seek to get away from predators, including man.

If you have ever ventured up to the alpine, it doesn’t take long to figure out that solitude is the most attractive aspect. Jagged peaks surround fields of low ground cover, such as heather and lupine. Vast open slopes are covered in mountain ash, huckleberries and blueberries. All this attracts a variety of animals from marmots to mountain goats. Being so far back into a wilderness, the solitude is what brings our small group of hunters to chase after the mature mule deer bucks that seek the same.

Early fall is optimal, as the lowland creeks and rivers have dropped to levels where crossing them only requires a mid height waterproof boot. The mornings are crisp with dew on the ground, and the daytime temperatures rise to comfortable levels. Nights are cool and not so cold as to require winter-weight tents or sleeping bags, though we have awoken to a brief snow that has passed on by the time coffee is made.