Podcast 20 – High Country Archery Mule Deer with Jason Dickens

Today we talk with Jason Dickens about high country archery mule deer hunting in Colorado. We often hear of hunts taking place at lower elevation with a rifle during the rut, but Jason prefers to hunt them above tree line with a bow while they are still in velvet. He walks us through the preparation, scouting, gear selection and tactics he uses to be successful in the backcountry.

What makes Jason unique is that he is only 23 years old and already has years of guiding and hunting experience in the West for both elk and mule deer. Jason also shares many of his stories and photos on his own blog so make sure to check out: overthenextridge.com.

Topics Covered In This Episode Include:

• Working in the hunting industry and interning for SixSite Gear, a technical hunting clothing company based in Dallas, Texas
• Describing what it’s like to work for a Navy Seal as your boss
• Getting started with hunting early at the family ranch and how that evolved to what he does today
• How Jason got into western hunting and how spot and stalk whitetail hunting back home prepared him for elk and mule deer in the mountains
• Working in South Africa for a safari company
• Going to Colorado and getting involved with guiding for elk and mule deer
• The differences in hunting by yourself versus hunting with other people and guiding them
• The mental aspect of hunting with other people and getting to bounce ideas off each other
• Digital scouting with onXmaps, locating potential areas based on terrain/topography and then verifying those areas with boots on the ground
• Using weather apps to help pinpoint certain conditions and wind directions
• Posting photos on social media and making sure that you are careful with what you show
• The mentality of “going in further” versus hunting deer where you see them which may only be right off the road
• Gear selection of pack, boots, clothing and important must-have items for hunting during the early archery season when it’s hot
• The initial steps of getting into a hunt and setting up for a successful hunt with the intel from prior scouting
• The “bed to feed” pattern of high country mule deer during the early season and keying in on certain terrain features that hold bucks
• Being aware of other deer when moving in on a target buck
• Finding deer bedded close to tree line and why that is an ideal scenario to stalk in on a bedded deer
• Having the patience to wait out a scenario and recognizing that if something isn’t right, backing out and figuring out a different plan the next day
• Jason’s 2017 archery mule deer buck and how the entire hunt played out
• Packing out a deer off the mountain solo