Big Game

To tell a buck deer from a doe at a glance, look for antlers (only bucks have them, except rare antlered does), a thicker neck and chest on bucks during the rut, a darker tarsal gland from rub-urination, and behavior. Bucks travel alone or in bachelor groups outside the rut while does travel with fawns.

The best times to hunt whitetail deer are the 30-60 minutes around dawn and dusk, with peak movement during the rut (late October through mid-November in most states), under high barometric pressure (>30.10 inHg), and during cold-front passages. Whitetail are crepuscular animals, meaning they are most active at twilight hours regardless of season.

Mule deer have larger ears (mule-like, 6- 8" long), bifurcating antlers that fork twice, white rumps with a black-tipped tail, and a stiff-legged "stotting" gait when running away. Whitetails, by contrast, have smaller ears, single-beam antlers with tines off one main beam, brown rumps, and a flagging white tail that lifts straight up when fleeing.

A deer bleat is a soft, drawn-out vocalization made by does and fawns. They use it as a contact call. Bleats range from short single notes (i.e., a routine contact) to longer estrus bleats (i.e., when does are in heat during the rut).

Five must-know deer calls include the contact bleat (low-volume doe-to-fawn communication), estrus bleat (does in heat during rut), buck grunt (territorial/aggression), snort-wheeze (buck challenge), and rattling (simulated buck fight).

Arizona elk hunting seasons cover multiple weapon types and date ranges throughout the late summer, fall, and winter.

Wyoming elk archery season runs from September 1–30, 2026. The regular season opens October 1, 2026, and goes through January 31, 2027, depending on the Hunt Area.

The best states for elk hunting in 2026 are Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, and New Mexico. Colorado contains the largest elk herd and offers over-the-counter bull tags in several units.

Only Wyoming residents can buy over-the-counter (OTC) elk tags. Residents have the option to purchase unlimited general elk licenses OTC starting mid-July, provided they didn’t draw a limited-quota license. Non-residents must enter the lottery draw, as they cannot purchase OTC elk tags.

Over-the-counter (OTC) elk tags are available in Colorado, but eligibility and availability depend on factors such as residency status, weapon type, hunting unit, and season.

E-scouting mule deer in Colorado involves targeting high-altitude, south-facing slopes, basins, and alpine areas in summer/early fall, and shifting focus to lower-elevation sagebrush, oak brush, and pinyon-juniper benches during late-season migration.

To plan your guided elk hunt, start by choosing a reputable outfitter 1-2 years in advance, determining your ideal hunt style (e.g., backcountry horseback vs. private-land lodge), and organizing tags. To start, carefully vet outfitters via references, prepare physically for altitude hunting, and begin e-scouting with tools like HuntWise to survey the landscape.