If you’re keen on that high country experience, get in there this summer and scout. I’ve found some great mule deer up high just by being in the right spot glassing hard and doing what not that many people will do. Lots of surprises when you watch the sun go up/down from a high point.
The bucks are often right near the mountain tops, rounded ridges and shady openings near thick timber.
I don’t want to pretend I’m better at this than I am, but once I turned up a few good surprises I gained the confidence to stick it out when I’m not seeing animals. The mountain WMUs are really low density and can be really hard mentally to hunt. Plenty of 3x3s and smallish 4x4s but bigger deer do exist in places. Also, x2 on the cougars.
So maybe you want to move in a different direction, but check it out for yourself first.
We spent 4 full days on horses and covered a fair bit of country last fall scouting for elk and mulies. All I heard was crickets and all I saw was great scenery. Not a single animal. Weird.
Had a trail cam in the part north of Indian graves and got some muley bucks on it. That’s more foothills country than high country though , but still real pretty in there
Mule deer in 404
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