The Gear Hunting mule deer out west requires a vastly different strategy than what I'm used to in the east. It's all about glassing the sage brush and oak thickets, stalking to a setup that will offer you a shot, and then taking that shot -- at distances that would make most eastern hunters cringe. This isn't a 50-yard game played in the woods, 150 to 300 yard shots are the rule.

To make these long shots we were using Browning .270 WSM bolt-action rifles with Dura-Touch armor-coated stocks, shooting Winchester Supreme XP3 ammo with 130-grain bullets, and glassing with Swarovski optics. All proved extremely satisfactory.

To book a hunt contact Elkhorn Outfitters at 970-824-7392; elkhornoutfitters.com. --JC