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Your Chance to Hunt Trophy Mule Deer–Our Latest Sweepstakes

Jason Berger
|  
Species: Mule Deer
Location: Utah

What would you give to spend time hunting trophy mule deer this October? And what if you could go with one of Utah’s most seasoned and experienced outfitters to guide you through this ruggedly beautiful area? That’s just what we’re offering with your entry into our latest sweepstakes.

This outfitter is one of the best in Utah—one of the best in all of the western states, I’d say. They’ve been in business for 40+ years. The key to his success is his long-term management of 9,000 acres of ranch and leased land for decades, allowing careful and consistent management of the mule deer population. There is very limited hunting pressure each year, ensuring quality deer and high rates of success.

There is a healthy population of mule deer with strong genetics, and there’s always a chance for a giant. It also helps that this operation is adjacent to the largest contiguous private ranch in the state of Utah. This is 100% free range, no fences. In summary, I consider this outfitter one of the best, with great property, ample opportunity, knowledgable guides; this hunt has it all. It’s a western mule deer hunt with high-shot opportunity.

Let’s get down to brass tacks. It’s a Cooperative Wildlife Management Unit (CWMU) guaranteed tag, so no draw is required. The winner of this sweepstakes can expect a traditional western U.S. mule deer hunt for bucks ranging from the mid-160s range to the occasional 180-plus, but frankly, nothing would surprise me on this hunt. Of course, trophy size can differ depending on the year, amount of moisture, food supply, and other factors, but they are on the X when it comes to guided hunts for mule deer in Utah. We’re talking about a solid population of mature mule deer.

This is a true high-country, spot-and-stalk mule deer hunt. But it’s not overly rugged terrain so it’s accessible to virtually anyone. There’s UTV and pickup access, so you can cover a lot of ground. Expect to spend a lot of time glassing from high points, especially during mornings and evenings, spotting the deer as they move to and from bedding and feeding areas. It’s not a high-pressure situation. Most hunting occurs in the magic hours of morning and evening, so you can relax or even nap in the afternoons. And with a 1:1 guide-to-hunter ratio, you’ll be accompanied by an accomplished knowledgeable guide.

Dates of the hunt are October 10–15, 2023. You’ll be put up in comfortable cabins and provided with hearty camp-style meals. All you have to do is show up ready to hunt. The winner must have a hunter safety card if born after January 1, 1965, and is responsible for travel to Utah, license and tag fees, and gratuity.

For $25 per entry with the opportunity to purchase 10 chances, that’s a heck of a deal for this amazing $13,400 value.

And, here’s the kicker. For every ticket you buy you’ll earn Bonus Bucks, which can be redeemed for your next WTA adventure or applied to your TAGS portfolio. Bonus Bucks are valid for one year from your sweepstakes purchase. Complete rules and eligibility requirements are posted on the WTA website.

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New Zealand: A Spring Paradise

New Zealand: A Spring Paradise

The end of winter in the Northern Hemisphere gives me the itch to travel. I often visit Uganda to chase buffalo, before coming home for Spring turkey season. But this year, I switched it up. My wife, Alka, and I headed south to New Zealand for the last few days of February. We hosted two groups of hunters at two of WTA’s top outfitters and we all enjoyed a wonderful trip.

New Zealand offers endless opportunities for non-hunting companions while delivering a world-class hunting experience. Both lodges where we stayed had dedicated hosts who organized daily activities for the non-hunting guests. Shopping, visiting wineries, sightseeing in Mount Cook, jet boating, and many other activities filled the schedule. Once our hunts wrapped up, the guys joined the ladies on several of these excursions. I especially enjoyed spending a day exploring Mount Cook and an afternoon on the jet boat.

After flying to New Zealand and clearing customs, we caught a short flight to Queenstown. Queenstown is beautiful, situated on a lakeshore with steep mountains dropping straight to the water, making for postcard views. The local food scene is excellent. Alka and I tried multiple restaurants, checked out local shops, and rode the skylift to the top of the mountain. It was nice to have a day or two to acclimate to the 13-hour time difference.

We went to our first lodge, got settled in, visited the rifle range, and then had an incredible dinner.

Alka isn’t really a hunter. She has taken a few animals, and somehow I talked her into hunting a red stag. We got out at daylight with our excellent guide, Victor, when the stags were roaring. We looked at a couple of groups and crept over a ridge to glass into a creek bottom. We found stags roaring, fighting, feeding, and moving all over.

We finally decided on a beautiful red stag with a tank of a body, heavy mass, great crowns. And you could tell he was old. He was also dominant. The others gave way whenever he came near.

After a couple of hours, our stag bedded with another away from the others, and we decided to make a move. Victor expertly maneuvered us down into the thick creek bottom with the wind in our faces. Eventually, we moved within 100 yards of where we thought the stags were. After a while, the other stag stood up and repositioned. When he bedded again, Victor wanted to shift for a better angle. We ended up at 65 yards and could see our stag’s antler tips.

We waited 3 hours for the big guy to get up. We roared, threw rocks, raked brush, but he was tucked in and didn’t budge. Finally, in the early afternoon, Victor raked some brush, roared loudly, and the stag stood. Alka quickly got on the .30-06 and with a couple of shots an inch apart to the shoulder, the big stag dropped. Celebration time!

Alka got a super experience with lots of stag action, a great stalk in close, and then the nerve-racking wait for the 525″ stag to stand up and offer a shot.

Over the next few days, our group of hunters took some incredible stags and fallow deer. Toward the end, a few of us wanted to hunt tahr in the southern Alps.

I cannot describe how beautiful and rugged those mountains are, and seeing them from a helicopter is an experience not to be missed. My hunting partner and I both scored on nice bull tahr the morning we went out, and then the chopper pilot took the ladies up for a quick ride to show them the beauty and majesty of the southern Alps. It was a morning none of us will ever forget.

Learn More about this Hunt

Alka and I then packed up and transferred to our next lodge, where we met four other couples, including our good friends Russell and Cindy. Russell and I were going to hunt together, as we have all over the globe, and again, the ladies had a full palette of fun excursions planned.

During the first afternoon, we saw a number of great stags and some incredible fallow. What really excited me was seeing and hearing bugling elk. We returned for a 5-star meal (Be ready to gain weight in New Zealand!) and prepared for the next day. 

Just after daylight, we were on stags and moving around the hills and canyons, glassing and enjoying the views and the number of animals. One of the hardest parts of hunting there is choosing the stag you want to pursue. There are so many, and they are all so different, it’s sensory overload. There are wide, heavy, drop tines, typical frames, and every other antler configuration imaginable.

While glassing some stags in a wallow across a canyon, I spotted a big bull elk up on a ridge. He was so regal standing on the skyline, I kept coming back to him with my binos. I must have talked about him non-stop, because my outfitter and guide Shaun finally said, “We can go after him if you want, but he is about a mile away, and it’s all uphill.” I told Shaun I was ready to go if he was, so off we went, trekking up the mountain.

When we got to the top, we couldn’t find the bull. Huge rock formations blocked us from seeing a number of areas, so we slowly moved from rock to rock, carefully glassing, until we found the big bull on the third set of rocks.

I quickly set up and Shaun ranged the bull at a bit under 300 yards, moving away. Shaun has suppressed Gunwerks rifles available for his clients to use. I knew with that setup, the shot should be easy if the bull presented a good angle.

After watching him for a few minutes, the bull swung around, giving me a quartering away shot, and I tucked one in behind the shoulder. The big guy was done. When we got to him, he was way bigger than I thought, with 54″ beams and a huge frame, the 7×7 stretched the tape to 397″. I was ecstatic!

That afternoon, I went along with Russell on an exciting stag hunt where we got in on two great bulls. After a lot of maneuvering, they stepped out of a bedding area at 70 yards, and Russell hammered a beautiful stag with great crowns and kicker tines off both sides. Getting in close on these huge stags is an absolute blast.

The other guys in camp were laying down some great animals as well. On our second-to-last day, we all decided to go with the ladies for a jet boat ride up a glacial river, a short hike, and then a winery stop for apps and drinks. It was a fantastic day of seeing incredible scenery and relaxing with old and new friends.

On our last morning, Russell decided to find a good elk. An hour or so later, we found a big bull working a wallow. Russell and his guide made a stalk, Russ got on the sticks, and the next thing Shaun and I saw through our binos was the big heavy bull tipping over. What a great way to end our superb hunt!

We all headed back to Queenstown in the afternoon, had a great dinner at the Botswana Butchery restaurant, and then it was one sleep and a long flight home.

Gunwerks Long Range University | WTA Team Experience

Gunwerks Long Range University | WTA Team Experience

There’s a major difference between simply shooting a rifle and building a repeatable process that works under pressure in real hunting situations.

That was the biggest takeaway when the Worldwide Trophy Adventures team attended the Gunwerks Long Range University L1 and L2 courses in Cody, Wyoming. What started as an opportunity to sharpen our shooting skills quickly became something much bigger: a deep dive into confidence, communication, ethics, and the complete shooting system.

At WTA, we spend our lives helping hunters prepare for meaningful hunts around the world. We talk constantly about tags, gear, outfitters, strategy, and opportunity. But eventually, every hunt comes down to a single moment behind the rifle. That’s where Long Range University changes the conversation.

More than Just “Long Range Shooting”

A lot of hunters hear “long range shooting” and immediately think about distance. The course focused far more on consistency, process, and decision making than simply stretching the range.

The Gunwerks instructors repeatedly emphasized that successful shooting is about understanding the entire system:

  • Rifle
  • Optics
  • Ballistics
  • Environment
  • Wind
  • Shooter fundamentals
  • Mental process

That holistic approach was eye-opening, even for experienced hunters and shooters.

Several members of the WTA team came into the class with years of hunting experience and a solid understanding of rifles and optics. But one theme surfaced almost immediately: many of us had developed bad habits over time, simply because we’d never received formal instruction.
By lunchtime on the first day, most of us were already identifying flaws in our setup, body position, and shot process.

Honestly, that was one of the best parts of the experience.

Building Confidence through Process

Confidence is one of the most important elements in hunting. When doubt creeps into your mind during a critical moment, things tend to unravel quickly. Long Range University focuses heavily on eliminating uncertainty by building a repeatable process.

The course blended classroom instruction with live-fire range sessions, translating concepts immediately into practical applications.

Topics included:

  • Rifle setup and maintenance
  • Zeroing procedures
  • Ballistic profiles
  • Wind reading
  • Spotter/shooter communication
  • Prone shooting fundamentals
  • Shooting from improvised positions
  • Tripod and support techniques
  • Real-world hunting scenarios
  • Ethical shot evaluation

One of the most valuable lessons was learning to manage instability instead of fearing it. In the field, hunting shots rarely happen from a perfect, benchrest position. Hunters must adapt to terrain, weather, awkward angles, and time pressure.

The instructors did an exceptional job of simplifying complex concepts into practical, understandable instructions. Nothing felt overly tactical or intimidating. The focus remained on building ethical, capable hunters.

Real…
Arizona’s Deer/Sheep Deadline: That’s a Wrap on the Draw Season!

Arizona’s Deer/Sheep Deadline: That’s a Wrap on the Draw Season!

The Arizona deer and sheep deadline on June 2 marks the end of another application season. There are a few minor draws and point-only periods coming up, but the major deadlines have passed and the draw results have been posted. I hope this is your year to draw an awesome tag! If not, you’ve built another valuable bonus point for your future. That’s the name of the game!

If you successfully drew a tag, you received a call from your dedicated WTA TAGS consultant informing you of your good fortune. If you drew a tag and haven’t booked with an outfitter, this needs immediate attention. WTA’s owner Mark Peterson said it best: “After finally drawing a great tag…don’t screw it up at the end…hire a reputable outfitter!”

Arizona Deadlines

Arizona has a staggered deadline for its limited-entry big game tags. June 2 marks the deadline to apply for deer and sheep tags. For deer, we’re talking about mule deer and coues deer. And for sheep, desert bighorn and Rocky Mountain bighorn are both available.

Mule Deer vs. Coues Deer

Applicants in Arizona are restricted to one deer application. The state considers two choices on the application. You can utilize two mule deer choices, or two coues deer choices, or one choice for each. For example, first choice mule deer, second choice coues deer.

Consider this quick, low-level consultation when deciding how to apply for deer in Arizona. Arizona boasts the best mule deer hunting in North America. It is truly the land of 200″. However, these deer reside in a handful of units with VERY limited non-resident tags. This is a tag you may never draw in your lifetime.

Arizona also boasts the best coues deer hunting in the West. Early hunts in October and November can easily be drawn with 0–3 bonus points and we offer highly successful adventures with our TAGS-endorsed outfitters. The more sought-after late coues hunts in December are more difficult to draw, but the tag can be drawn within 8 years, hopefully sooner.

Desert Bighorn vs. Rocky…

Find the outdoor adventure of a lifetime.

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