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My First Big Game Tag of 2011

March 2, 2011.

I just closed the deal on my first big game tag of 2011, a firearms deer tag issued by the Standing Rock Sioux reservation. It's valid for either a mule deer or whitetail buck, and includes a bonus whitetail doe tag.

Tags for this hunt are issued on a first-come first-served basis. 650 tags went on sale on Wednesday, February 23rd. They've moved fast, and there were only about 70 left when I called to buy mine.

I had hoped to do this hunt last year, but the tags had sold out before I could get my act together.

This year's season runs October 22nd to December 18th, offering good flexibility for fitting in to my schedule.

The Standing Rock Sioux reservation straddles North and South Dakota. My goal is to try to take a mule deer on the North Dakota side of the reservation, which is about the only way someone who's not a North Dakota resident can kill a mulie with a rifle in that state. I have a sort of vaguely-defined goal to take a mulie in the high plains states that are not traditionally thought of as mule deer states, including Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota.

The deer forecast from Standing Rock Game and Fish is optimistic:

"The February aerial survey indicated that the deer population survived the winter in great condition and numbers remain high for the third straight year.... Overall, our deer, grouse, turkey, pheasant populations are in excellent shape and we predict another great hunting season in 2011."

For more information on Standing Rock, visit their website.

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