As the day heats up, they get up to move, shifting back to shaded areas at midday. So an all-day hunt would be a good idea.

All these tips are helpful, but still leave you a lot of area to cover.

Scouting Tips
Driving the roads will get you sightings, but if you spot the same animal from a road more than a couple of times, it is going to move.

Likewise, it will have been spotted by a dozen or so other hunters, so if you are serious, give up this tactic. Instead, try to get off the beaten trail and think like the deer do.

Take the animals into consideration. What do the deer want for safety and comfort? Then position yourself where the glass can do the work for you. Look for deer trails, beds and food sources. This is where to do your scouting and homework.

You can pattern these mule deer, but they're not as easy to pattern as whitetails, for example.

"Three mornings in a row, I watched the same buck come up the same draw to the same spring," said Lewis. "A fourth day wasn't possible because the third was opening day."

Remain Undetected
Of course, every hunter should enter a hunting area with the objective of having a minimal impact with maximum effectiveness.

While that sounds good, it's not practiced nearly enough. Here are a few easy, inexpensive tips to help you minimize your footprint on any area.

When it comes to a deer's defenses, scent is supreme. Moxy, a new company, offers a promising technology to filter scent from clothing. For scent reduction, carbon suits have been popular, as have a dozen or so other competing clothing technologies and chemical applications. At the very least, use a cover scent.

Lewis prefers raccoon scent, noting that it's powerful and that raccoons are found all through the D11 zone.

For a cover scent, I prefer sagebrush. You can find the plants everywhere, and all you need to do is snip off a few branches and stuff them in a bag with your clothing for a couple of days. Best of all, that won't cost you a thing.

But scent won't matter a lick if the deer hear you coming. Pick up a pair of foot covers, like Baer's Feet. Anything that essentially covers the bottom of your boots and quiets your footfall during those final yards of the stalk is worth it.

Practice your stalking skills. Even if you think you're going slow enough, cut your pace in half.

Remember, when stalking in a dry, crunchy, noisy area such as D11/A31, you're not trying to sneak up on a deer as much as you're slowly shifting position, waiting for the deer to sneak in front of you.

Check Out The Burns
Here in Southern California, we always have a burn area or two. Within a few weeks after a new burn, get in and scout the area. Take maps or a GPS if possible. After a fire, deer trails, water sources and beds are extremely evident. This can be some of the easiest scouting you'll ever do.