With Mule deer, I think this is something that will vary from year to year. Mule deer populations are affected by environmental factors greatly depending on droughts, heavy winters, etc. Right now in Utah, our populations are severely down due to drought conditions and tag numbers have been cut down. This will make it harder to draw a tag in Utah next season. With that said I still had plenty of opportunity on deer and was on bucks every day this season. In my area, we had a heavy monsoon and I am seeing more bucks post-season this year than I did last year. I personally would look for a state where you can get tags easier and try to hunt for multiple years if possible to learn the country. I would check with some of the state biologists and see what they have to say. FYI Arizona doesn't let you talk to the biologists anymore. I would check with Colorado, Idaho, and Wyoming.