"Turned out the operator is Steve Purviance, owner of Mt. Hide Outfitters. He has outfitted for deer in Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas over the past several years, and has acquired several thousand acres of private land that have consistently produced trophy deer.
"Purviance has most of his land in northwestern Oklahoma, and provides most of his hunts there. Last season, the average gross score of his clients was 138 B & C. the average in 1999 was 141. The largest deer taken scored 173.
"In addition to whitetails, you have a fair chance at seeing a nice mule deer buck in this open country. The Oklahoma deer tag is applicable to either whitetail or mule deer, so you can take your pick. Last year, the biggest mulie for a Mt. Hide hunter scored 175.
"Hunting is done either by the spot-and-stalk method or from stands. There is some feeder hunting, but most stands are set up on or near planted fields or on travel routes from the deep canyons these deer inhabit. The terrain is fairly open and hilly prairie grass, interspersed with wheat and alfalfa fields and watersheds that are dense with oak and cottonwood trees. You can cover a lot of territory, so good boots and quality binoculars are a plus.
"The dates for the black powder season are October 27 to 30 and November 1 to 4; and rifle hunt dates are November 17 to 20 and November 22 to 25. Both muzzleloader and rifle hunts cost $3,000, and........(continued)
