Mule Deer Tactics - Lets hear em!!!

[Terry Green]

Yep moan.....I know that place...found it last year.  That spot reminds me of a place outside of Atlanta called- Spaghetti Junction.  That junctions is WELL traveled.....

And then there's this place I also found at the base of a mountain.....

   

[tamure]

Wow, that country has a lot greener, denser vegetation than out here. Is that where you will be hunting? I don't know how you could spot and stalk there.

I just got back from muley hunting. Our season opened Aug. 1. It is high desert (>6500ft) terrain, all sagebrush with patches of pinion / juniper. It is wide open, and you can see for miles.

There are a couple springs. We sat on a spring morning and evening, and saw deer every day, but rarely close enough. However, one evening I did manage to miss a forked horn as he was drinking, estimated him to be closer than he was.   :rolleyes:   The deer came in from the same general direction each time, but practically never on the exact same path, it seems. Sitting on a trail rarely seems to work, because they seem to only use the trail once, and go a different way each time. It's very hit-or-miss. However, if you're lucky, in a lot of deer, or have lots of time, you can have one practically run into you by waiting like this. I did have does and fawns within 5 yards of me, and one little buck, but he didn't present a shot. It's exciting to watch them when they're so close you can see their individual nose hairs. So it works, but it can be frustrating and boring.

After the morning hunt, we had a good breakfast while sitting around glassing. I went with my uncle, who has been known to spend thousands on optics. This trip I learned to appreciate a fine spotting scope. We were spotting deer literally a mile away. After breakfast, if we didn't see any deer from camp, we started walking around the base of the hills, glassing. We put in some mileage. Probably about 8 miles the first two days, and maybe just 5 the third. We stalked a few of them, and even got too close one time. We were busted because there were more deer than we thought, and we damn near walked over the top of them on the way to the deer that we knew were there.

For stalking, I'd highly recommend a pair of soft leather moccasins, with polar fleece socks pulled over them. Put them on before closing final distance. So much quieter than boots, and the leather will stop most of the nasty stickers. Be sure to GPS or flag with surveyor's tape where you take your boots off! While good for stalking, I wouldn't want to walk all the way back to camp in just moccasins.

Anyway, long rambling. I hope this helps, and good luck!

[peter c iacavazzi]

Terry,

Mule deer are very different from whitetails as you know. But, just like whitetails they need: Water, food, cover.

I have been very fortunate when it comes to big mulies. Here is what I've learned...(By the way, I'm still learning every season...)

Find where they are watering. Determine the prevailing wind and then the daily wind (which in the west can change every 5 minutes). Try to determine when they water. Then develop a plan to be in an ambush position before they water and of course with the wind "hopefully" in your favor. Mule deer can be very nervous at water. But, just like antelope...when they drink, they drink, so that is when to draw and shoot.

Find thier food source(s). On the ranch(s) I hunt...that is generally alfalfa...which helps alot. Detremine when the enter and leave thye food source. Hint: The better bucks will enter late, and leave early. But, they often (if not disturbed) will choose the same entrance and exit depending upon wind, weather, time of day and pressure. You may be able to set up a stand/blind/ambush along thier feeding route.

In the evenings: Be down low so you can see them coming down and so the setting thermals will also be in your favor. In the mornings: be above them. The deer will (usually) climb higher to bed. Use the warming thermals to your advantage and the possibilty that the bucks are moving toward you.

Use the BEST glass you can. I prefer a pair of 10x50 Swarovskis for the ranch(s) I hunt. Glass alot, then when you think you've glassed enough...glass some more. Move slow and deliberate. Never forget the wind. Choose your stalk route and use landmarks as you move. Big bucks will bed for hours on end...if not pressured. Often times you can move in on them and wait them out. Eventually, he will rise to strecth, move, water, feed or simply because the sun is working against him. Speaking of the sun: use it to your advantage. Always have the sun to your back and in the deers eyes (if possible). Many eastern hunters forget how important that is when them come out west. (It works on elk too).

Mule deer bucks (even big bucks 170-180" plus) are huntable and killable)...But you have to work at it. Unless you're lucky...in that case buy a lottery ticket!

Feel free to contact me directly anytime. I have a few more tricks that I know will work...

Best, Peter Iacavazzi

[Dave2old]

Master T, of all Tradgangers, you should know best that the more detail you give us re your needs, the better advice we can offer. Here in SW CO, for just any muley, a hide at the edge of an evening alfalfa field will get you there fastest. For a trophy, come early, go as close to timberline as you can manage, spot and stalk. But CO advice is lame for AZ, etc. etc. Overall, my priorities for muleys are identical to my priorities for elk, prongies, turkey, grouse etc. -- first, find a place with low hunter pressure and NO ATVs. Second, lovely scenery. Third, game concentrations. Thus I never have a "bad" hunt. Best luck, dave

[snag]

Here's one of those Arizona muleys to wet your whistle! I don't know who these guys are or what they killed him with...only was told they got it this year.

[sagebrush]

Terry, I would make sure you had some soft knee pads. When stalking I like to get on hands and knees. Many times they will just look at you and let you get close because they don't know what you are. But if they see you don't crawl straight at them. Go in a meandering pattern. We've even thought of using a cow suit to get close. Never tried it yet though. Gary

[MikeW]

Took me a few years to figure this out and it happened on accident. I grew up hunting rolling sage brush hills and aspen groves. We would sit for hrs. just glassing looking for bedding bucks and then try and sneak up on them. One day we spotted a couple bucks and a few does laying down a few yards from the bucks, some gun hunters came in from above the deer and we watched the deer get up casually and walk down hill a bit and then across the hill. They ended up just walking around the mountain and coming over the top almost in the exact place the hunters just walked and laid back down where they were. The gun hunters never saw them. The next day my brother and I went back and the deer were in the same place, I came in from above just like the gun hunters did and my brother picked an ambush point along their route they took the day before and took the biggest buck out of 3.

We used this tactic many times after that with great success.

An other thing we would do is sit someone down at the end of an aspen funnel and then walk through it loudly and throwing rocks. Who ever was sitting at the end usually got a shot or ran over with deer.

[sagebrush]

Here's one I shot using the above technique.
 Gary
 

[dan ferguson]

One other tip, pick your time of the hunt carefully, alot of people that I have hunted with are whitetail hunters, first thing they ask me, when the rut starts, I tell them to stop thinking whitetails and think more like Elk. Mulies are alot tougher to get up on during the rut. Big bucks will herd up several does. and that ol lead doe will bust you every time. I still prefer early season, pre rut, for the best chance.

[sagebrush]

One more thing Terry, as you can see from the poor picture quality above,have a decent camera with you in case you get a good one. Also so you can take pictures of the scenery and report back to us about your hunt. Thanks and have fun, Gary

[dan ferguson]

Gary I want to say thats a great deer, I might even pull down on that one, with one exception I would be shakin to much to pull er back, or my arrow would go where yours is resting because I shoot where I look and it just happens to be them horns. thanks for the pic.

[larryh]

sagebrush mentioned a thing i've been using since i was a little kid. i hunt barren does mostly in rolling cheat grass hills with sparse sage. they pick me up when i'm a section away but i just mess arond like a coyote and never flash my face or eyes at them or turn directly at them. i've shot over 20 that were still laying in their bed that way.
never tried that on a buck because i don't hunt them, but have moved close to bedded bucks on my way to a doe without them standing up.

[Over&Under]

Sagebrush

Did you ever score that buck??

That sure is a dandy!!!!  Congrats!!

I grew up in Vernal and spent 10 yrs there, only saw a couple of that caliber.

Jake

[Terry Green]

Thanks a BUNCH guys..this really gives me some things to think about.......

Also, that mud wallow is about 40 yard from a little stream, and there a meadow of the other side that has some sort of seeping bog in the grass, a really cool place that wallow.

I will probably set up on that stream so I can watch both meadows, the one with the bog and the one with the seep.  There are seveal crossing from meadow to meadow across that steam as well....

I'll be in touch nightly on Vance's computer.

I'll be near Pinedale WY.....Wind river range out the front, and the WY range out the back....

I'll leave ya with a few more pics of that split meadow........

Vance, if you got enough tractor, you best get to plowing.  If not, get a big boy John Deere and just add it to my bill    :p  


See the doe???

 


Rainbow funnel cloud???

 


Hunters Sky!
 


Vista!
   


Worth the climb
 


Time for a maduro!
   

[Terry Green]

The Wallow Area......

   

       


Charlie knows........

   

Marduro time again....

   


The Wind River range trying to hold back the dawn....

   

Can't believe its been a year already guys!!!

   

[Guru]

Three of the best guys in the whole world!!

Wish I could be there with ya    

[Irish]

That does look like a great time.   Love to hunt them mulies!!

[Louutah]

Not sure I can add too much to the "how to" portion...although in 20+ I have only shot one from a blind, all mine have been spot and stalk or still hunting....
I just wanted to give you an idea of what to look for when field judging....

 

 

Only 10 more days until the Utah opener......

[Nate Fikkert]

Not fair Terry, I miss that country.  If your lungs and legs will carry you, it wouldn't hurt to try another mountain just south of (across the road) If it is not too dry the east facing slope of it can hold some GREAT bucks.  Contact me if you want more info, but Vance and Charlie probably know what I am talking about.  And use that good glass and take a look at those avalanche chutes on the mountain where you said "Charlie knows..."

Have fun,

Nathan

[snag]

What do you guys feed those muleys?!!! Looks like some great country guys!