New mulie hunter wanting advice on early season archery hunting

[The_real_brianjames]

Hi guys!

I'm brand new to this forum and heard about this site from Robby Denning's book "Hunting Big Mule Deer: How to Take the Best Buck of Your Life." It was a great read and I appreciate the information.

I've become interested in mule deer hunting and would like to learn more so that I can eventually plan a trip in the next year or two. Let me first start out with some background information, and then I will get into specific questions.

I was born and raised in Missouri and I grew up hunting whitetails. I am absolutely obsessed with hunting whitetails particularly with archery equipment. I am so obsessed, in fact, that I made whitetail hunting and outfitting my full time job. I help manage and guild at at 1000+ acre hunting ranch as well as manage and outfit many more lease properties that I have access to.

I have never hunted farther west than south Texas and really want to see what it is like to hunt in some western states and experience western style hunting. The wide dark racks of mule deer and their vast habitat have really caught my attention.

My fist question is about hunting dates. Since I am particularly busy after the 15th of September, I want to focus my search on states that offer seasons that start before that, if there are any. What states offer early season hunts?

My second question is about guided hunts or semi-guided hunts. Since I live in Missouri, preseason scouting isn't a very likely possibility for me. Do any of you know of a reputable service or guild that has early season hunts?

I am in good shape and am willing to work hard for a hunt. I also want to take a mature animal and am willing to eat tag soup if it comes down to eat. I've eaten in plenty of times in Missouri waiting for the right animal!

Thanks for any advice in advance!

 

[huntstrong2850]

Utah General deer tags for archery opens in August. That's a velvet hunt so there won't be any dark horns.
Idaho has some draw tags for August mule deer also
Arizona opens early September Otc archery could be an option but they'll be in velvet also


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[The_real_brianjames]

Utah General deer tags for archery opens in August. That's a velvet hunt so there won't be any dark horns.
Idaho has some draw tags for August mule deer also
Arizona opens early September Otc archery could be an option but they'll be in velvet also


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Thanks! I will look at those states!

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[MuleyFever]

I think Nevada and Colorado archery opens before Sep 15 as well. AZ would open up Dec and Jan for archery.

 

[4rcgoat]

Here in Wyoming we can start hunting mule deer September 1st.

 

[mtnrunner260]

If a mature animal is your goal and your budget allows you could look into the Utah CWMU program.

 

[The_real_brianjames]

If a mature animal is your goal and your budget allows you could look into the Utah CWMU program.

Ok! I'll look into that thanks! Hunting mule deer isn't something I plan on doing every year so if I can go somewhere where seeing a mature animal is a little more likely I would be willing to pay a little more.

I don't want to seem stuck up, but I've shot ALOT of whitetails and shooting a small mule deer doesn't appeal to me at all. In Missouri we can kill plenty of whitetail, so I'd rather eat mule deer "tag soup" than a young one.

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[Elkoholic87]

Here in AZ it's August. Love those velvet mulies.


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[The_real_brianjames]

I'm leaning tword a DIY hunt in Wyoming or Colorado. I'm confident in my hunting abilities and fitness. I'm mostly concerned about not being in a good area.

My plan is to do as much research online as possible and hope everything works out. If anyone still has suggestions, please feel free!

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[Gr8bawana]

I don't want to seem stuck up, but I've shot ALOT of whitetails and shooting a small mule deer doesn't appeal to me at all. In Missouri we can kill plenty of whitetail, so I'd rather eat mule deer "tag soup" than a young one.
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Let's just say that killing a mule deer, especially a big one is a whole different ballgame than killing a farm raised whitetail on someones back forty.
Good luck to you.

 

[Elkoholic87]

I'm leaning tword a DIY hunt in Wyoming or Colorado. I'm confident in my hunting abilities and fitness. I'm mostly concerned about not being in a good area.

My plan is to do as much research online as possible and hope everything works out. If anyone still has suggestions, please feel free!

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Make some time to do some scouting. Google Earth and gathering information online is great, but seeing the country and getting a feel is more important IMO.


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[The_real_brianjames]

Let's just say that killing a mule deer, especially a big one is a whole different ballgame than killing a farm raised whitetail on someones back forty.
Good luck to you.

That may be true, but where I hunt, there's been deer I've caught on camera that have lived and died that have never been seen by human eyes. Not just me, but any human! It really depends on surrounding pressure. I've hunted and killed deer on private land that has alot more pressure than most places in the west. Also, I've killed deer that I've had on camera for years and have never actually seen until the moment of truth.

I don't want to boast that I'm a better hunter than anyone, (I don't but think that) but I watch alot of hunts on video, and if some of those guys that make the mistakes they do and still somehow sneak up on an animal WITH a camera man, then a guy like me has a reasonable shot.



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[The_real_brianjames]

Make some time to do some scouting. Google Earth and gathering information online is great, but seeing the country and getting a feel is more important IMO.


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I agree! I am going to do as much satellite scouting as possible!

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[jm1607]

I would go to South Dakota!

Or Utah General (may take a point or 2), high country Idaho, or Colorado (alot of solid units for 0-1 point)..

 

[Idahohillboy]

Being an avid muley guy my suggestion would be to get good glass your gonna need it the 10x42 bushnells wont make the cut. Honestly I am in agreement with Elkaholic87. Those guys and the mistakes with the camera men make muley hunting look easy it does not typically come together like that on a muley hunt for a mature buck. They can hear like crazy big ears on em. I have shot big bucks with a rifle muley hunting and blown at least 15 stalks on big bucks before I arrowed my one and only bow buck last year. I promised myself my first archery deer would be mature.

There is a huge difference between otc scittish mule deer that get chased every season by bow and rifle, and the draw unit buck with a low amount of pressure. Or the private land buck in Alberta. I do not understand how white tail guys sit in trees all day over food plots. The whole trail cam naming your deer stuff also is odd to me. Are white tails easy to spot and stalk never seen much about spot and stalk white tail stuff on the hunting channels? Be interested to see how ya do this season good luck at it.

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[sneaky]

I bet I'm one of the few on here who have hunted in Mexico, MO lol. We had a lease out there when I was still living in Tennessee. Utah opens mid August, Nevada around Aug 10th. Idaho on Aug 30, somewhere around end of August for Colorado. Lot different than chasing whitetails in the Midwest, but doable for sure. You're almost guaranteed a tag as a NR in the Utah draw. Nevada is a little tougher to draw. Just be forewarned, the winter kill this year is going to be bad, take that into consideration for sure.

 

[The_real_brianjames]

Being an avid muley guy my suggestion would be to get good glass your gonna need it the 10x42 bushnells wont make the cut. Honestly I am in agreement with Elkaholic87. Those guys and the mistakes with the camera men make muley hunting look easy it does not typically come together like that on a muley hunt for a mature buck. They can hear like crazy big ears on em. I have shot big bucks with a rifle muley hunting and blown at least 15 stalks on big bucks before I arrowed my one and only bow buck last year. I promised myself my first archery deer would be mature.

There is a huge difference between otc scittish mule deer that get chased every season by bow and rifle, and the draw unit buck with a low amount of pressure. Or the private land buck in Alberta. I do not understand how white tail guys sit in trees all day over food plots. The whole trail cam naming your deer stuff also is odd to me. Are white tails easy to spot and stalk never seen much about spot and stalk white tail stuff on the hunting channels? Be interested to see how ya do this season good luck at it.

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I agree. My "general" Hunting skills are honed, I'm going to have to learn specifics when I get there. I've got good glass. Good glass is essential when you're a guide even out east.

Spot and stalk whitetails is nearly impossible where I am from. The terrain doesn't allow for spotting them in the distance, and they NEVER bed in the open during daylight. In fact, I rarely hunt out in the open since most of the places I hunt have to much pressure to find big bucks out in the open. Some evenings I will see 30-40 deer out in the open and see 0 mature bucks even though there are several that have been on camera and they represent about an equal amount of time compared to other deer on camera.

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[The_real_brianjames]

I bet I'm one of the few on here who have hunted in Mexico, MO lol. We had a lease out there when I was still living in Tennessee. Utah opens mid August, Nevada around Aug 10th. Idaho on Aug 30, somewhere around end of August for Colorado. Lot different than chasing whitetails in the Midwest, but doable for sure. You're almost guaranteed a tag as a NR in the Utah draw. Nevada is a little tougher to draw. Just be forewarned, the winter kill this year is going to be bad, take that into consideration for sure.

Mexico MO is a great place to kill a monster Whitetail. 200" whitetails are taken there every year. I got lucky and stumbled across a lease where there as been a few 200" bucks taken over the last few years. Deer numbers are a little lower because good cover is hard to find, but if you get a good spot and you know what you're doing, you can kill some of the biggest deer in the country.

I think if distance weren't an issue I would try further out west. CO and WY are within half a days drive from me (10-15 hours). If I go farther west have to spend an extra day driving which curs my hunt time down or buy a plane ticket, which ups the price of the hunt.

Obviously There will be alot to learn when I go and I'm sure I'll make alot of mistakes, but I've got a good general base of hunting skills to start with. Once I get the hang of things, I'll have as good of chance as anyone.

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[Gr8bawana]

Hunting white tails back east vs hunting mule deer in the mountains of the west.
I can see how difficult it would be to shoot a deer out of a foodplot.:rolleyes

 

[The_real_brianjames]

Hunting white tails back east vs hunting mule deer in the mountains of the west.
I can see how difficult it would be to shoot a deer out of a foodplot.:rolleyes
View attachment 46202View attachment 46203View attachment 46204

If I put "mule deer" into a Google Image search, it makes mule deer hunting look easy too...


Dispite what people see on "Drury Outdoors" or "The Crush," those places are the exception not the rule when I comes to Whitetail hunting. And even for them, having an area like that is a 365 day a year activity. Another thing you won't see is that they may hunt 60+ times before they even see the deer they're after. If you have the time, energy, or, skill to do that and constantly kill the deer you're after, then you likely can aquire the skills needed to kill a muley.

If a skilled hunter had a decade in Missouri and wanted to kill a 160" buck on public ground I would bet against them despite them not being all that uncommon.

I don't know why we can't just agree that hunting Whitetail is hard AND hunting mule deer hard. People go out west and kill mule deer every year and people go east and kill Whitetail every year. It's clearly not impossible for anybody to do either. I'm sure there are places it's easier to kill mule deer than others.

I may even admit that the easiest Whitetail may be easier than the easiest muley, but I'd be willing to bet that the most difficult Whitetail can be just as difficult as the most difficult muley.


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