Mule Deer Hunting

[AZBULLCRAZY]

So not to proud to admit. I suck at mule deer hunting and want to get better. I have taken several great bulls. Some guys laugh at me saying finding good mulies is easier than bulls but I find it opposite. I have taken a small 4 buck a decent 3 but want to get better. Maybe its a motivation phsyc deal but definetely and hang up.

This year I have upgraded my glass greatly and plan to really hone in my glassing technique. What are some of your suggestions as past couple hunts I find myself getting frustrated to where I drive around and double guess myself and getting nothing done. I know easy answer is scout, find areas etc. I do that but feel im looking in the wrong spots. Any books for mule deer hunting that you have found helped?

I appreciate it

 

[BBob]

Are the books worth it?

I’ve loved mule deer for as long as I can remember. I have started hunting more seriously the last two years and have been successful with good bucks in units with only 15-20% success rates. But I want to improve and I want to shoot bucks that are above that 150” mark and I want to get some...

www.rokslide.com

 

[Fatcamp]

What states do you hunt?

 

[Deadfall]

Big ol mulie bucks are definitely tough to hunt.
How would you hunt elk without calling? Same tactics apply to mule deer.
While elk hunting lok for mulie doe's. When find doe's then find some rocky ground.
Dark timber with rock slides/ cliffs. OLD mule deer bucks like bedding against stuff. Mountain mulie anyway.
Prairie deer like deep cuts.

That'll get ya started anyway.

Most importantly with big mule deer is time in the field and patience. Old mule deer are extremely reclusive, same as old bulls.

Definitely get a book or two if you don't know what they like to eat.

 

[AZBULLCRAZY]

What states do you hunt?

Utah, Idaho, and AZ.

 

[Marble]

Utah, Idaho, and AZ.

What has helped me is glassing a bigger area. I may be looking 1.5 to 5 miles away, sometimes further, in a multitude of different drainages. I locate bucks and then hop closer and closer and until I'm less than 1000 yards where I can actually start to hunt them.

So start in a bigger circle, and slowly work in until you can come up with a plan. Then the next time you'll already know where to look.

Sometimes it takes multiple seasons to narrow down the places to glass from.

Don't just see them on a ridge line and go hunt them. You'll blow them out until next season. It's a little bit of a chess match.



Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

 

[BBob]

Utah, Idaho, and AZ.

Different units will vary within those states, how and where you look for them will also vary.

When glassing for Elk in some areas I can look for mule deer but they won’t necessarily be in the same place (highly likely they won’t be). Big bulls I’d say are slightly easier to find. Big bucks hang in secluded spots and they are harder to catch when they come out. It takes more time to find them than a big bull in a given area. Time and patience.


When hunting high country early season say in the Ruby’s, finding big groups of bachelor bucks wasn’t that hard (there are some impressive bucks in those groups) but finding the exceptional buck was generally much harder. It took a couple of years but I finally figured out that the monsters are more likely to be by themselves or mby with one other buck. They were generally not far away from the big groups but off to the side so to speak and holding tighter to cover rather than in the wide open sage. Those big guys were always really hard to hunt due to the terrain they picked and thermals. Just because you found them didn’t mean you could go after them.

 

[AZBULLCRAZY]

What has helped me is glassing a bigger area. I may be looking 1.5 to 5 miles away, sometimes further, in a multitude of different drainages. I locate bucks and then hop closer and closer and until I'm less than 1000 yards where I can actually start to hunt them.

So start in a bigger circle, and slowly work in until you can come up with a plan. Then the next time you'll already know where to look.

Sometimes it takes multiple seasons to narrow down the places to glass from.

Don't just see them on a ridge line and go hunt them. You'll blow them out until next season. It's a little bit of a chess match.



Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

Thank you that makes sense to me. I appreciate it.

 

[AZBULLCRAZY]

Different units will vary within those states, how and where you look for them will also vary.

When glassing for Elk in some areas I can look for mule deer but they won’t necessarily be in the same place (highly likely they won’t be). Big bulls I’d say are slightly easier to find. Big bucks hang in secluded spots and they are harder to catch when they come out. It takes more time to find them than a big bull in a given area. Time and patience.


When hunting high country early season say in the Ruby’s, finding big groups of bachelor bucks wasn’t that hard (there are some impressive bucks in those groups) but finding the exceptional buck was generally much harder. It took a couple of years but I finally figured out that the monsters are more likely to be by themselves or mby with one other buck. They were generally not far away from the big groups but off to the side so to speak and holding tighter to cover rather than in the wide open sage. Those big guys were always really hard to hunt due to the terrain they picked and thermals. Just because you found them didn’t mean you could go after them.

Thanks you bring up some good points on thermals too. I need to study those.

 

[BBob]

Yeah just as in some Elk country learning when the thermals shift up/down is a good thing to know especially in the high country.

Something that seems to be a mule deer specialty is the mid morning re-bed. They’ll bed down early ish in the morning in some shade but the sun will come around and push them out to go bed somewhere with shade that will last most of the rest of the day. It’s really hard to watch a buck bed in a perfect spot but you know and can see the sun is coming. You have to make yourself wait for the buck to re-bed. In big country there’s rarely time to make a move before the sun screwed with you. Then comes the kicker, many times the buck will re-bed in a spot that’s not stalkable so you wait again.

 

[AZBULLCRAZY]

Yeah just as in some Elk country learning when the thermals shift up/down is a good thing to know especially in the high country.

Something that seems to be a mule deer specialty is the mid morning re-bed. They’ll bed down early ish in the morning in some shade but the sun will come around and push them out to go bed somewhere with shade that will last most of the rest of the day. It’s really hard to watch a buck bed in a perfect spot but you know and can see the sun is coming. You have to make yourself wait for the buck to re-bed. In big country there’s rarely time to make a move before the sun screwed with you. Then comes the kicker, many times the buck will re-bed in a spot that’s not stalkable so you wait again.

Thanks that is helpful. Explains why glassing for long periods is what I need to get adjusted to.

 

[Cowbell]

So not to proud to admit. I suck at mule deer hunting and want to get better. I have taken several great bulls. Some guys laugh at me saying finding good mulies is easier than bulls but I find it opposite. I have taken a small 4 buck a decent 3 but want to get better. Maybe its a motivation phsyc deal but definetely and hang up.

This year I have upgraded my glass greatly and plan to really hone in my glassing technique. What are some of your suggestions as past couple hunts I find myself getting frustrated to where I drive around and double guess myself and getting nothing done. I know easy answer is scout, find areas etc. I do that but feel im looking in the wrong spots. Any books for mule deer hunting that you have found helped?

I appreciate it

You have one of the greatest mule deer experts in the world as an admin to this site - Robby Denning. Look up some of his books.

 

[AZBULLCRAZY]

You have one of the greatest mule deer experts in the world as an admin to this site - Robby Denning. Look up some of his books.

Thank you

 

[Fatcamp]

And look up threads on podcasts and follow recommendations. Some fantastic information out there.

 

[jlsmith214]

I’ve found decent success in southern NM despite the units being considered poor. I glass a lot, using a tripod and a monopod to get comfortable behind your glass is key. I feel like people give up on an area too soon because they aren’t comfortable. Also someone mentioned the mid morning rebed, I think this is often over looked m. If I know there’s food and water near by, and I can see alot of ground I’ll glass a single spot for over an hour. It never fails as your ready to move you’ll pick one out. Lastly depending on your terrain knowing where to look is important. For me they primarily bed under Yuccas or cedars in the shade, then wind will position them higher or lower on the mountain. It’s not set in stone, I’ll just check high percentage areas a little more thorough.
Hope you find success this season

 

[Sierra Hunter]

I’m sure everyone has their favorite book but when I was getting started David Longs book resonated with me. Public land mulies

 

[Ross]

Need to simply learn the country/range your hunting….this means time on the mountain, glassing, knowledge, hiiking etc..case in point 2018 started hunting new place in Idaho first time in early November snow on the ground found the deer zone, two more times in shot a nice otc buck on that deer line, next year climbed that area 6 times to be in there at daylight up at 2am two hr climb saw many bucks in the same zone buddy shot one and learned of another shot, last year shot another in that zone and heard of another now have a lot of knowledge in this range of mountains and have solid intel and history knowing if I climb enough, glass, put in the time in the dark to sunset in the zone i have a good chance…..they are not called the grey ghost for nothing.

 

[AZBULLCRAZY]

Need to simply learn the country/range your hunting….this means time on the mountain, glassing, knowledge, hiiking etc..case in point 2018 started hunting new place in Idaho first time in early November snow on the ground found the deer zone, two more times in shot a nice otc buck on that deer line, next year climbed that area 6 times to be in there at daylight up at 2am two hr climb saw many bucks in the same zone buddy shot one and learned of another shot, last year shot another in that zone and heard of another now have a lot of knowledge in this range of mountains and have solid intel and history knowing if I climb enough, glass, put in the time in the dark to sunset in the zone i have a good chance…..they are not called the grey ghost for nothing.

Awesome info. One thing I need to really work on is getting out about 3am and hiking in before light. Yes sucks hunting solo that way but have to get over that step.

 

[hunterjmj]

I camp with a group but hunt solo. Kind of like to do my own thing and it's tough for some people to sit and spot for a long time when it's cold. I get up really early, hunt till dark, then hit the sack early so I can do it again. Eat good and stay hydrated. Learn to sit for extended periods, hunt the wind, hunt good spots, learn where you hunt, be slow and glass. If I'm not sitting glassing, I'm moving slow, stopping and glassing every 10-20 yards. The horizon changes every step you take, new terrain is visible for you and the deer. Slow and steady! Good luck!
Search Robby Denning in your podcast app and you'll have hours and hours of great info.

 

[Britt Merrick]

Robby Denny’s book is amazing!!