Author Topic: Mule Deer (Read 702 times)

Bill Pemberton · « **on:** May 02, 2003, 07:24:37 AM »

Folks, I will be retiring to northern New Mexico this summer and would like to ask about hunting mule deer. Does anyone hunt the like we do here in the midwest? I mean like stand hunting over trails, scrapes, and near feeding and bedding areas. The films I mostly see about mule deer seem to be long range spotting and shooting.
Can Mule deer be hunted successfully using tactics which work on Whitetails?? Is there anyone out there in the Taos area who would be willing to "lead me by the hand" until I learn what is going on in the west.

Thank you, Bill

Graybeard · « **Reply #1 on:** May 03, 2003, 10:38:02 AM »

You might want to also post on the Western Big Game Forum. Probably more mule deer hunters there.

GB

HogFan · « **Reply #2 on:** May 05, 2003, 08:47:14 PM »

Bill,

I moved to MT Dec.2001, and got to hunt muleys last year for the first time. Where we hunted at, there was whitetails and muleys. To me, muleys are easer to hunt, as they offer mush more opportunities than whitetails. We mainly did spot and stalk, or would just sit on aridge we knew was a travel area, and wait them out. We all tagged at elast one muley last year, and it was great fun!

HogFan

DesertRam · « **Reply #3 on:** May 22, 2003, 05:09:14 AM »

Bill, although we use a lot of spot and stalk (both hiking and driving to glassing areas), some of the tactics you use for whitetails will work too. If you can pin down the travel routes or feeding areas of a nice buck, setting up over it will certainly work. If the country allows it, a treestand works quite well. Their rutting behavior is somewhat different than whitetails (from what I understand - I've never hunted whitetails), but when it comes down to it, they're still hormone charged males looking for some tail, and this can be capitalized on.

The best way to learn their habits is to spend some time in their country. Head out well before the hunting season and just see what you can see. Be aware though that many of the big muleys in parts of northern NM are in fact part of a migration from southern CO, so their presence my be variable depending weather and a variety of other factors.