Mule Deer vs Whitetail Tactics

[AB_Vinny]

I have both Mule deer and Whitetails where I hunt. Since my hunting location is not the typical arid, open country you see mule deer living in on tv, they start behaving a bit like whitetails.

From what I have read they seem to like to bed high with the wind at their back in the shade (in warmer weather) or against cover using their eyes with wind at their back similar to whitetail. Also they don't seem to use specific trails as much.

Has anyone had experience with hunting mule deer in whitetail country and how to set up on them?

[Stanley]

Great question. I'm interested to find out about that also. Never killed a mule deer.

[AB_Vinny]

Ok I guess I'll start, and to be specific I am discussing hunting mule deer in whitetail country (bush country and farmland).

Where I hunt you could divide the area down the middle to separate where the mule deer live vs the whitetail. The mule deer hang out on the west side while he whitetail hang out on the east. By this the whitetail have taken command of the east-facing slopes (predominant wind is a west wind) while the mule deer use the west-facing slopes (however they bed around points not just a flat west facing slope).

The mule deer will drop down the hill at times and hang out in a wooded area next to the river as well especially during the rut where they hide their harem. Monster-Muleys.com stated the mule deer like to bed in shady spots high on ridges with adequate cover where they can get an ideal panoramic view. This would explain why the bucks seem to like that west facing point.

Mule deer move a lot more than the whitetail, but stay in cover running along the slopes. I know they say mule deer can't be patterned and aybe that is true with a old buck, but holy cow they follow patterns (i. e. same trail to same feeding every night despite the wind).

Whitetail bucks are more aggressive in the bush than mules but when the mule bucks rut they are pure crazy. A rotting buck chasing does annialated my whitetail buck decoy then ran me over while I was was just walking away from the decoy.

Mule deer attack when they are wounded. I can attest to this. I shot a buck with a rifle that was pushing 400 lbs and it got up and charged me since I was sitting on the ground. I didn't get hurt because I screamed like a girl and it's antlers were wider than my legs so they got stuck in the dirt on either side of me where it died. They also play dead and pounce you when you get close so I just shoot one last time so I don't have to test the theory.

Mule bucks will walk around you in the bush or just stare at you. The only way I could push them out of the bush is if their harem of does bust out and they have to give chase.

An outfitter in Wyoming said a good tactic is to make a fawn in distress call during the rut. One of the does will eventually come to investigate and her herding buck will come to round her up.

The mule deer eyesight is way better than a whitetail I have noticed. I have been picked out of a field edge treestand by a mule do from 600 yds while all the whitetails were oblivious and much closer. I have also had mules look at me and bolt when I blinked; and the were not that close.

Mule deer mix up being laid back with being skittish at other times which makes it a bit tricky to make any solid conclusions.

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[dan]

I have only hunted mule deer territory once, on a hunt in Montana. I know very little about mulies. You obviously know more than me about them... Good post.

[Uncle Lou]

Very interesting read Vinny. I was with Stanley and wanted to see some input on this as well.

I have only hunted mule deer once in NE, been out west several more times but generally chasing elk or other stuff. Been in mule deer country but dont know much about them. I did shoot a big mule deer doe but didnt learn much in the three days out there.

I got a cousin in NE, he was in WY previous to that. When I first saw this topic I thought of calling him, I still may to get his take. He is originally from Ohio and spent a lot of time in Whitetail country.

Again good stuff Vinny, hope to see more on this topic

[Edcyclopedia]

I want to do a Mule Deer hunt in the near future, so this is an exciting post!

I turn 50 in 4 years and told the wife that's what I want for my b-day...

Vinny - it sound like you were pushing the limits of that hunt - wow
I know you need a guide to hunt Canada but what about a family member or friend - just curious?

[AB_Vinny]

I know you need a guide to hunt Canada but what about a family member or friend - just curious?

Well I'll start focusing in on Mule Deer this year and report back what I find as I have been focusing more on Beast Style for Whitetails the last couple years. But I have a strong feeling a LOT of Dan's style will apply to Mule deer. The good thing with Mule deer is that they don't make rubs or scrapes like whitetails so I don't have to get distracted by searching for these

Anyway as far as hunting in Alberta a non-resident (alien) either has to pay a guide or get a buddy to get a Hunter Host license where he puts your name on his license and tags and has to hunt with you the whole time. A Hunter Host is not allow to profit off you for this either so if a buddy tries to charge you or something just remind him of the regulations and just offer to pay for a beer lol. See here: http://albertaregulations.ca/huntingregs-pdfs.html

Mule deer licenses are usually general on public land and a draw in places where there is more private land. The world record non-typical mule deer was taken on public land in one my hunting areas, but these spots can be tough because the public land (crown land) forests are HUGE.

Another note I forgot to mention, when I started using my whitetail doe decoys they seemed to work on Mule deer better than whitetail. The reason being is that the mule does will come running at the doe decoy in an effort to shake a chasing buck off their tail in hopes the buck will stop to check out the decoy....which is very weird. Got me two shots at a buck with my bow, but I was a bowhunting virgin and misjudged the distance. I hit the buck high at the top of the back through the steak and it just gave me a look of death and didn't flinch. The hole bled a couple of drops and stopped. The buck continued feeding then ran off after another mule doe realizing that he crushed my Montana decoy. I watched him running through fields over the next couple of hours proved that his was not fatally wounded thank god.

[Treeshark]

This is an interesting post! A few differences I've noticed while hunting them outside of the rut is that muley bucks move a lot during the first hour of the day (opposite of a whitetail buck before the rut that moves late in the afternoon if at all during daylight). Muleys stay in bachelor groups a lot later into the year, too. I've noticed the same thing about them bedding in shady areas, especially when it is above 50 degrees out.

If big muley bucks bedded more habitually like whitetails do, the "beast style" would be deadly. Who knows, maybe they do and we are just uncovering the most deadly mule deer tactic ever (besides road hunting! ha ha). Muleys, when bumped, often don't go very far, but I think they are a lot more nomadic than whitetails unless you are hunting near crops.

That's my experience anyway, it would be interesting to hear more about muley bedding patterns- I can't say I've ever read anything on the subject aside from how they bed in relation to the sun etc....

[dan]

I too have not heard much "good" info on the subject, and wonder if there is any out there... I would have to think they would use thermals, wind direction, and site as major factors in choosing beds. Which would make a person expect there bedding to be similar to a whitetail.

[Uncle Lou]

Again, my muley experience is pretty limited, but from the time I spent with my cousin out there, when we bumped a group. Okay I shot and missed, he feared they would be leaving the ranch. We ran into them again later, but it was some distance away, a mile or two. I was under the impression when bumped they are gone, or on their way.

Now I was on the plains SW Nebraska, and out there, we didnt hunt the bottoms as that was where the whitetails were, we were on the tops and the draws, and they liked to hide in that. After I got a muley I had a whitetail doe tag and spent a day or so off the Republican River hunting a sunflower field. Amazing how many came out to feed in those fields off the bottoms.

I would assume things could be different in the mountains with respect to how far they may go when bumped as their would be a lot more cover.

Here is the country I was in



This was the whitetail part of the trip, one side of the river was bedding cover, the other side was the fields


Here is some terrain I was not in and could see this being much different to hunt
and I just like showing this pic. My cuz from CO sent it to me a few years ago I have no idea who they are, but I think I know where it is, close to where I hunted Elk in WY in 2000.

[AB_Vinny]

Uncle Lou,

So although it was open country, you found mule deer like to be high on slopes and also bed in draws/coulees in the shade?

By the way those mule deer are monsters!

[Ellie]

Those Yucka looking things and the cedar trees is what Cuzin Wamp was focused on.

Lou