I am heading out thursday for a 4 day desert mule deer hunt in south west Texas (Ward Co.). Does anyone out there have an info for me. This is my first desert mulie hunt. Hunted many a whitetail, but not sure what to expect from mulies.
Desert Mule Deer
- Thread starter Bigreno
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Art Eatman
Moderator In Memoriam
Bucks go up draws, and come off toes of hills.
"Real" bucks tend to bed down somewhere along the downwind crest of a ridge, generally near a saddle. Mostly, a little below the crest. That way, they can hear or smell anything coming from behind them, and see anything approaching up the slope. When they bail out, they'll cut through the saddle where there's more brush, and head upwind.
If they're spooked downhill or downwind, they'll circle and head in the "proper" direction.
Young bucks and does will go any old which way--mostly just "away".
Not all bucks have read my book, "What Deer Do".
Some areas, jeeping around a pasture in early morning or late afternoon can be productive. I've mostly done walking-hunting, and through the middle of the day. I hate to get up early. I'd just as soon kick Bucky out of bed and talk to him...
, Art
"Real" bucks tend to bed down somewhere along the downwind crest of a ridge, generally near a saddle. Mostly, a little below the crest. That way, they can hear or smell anything coming from behind them, and see anything approaching up the slope. When they bail out, they'll cut through the saddle where there's more brush, and head upwind.
If they're spooked downhill or downwind, they'll circle and head in the "proper" direction.
Young bucks and does will go any old which way--mostly just "away".
Not all bucks have read my book, "What Deer Do".
Some areas, jeeping around a pasture in early morning or late afternoon can be productive. I've mostly done walking-hunting, and through the middle of the day. I hate to get up early. I'd just as soon kick Bucky out of bed and talk to him...
, ArtWe're running a mite low on gullies, hills, draws and ridges.
It's a square mile of waist-deep to shoulder-deep brush, with some bulldozer trails cut through in a couple of places, some open areas (none more than ten yards or so in diameter) and a couple of damp-ish depressions.
Rest of it is a gentle slope from one side down to the other.
We scouted it last month, found deer sign, javalina sign, coyotes, and 15 pound jackrabbits, but only laid eyes on the jacks, the coyotes and some bedding areas.
LawDog
It's a square mile of waist-deep to shoulder-deep brush, with some bulldozer trails cut through in a couple of places, some open areas (none more than ten yards or so in diameter) and a couple of damp-ish depressions.
Rest of it is a gentle slope from one side down to the other.
We scouted it last month, found deer sign, javalina sign, coyotes, and 15 pound jackrabbits, but only laid eyes on the jacks, the coyotes and some bedding areas.
LawDog
Greybeard
Member
Mule deer, to me anyways, tend to be more stooopid than white tail. While on pheasant last year, we saw one down in breaks of Canadian River. It was frozen like a statue, looking at us for several minutes - long enough for me to walk back to truck about 100 yards away and come back with 2 rifles. Yum, yum.
When busted out of hidey hole, mulies sometimes run a ways, then like a jackrabbit, may stop briefly to take a good look back at ya before taking off again. A real good opportunity maybe to show 'em that muzzle blast.
When busted out of hidey hole, mulies sometimes run a ways, then like a jackrabbit, may stop briefly to take a good look back at ya before taking off again. A real good opportunity maybe to show 'em that muzzle blast.
Art Eatman
Moderator In Memoriam
LawDog, that's sounds like a lot of early-morning and late-evening sitting and watching a likely spot along one of those bulldozed senderos.
Found any trails crossing a sendero?
Slow-walking through brush can be productive, but it's a lot more like work than fun...
One section won't support many deer. Any water-points as attractions?
Art
Found any trails crossing a sendero?
Slow-walking through brush can be productive, but it's a lot more like work than fun...
One section won't support many deer. Any water-points as attractions?
Art
Lennyjoe
Member
I wish the big bastard I say earlier this year was stupid. He's been eluding me for 2 years now.:banghead:
Bow season opens on the 16th and I'm going after him again.
As for desert mule deer here. Most folks glass and stalk in Arizona. You can try to pattern them but they free graze like cattle here. Water holes in the early season.
As for the rest of it, Art pretty much summed it up;
Greybeard
Member
bearmgc said:
These were in the northern breaks of Canadian River, between Perryton and Canadian. Season there in Ochiltree county ended last Sunday ... Teenager shot slightly smaller mule buck that evening coming down into same canyon - within 10 minutes and 300 yards of us.
Lennyjoe, if archery is your only option there, about all I can say is "good luck". I don't think most of 'em I've seen growing up out in TX panhandle are so stooopid as to get caught within bow range ...
Lennyjoe
Member
Me either. I just like walking miles in the middle of a desert with binoculars stuck to my head and 20lbs of gear on my back.
At least this second part of bow season it wont be 100 degrees.
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