Mule Deer in the summer?

[Klint Beastwood]

Any western hunters have any good tips are tricks for scouting or hunting muleys in the later summer? Season for archery starts 17th of august for my zone. I've never had much luck in the early seasons as its about 100 degrees most days. Those deer don't leave their beds, occasionally see doe in the mornings, but they move mostly at night. I was thinking of glassing early morning and hour before to sun sets, and then maybe doing some bedding raids during the day in some of the green areas in the open semi desert country. Any wisdom?

 

[horsey300]

Any western hunters have any good tips are tricks for scouting or hunting muleys in the later summer? Season for archery starts 17th of august for my zone. I've never had much luck in the early seasons as its about 100 degrees most days. Those deer don't leave their beds, occasionally see doe in the mornings, but they move mostly at night. I was thinking of glassing early morning and hour before sun sets, and the maybe doing some bedding raids during the day in some of the green areas in the open semi desert country. Any wisdom?

Ours move pretty decent in the afternoons, just past heat of the day, they avoid disturbed areas, usually, I can watch them in the evenings for a few days and then plan an ambush either very early the next day or the next evening based on where they've been frequenting, they leave easy enough trails. My does are usually a good few hundred yards from the bucks in August, but still in the same area.

 

[RPRNY]

The best approach is to locate their beds now. Forested areas in high country adjacent to meadows is a sure bet. You'll either spook them or find beds and scat concentrations indicative of bedding areas. Come the season, getting into place between meadows and bedding either the night before or in the dark and getting on them after dawn as they wander in are good strategies. Getting between bedding and meadows at @ 4-5pm might also work but is less certain and less comfortable.

 

[FN in MT]

HOW does one keep a deer shot in those conditions from spoiling? Our Archery opens in September and even 80 degrees is too hot for me. Thankfully it usually cools off quickly and the mornings are in the 40's .

 

[Klint Beastwood]

My buddy filled his tag during a summer hunt in a zone I didnt have a tag in so I helped carry some gear in and hangout. He just stripped the meat out without doing the whole gutting out the butthole thing. started caping from the neck across the back and brought down the hide like a rug and starting butchering the meat. Into bags and we took the talo fat off later before putting it on ice once it was all packed out. Usually as long as the guts dont staying the body for a period of time, red meat won't go bad that fast, and take the talo off before freezing it, it will taste less gamey.

 

[dh1633pm]

Saw more than a few mule dear my last trip to White Rock a week ago. They looked as big as the White Tails we see around here. All I saw were in the afternoon.

 

[Klint Beastwood]

Yeah the weather app says its 84F there in new mexico at the time of this post...its 115 on the boarder of arizona and california. If it was lower temp, they might be more active in this region ...like in the spring. But most of these summers its over 100 degrees jul through sept. sometimes.

 

[Klint Beastwood]

So bringing this back...just did a last minute scout to check my stomping grounds since the archery season starts next weekend...only signs of deer were about 6 does and 2 big ol fawns in the area. From 4 in the morning to evening was the only thing i saw, the does and fawns never stepped out of the desert brush they were bedding in during the afternoon or evening. No sign of a buck moving around. I think that tells me the bucks are away somewhere else or only roaming around at night.

 

[Art Eatman]

A well-fed buck has thick tallow this time of year, right? That's a sort of insulation. Okay, how much moving around would you do in 80 to 100 degree temperatures if you were wearing a down jacket?

 

[Klint Beastwood]

A well-fed buck has thick tallow this time of year, right? That's a sort of insulation. Okay, how much moving around would you do in 80 to 100 degree temperatures if you were wearing a down jacket?

i dont think you want me to answer that, but i see your point.
Tallow is just a name for deer fat, they stock up in preparation for the winter and the rut in the fall. The buck would have lost about 1/3 of his weight from last winter right bout now. Here, they still have their red coats and the antlers are in velvet. So id imagine they wouldnt be in the thicks quite yet with sore antlers.
However yes, the temp ranges from 60-100 in a day. I wouldn't imagine they are doing much moving as i've discovered from scouting. I'm starting to suspect that due to the doe population in the area, the buck have moved away to a different area...probably in a mile radius of some sorts. I'll have to get out and hike in from a different direction a clear the far side of area. Theres a creek in there...but it is super super thick stuff..I might consider trying a drive if it comes to it.

 

[Patocazador]

Our deer are also in the red pelage now and I see them early around marshes and ponds. I have jumped them from 8-12" of water when scouting.
After they get their winter coats, they bed in the water most of the time until it turns cold.

 

[Klint Beastwood]

I got lucky this last weekend. It rained when coming in, so that morning i started the season, but i figured best NOT to get too bow-trigger happy and go look around first. So at about 0430 i went driving down the road by one of the areas where a particular draw of interest was, of course its pitch black out so, parked few hundred yards away, left the bow in the vic, and walked down in with a set of old NVG's that happened to be under the backseat and sat down and waited. Anyways, about 20 minutes from sun up 4 bachelor up bucks came up from the draw on to a nice flat little patch of desert grass and started eating away. The ducked out about 20 minutes later behind some micro terrain and into some bushes.