Questions for the Mule deer hunters...

[gspn]

Depending on how the draw goes…I might be going on a week long mule deer hunt in November. I've never hunted them before and I've just begun my research.

If I draw a tag, I'll be hunting in south-eastern Montana (unit 704). It looks like it will be a mix of wide open areas and more wooded terrain…with lots of hills.

In my mind I picture a typical day being: rise before sunup and hike to my first spot to glass. After some period of time, hike to my next pre-planned vantage point and glass some more. Ideally I'd keep hopping out further from camp each time, then when it gets dark I'd hike back.

I'm here asking questions because I know that the devil is in the details…and I've got zero experience with this part of the country, nor with hunting mule deer. I hunt whitetail every year…my hunting/stalking/shooting skills are very good…this is the foundation I'm building from.

I'll have good gear and I will have studied the topo maps before I go. I understand that glassing is important…and that folks who have never hunted them may do too little of it. What should I expect in terms of time spent glassing vs time hiking? How long do you sit on a spot before you push on?

What type of ground speed should I expect in that type of terrain with a pack and a rifle? 1.5 MPH? 2 MPH?

How long would you sit and glass before hiking to the next spot?

Any thoughts/advice is welcomed. Thanks.

 

[hartcreek]

You have not even begun to consider all the variables such as feeding and bedding areas, hunter pressure, snow, party hunting or not, baiting, salting, games cams and of course the rut.

 

[gspn]

You have not even begun to consider all the variables such as feeding and bedding areas, hunter pressure, snow, party hunting or not, baiting, salting, games cams and of course the rut.

I have begun considering all of those…but they are beyond the scope of what I'm asking here. The questions I asked above are one small part of the research.

 

[Dmitri Popov]

What type of shots are you going to prefer taking? Short, Medium or Long range?

 

[gspn]

What type of shots are you going to prefer taking? Short, Medium or Long range?

I figure anything beyond 300 yards and I'll try to get closer. I can certainly hit beyond that range, but don't want to shoot at critters beyond that range…especially in terrain I'm not familiar with.

 

[Dmitri Popov]

Will you be able to do any kind of on the ground recon of the area befor you actually hunt? AKA scouting?

 

[gspn]

Will you be able to do any kind of on the ground recon of the area befor you actually hunt? AKA scouting?

My hunting partner will be hitting the area before we get there…I'll be relying on his recon as I can't make it.

 

[gamestalker]

If there are a considerable number of coolies and draws, I will glass for a good hour or so, giving them time to feed there way into view, or get out of bed and into view. And if the vantage point gives me 360 degrees, it can run into 2 hrs. of glassing time real easy. And also of consideration is what optics are being used. If the terrain offers the ability to glass 2-4 miles out, I'll use a really good spotting scope, and work every nook and cranny looking for a bedded one as well.

Mule deer are known to sneak out behind you too, so it's important to glass your back trail as you come in. They'll hold tight until you've passed them then slip out behind you. I can't begin to tell you how many times I've caught them doing this, they're smart and can bust your scent too, if your not careful. Of course, don't pee in the field at all. I carry a bottle to pee in, then dispose of it when I get back to camp.

Water supply is something that they don't necessarily have to have ample supply of. So just because an area doesn't seem to have a water source, doesn't mean you won't find a big roman nose hanging out there. The really big boys will often hang in areas where the pressure is minimal, rather than where the water may be. Back in the 80's I had been hunting a massive big buck for a couple seasons that was in a seemingly uninhabitable area, but he was comfortable there, and had managed to survive despite a lacking water source.

GS

 

[T.R.]

SE Montana is open prairie country with wooded areas along streams. Mule deer tend to move most in the mornings and late afternoon. I suggest a good pair of 10X binoculars. Climb one of the low hills and glass those sage dotted prairies for deer. Then make a stalk and take your deer.

TR

 

[hartcreek]

Get a calendar or look up the time of your hunt to look at the phases of the moon. Hopefully you will not be hunting during a full moon week because then you almost have to stumble over them because they have been feeding all night. Sometime you just have to resort to a drive meaning hunt with hunters going through different sectors of an area just to get them moving.

 

[Sniper66]

gspn,....You sound like a dedicated hunter with the physical ability to walk long distances and have the added advantage of a friend doing some advance scouting. If you can mange a quick visit to the area, you will learn a great deal more than you can ever learn from maps or even satellite photos. If you can't manage an advance visit, then go with your plan. I envy your ability to walk long distances and spend the day roaming the terrain. As you already know your presence in the area will be the greatest teacher. As Mike Tyson said, "Everybody has a plan until you get hit." Your plan sounds very thoughtful and can be adjusted easily when you lay eyes and feet on the terrain.

 

[sage5907]

I made 10 mule deer hunts in Colorado in November and I have several thoughts for you. First, mule deer hunting makes you think on a much larger scale than whitetail hunting. It opened my thought process and made me a much better whitetail hunter. The harder I hunter mule deer the bigger the whitetail trophies became. I personally learned to carry all of my hunting items in the pockets of a military M-65 field jacket. That includes range-finder, gps, gloves, facemask, acrylic cap, 2 small flashlights, peanuts, candy bars, etc. You need to have 2 pairs of comfortable hunting boots and change to the other pair each day. I carry my binoculars on a strap over my shoulder, and I also carry a ground cushion on a strap over my shoulder. By having the items on straps it's easy to remove undergarments to cool off as the day warms up. By traveling light you can cover a lot of ground. One final point, it's really hard to hunt rough steep areas and there's just as much game in the flatter not so tough areas.

 

[gamestalker]

One other little trick I picked up some years ago, is when you just happen to jump a buck up from his bed or hide, rather than attempt a shot on the run, try letting out one whistle or yell at him. This will very often get him to stop dead in his tracks for a moment, thus allowing enough time for a shot. This has worked well for me a number of instances.

GS

 

[gspn]

Thanks guys…I'm taking notes and will incorporate as much as possible into my game plan.

 

[Bush Pilot]

Spend more time glassing than hiking. You would swear a bush that hasn't moved for an hour is just a bush, you'd be surprised how many times it's a buck staring at you. The time of year you're going is in the rut, if you see a group of does there's a good chance there's a buck nearby. Make sure you look past 500 yards, there's a good chance you'll spot deer, that's when you start planning a stalk.

 

[Davek1977]

I've shot dozens of mule deer over the years, and prefer hunting them to whitetails personally (we have both on the family ranch in SD). Spot and stalk is certainly effective, but I've shot just as many bucks walking up on them. I basically "hike-n-hunt"...walking areas that look like they have the potential to hold deer and pushing them out of cover, similiar to what a lot of people consider "still hunting" with whitetails, except the pace is generally faster as the cover isn't typically as thick. People will say morning and evening are your best bests at taking a deer, and they may very well be right. HOWEVER, don't assume anything. I've taken two mule deer ranging in the 175 BC range, and both were taken within an hour of noon either way. I don't spend nearly as much time glassing as some people do, but then again, I have the advantage of being intimately familiar with the ground I hunt, having hunted it all of my 24 seasons afield hunting deer (and I more or less lived in those hills before being able to legally hunt, hiking, exploring, fishing,just being a country kid). At this point, I more or less know what areas will be the most likely to hold deer, and which directions they will travel if/when disturbed. As a parting word, dismiss any ideas others may have put in your head about mulies being "dumber" than whitetails or easier to hunt. That may, by numbers, be true. However, I'll put an old wise trophy mulie against any deer in N. America in terms of caginess and weariness. I once hunted...and never harvested....a mule deer that simply WOULD NOT EVER be on low ground. He was always at the highest vantage point in the area, which made seeing him easy but approaching him impossible. I thought I had him one cold December evening, as his "harem" jumped a fence and started directly at me. The buck came to the fence, grunted, snorted, and stomped a bit, and managed to call every one of the does back across the fence. It was heartbreaking, yet absolutely amazing to witness.

 

[gspn]

Thanks for the advice Dave. I plan to hunt from daylight to dark every day. I'm not going to sit around at a campsite…I'm going to hunt and plan to make the most of it.

Heckuva story about your high ground buck!

 

[Davek1977]

GSPN, you have no idea. I was a teenager when I was hunting that buck, and 20 years later, I can STILL see him when I close my eyes. I don't know of anyone ever having gotten him, and living in a rural area with a low population, I think I would have. While I missed (yes, I did get ONE shot at him ONCE) my only opportunity to harvest him, he instilled a respect I've yet to lose for mule deer, and that respect has served me well. When people talk about deer "haunting their dreams" I know EXACTLY what they mean. I may have taken bigger deer since (i really have no way of truly knowing) no deers' memory has stuck with me like that one. "Ol' Mossyhorns" (Dad nicknamed him after our first encounter) became somewhat of legend in my mind, and made me realize what deer hunting was really all about......

 

[splattergun]

I have killed mule deer at ranges between 9 yards and over 450 yards. All but 2 of my kills were under 300 yards. The majority of those were under 100 yards while still hunting in mixed terrain, woods, rocky hills and open fields.

The speed at which you are able to cover ground on foot depends, of course, on the ground, and your ground will vary, but a couple miles per hour average would not be out of the question if you are in decent condition.

You are wise in planning to do a lot of glassing, but don't forsake the closer ranges for glass, either. That patch of scrub oak next to you could very well be holding a decent buck or 2, and deserves to be treated that way. Spend some time still hunting those patches. I glass long enough as necessary to cover every foot of visible ground within a reasonable stalking range, considering terrain and time of day. Remember that mule deer bucks will bed down in tall grass without leaving a clue except for the tips of the antlers.

IN addition to your topo maps, use GoogleEarth or similar, and get an idea of bedding areas, feed and hiking paths.

When muley hunting, I am always in 'hunt mode', except when in camp after dark.

 

[Patocazador]

One thing I have not seen mentioned is access to hunting land. I was around Biddle, MT decades ago and almost all the land was privately owned. Landowners commonly charged trespass fees even back then.

Maybe it's not much different than trying to hunt where you live. ???

 

[oneounceload]

I hunted them in Northern NV - you'd be surprised how they seem to just appear when you are glassing an area. Like any other, they will take the path of least resistance, will run uphill to escape and like to cross hills in the saddle area if there is one. Find the sources of water and food, glass mostly the south side of hills typically just below the ridge line. Wear layers, etc., etc., etc.

Try pulling up areas you'll be going to on Google Earth to use with your topos