Whitetail, Muley, or Blacktail challenge

[blackops]

Unfortunately I haven’t had the opportunity to hunt whitetail so I can only speak for muleys and blacktail. Even though muleys are my favorite I find blacktail to be the most challenging to take. Just seems like they are more intelligent all around. Never in the open, always in heavy cover, and if you see them once you never see them again anywhere near that previous area you spotted them in. Anyways my question is which deer do you find the most challenging to take?

 

[dakotasin]

i think mature, heavy racked mule deer are the toughest, but think average or smaller mule deer are the easiest - even easier than whitetail. so, i guess it depends if you are looking for the toughest monster or just punching tags. but, i'm voting mulies...

 

[chas08]

I've never hunted Mule Deer only Whitetail mostly and Blacktail while I was in the service stationed in California. Of the two, the Blacktail was far more challenging. The statement about finding them in heavy cover is absolutely true. I hunted them on Vandenberg AFB in the 70's. You had to get into the Manzanita, and Poison Sumac thickets and root 'em out.

 

[The Bushmaster]

Mules usually require longer shots. Whitetails almost jump into your pickup bed. Blacktails will sneak around a hunter, never run far and tend to hide in heavy cover.

 

[ricebasher302]

For me, it has alot to do with the type of habitat they're in. In Wyoming, I grew up hunting whitetail on a nice small piece of land with alfalfa and a brushy creek bottom. It was always a challenge, but I never had to take anything smaller than a mature 4x4. Right now, I'm living in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Hunting whitetail in oak and ponderosa forest is brutal, especially if it's dry. I've never been a stand hunter, so stalking is terrible. I've hunted mule deer in the mountains and on the prairie. It's a whole different ballgame. Not really harder, just different. And of course, hunting one particular animal of either species if they're old and smart is very challenging. I have no experience with blacktail. I voted for whitetail, though, because shots may be longer on mule deer, but they'll often stop when spooked to give you a shot. It happened for me this weekend!

 

[41magsnub]

It is terrain dependent. I hunt both around Great Falls and I think whitetail are easier. The reason is around here they are in the trees, I just go plop my butt down next to a tree on the downwind edge of a small wood and wait for one to walk by.

Mule deer I have to go chase around the coulees unless I am after does, then I can just wait till close to dusk and shoot one in a field across the hood of the truck.

I've never hunted blacktail so I can't speak on that.

 

[blackops]

Blacktails will sneak around a hunter, never run far

Sneak around? Can't say I've seen that. From my experience they don't "sneak around" anything. If they spot you they feel threatened. They show you their backside and you never see them again. Never run far? They must have different tendencies where you hunt my friend. I've seen them clear an entire canyon after getting spooked and in less than 5 minutes at that.

 

[H&Hhunter]

Coues deer and big mature Mule deer.

I've never hunted blacktail.

 

[The Bushmaster]

Blackops. Washington state. Mostly in the Snoqualmie River basin northeast of Northbend and White (Bluet) Pass.

Yes...I've seen them clear a ridge in minutes. But I've also watched a 4 point (10 point for you in the midwest) work around a hunter then lay down behind the hunter. He made my freezer after the hunter was safely away...

 

[MCgunner]

I've hunted both. There are places where one can actually spot and stalk whitetails, out in the desert of West Texas, but like the Blacktails you speak of, they are heavy cover animals by nature. It's amazing how they can disappear in the desert unless the rut is on. I really prefer the mulie hunting I've done because it's spot and stalk, not just sitting in a stand dozing off waiting for a buck to walk by. I do mostly waterfowl hunting during the season anymore because deer hunting bores me. But, I do think a whitetail buck, a mature one, is harder than mulie by a country mile just due to terrain and the way they usually have to be hunted. Big racked mulies are intellegent, though, and didn't get to be the boss hoss by being stupid. Still, you CAN SEE out where they are. LOL Hell, I'd move to New Mexico if it weren't for my life long affection for waterfowl hunting. As it is, I'm planning a travel trailer and out of state license purchases in my future. LOL

 

[blackops]

bush,

that is very interesting. Guess there is a first time for everything. Glad you ended up taking him.

mcgun,

I like just west of you. A paticular place in Arizona I have found to have great mule deer.