Advice ?

[texscala]

Well this is my first year hunting and I was able to draw a NE buck tag for Utah. I understand that hunting can be difficult and very crowded in the area. I am an avid outdoorsman and mountanineer and am quite sure I can get higher than most people are willing. I have already made plans for my brother and one other friend to come along in hopes there will be a deer to carry out. My question is what kind of things do I need to be looking for on a topo map. Water is obviosly important, but what about cover, should I look for a meadow. I don't want a spot named just an idea of a place where I can expect to find a few bucks come October.

Thanks,

If you really want to help I can sed you the topo I am looking into and you could give me some ideas. The area I am thinking of has a mountain just over 10400 and seems quite isloated to anything other than foot traffic.

[wyomingtrophyhunter]

WOW, WHAT A QUESTION !!

Ok, guys, step up to the plate and help this pilgrim out.

Tex, I will give you my two cents worth, having hunted mule deer for many years but never in Utah:

Obviously, everything needs a drink of water. Some of the finest deer I have seen, however, have been in areas that were 25 miles removed from water, or at least known water holes that might show up on a topo. There are usually a few seep-holes that will carry a limited deer population even in the most arid regions. Muleys are also not allergic to traveling many miles to get to water. It is my understanding that they do not need water everyday.

The terrain factor is even less forgiving: look for crooks and crannies and swedge holes and deep ravines on your topo. Not that meadows are a bad place necessarily, but muleys like to hide and feel hidden; open spots do not often contribute to that feeling. And since they eat pratically everything except rocks, a lush meadow as opposed to sage and short, thin grass will not necessarily lure them in.

The higher the altitude is not always better either, depending on the weather, temperature, and time of year. Muleys move down in colder weather; I don't really know how to tell you to guage it either. They are where you find them.

The main factor in hunting muleys, at least in my experience, is having some good optics (binoculars and spotting scope) and the patience to spend endless hours glassing the terrain. They are literally like ghosts and will appear and disappear right before your eyes !!

Practice shooting your rifle at increased distances, perhaps out to 400 yards. If you cannot shoot consistently and accurately at that range, back off to a range that you can. Then practice, practice, and practice at all ranges you are comfortable with. Then practice some more. And some more. And some more.

And practice your stalking skills. On rough terrain. On rock piles. On steep slopes. In thick brush. You usually have to position yourself for an appropriate shot and it is rarely easy or convenient.

The best thing you can do, however, is to go scout the area you will be hunting well before the season opens. Look for the deer, learn his habits, and then hunt that deer if he is one you desire to take.

As always, my advice and a dollar bill will buy a cup of coffee.

OK, fellers, jump in here and help this guy.........and feel free to offer me some correction where I may have steered him wrong !!

[texscala]

thanks dude. I have already planned my second scouting trip. I will keep trying to learn more.

[WYMULEYMAN]

I agree with every word wyomingtrophyhunter has told you, just from what I have read and been told by him he is quite the muley guy. He spends time hunting them there crazy mulies here in wyoming! In my experience my best success has always been contributed to one thing, and that is to be out there. You are not going to kill a deer sitting in a lawn chair drinking beer at camp. Honestly me, my dad, his hunting buddy have taken countless animals while others are already liquored up in camp. Not that you sound like that type of person. But you need to be to your designated spot well before, and I mean an hour, light. And you need to be there until it is so dark you can't see your hand if you put it in front of your face. If you are afraid of the dark you have choosen to hunt an animal that is not going to show his face except for those few moments before or after the sun has set/risen. you just got to put in the time and effort.

To add on what wyomingtrophyhunter has already said, mule deer will live in trees, in meadows, and on the desert. But within there chosen range these deer can hide. They will not jump unless they feel pressure, the bigger the deer the more true this is. To me weather is not a big factor mainly because i do not depend on hunting deer on there summer range or there winter range or even there transition range. The weather here in wyoming could be 20 degrees snowing one morning and by 9 a.m. that same morning it could be 60 degrees. So playing a muley by the weather in wyoming is near impossible. i am not familar with utah but I am sure that is the norm in utah as well. Unless you are hunting a later season, then all things change.

Wyomingtrophyhunter has hit the nail on the head when he told you to get some optics and use them. If you can't use your optics for four to five hours without getting a headache I would suggest purchasing some that don't. I typically will spend four to five hours in the morning glassing and then move and glass some more. I spend 90% of my entire day while hunting glassing. Through the years I have learned to pick a deer out of the deepest cover pretty successfully and not every one can do it. That is because they don't spend enough time glassing. Mulies will surprise you how sneaky they are. One second they will stick out lick a turd in a bucket of milk and the next second they have vanished right before your eyes. I SAY IT AGAIN, MULE DEER CAN AND WILL HIDE IN ANY COVER THEY CAN FIND AND NOT ONLY WILL THEY BUT THEY WILL VERY WELL.

[ABert]

I have to say all the good advice you can get on your topic has already been stated. In my experiences mule deer can be found just about anywhere the habitat will support them and that they like. I've had success in the lower draw systems coming off the mountains and up high. The best advice is to scout as much as possible. If there is a food source, such as a crop field, the deer should be traveling between that and normally up high. Same if there is a good water source. Thing about muleys, in my experience, is they very seldom show up the same exact spot two days in a row. They will stay in the area but I have yet to find one bedded down in the same spot or take the same route. Good luck with your hunt and submit a picture when you do get that big boy.

[wyomingtrophyhunter]

HEY TEX:

These guys are shooting you straight. Muleyman has hit on the really key aspect and that is getting out there. Too many guys who don't have "good luck" hunting muleys are like the ones he referred to. Yeah, the comraderie of sitting around the fire with your buddies is great and if you primarily go to "deer camp" for that experience that is fine. I personally enjoy that aspect of the overall experience, but I have found that even staying up late at night dramatically affects my hunting success. I like to get out there in the pitch dark and stay until the pitch dark. Bleary eyes and constant yawning does not enhance my hunting skills. And after a few days of little sleep, the fatigue factor is overwhelming and my game suffers.

Don't get me wrong: I like to cut up as much (maybe more) as anyone. We usually save all those hi-jinx for after everyone is tagged out. When that happens, those folks over at "Ralff's" or "The Boot" better look out !!

Knowledge of the game pursued, good hunting skills, discipline, and persistence are what's required for a successful hunt, regardless where you go.

Oh yeah, better toss in a good measure of luck !!

[texscala]

I really apreciate all the advice. I am an avid outdoorsman and think I will be successful this year. I am not looking for a huge trophy, just a buck. I am more interested in the experience than a huge rack.

Do yall recomend staying put or stalking, or a bit of both? I was thinking about staying in the same place from dawn to about 9 or 10 and then stalking from 10 until 3 or 4 and then waiting again untill dusk.

what do yall think

Thanks

[wyomingtrophyhunter]

I guess I have to classify "stalking" into two distinctly different manuevers:

1. What I call "slipping" is used to change location or to reach a better vantage point for the purpose of spotting game. Sometimes this results in jumping up game in the process. I try to take 3 or 4 quiet steps and stop for a couple of minutes before taking 3 or 4 more steps. While this may seem tedious and slow, one can cover a fair amount of ground in a couple of hours and get a view of once-hidden fingers, gullies, etc.

2. True "stalking" is what I call making the approach on an animal for the best shot, after the animal has been sighted. This requires various considerations of terrain, wind and sun direction, altitude, etc. Sometimes the stalk can literally run into endless hours over the course of several miles.....lots of times to the point of no success.

Both techniques are exciting for me when hunting muleys out West as it is impossible to hunt whitetails here in Ar-kin-saw using these methods. We generally still-hunt in tree stands and wait for the deer to come to us. About the only place slipping and stalking is possible is in the swamps down here where there are large cypress and tupelo trees and very little underbrush. One can see for some distance and move quietly through the water wearing hip boots or waders. I actually walked right up to a deer one time and was able to put my rifle muzzle to the back of its head; the deer never knew I was there due to a perfect combination of wind, water, sunlight, and shadows. That probably ain't gonna happen out on the rockpiles where muleys hang, but a good stalk is as likely as not to be necessary to get in proper position for an appropriate shot to be taken. When that is the case, have patience my son.................or be prepared to run your butt off trying to head him off. It can happen both ways in the blink of an eye. You never know how the strategy of the game will change on you during the stalk.

Hey, the experience is the enjoyment for me. If I don't score a kill that is OK. A good stalk on an animal is as exciting as calling in a bunch of greenheads or a big gobbler. The match of primal wits is what turns me on.

I sometimes think that today's sportsman loses sight of what the thrill is all about. All these filmed hunts you see on TV emphasize the kill. I am concerned that we will soon replace the term "hunting" with just "killing".

Or maybe I am just getting to old and lazy to pack those bomber-bodied muleys out of the canyons.............