kshunter

Kansas has mule deer, but the aren't really any around my area. I've always wanted to hunt mulies, and mulies and give them whitetails a little rest. So I'm thinking about going a little west and trying for them next year. But I've never hunted the deer. So how are they different to hunt than whitetails? I only thing I've seen is from T.V. hunting for muleys.
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coloradojones

I've hunted both and, to me, the biggest difference between white tails and muleys is that white tails are much more of a patterned animal. They tend to re-use the same trails, rubs, etc. and that is why it is often effective to hunt them from a treestand. Muleys are difficult to pattern. They tend to use larger areas and can often be found in fairly open country. I don't know anyone who hunts muleys from a treestand. In my opinion (I know I'll probably get some flak on this), muleys are much more difficult to hunt with a bow and arrow. They're just very difficult to get close enough to. For rifle hunting, I think it would be a toss-up between the two. Each presents its' own unique set of challenges.

BIGGUN300

UNLESS YOU ARE HUNTING PRIVATE PROERTY AND THE LAND OWNER PUTS YOU IN A "GOOD STAND" THEN YOU ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE SPOT AND STALK OR STILL HUNTING. MY ADVICE TO YOU IS GO DEEP, ON PUBLIC LAND ALL GAME SPIECIES COME UNDER HUMAN PRESSURE. IF YOU WANT THE BIGGUN GO FURTHER THAN THE GUY THAT WAS THERE BEFORE YOU. GO EARLY... GO HIGH... GO HARD. IF THE SPOT YOU ARE HUNTING WAS EASY TO GET TO, THEN YOU CAN BE SOMEONE HAS BEEN THERE ALREADY.

CERTIFIED GUN NUT--

Cliff_N_Di

I know that here in Utah our family does most of its Mule deer hunting from tree stands placed around water holes and bedding areas.
Ive never heard of anybody from around here who has ever used grunt tubes or rattling antlers like you can with whitetail deer.
Most the bigger bucks tend to hang out in bachlor herds right up until the rut begins.
And dont belive everything you hear about the biggest buck hanging out in the high country, I have seen the biggest bucks in my life in the desert where we hunted last season. 5x5 bucks all over the place on this unit we were lucky enough to draw.

Dianna

Howler

I've found that mulies can be hunted much like a white tail, but in few locations.In other words, the mulie can be hunted from a tree stand, but most likely will be on private property with crop fields near by.It's true they don't have the habit of the white tail in respect to using the same trails on a regular basis to get to and from bedding and food source.A close friend of mine shot his mule buck this year from a tree stand, and he used a Montana doe decoy to bring him in, and last year he got one by grunting him into bow range.I think grunting and rattling, in general, don't work as well do to the low buck to doe ratios found with most mule deer herds.I also agree, that most mule deer hunting will be spot and stalk, and in the plains of Colo., this can be a very challenging, heart breaking, and rewarding hunt, at least for me it has been.I think in the right areas, spot and stalk could be done on a regular basis, in the area where I hunt, there is very little ground cover, so belly crawling was a normal occurance to have a speck of hope of closing the distance for bow range.If ya plan on rifle hunting, things would be a bit easier, they do seem to have the bad habit of stopping and looking back much of the time, after being spooked.

MThunter

I have found that young mule deer are fairly easy targets because they have a tendency to stand and look at you. The big ones are always going to be a pain and as mule deer become more and more popular they are just going to get harder to get. The hardest big game animal to get in Montana right now is probably a big mule deer. I'm only talking about the western half of the state but they will go in to country elk are afraid to go and then they get really really big. What ever you do don't look at a 30 incher from the back because you will be looking for a new set of drawers. lol

THE DEER SLAYER

muleys are usally out in the open and whitetails are in cover.

Scanr1

In states like Nevada, we don't have tall forests to put a stand in. You climb up on a hill and glass for them then pop'em when you get in range.

charlie brown

Here in NV, we (my dad and I) have gotten mosr of our deer between 8 am and about 3 pm. Only one has come after that, and none before. It seems that the deer usually become a little less warry in the middle of the day and won't spook as easily with less hunting pressure. You just have to be able to work around them to get in range. Two years ago, I got within 75 yards of my deer during the late rifle season. We spotted him in a depression, walked about 1/2 mile in the other direction and then walked across the river and up the other side of the mountain, then crawled the last 200 yards or so to the ridge above the depression he was in. Last year we just got lucky, and had both mine and my dad's deer walk and run right to us. You never know what to expect, so its best to stay out all day long, and keep your head on a turret, they seem to just crawl out of the woodwork sometimes.