What is the smartest Big Game animal to hunt and why?

I will toss in my vote for big Mule deer. They usually run alone or with another big buck. They bed in some nasty areas with great visibility and usually know their escape routes. Unlike Elk, they don't rely on the females to "lead the way". I grew up hunting mulies and have actually seen them "crawl" to sneak away. I've seen it twice and was amazed that an animal would do suck a thing. I've also seen them "double back" on pushers or when pressure wants them to go one direction, etc.

If we are including all game animals I would have to vote for the mountain lion and the wolf a close second. How many cats do you think would be harvested each year with out the aid of dogs?

Predators of all kinds have to have the ability to reason and think about what they are doing and going to do. They don't just run on instinct like prey animals do.

i would say mule deer too, but i am going to try for a coues buck this winter, and i've heard that they are the baddest. can't wait

I don't think any big game animals are what I would call "smart".

Now some are very good at "survival skills" and in some instances that means avoiding human hunters. Any animal that lives in an area that is hunted a lot by a lot of human hunters must learn a lot of "tricks" to stay off the meat pole. Probably white tails are more likely to be in such situations. So a white-tail living in an area with very high hunting pressure and surviving several years might be considered "smart"

Robin

I would say any mature buck 4-1/2 years old or older. Mule deer, Whitetail or Blacktail, I don't think it matters? Any mature buck got that way with some luck & survival skills learned along the way.

My question is why have deer not evolved enough to stay off of the hiway? How many of them get ran over every year & they never seem to wise up?

A cougar takes the cake in my opinion. A mature mulie buck takes a solid second. Like BowElk, I too have seen them crawl out of hunters and double back.

Muleys

The Huge Buck I have been Bowhunting starting the 3rd year. He lives in a piece of ground that allows NO HUNTING of any kind but does cross into a section of public ground I know of. I got at 1/2 draw last year b/4 he decided to go another way. I only see him during Rut & after season closes. Good luck to all this season.

Almost any mature animal is extremely witty and wise IMO. Had bull elk scream at me less than 50 yards in the thickest briars, mule deer and whitetail bucks vanish or even crawl out & Bull moose give me the old around the back and vanish without a sound (now tell me how an animal in excess of 1000lbs can sneak away without any sound). All summed up to chasing mature animals leaves me speechless and in awe every year.

Always guessing is what keeps me coming back for more. Just when I think I have them figured out, they throw me yet another curve ball! Man I love this sport.