rtread

All my life I've hunted whitetails....I'm now hunting mule deer out of state and seeing the differences with them and whitetailsinseveral ways. How many on here bow hunt mule deer regularly? What major differences do you observe with them and whitetails....as far as habits, traits (such as the rut, grunts and such), difficulties in hunting, etc. Anything you can provide appreciated.

utah300rum

I have only hunted whitetail once, but have hunted alot of mule deer. I also watch the Outdoor channel way too much acording to my wife. So I see alot of whitetail on that.

The major differences that I would say are that you cannot call in mule deer with calls, gruntsor rattles. You will either spot and stalk or set up and wait near water or an active trail. The most successful way is usually spot and stalk, this is very difficult but a lot of fun. Most guys will "put a buck to bed" they will glass all morning until they find a nice buck then watch him until he beds down. Most bucks will bed down two or three times before settling for the day so this can take a while. Then if it is possible they start a stalk this can take several hours so a second guy to stay back and man the spotting scope is crutial just in case the buck moves.

Most mule deer seem to travel further than whitetail, their range will change with the season miles and miles apart. My inlaws land is great for the early hunts, small 22-24 inch bucks everywhere with a few nice 30+ bucks, from July thru the midle of Oct. By the rut in Late Nov. you cant even finda deerto save your life. They just dissapear in about a two week period. They usually travel in small bachelor herds up until the rut. Then the smaller bucks seem to stay together but the bigger go solitary in search of does.

What state and what time of year are you hunting also are you hunting desert or mountain areas? That may affect your hunting style dramatically. Try to talk with people who hunt that area, that is always nice since deer habits differ greatly in mountain areas verses desert and just area to area.

rtread

Thanks for the info utah300rum. I'll be hunting private land near Ruidoso, NM. I've gun hunted there with success, this being my first bow hunt year. The unit I'm hunting has two seasons....Sept. 1-16 then another season about the second week in January if you didn't get a buck in the first season. As I've said, I have gun hunted and noticed the mule deer aren't as skittish as whitetails and they are much noisier. I generally hear them kicking rocks on the mountainside before I see them. Whitetails are amazing how they just "appear"....you scan and scan, all of a sudden you are wondering where in the heck he came from. Mule deer seem to be different in that respect.
I recently observed mule deer from a tree blind I built....I heard them grunting. It's interestingthey won't come to a grunt call. Will it make a buck stoplong enough to get a shot off? That's the kind of info I'm looking for... thx a lot!

utah300rum

I think mule deer ar louder mainly due to terrain usually beingvery rocky, alsothey usually see or smell predators very early several yards away so they are not as jumpy. If you hunt heavy pines or brush they just pop out, the cover stops the noise from traveling.This also depends alot on the area and hunting pressure thay have seen. Most trophy bucks will go nocturnal at the first sign of pressure in most areas.

I have traveled to the south and the cover is so dense I now understand whymany guys only have a fews pins or only practice 20 yards. Thats as far as you can see and there is no way you can shoot thru that cover.

I have also heard people say mule deer are dumb because they will bounce off then turn to look back, but a friend of mine said whitetail do that too you just usually cant see them when they stop to look back. As for popping out of no where I have seen many good sized buck appear then dissapear on a "bare" mountainside.

Where did you hear the bucks grunt? I have neverheard one unless it wasfighting. I have heard a doe bleet but mainly when spooked ( when I slapped it on the butt with my belt) Maybe in areas with whitetail they pick up on being more verbal? I carry a cow elk call to stop the bucks, it seems to work without spooking most of the time.

Muliefever

For the most part I agree with utah!! But you can call in mule deer! Expecially during the rut.. All you need to do is have a buck following some does. Then you are in! Just throw in some doe bleats and here come the does! They like to be with each other. So it works out well... You call in the does, and shoot the buck! Works well in Idaho!!! Good luck!

Elkcrazy8

I agree with muliefever. I have heard tons of buck grunting going on in the mule deer rut. I called a nice buck in for a guy last year. Several times I have heard them before I saw them. This was in the first 2 weeks of november. As november passes, the vocalizations tend to die down, and the area I hunt starts to get some weather. I hunt a large migration route. As the season wears on I will hunt the areas that the large heards of does are working. I will try to get to the trail as soon as I can. Usually I will catch several bucks trailing only minutes behind. I will sit around 20 yards uphill from the trail that the does walked, and will be positioned perfect for the passing buck. Mulie bucks will be pretty noctournal almost all year. The need to participate in the rut will draw them out for a breif period. This for me is the best chance at bagging a nice buck. If it is earlier than I stated, then find them on the bed. Mule deer won't pattern like a white-tail. They are nomadic as stated in the earlier post. One mulie buck can travel large areas in search of migrating "hot" does.

rtread

utah300rum ....The last week in May I built a deer blind (platform) in a pinion pine tree and thrashed around for the better part of threedays....made a lot of noise. I got up in the blind when I finished and sat till darkthirty....eight mule deer were grazing within 30 yards of me for a good while and two were bucks in velvet. Sometimes they were in full view, most of the time on the other side of the tree. I heard numerous grunts within the group but wasn't sure if it was the bucks or does grunting. The next morning I was in the blind at daylight and a doe, nubbin buck andan olderbuck in velvet got right under my tree. They were grunting softly at each other. When the nubbin buck started acting silly running around and making racket, the old doe grunted louder, I think as a warning.
I appreciate all information! Does anyone know when the rut starts in South Central New Mexico? And about how long it lasts?

utah300rum

I cant believe I have not heard mule deer grunt like you guys describe. I have heard them during a fight but not before. In Utah there arent many hunts during the rut, all are before Nov. except a few archery only areas but they get hit very hard during the rut. I have mainly seen deer just stomp their feet as a warning. Now its driving me nuts I willhave to really try to go out during the rut and listen better. Around here depending on weather its the end of Nov. when the big boys come out to play, some smaller buck seem to start a little early. Last year a heavy storm in the end of Oct. seemed to push is up a little. I dont know about NM, I would guess about the same or alittle later since the northern mountain and southern desert deer here start about the same even though the temperatures are quite different.