Spot and Stalk for Muleys
 

Has anybody ever tried spot and stalk for muleys? After years of grouse hunting in the sandhills and walking up on bedded deer I decided to try it 3 years ago. I stalked up on a doe my first deer hunt everand stuck her at 20 yards. It was really exciting. Now I know Mule Deer are considered dumb compared to whitetails and are not considered to be as much of a challenge, but spot and stalk with a bow is tough. The last two years have been frustrating though. Most of the time they will spook and take off running and never offer a shot. Sometimes after getting up and taking off, they will stop and look, but then its tough to quickly try and judge yardage. I am preferring now to strictly hunt whitetails from a treestand. I still have that dream of arrowing a big mule deer buck though.

RE: Spot and Stalk for Muleys
 

All the time! I have killed a couple decent bucks back in Idaho. There is nothing easy about it that's for sure.

RE: Spot and Stalk for Muleys
 

I love hunting mulies via spot and stalk. There is nothing easy about sneaking up on a big mature buck. Stay after it, you'll get him!

RE: Spot and Stalk for Muleys
 

A big mulie is a higher goal for me than a big whitetail. Spot and stalk isnt easy. Mulies still have a deers vision, nose, bigger ears, etc....they can detect you just as easily as a whitetail, its just mulies are often curious from what I've read, giving hunter's a fake impression of being dumb. Big bucks won't be dumb, and you wont be able to slip up any. Either way they wont be curious within bow range, lol.

Best of luck and post up pics when you arrow him. I agree spot and stalk is a rush, and I'd take 3 days of it over 4-5 days in a treestand or blind, any day of the week.

RE: Spot and Stalk for Muleys
 

Ive done it before. Not easy with a bow, but very rewarding. For some reason though I have great luck of seeing great mule deer at 10yrds when im working on bringing in Elk. But as soon as I stop Elk hunting and start Mule deer hunting it never happens. Its tuff but worth it

RE: Spot and Stalk for Muleys
 

That's what's funny...When I'm hunting for sharptail grouse with no scent blocker and a shotgun in my hand, I have walked up on big bucks in brush. Then when I am muley hunting with scent blocker and my bow being all quiet and slow, I can't get near the bucks..how ironic.

RE: Spot and Stalk for Muleys
 

Here you go. this mule deer hung around while i was trying to get this 5X5 bull to come up out of the timber.

This Muley is a 5X6, he is wider then the pic shows. I took the picture cause he was just hanging around. Had a way bigger one do the same thing the previous day.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b224/crenshawjohnson/IMG_0091.jpg

RE: Spot and Stalk for Muleys
 

Man I would love to do that again, did it a little as a teen and was unsucessful.. Killed a couple nice ones with rifle but never a bow.. We do have some great mulies here, I just get so wrapped up in Whitetails.

RE: Spot and Stalk for Muleys
 

Cutem,

It sucks towing Mr. Murphy into the woods with you! I've been there too. I can darn near walk up to big bucks when I have my camera in hand. Drop the camera and pick up the bow, well, for some reason they know the rules have changed. Like lighting, they are out of there!

Do stay after it though! You'll get yours!

RE: Spot and Stalk for Muleys
 

My dream is to have a nice muley on the wall sometime in my lifetime and have worked pretty hard at getting a buck this year. The problem is I live 7hrs away from muley country. Ive gotten in 15 full days of hunting though, but so far the whitetail have been alot "dumber" then the muleys. Ive gotten closer to alot more whitetail in the same country including one buck that was 15yards from me while I was standing in a winter wheat field with almost zero camo. I did also put a nice 8pt whitetail on the ground in a spot and stalk scenerio this year with my bow during the gun season here in kansas. Ive still got a tag for a muley though and as soon as winter break begins ill be headed out there

RE: Spot and Stalk for Muleys
 

I'm considering trying to do it in CO next fall, if not maybe the year after....archery, early season.

That early season, high altitude worries me though. Not living there, and not being in olympic shape...

RE: Spot and Stalk for Muleys
 

Me too, except its looking like 3-4 years down the road for me.

What better motivation to get in shape is there? I have 8 months to get in shape for a very active hunt, everything is on foot in some pretty steep stuff. If you have a real life plan/goal to aim for, it is much easier to stay motivated while getting in shape.

If you start now, you can get yourself in plenty good shape for a hunt, might not be like walkin through the mall, but you can make it doable.

I want to try trips like this SOLEY for the challenge aspect...I find it, enticing....My first trip may show me other wise, but I HAVE to atleast try it.

RE: Spot and Stalk for Muleys
 

Windier the better, which is totally unlike stand hunting for whitetails.

Just a lot easier to put on a sneak when it's super windy. Of course that can affect your shooting range, but you can usually get closer too.

RE: Spot and Stalk for Muleys
 

I learned this in my 3 days of stalking too, excellent point.

Day 1 was by far the easiest, with 30-40 mph winds...noise non issue, steady wind meant scent is non issue, and brush/weeds blowing in wind conceals movement.

Day 2 was dead calm, not within bowrange one time.

Day 3, somewhat breezy, got it done but wasnt near as easy to get within range as the very windy day.

This was pronghorn, but same basics apply to all spot and stalk.

RE: Spot and Stalk for Muleys
 

It's not easy by no means...but it's the only way I hunt them in both Arizona and California...

RE: Spot and Stalk for Muleys
 

Yeah, if it's dead calm, your almost better off to spot them and then try and anticipate where they are going to go when they get up and setup a 'ambush'.

For example, if they are on a hillside above a creek/ravine, often times after a while, they will get up and mosey down towards the bottoms. Just gotta watch your thermals.

If it's early season and hot out, you can also try sitting water. I've had numerous bucks come in while hunting for antelope over water holes.