NJheadhunter71

Is it me or does it seem like the deer huntingcommunity views whitetails as beingsuperior animal to hunt and a better trophy. You see way more whitetail videos from all the major hunting people as opposed to mulie vids. Guided hunt costs are about the same though.

hakurt

I live in Idaho where we have both Mule Deer and Whitetails. They are both a challenge. It may be a numbers thing but I would say harvesting a huge mule deer is more of a challenge than a huge whitetail. Now that I have said that, I admit I have never harvested a huge buck of either type.

hakurt
God's Country Camouflage

ipscshooter

I suspect it's a numbers game. There are a lot more whitetails, a lot more area of whitetail habitat, and a lot more whitetail hunters.

NJheadhunter71

Asa taxidermist andin my opinion I can say a whitetail mount almost always looks "prettier" than a mule deer mount. But generallyI like the racks better on a mulie. I think it is because of the banding on the whitetail that makes it a better looking mount. Just my opinion though.

huntingson

The answer is simple. The whitetail deer is the #1 most popular big game species to hunt.Reason is most people can hunt whitetails in their home state.

younggun308

Ditto!

zrexpilot

Yep. just like bass fishing.

stuckinthereeds

Whitetails are more common throughout the country. I think it just comes down to a numbers game; more whitetails, more whitetail hunting.

Icetrey

Whitetails are more plentiful and are found in more environments than mulies.Which allows more people to hunt them than mulies.

SST

I've hunted both. A nice buck in either subspecies makes for a nice trophy, but whitetails are definitely superior to mule deer. When both subspecies are indigenous to the same area and compete for the same feeding plots and breeding grounds, the whitetail always becomes dominant. That's why whitetail herds are growing and mule deer herds are shrinking.

Because of where mule deer live, shots tend to be longer, on average. Getting close enough to take a true trophy can be tough in relatively open terrain.

Perhaps because they encounter natural enemies, including man, more frequently and at closer distances than mule deer, whitetails are craftier. They aren't spooked any easier than mule deer, but they've learned to be wary almost all the time. They are very curious animals, however, and outsmarting them or simply piquing their curiousity can make them susceptible to being tagged by a wily hunter.