Traveling Fur Hunter

I'm going to hunt mule deer bucks this fall. There are small canyons and mountains, with some cheat grass meadows. There's sage brush and it's sort of deserty. I'll be hunting during the rut. I'll use a buck grunt, so how do I need to use the call? Do I keep calling and then use the rattle horns, or just now and then? All other advice welcome.
Thanks

NebBuckHunter

I use calls very sparingly. I've never been too sold on them. I've had deer come into them, and I've had them turn ail and run. Ibsen my experience, I use they very little. I do rattle from time to time though...

Traveling Fur Hunter

What does the rattling do? Bring another buck in to fight?

Topgun 3006

Either that or to steal the doe they think the fight may be over!

Mojotex

I have "spot and stalk" hunted mule deer many times. Not much cover on the properties that I had permission to hunt. Some cedar filled draws, a few narrow creek bottoms .... but mostly open grass land.

I always have hunted during the mid November time frame. This seems to be about when the does are in heat and the bucks are bumping them hard, if not full fledged chasing them. The first two hunts I used a well thought of guide. The others were "self guided". He did not use a call of any type. Neither have I. Not sure if it would help.

My suggestion is that if not already, you start saving up and buy the best binoculars that your budget will allow. You cannot get "too good" a set. If you hunt the way that I did, spot and stalk, you will spend hours and hours behind the binos. Often times all I was able to spot were antlers above the brush, or a leg midst the scrubby cedars, or an ear, or the top edge of a back against a bolder .... and usually I was spotting at rather long distances where detecting detail is an absolute premium.

Not sure what shooting skills that you have. I'd go prepared for 400 yard shots. But frankly the longest shot I have ever had to take was about 325. And only once. All others have been under 250. Some under 100. I spent a lot of time and energy trying to close to within 150 and was successful most of the cases.

The other unexpected thing that I encountered was the bitterness of the cold. Coming from the south, near 0F temperatures with snow falling "horizontally" in 20+ mph winds was a whole new deal. One time I went up there it was almost 60F in the day time and never got below 30F. Another time I was there, the the high for the first day I hunted was 3F and the low was -23F four days later. So do your research ahead of time and be prepared.


I did a ton of walking. A good pair of boots in my opinion is a must. Some of where I was was covered in prickly pears. All of it .... the ground was uneven and often I was stalking traveling on very steep hillsides. Don't go "cheap" on the boots.

Good luck.

redgreen

Stick to stalking the canyons and you will find them bedded and standing in there somewhere.

Traveling Fur Hunter

In the bottom of the canyon or on the hillside or both?

Mojotex

I have found them and killed in both, but by far mostly on the hillsides, bedded facing downhill with the wind at their back.

Try not to sky-line yourself. Stay as low, even crawl, to the edge to take a look see.

I found several nice bucks bedding near the junipers (cedars ?) that had grown up in the hillside washes or laying near groups of boulders.

deepcreek

glass under the rims aaand high up where the sun hits first.you need good glass good boots good rifle and be a good shot.if you cant hit what your aiming at your just wasteing your time.

redgreen

Both. They lay in the thickets, send out the does and hold, quite often. I have lost count of how many I have shot after the does depart the area.