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For the best place to find mule deer, pick a good vantage point and look to the shade. Mulies typically favor the shade, but don’t let that keep you from glassing into every possible location. As you plan out when and where to glass, consider where the mule deer spends most of their time living.
How hard is it to hunt mule deer?
Though hunting mature mule deer is difficult, it can be one of the most rewarding animals to hunt. They truly can live in any habitat, have strong survival instincts and are constantly on the move. Hunt hard and follow these basic tips and you will be into more bucks this fall than ever before.
How do you hunt doe mule deer?
Tips for a successful mule deer hunt during any season Find the correct habitat. The perfect habitat for mule deer depends 100% on the region. A vantage point is key. Whenever you are hunting mule deer, the hardest part is finding them. Hunt all-day. Slow down. Do not get hung up on scouting.
What is the best gun for mule deer?
270 Winchester is arguably the best caliber for deer in North America. The 270 Winchester Short Magnum (270 WSM) fires the same . 277” diameter projectiles as the . 270 Winchester, but the 270 WSM has a shorter and fatter case that can hold a little more powder.
Where do you find big mule deer bucks?
Mule deer bucks, especially in the rut, love to lay up in tiny folds between hills, timber pockets, and little creek drainages you didn’t know were there. Hiking hard from Point A to Point B with your head down and legs swinging is the best way I know to run every good buck out of your zone.
What is mule deer favorite food?
Grasses and grain crops are choice foods for mule deer. The green forage of bluegrass, cheatgrass, needlegrass and other grasses, oats, rye, and wheat are attractive wherever available in late fall, winter, and early spring.
How do I attract mule deer to my property?
For variety and winter cover, you can mix in a few pines or cedars. Provide minerals. Maybe you’re fortunate enough to have a natural mineral site on your property. Add water. Create or enhance staging areas. Add shrubs and vines. Build big buck bedding cover. Create a thermal refuge. Plant oaks. Give them fruit.
Are mule deer harder to hunt than whitetail?
Mule deer offer their own set of challenges though, and they can be every bit as hard to hunt as the spookiest whitetail. Because whitetails are so keyed in to human hunting activities, most whitetail hunters employ ambush and stand hunting tactics to kill them.
Where do mule deer like to bed down?
Mule deer often bed down on the leeward side of any roll in the topography, so keep this in mind as move across the land.
Where do mule deer bucks hide?
Thickets along stream corridors and brushy dry washes are also popular hides. Bedded deer tend to watch for danger approaching from below; so stalking from above affords the hunter an advantage. My first big muley buck was taken by bow at close range as he bolted from his bed.
Is 308 good for deer?
308 Winchester is a good caliber for hunting deer, pronghorn, elk, moose and bear. 308 Winchester will usually tell stories of how well the caliber does as a sniper rifle out to 700 yards and sometimes beyond.
What caliber is best for deer hunting?
Best Caliber for Deer Hunting 7mm-08 Remington. 280 Remington. 7mm Remington Magnum. 30-30 Winchester. 308 Winchester. 30-06. 300 Winchester Magnum. You might be surprised by the number of hunters that use the 300 as their primary deer rifle. An exceptional round for long range, it gives no quarter in performance on whitetail.
What is the most powerful hunting rifle caliber?
950 JDJ (the world’s largest rifle cartridge).
How do you attract mule deer bucks?
Look for water, especially water that doesn’t show up on other people’s maps. From a good vantage point, get behind a tripod and scope and stay in the glass for the first three hours of the day. Glass the feeding areas and then bedding areas.
How far do mule deer travel?
Migration routes can be well over 100 miles in length, and function not only as travel corridors, but also as important foraging habitats 9. The longest documented mule deer migration is over 240 miles from winter range in the Red Desert of Wyoming to summer range near Island Park, Idaho.
What is the gestation period for a mule deer?
Mule deer are serially polygynous, one buck mates with many does. Gestation period is about 200 days. Does can give birth to one, two, or three fawns, though triplets are rare. Fawns are born in late spring to mid-summer and are spotted at birth but loose their spots within a few months.
What is a deer’s favorite smell?
Doe urine in the liquid form is probably the most common attractant scent used by deer hunters. It is good for calming deer’s nerves and piquing their curiosity, since it simulates a new deer in the area. Since it is a common smell in the woods, it very seldom scares deer—bucks or does.
Do mule deer need water every day?
Mule deer, like most large mammals, need water almost daily. Over the course of a 24-hour period, they gulp approximately 4 quarts–more during oppressive autumn heat. In the Southwest, the opportunity for water-hole encounters increases given the scarcity of water.
What attracts deer the most?
Food Plots Plants that typically attract deer include red clover, chicory, and orchard grass. Certain high-protein crops, such as peas, soybeans, turnips, alfalfa, sorghum, kale, or corn, are also attractants that the animals enjoy feeding on. Deer like the nutritious nuts that come from chestnuts and acorns as well.
