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Tips for Beginner Mule Deer Hunter?

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Tips for Beginner Mule Deer Hunter?

Postby bowman177 » 05 08, 2014 •  [Post 1]

Hey guys I am a youth mule deer hunter. I preferably use a bow but also a rifle. I was wondering if you guys have any tips on how to successfully harvest a mule deer buck with my bow. Also photos and past stories will be appreciated. Thanks... :)
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Re: Tips for Beginner Mule Deer Hunter?

Postby Steve G » 05 08, 2014 •  [Post 2]

Hello Dylan and welcome to the forum. I suppose it all depends on where you are hunting. For me, a California hunter, my first suggestion is to go high and keep an eye on the North facing slopes. Its hot during our archery and rifle seasons here and the deer like the cool elevations and shaded slopes. There is also less pressure up high unless there are roads going clear to the top. After you find your animal there is no substitute for keeping down wind and being patient.
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Re: Tips for Beginner Mule Deer Hunter?

Postby Gypsumreaper » 05 08, 2014 •  [Post 3]

I did that for my first archery hunt, I hunted 22 of the 30 day season, and harvested my buck on the 2nd to last day I could hunt and it was not how I wanted it done. I ended up finding a nice 4 point 30 yards off the road. I pursued him deeper into the trees to get away from the road I came through a small patch of pines an he was 30 yards away I shot and missed my nerves got to me on that one. So the buck took off and I pursued slowly one thing about mule deer is they usually won't go far until they really really feel dangered. I caught him holding In a small patch of new growth pines and let my next arrow fly. Shooting a mule deer on high alert is a dangerous game and he jumped forward and I hit him with a gut shot. I backed out and went back to the truck to let my hunting partner know. The buck ran down crossed the road and bedded 45 yards off. A forest service truck came by and spooked him up, he ran down and crossed the road again headed to a small gulch and held up under another tree. When the truck came around the bend he spooked good. I waited 6 hours to pursue him and he only way I knew he bedded twice was the blood. I later ran into the forest service guy who seen the buck both times an knew he was injured and told me what had happened. I stayed the night in the truck and looked all the next day. The blood stopped at the second bed and I was on my hands an knees searching. I had 2 days of work then the weekend I had off which was the last 2 days I could hunt. I got called in on the Saturday so that left me with Sunday. I searched and searched and found the small spike my buck was running with was alone so I knew mine was dead somewhere. I went back to the last blood and heard crows I followed he noise and found the carcass of my buck. I chased off a bear and 3 coyotes when I approached All I could harvest was the antlers. I swore I would never do it again. I was I experienced and archery was way different than rifle. This year I'm drawing another archery tag for Muleys and will play the game a little different. Muleys are quick when they do stop to look it's quick, but I found if ur moving they relax a little more it's when you stop and look around they get jittery. I have had many bucks held up in hard timber I couldn't see that I coulda walked right by til I stopped is when they busted out. Always look ahead and move slowly. Big deer don't give you much time so I found it best to have a "spotter" to check the range as I drew so I could cut time on that. Good luck to you and I hope you harvest one
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Re: Tips for Beginner Mule Deer Hunter?

Postby LckyTylr » 05 09, 2014 •  [Post 4]

Dylan, do you have the opportunity to do any pre-season scouting? Finding where the bucks hang out is half the battle for archery season. Rifle season, you need to know where the does hang out. So, if you can scout, try to find a bachelor group of bucks. They tend to hang out at the highest ridges that have water springs somewhere nearby. If you can find a very high ridge (in comparison to the other ridges around), find water within a few hundred yards of that ridge, and find a saddle in that ridge for the bucks to travel from one side of the ridge to the other . . . you will be in the bucks. Now it's time to find a good vantage point several hundred yards away to watch them from. You will want to learn their feeding habits, how do they use the saddle for traveling. Where do they feed. What time do they water, where do they bed after the eat and drink? Once you have a few of those things figured out, you will need to figure out what the predominant winds are doing at those times of the day. As the bucks are coming through the saddle (a great time to ambush them for a shot), which direction are the winds headed. Now that you have the winds nailed down, you are ready for the season. You can either lay in wait at one of the locations where the winds are favorable to an ambush, or you can watch from afar until you spot the bucks, and then make a game plan for a stalk. Three of the hardest things I had to learn during my path to a notched archery tag.

1) You can't fool a deer's nose, if the wind isn't right, back out and reposition.

2) When a buck is within 100 yards, you should already be set up, release on string, knowing range markers, positioned for a long sit, ice in your veins. You need to move at a snails pace most of the time to avoid visual detection, other times (when a buck walks behind a bush), you will need to capitalize quickly and draw while you can't be seen.

3) It can be frustrating to put all of this effort in for the preparation stages, and then during the season, the bucks are gone. They do that, they move in search of does. sometimes they move just to get away from each other. Don't worry, just look in new areas (generally lower on the mountain). Additionally, it's pretty frustrating to have opportunities that don't result in shots. I have been at full draw many many times before waiting for "just one more step" for the shot to be right. Those shots never came and I got frustrated. It's easy to fall victim to making unethical shots just because you REALLY want to kill a deer. Don't let yourself sink to that mindset, the quarry you hunt deserves a quick humane death, take good shots or no shot, but don't ever force it. It's hard to live with the guilt of wounding an animal.

Anyways, Archery is more fun (for me) than any other hobby that I do. I think about my next archery deer almost daily, where will it be, what will the story be like. You will truly enjoy this experience for the rest of your life. :-)
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Re: Tips for Beginner Mule Deer Hunter?

Postby bowman177 » 05 09, 2014 •  [Post 5]

Yes, I do have a lot of opportunity for pre-season scouting and we have pinpointed where at least 4 shooter bucks live. One is even a 206 inch 4x5. (We found the sheds) :D
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Re: Tips for Beginner Mule Deer Hunter?

Postby idahoghost » 05 09, 2014 •  [Post 6]

Okay I'll give this shot. I maybe be stating the obvious, but my two cents none the less.

Start before daylight. Get as high as you can, sit down and start glassing the area. I use 15X Canon Image Stabilized. If you see one, there are probably more you can't see. Try and get an idea which way they are feeding and if they are getting ready to bed down. Check the wind and plan your stalk. Follow Lckytylr advice. Watch for other deer during your stalk.. Nothing can ruin your plans like a spooked doe. If you can, let them come to you. The big bucks will be by themselves early in the season, the higher the better. Or at least in my experience hunting in Idaho.
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Re: Tips for Beginner Mule Deer Hunter?

Postby Migolito » 05 09, 2014 •  [Post 7]

Always keep the wind in your face...even if the 'best' looking deer area is the other way. If you're only seeing deer prints and no deer, they're smelling you.
Learn to walk sloooow. If your always seeing running deer, your walking too fast.
Learn to sit without moving around too much. If chipmunks/squirrels are chirping at you, your moving too much.
Never shoot a moving deer...unless he's already wounded. Wounding an animal is unethical. You did something wrong, you took a bad angle shot, the deer was too far or moving, you used inferior ammunition, you didn't practice enough, whatever-you did it. Learn from it and take it to heart, and don't do it again.
Hunt where other people aren't. Most folks 'hunt' on or next to a road where they camp. Walk in a mile and you'll usually be alone. I bivy hunt and see a lot of deer. Your gear doesn't need to be expensive to bivy hunt, just smart. You will see many, many more deer away from the easily reached places.

Archery: Set up targets in the woods at various angles/elevation. Stalk the targets and shoot them as if they were a deer. Evey single shot you take at a target should be as if it was a deer. This will ready you NOT to rush a shot.

Rifle: One shot, one kill. Learn where on the body to shoot a deer. Pick your maximum shooting distance and NEVER exceed it. At the range shoot prone, sitting, kneeling, standing, from a rest, etc. There's not many shooting tables in the woods.

Join the NRA and volunteer your time to a local outdoor organization. The more time spent in the woods, the more you will learn deer.
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Re: Tips for Beginner Mule Deer Hunter?

Postby ferris bugler » 05 09, 2014 •  [Post 8]

It's been said but SCOUT. Bucks like to follow patterns. Find their escape routes make a plan. Kill a deer.
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Re: Tips for Beginner Mule Deer Hunter?

Postby redtop » 10 07, 2014 •  [Post 9]

Same as been said so well already but I'll reconfirm it.
Scout
Glass a lot. Spend some days with a spotting scope from a long distance just observing your area if you can, be patient. Find their patterns.
Never ignore what the wind is doing
Move slow, even slower
Stop wait and be patient when you feel there might be a deer near.
Write down all your observations when you get home from hunting each day keep them and reread them each year. Bucks tend to be in the same places doing the same thing at the same time every year.
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Re: Tips for Beginner Mule Deer Hunter?

Postby pointysticks » 10 13, 2014 •  [Post 10]

dylan..

where exactly do you live? i would love to get a "youth" on my group tag if it helped my odds. hahahha


you live in the right state kid. off to a good start. never too young or early to start networking. join a bow range..be polite and dont act like an idiot. some older and more seasoned hunter may let you tag along if you act responsible. if you lived near me, i would take you along.. if you met certain responsibility thresholds i have set in my mind.

i did the same thing when i was a kid. my middle school principle called my mom and got permission to take me hunting. i blame him for my addiction.
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Re: Tips for Beginner Mule Deer Hunter?

Postby twinkieman » 10 16, 2014 •  [Post 11]

redtop wrote:Same as been said so well already but I'll reconfirm it.
Scout
Glass a lot. Spend some days with a spotting scope from a long distance just observing your area if you can, be patient. Find their patterns.
Never ignore what the wind is doing
Move slow, even slower
Stop wait and be patient when you feel there might be a deer near.
Write down all your observations when you get home from hunting each day keep them and reread them each year. Bucks tend to be in the same places doing the same thing at the same time every year.


X2
I used to stalk deer in my socks, now I carry Vibram 5 fingers shoes in my pack, and I put them on to close the deal on a stalk. The are extremely quiet, and my feet don't get hurt. If things aren't right, back out, and hunt your deer another day. Once you blow it on a big buck, you usually don't get a second chance. I always make my stalks on a bedded buck, and I wait for him to get up on his own, then he is relaxed, and not looking in my direction. If you glass, find a buck, bed him down, make a lot of mental notes on his location, everything will look different to you when you close in. Practice making stalks on lesser deer, than you are trying to kill. ALWAYS locate the spoilers, by this I mean smaller bucks, does etc. Big bucks in early season seem to always have somebody close that can blow it for you.

For me my binos are by far the most important piece of equipment I use, get the BEST you can afford. In todays optics, dollar for dollar, Vortex Razor Hd, have no equal.

I carry a notepad in my pack, and write down EVERYTHING, following every stalk, deer located, wind temp. date, basically anything you can think of to write down. You will reap benefits for years to come.

Since you are young, the best advice I can give is when you find a honey hole, keep it quiet. Don't ever take someone there that you don't trust your hunting life with. Be careful what you say to others, don't give away any landmarks in ANY conversation that others who may be listening to you may pick up on.
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Re: Tips for Beginner Mule Deer Hunter?

Postby Peskadot » 10 17, 2014 •  [Post 12]

Good advice for hunters of all stages..
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Re: Tips for Beginner Mule Deer Hunter?

Postby redtop » 10 17, 2014 •  [Post 13]

That's a sage bit of advise there Marc. Keep your mouth shut when it comes to the where part! It's alarming how quickly your spot becomes "their" spot if you let them in on it.
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