How do you pick what size of a mule deer to shoot?

[SagebrushSlayer]

I am not a trophy hunter by any means. In fact I have not even shot a mature deer yet. I have some questions for those who research new areas or pick areas to hunt that are buck hunts only.

If the area doesn't produce big deer often, older than 4-5 years old, how do you go about picking the size of deer to shoot?

if there is an antler point minimum, do you pass on the average bucks for the area, or wait for one that gives you no second look needed?

I know some people only want to shoot a buck that produces a certain score, but how many people consistently shoot 3 or 4 pt bucks in the 20-24"range when given the opportunity?

I know size and beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so I am just trying to get a feel of hunters that try filling their tags yearly by passing on smaller immature bucks. .

 

[SFC B]

I am currently hoarding pts and would like to use them for the possibility of a 4pt or smething really funky and non-typ

 

[LopeHunter]

I look for a mature deer. Depends on how many deer are in the unit and how many tags. How many days can hunt and if bad weather is rolling in later in the week. Sometimes, there are so many tags for a unit that resembles a controlled invasion which soon spooks deer out of normal behavior. Do not care for those hunts anymore.

Assuming you are hunting in a unit where will see several mule deer during the hunt, 3x3 or better is a winner winner venison dinner for me. If are in a low-pressure unit with lots of bucks then might set the goal for 4x4.

If you glass lots of bucks over the years then can look at the buck to age. Does the back sag? Dropping belly? Do the legs look short? If so, most likely an older deer. Older deer may have horns in decline and be a mere 2x2 but surviving 5 or more years around predators and hunters is a more deserving trophy to me than a 4x4. My 2 cents..

 

[dustinf]

I suck at this. 99% of the time I shoot at the first legal animal I get in range.

 

[mtmuley]

Nothing smaller than what I already have. mtmuley

 

[JohnCushman]

I suck at this. 99% of the time I shoot at the first legal animal I get in range.

This

 

[HighDesertSage]

Look at my name......

 

[sagebrush]

It really depends on whats available. Sometimes I have a tag in a unit known for bigger deer and I spend a lot of time looking for one. I am fortunate to have a lot of time available so I am not pressured for a quick kill. For example, this year I will burn my points in CA on a unit where 60% of the harvest are forkies. I will spend 3 or 4 days scouting right before the opener. My wife will be able to hunt the first 11 days and we will focus on a deer for her. A friend of ours will be hunting Fri- Sat-Sun each week and he will only shoot a 3X3 or better. When I am hunting alone, I will be looking for a mature 4X4 and will settle for a meat buck on the last day of a 23 day season. When I am fortunate enough to draw a tag in NV, I am looking for a personal best each time. The season is 14 days in most of the units in which I apply. I will spend a week scouting and 14 days hunting trying to turn up something big. It doesn't take too many days in the field to figure out how the antler growth has been. If I'm seeing tall, heavy antlers, even on the younger deer, I'm holding out to the last day. If I ever draw a tag here in AZ, I will be looking for a 180+ buck because I only apply in units where that is a very real possibility.

But to your point, research the units and know what kind of deer can realistically be expected. Look at the statistics available from the state, talk to wildlife managers and hunters that have hunted there. You can get a lot of quality information right here on this website if you ask. You can get a feel for the potential very quickly. Pick units that afford the opportunity you a looking for. Well known trophy units are going to take a long time or a lot of money to secure a tag, sometimes both when you start adding up license and application fees for the number of years you will invest to get that tag. If you apply in several states, you can draw an easier tag in one state for the opportnity to be in the field and put some meat in the freezer while you are doing what is necessary to draw a trophy tag in other states.

 

[Redwood]

Nothing smaller than what I already have. mtmuley

Yep, if you have to kill something to enjoy yourself it's time for some self reflection. You've got to let them go to grow. There are easier, tastier critters out their than a muley buck so I don't buy the meat arguement. Put some effort in, find a buck that would make you happy. After that, practice self control and game management. I've got a buddy that has been hunting the same area for years. Every year he shoots a whatever buck. Every year he bitches about never seeing a big buck. Wonder why that is.

 

[ShootsManyBullets]

I really try to kill a mature animal or I eat the tag. I ate my tag in Colorado last year b/c I didn't see a good mature buck and didn't feel the need to shoot a dink just to say I killed one. I passed lots of bucks in Montana the last couple years looking for a nice older buck and didn't feel bad for 1 second for not killing one with the herd in SE Montana still struggling to come back. Good management IMO to let 'em grow.

I like to hunt antelope for meat but do try to kill the biggest one I can find if for no other reason it's fun to chase them. Lots of opportunities for cow elk out there to fill the freezer too.

I've been rewarded many times over the years by holding out for a big one. My wife thinks I do it on purpose so I don't have to come home. I never feel bad if I pass up deer especially if I know I could've hammered them. Hunting is fun and I don't have to kill one to have a fun trip.
By no means do I think less of guys who shoot the first legal buck they see. They paid for the tags and are entitled to hunt how they want. I do question it though when guys are on a hunt like the late Kaibab in AZ which takes forever to draw and has trophy bucks and they shoot a forky. Might not be the greatest idea IMO but to each his own.

 

[SagebrushSlayer]

This past hunting season was the first that I had portrayed self control. Opening weekend I passed on around 10-12 young forkies and 3 pts. I helped a young high school kid with getting his first buck, which was one of the forkies. It didn't bother me to pass on something so young on a OTC tag. But now I feel more driven to not let my standard down.

Later at the end of the season, I hunted hard seeing over 40 deer a day for 4 days, My hunting partner shot a good 24" 4x5 the second day. It ended up being the only mature deer we saw and his biggest to date. We ended up trying the last two days in looking for another one, but were only seeing young ones.

The only way I couldn't pass on a young deer is if it was a crazy non typical. It seems the area I hunt produces some nice non typical deer and a lot of young(3 year old) 4 points.

I seem to always be chasing where I think the grass is always greener in searching for a mature deer. I think now that I am hunting a migration area, with the number of deer I have seen, I should stay put. I know that hunting the area might not produce a mature deer every year, but wouldn't migration route & early rut= higher chance? Also, how long is it worth hunting an area that isn't necessarily a hot spot?

Thanks for all the comments so far. Does it get easier in finding mature deer once you break the cycle of shooting the first legal deer you see? What seems to be the norm for folks who only shoot mature deer (1 for every ? years) I know applying or hunting in other states or buying a second tag could increase my chances, but feel like the "mature mule deer monkey" continues to evade me.

 

[ShootsManyBullets]

This past hunting season was the first that I had portrayed self control. Opening weekend I passed on around 10-12 young forkies and 3 pts. I helped a young high school kid with getting his first buck, which was one of the forkies. It didn't bother me to pass on something so young on a OTC tag. But now I feel more driven to not let my standard down.

Later at the end of the season, I hunted hard seeing over 40 deer a day for 4 days, My hunting partner shot a good 24" 4x5 the second day. It ended up being the only mature deer we saw and his biggest to date. We ended up trying the last two days in looking for another one, but were only seeing young ones.

The only way I couldn't pass on a young deer is if it was a crazy non typical. It seems the area I hunt produces some nice non typical deer and a lot of young(3 year old) 4 points.

I seem to always be chasing where I think the grass is always greener in searching for a mature deer. I think now that I am hunting a migration area, with the number of deer I have seen, I should stay put. I know that hunting the area might not produce a mature deer every year, but wouldn't migration route & early rut= higher chance? Also, how long is it worth hunting an area that isn't necessarily a hot spot?

Thanks for all the comments so far. Does it get easier in finding mature deer once you break the cycle of shooting the first legal deer you see? What seems to be the norm for folks who only shoot mature deer (1 for every ? years) I know applying or hunting in other states or buying a second tag could increase my chances, but feel like the "mature mule deer monkey" continues to evade me.

Yes, it does get easier only because you spend less time looking at little ones and you move on a little faster so you get more opportunities to see deer. I guess it depends on how much time you have to hunt. Most years I can find a mature buck with a solid week of hunting. It might take the whole week to find him and get in on him, but I'll pound the boot leather or burn the fuel until I find a good one to go after.

I've talked to lots of trophy hunters and outfitters about their strategies over the years and a lot of them have several spots or areas they know have had good bucks over the years so they hit them, glass hard for awhile, then move quickly to the next one, especially first thing in the morning. I like to hike to a good glassing spot before daylight, work the optics, then move to another one until I find deer. Once I get into deer I slow down. When I find a buck or hunt an area I know always holds good bucks, I slow down a little and glass more while moving a little less. The best spots allow me to cover a ton of country with my binos and spotter without having to move far.

You can't kill a big buck if you shoot a little one on the first day! Just know what a good mature buck is for your area and hold out until you find him. A mature buck that I'd be proud to tag in SE Montana is not the same size as a mature buck on the Arizona Strip. I'm not big on scoring but I do know what a good buck is for the areas I hunt and that's what I try for.

 

[ida homer]

I have only killed a couple middle aged deer. Nothing bigger than 160". My goal each season is to find a mature buck or a really cool buck. To me a mature buck in our OTC units is a 3.5 year old deer or older. A solid 22" wide or better 4x4 is the benchmark I'm going for.

When I hike 2 miles or more from the truck in areas where I don't see a boot track I feel it is completely unnecessary to shoot a young buck anymore. I prefer elk meat over deer meat. When I see guys like Robbie Denning passing up 170"+ bucks in OTC units it just goes to show the opportunity that there is in the west and there is no reason not to let the bucks grow up, even with less than desirable tags. For me personally, grown up is 3.5 years or more. I may get pickier as I get older and kill more deer.

 

[Osvidar]

Nothing smaller than what I already have. mtmuley

I think I'll be where Mt Muley is at next season. After a long layoff I've killed does in 2011 & 12 and finally drew & got a buck this year. The wife doesn't like venison so there's no real motivation for meat anymore. Hope to find out about Elk in 14 be my first so if I get a bull tag I won't be too choosy. Bottom line we are all different and change as we gain experience so go with you gut.

 

[mtmiller]

Find one that makes you happy. I try to keep it over 160". That being said, tag soup for me this year in MT. Biggest one I saw was probably 150".

 

[8andcounting]

As long as its over 22" wide and try to make sure it's double forked on both sides (4x4) . Brow tines are nice too .

 

[noharleyyet]

I think to myself, "what would Oak do?"

 

[DRAFTSTUD]

If it makes your heart flutter, shoot it and don't worry what others think. John

 

[ERMINE]

If it makes your heart flutter, shoot it and don't worry what others think. John

I like this motto. I have shot 2 mule deer one was 155" utah buck another from this year 122" MT buck 3x4 I hunted hard for. I'm proud of them, I worked my butt off for them, did I see bigger bucks yes. I have to say both are very memorable hunts two or so weeks in the field. It seems the harder a guy works for something the more he remembers it.

 

[duckhunt]

I dont believe in trophy hunting, not that shooting a giant wouldnt be cool. I hunt whitetails and the way I see it is that if I can put steaks on the grill and maybe grind up some sausage that sucker is goin down.