What makes a good mule deer hunter?

[rtraverdavis]

I’ve seen reference to one’s ability to be successful in this unit or that type of country or in this type of situation as being dependent on whether or not they are a good mule deer hunter. But what makes one “good?” If you had to name the critical attributes, what would they be?

 

[JoltnJoe]

Patience and the ability to sit on optics for hours upon hours seems to be high on the list from what I gather

 

[520 Road Sow]

Pretty open ended question, I'd say selection, patience, knowledge, persistence, passion, secretive, humble. There's a few on this site I would consider to be "great mule deer hunters" the ones I know personally it's literally all they do. There isn't much else that interests them in the hunting world......


Those are just some characteristics in my opinion there's probably thousands of ways to answer this question IMO.

 

[thusby]

Spring scouting, summer scouting, fall scouting, winter scouting. Every 3-4 years pull the trigger on a bruiser.

 

[Hem]

You must be able to power through with 8 lbs of grass and mud stuck to each foot.

 

[antlerradar]

Patience and the ability to sit on optics for hours upon hours seems to be high on the list from what I gather

Pre season scouting and then applying JoltnJoe's advice. Covering county worked well in the past when there was lots of good rutting bucks running around.

 

[Salmonchaser]

Instinct. No way around it. I’m fortunate, I started hunting mule deer in the 60s pretty near the population peak in Oregon. Pick just about any National Forest land or BLM land in eastern Oregon, take a week end or so and go fill your tag, pass on the first fork or two you saw and you could kill a decent buck. Even then there were guys I knew who killed bruisers every year, I knew some of them. I’d spend a lot of time watching them move through country trying to figure out why they made the moves they did.
They were just hard wired into the environment and used every change in soil conditions, wind direction, sun angle and made an adjustment. Most carried an 06 or a 270 topped with a K4 weaver and 250 yards was a long poke.
If not instinct then it’s finely tuned situational awareness and flexibility.
Harder to draw a tag now in Oregon but I’d never pass on a mule deer hunt.

 

[squirrel]

Define "good mule deer hunter" further. Killer of BIG, killer of MANY, killer of MATURE??? Or my favorite all of the above? I guess the also ran dept would be able to go to any habitat and kill the desired class of MD, be it alpine, timber, or sage/desert.

Just to kill a MD is hardly difficult using modern firearm, they are not the sharpest tack in the animal kingdom drawer by a long shot.

 

[BrentD]

I’ve seen reference to one’s ability to be successful in this unit or that type of country or in this type of situation as being dependent on whether or not they are a good mule deer hunter. But what makes one “good?” If you had to name the critical attributes, what would they be?

6.5 Manbun and the lastest Sitka gear, right?

does it make a difference if the mule deer is in Southern Arizona, Eastern Colorado, or Central Nebraska?

 

[Irrelevant]

I would assume it has a lot of do with situational awareness as @Salmonchaser mentioned that and really understanding oneself, know what you're good and not poor at. Some people will kill them in ambush, or S&S, or still hunting. But you have to be good at whatever it is your doing.

That and a ton of time and effort which really equates to give-a-shit. If you care enough all the rest will likely fall in line over time. I care but not enough, I'd never give up elk or birds for extra mule deer time.

 

[520 Road Sow]

The uncanning ability to consistently consume either a 30 of Busch lite or Old Millwaukee Lite on a daily basis all while out cruisin looking for Mr. Right. and being able to navigate a 250 mile of 2 track loop through uncharted territory and not get lost.

 

[rtraverdavis]

Thanks guys. I left it vague intentionally, because I wanted to see the ideas that typically filled peoples heads when they thought of that vague description. When folks write things like “success is dependent on being a ‘good mule deer hunter,’” it makes me think there’s some unspoken secret code that will forever be beyond my reach. But it sounds like my assumptions were right though—there’s no secret code, just hard work, time, and commitment. Thank you for all of your responses.

 

[Shangobango]

I am going on my first mule deer hunt this fall so I have no answers. I am keenly interested to hear what others have to say.

Not to hijack the thread, but to narrow the question somewhat, what goes into making a mule deer hunter good at locating and getting opportunities to take mature mule deer bucks in early October vs. late October/early November before the rut. Of course assuming that there are mature bucks in the area being hunted.

My guess is that knowledge of the area and how mature mule deer use the terrain is a biggie. Of course as a noob that is just a guess.

 

[Deleted member 16014]

Desire. You either have it or you don't. It gets you to where you need to be and keeps you there.

Good timing. If you are out there all the time your timing is likely to be better.

Good luck. As the old saying goes.. you make your own luck. I think this is about half true.

Willingness to hunt somewhere that you don't really want to hunt because it is where the type of deer you seek lives. Don't fall in love with an area that does not produce the size of deer you seek. If you do you will never know if you are good, and no one else will know either. A poor hunter in a good area will look a lot better than a good hunter in a poor area. I said "look." Every mule deer book will tell you to go where big bucks grow. Good advice if you want to kill big bucks, but it does not automatically make you a better deer hunter. You will damn sure look better in the grip and grins though.

Be a good shot on game. There is no sense in missing when everything comes together. There is nothing worse than listening to a" the one that got away" story, and not know if the hunter knows what they are talking about.

Don't spend too much time dwelling on becoming a "good" mule deer hunter, because in the end you can't measure it. If you turn it into a competition it will take the fun out of it.
There are some damn good mule deer hunters who have never shot a truly big buck, and some damn poor hunters that have.

If you really want to be good have your deer tooth aged in a lab so you know what you are talking about. Big deer aren't always old and smart, and old and smart deer aren't always big.

These are all just opinions I have formed over time. I share your desire to become a good mule deer hunter and if I ever actually figure it out, I will come back and update this post.

Pretty much my thoughts. I like what @EYJONAS! said too, the most consistent killers of big deer (or whatever other species) across habitat types and tag “quality” are neurotic about it. The great all-around hunters still find sturdy bucks though, no doubt.

 

[PNWGator]

I have a friend that consistently kills big white tails. BIG white tails! All public land. All Eastern Washington mountain bucks. He isn‘t on social media and if you didn’t know him, you wouldn’t know the bucks that he‘s taken. He’s obsessed with mature whitetail bucks. It’s virtually all he pursues. He can’t articulate the formula he’s put together over the last forty plus years, but for lack of a better description, he simply understands mature animals and how they live. He hunts the entire season and hunts areas he’s spent time figuring out over decades of purposeful learning and when the opportunity arises, he kills the buck. I’d imagine the guy(s) killing mature mule deer are doing much the same.

 

[JohnCushman]

The ability to realize that when you think you've got it figured out, it'll change the day before you go out to hunt and you have to start all over again.

 

[antlerradar]

Desire. You either have it or you don't. It gets you to where you need to be and keeps you there.

Good timing. If you are out there all the time your timing is likely to be better.

Good luck. As the old saying goes.. you make your own luck. I think this is about half true.

Willingness to hunt somewhere that you don't really want to hunt because it is where the type of deer you seek lives. Don't fall in love with an area that does not produce the size of deer you seek. If you do you will never know if you are good, and no one else will know either. A poor hunter in a good area will look a lot better than a good hunter in a poor area. I said "look." Every mule deer book will tell you to go where big bucks grow. Good advice if you want to kill big bucks, but it does not automatically make you a better deer hunter. You will damn sure look better in the grip and grins though.

Be a good shot on game. There is no sense in missing when everything comes together. There is nothing worse than listening to a" the one that got away" story, and not know if the hunter knows what they are talking about.

Don't spend too much time dwelling on becoming a "good" mule deer hunter, because in the end you can't measure it. If you turn it into a competition it will take the fun out of it.
There are some damn good mule deer hunters who have never shot a truly big buck, and some damn poor hunters that have.

If you really want to be good have your deer tooth aged in a lab so you know what you are talking about. Big deer aren't always old and smart, and old and smart deer aren't always big.

These are all just opinions I have formed over time. I share your desire to become a good mule deer hunter and if I ever actually figure it out, I will come back and update this post.

the only thing I would add is that once you find a good place, keep hunting it. It takes a few years to learn how to hunt a good spot.

 

[BuzzH]

the only thing I would add is that once you find a good place, keep hunting it. It takes a few years to learn how to hunt a good spot.

With the caveat of not dragging your buddies, relatives, etc. Pretty easy to shoot out a good mule deer spot.

 

[tomengineer]

6.5 Manbun and the lastest Sitka gear, right?

does it make a difference if the mule deer is in Southern Arizona, Eastern Colorado, or Central Nebraska?

*looks at 6.5 Tikka and brand new KUIU wardrobe

“I take this as a micro aggression”

 

[mtmuley]

the only thing I would add is that once you find a good place, keep hunting it. It takes a few years to learn how to hunt a good spot.

I agree. Sadly I can't hunt muleys in my favorite spot regularly as it is a tough draw. But, knowing the country and where the deer are at any given time of year is a big advantage. mtmuley