Taking my 1st mulie this year. Bullet question.

251251

251251

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So I got a tag this year for a mule deer and have never taken one before. With white tails, I usually use my 30-06 with a 150 gr. bullet. Since mulies are a bit bigger, would it be alright to use a 180 gr. bullet, or should I stick to 150 or go inbetween at 165 gr.? Any suggestions are welcome, thanks.
 
Most .30-06 rifles respond very well to 180 grain bullets but I know there will be a number of recommendations for the 165 - 168 grain bullets. My first elk was taken with a 165 grain Nosler Partition.
 
Try not to overthink it too much. It'll just throw you off your game.

Shoot whatever you can shoot with, and get on with it.

I've taken mulies with 110 gr spire points, as well as 180 gr soft points, and a bunch of bullets between, and they all died just as dead. Shot placement makes a difference, bullet selection, a bunch less.
If you don't shoot them in the arse, you don't need four feet of penetration to kill them, eh.


Cheers
Trev
 
I would think any of the mentioned bullets would do the job. The important thing is placement. I would suggest using whichever one your rifle shoots the best. Then practice at longer distances and go out and have at it. Good luck.
 
I have taken mulies with 85gr .243 all the way up to 225gr .338.

Anything that works on white tails will work just fine on mule deer. They are bigger, but not so much so that you need to bring more gun. What you have will work perfectly.

Cheers!
 
I agree with the shot placement rule but it would be wise to look into something with a fair bit more ommmppphhhhh.

30-06 is getting even on the light side for white tail let alone mulies. ;)
 
I've taken a pile of mulies with my muzzle loader out to 200 yards. These are not Alien battle bots from a parallel universe. Just put one in the bioler room and organize the barbeque.

30 06 has, will, and will always do the job for anything in this continent. Spend your time practicing how to shoot rather than worrying about what to shoot.

Good luck and hope you tag a big one.
 
Shoot what you are used to a what works and don't worry about it. If you can kill a whitetail you can kill a mule deer.
 
251251 said:
So I got a tag this year for a mule deer and have never taken one before. With white tails, I usually use my 30-06 with a 150 gr. bullet. Since mulies are a bit bigger, would it be alright to use a 180 gr. bullet, or should I stick to 150 or go inbetween at 165 gr.? Any suggestions are welcome, thanks.
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150 - 165 should be just fine for a mule deer. I've taken a 275 lb mulie with a 130 grain TSX in .260 Rem... mind you, that was a neck shot! But I have total confidence in the 130 TSX to do the job on a heart/lung/shoulder shot.
 
150 is lots...I shot all mine with 130 gr 270....shooting mulies is pretty easy.
Usually spot & stalk shooting at a bedded animal.
Just make sure it is accurate because it might be a long shot.
 
I have several big mule bucks on the wall and all have dropped on the spot with single shots from my 6mm Rem with 100gr Federal Powershocks. Don't over think bullet weights and muzzle velocities. Instead, focus on what shoots well from your rifle and most importantly, shot placement.
 
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