mule deer herd/buck ratio

[saskgunowner101]

So my wife and I were lucky enough to draw Muley tags in our home zone, but I don't know anything really about muley group or herd behavior. In a healthy herd, how many bucks should be hanging around? We've been paying attention to one group that seems to have about 5-6 does, 4-5 fawns/yearlings, and one buck. And he's not a big buck either. Should I assume there are more bucks waiting for the rut to fire up to start chasing the ladies? Thoughts?

Also, any muley hunting tips specific to Sask appreciated.

 

[starvin]

If it’s your home zone you should have an idea of whether or not there are big bucks around. A lot of the northern zones have seemingly as many tags as mule deer. I asked the biologist why and he told me that they are on the fringe of their range and likely to suffer heavy mortality anyway, so basically a money grab. The few decent bucks I’ve seen in zone 43 and 50 weren’t with the does yet as of last week.
Keep your eye on the group but find another pocket or two of mules would be my advice.
Another thing about these farmland muleys is that they hold tight. Driving by won’t flush them from cover, got to walk it even if it’s see through. Good luck!

 

[saskgunowner101]

If it’s your home zone you should have an idea of whether or not there are big bucks around. A lot of the northern zones have seemingly as many tags as mule deer. I asked the biologist why and he told me that they are on the fringe of their range and likely to suffer heavy mortality anyway, so basically a money grab. The few decent bucks I’ve seen in zone 43 and 50 weren’t with the does yet as of last week.
Keep your eye on the group but find another pocket or two of mules would be my advice.
Another thing about these farmland muleys is that they hold tight. Driving by won’t flush them from cover, got to walk it even if it’s see through. Good luck!

I haven't actually seen any massive muley bucks in this zone ever to be honest, but I never actually look for them. We saw a decent one the other day going point A to point B, but I haven't asked for permission yet where he was. Anyways, should be an experience lol

 

[a j cave]

The big bucks in rut are sure hard to eat!

 

[saskgunowner101]

The big bucks in rut are sure hard to eat!

Surely no worse than WT? I've had a few rutty WT that seemed alright once they were missing the hide.

 

[Potashminer]

OP, I think there is difference among those deer species - white tail and mule deer. We used to hunt Zone 46 in Saskatchewan for about 30 or more years. Would seem as if a mule deer buck would gather up a "harem" - tend to them - as if there is a "boss" herd buck, and then other "wanna be's" hanging around. My impression was they are a LOT like elk in this pattern of behaviour. I never saw that with white tail - as if the white tail doe would run and white tail buck would have to chase - I do not think the mule bucks could be bothered to chase. So the "cross breeds" or "hybrids" were likely from a whitetail buck on a mule deer doe. For you, is a reasonable strategy to keep track of that herd of does and yearlings - the bucks will find them - you may or may not get a chance to see the really big guy - he is likely mostly nocturnal. Meaning odds are best at very first shooting light, or very last shooting light. Then, of course, that big old guy will be standing out in the open, in a pasture at 2:00 PM, just to demonstrate that he does not follow the postings here...

 

[starvin]

The last mulie i shot was in extreme sw sask and was an old buck that had a harem of 46 does. There’s no cover down there so it was a long poke. By the time I got over to deal with him the herd had all returned to surround their fallen king. Stockholm syndrome I guess. Seems in the north the doe groups will stay local and bucks will travel between them.
Sask environment issues a lot of tags in fringe zones partly because of the travelling bucks. It was a mule deer that walked cwd into Manitoba.

 

[saskgunowner101]

Then, of course, that big old guy will be standing out in the open, in a pasture at 2:00 PM, just to demonstrate that he does not follow the postings here...

Isn't that how it goes?

 

[coyoteking]

I’ve been hearing the trophy bucks are few and far between this year. The pastures I hunt the managers said they haven’t seen any big Mulies in a couple of years. After 4 days of hunting hard I tagged out with a 170” buck yesterday, the biggest one I had seen all year.

 

[saskgunowner101]

I’ve been hearing the trophy bucks are few and far between this year. The pastures I hunt the managers said they haven’t seen any big Mulies in a couple of years. After 4 days of hunting hard I tagged out with a 170” buck yesterday, the biggest one I had seen all year.

Lucky for me that I've never had a muley tag, so the bar is a little lower for me. I'll settle for "decent", whatever that means should the chance come up.

Has anyone had luck with rattle bags, grunt tubes etc?

 

[scruffee]

If you're hunting by PA, the herds are going to be smaller and fewer than it is down South. The average herd size around where I hunt (Saskatoon) reaches about more or less a dozen animals with 2-3 larger bucks and many small satellite bucks coming in and out. Herds can get bigger in the winter but from what I've seen that's post December.

With a draw rifle tag, I wouldn't consider anything under 180 in the Central/Southern zone, but that's me, I hunt hard and know where the big ones are in my area. It seems like the average mule deer buck for rifle season ranges from 150 to 160 and that's judging from the 306 Hunter group on FB.

 

[scruffee]

I’ve been hearing the trophy bucks are few and far between this year. The pastures I hunt the managers said they haven’t seen any big Mulies in a couple of years. After 4 days of hunting hard I tagged out with a 170” buck yesterday, the biggest one I had seen all year.

Congrats! Pic?

 

[scruffee]

Lucky for me that I've never had a muley tag, so the bar is a little lower for me. I'll settle for "decent", whatever that means should the chance come up.

Has anyone had luck with rattle bags, grunt tubes etc?

I always have mule deer bucks come in to the calls/rattling when I'm out whitetail hunting during rifle season. This is the time of year where mule deer bucks become extremely stupid and have the situational awareness of a dead trout. They are busy chasing does, find the does and you will find the bucks. Hunting mule deer bucks this time of year is stupid easy; IF they're around and IF you have permission.

At the end of the day, your tag and your buck. Shoot what makes you happy, not everyone gets to hunt mule deer unless they do archery so settle for what makes YOU happy, good luck.

 

[Potashminer]

scruffy makes very good point - I think as a hunter, do not lose track to make yourself happy first - is not about what others think. I took my son on away-from-town hunt for whitetail - he had not got any deer before - at my encouragement, he dropped a nice one on other side of a tree line - single shot fired - dead right there - I can still remember 30 years later how disappointed he was that it did not have horns! Really!!! The boy was 12 years old! In my view, he needed to cut a few tags, gut a few deer and drag them out - go days without seeing even one deer. And then get selective. Which he did. Has taken some nice bucks. And has a few uncancelled tags on the wall - is all his call, now.

He used a rifle that I built (well, actually mostly trimmed down and epoxy bedded) for his Mother, some years earlier. My hand loads, my sighting in. His sister used the same rifle to get her first deer some years later - another single shot fired, the deer crumpled right there - except on the dead run, after I had missed with my single shot!!!

 

[scruffee]

scruffy makes very good point - I think as a hunter, do not lose track to make yourself happy first - is not about what others think. I took my son on away-from-town hunt for whitetail - he had not got any deer before - at my encouragement, he dropped a nice one on other side of a tree line - single shot fired - dead right there - I can still remember 30 years later how disappointed he was that it did not have horns! Really!!! The boy was 12 years old! In my view, he needed to cut a few tags, gut a few deer and drag them out - go days without seeing even one deer. And then get selective. Which he did. Has taken some nice bucks. And has a few uncancelled tags on the wall - is all his call, now.

He used a rifle that I built (well, actually mostly trimmed down and epoxy bedded) for his Mother, some years earlier. My hand loads, my sighting in. His sister used the same rifle to get her first deer some years later - another single shot fired, the deer crumpled right there - except on the dead run, after I had missed with my single shot!!!

My brother flies in every fall to Sask to hunt whitetail as a non-res. A couple seasons ago on our first morning together, I spotted a nice buck so we made a move on him to get closer and call. 30 seconds after I was done my first calling/rattling sequence, a tiny forky ran in. Without any hesitation my brother whacked him. My initial thoughts were "WTF is wrong with you" but that quickly changed once I saw his reaction. He was so happy that we had called in a buck and that it had all worked out. He didn't care about antlers, he wanted to have a fun hunt with his big brother.

For those who hunted Sask last year, you'll know how crappy the weather turned in November. Several snowstorms blocked access to most of the hunting grounds (illegal to use a snowmobile or ATV in most zones during hunting season) and hunting turned very hard with record snow falls. My brother had high expectations; he passed several bucks on the first day and as the week progressed, the hunting got worst. We would get shots at bucks that he was not necessarily confident taking (which I commend him for that), so we passed more bucks. As the days went by and his attitude turned to shyt I reminded him what hunting was all about and that if all he wanted was to hunt, that he should shoot the next whitetail he saw, regardless of headgear. So he did just that, he went hunting alone one morning, jumped some does and shot one. His crappy week turned into a great one simply because he put antlers/antler size aside and filled his tag like he wanted to.

 

[saskgunowner101]

Some good food for thought here guys. It's kind of a conflict for me, as I don't want to shoot the first one that walks by, yet I don't want to end up skunked...I like eating deer. I'm hoping I just know when I see one. With WT it's a lot easier, and I can pick and choose depending on my mood. Sometimes 4 points on each side with a fat body/neck, and my hunt is done. Other times I figure it will be a hellish drag out of that bush, and I'll see him again in a field.

And yes to the nasty weather last year. IIRC, it was about 14-16" of powder, and 2-3" of hard pack on top. Unless you're a coyote, you aren't having any fun walking in that. It was actually the first time I wore snow shoes to hunt, and thank God I didn't have to go very far. Less than 200 meters from my shack, but of course the deer ran the other way so I had a hard haul back. That's hunting for ya.

 

[Potashminer]

... It's kind of a conflict for me, as I don't want to shoot the first one that walks by, yet I don't want to end up skunked ...

The "lament" of any hunter who has ever got something, and then thinks there might be a bigger one out there!!! Drive from Eastern Saskatchewan to Val Marie area for three day mule deer - just amazing at 2:00 PM on third day, how all those that you passed up on first day morning are just "gone" - no where to be found!

As you said - "That's hunting for ya."

 

[coyoteking]

The "lament" of any hunter who has ever got something, and then thinks there might be a bigger one out there!!! Drive from Eastern Saskatchewan to Val Marie area for three day mule deer - just amazing at 2:00 PM on third day, how all those that you passed up on first day morning are just "gone" - no where to be found!

As you said - "That's hunting for ya."

Murphy’s law- you tag out on a nice buck and on the way home you see an absolute monster just standing in a field by the road mocking you. Lol.

 

[coyoteking]

Congrats! Pic?

Since he wasn’t a trophy I took just a quick pic to show some friends how lucky I was to shoot him right next to the trail.



I had driven deep into the pasture before sunup and walked 6-7 miles through some of the roughest terrain this area offers. I must’ve glassed 30 different bucks that morning all small to average. Around 1:00 I got back to the truck and decided to drive to a different area known for big deer. About 200 yards from the trail head this guy stood up literally 50’ from the truck, and just stood there. I couldn’t resist. Haha.

 

[jbmauser]

Looks like a trophy to me. Nice buck.