My son is trying to hunt Mulies in the archery only unit around Edmonton. Do they behave differently than whitetail's. I believe that he is trying to hunt them like whitetail's, ie. sitting on game trails and field edges. They don't seem to pattern like whitetail's. He is getting quite frustrated. Any advice I can give him.
Whitetail vs Mulies behavior
- Thread starter mveniot
- Start date
yea, hunt wile they're bedded down- and about 99% of your time is RECON - sitting on game trails and field edges just won't do- he's thinking they're a trail animal like a white tail, and that's why he's getting skunked- think more like bounding rabbit- a mulie can clear an 6 foot fence with no problem- I suggest he either go to the library or purchase a book on mulie behaviour in the off season and study it like a seminary student does the bible and forget about this year- it's too late
I've also heard that the best place to look for whitetails is the side of the highway, inside municipal limits, or inside the gates of a farmer's field, directly behind a "no shooting" sign.
The best place to look for mule deer is out the window of a truck, perhaps through the glass bottom of a beer bottle.
The best place to look for mule deer is out the window of a truck, perhaps through the glass bottom of a beer bottle.
I would have to agree with this, though bear in mind, I hunt BC mulies and behaviors probably aren't the same as your deer
we have some pockets of white tail locally, they are like ghosts , but they do prefer a certain habitat closer to the fields and livestock than the mulies tend to go. but the mulies can be found in the yard often, even with the two rottweillers on the loose LOL but I've never seen a white tail thru the property even though they exist in the fields at the head of the lake less than a KM away. Like you son is frustrated with mulies...... I have the same frustration with these darned white tails around here. I've seen a couple very nice bucks in the head lights but never during the day LOL
If I were after a mulie right now, I'd be finding where pockets of mulie does are bedding and hunt it hard and silent. mule deer are in full rut in my region right now (BC region 5-01), we have a rut closure right now and it's just as well as I bagged my buck for this region at the tail end of Oct.
Whitetails are lower elevation homebodies and have the uncanny ability to stay hidden even in a small area. Mule deer are at higher elevations and move around a lot more. Some groups of mule deer even migrate between summer and winter ranges. Spook a whitetail, he will still be in the general area the next day. Spook a mule deer, he may not stop until he has cleared the next mountain range. I'm speaking in general terms of course.
The Outsider
CGN Regular
Hunting Mulies here in SE BC is a lot different than on the Prairies.
Here, the Mule deer are usually at much higher elevations, and they like open meadows, so if you see mountain tops with bald patches, chances are there are mule deer there.
Both the big white tail and mule deer bucks around here usually don't migrate down from the mountains until late in the season, when the snow and urge to rut forces them down, then you need to know where the does are.
That's how I shot my Muley last week, 2 days before the end of the season.
A friend who lives in southern Alberta says he hunts mule deer by glassing the prairies for their racks when they are bedded down during the day, then he often has to crawl on this hands and knees to try and get within range.
Here, the Mule deer are usually at much higher elevations, and they like open meadows, so if you see mountain tops with bald patches, chances are there are mule deer there.
Both the big white tail and mule deer bucks around here usually don't migrate down from the mountains until late in the season, when the snow and urge to rut forces them down, then you need to know where the does are.
That's how I shot my Muley last week, 2 days before the end of the season.
A friend who lives in southern Alberta says he hunts mule deer by glassing the prairies for their racks when they are bedded down during the day, then he often has to crawl on this hands and knees to try and get within range.
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In my experience its the white tails that prefer the open areas. Mules are more likely to be found in river breaks in the trees. Personally I think there is nothing stupider than a mule deer and sneaking them is no great challenge. I live right off lake diefenbaker and there is a largish herd of them around my place.
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In Saskatchewan, elevation seems to have little to do with where Mule Deer choose to live. For some reason.
LOL
I've been there once , to moose jaw..... was pretty darn flat
that said, I'd love to do the creep on a big bruiser in that open country. even if I failed 100 times or more, the rush must be fantastic!
In Saskatchewan, elevation seems to have little to do with where Mule Deer choose to live. For some reason.
there its just sly of 300 ft difference in elevation between my house and the lake. That's just over 1/4 mile away. If you stay on the trans canada the elevation is rather graduated. However the entire province is not view able from the number 1.
If you get off the transcanada and journey into the south west (Cypress Hills) you will find elevation changes of nearly 2000 feet from bottom of coulee to top in the pines. Trust me on this, I just spent several days climbing these saskatchewan mountains at 68 years of age, not pretty at times lol. and yes Mule Deer can be found on the open buck brush draws too. but yea you might find the big ones stay up at the top............
BrotherRockeye
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Rural Saskatchewan
Bow hunting Mulies is a spot and stalk game. Good glass is a must.
